StarHub fends off pay TV contenders with tried-and-tested Hubbing strategy

New services by ViewQwest won't dent its market share.

StarHub will continue to lead Singapore's pay TV market despite internet service provider ViewQwest's recent foray into the pay TV space.

According to BMI Research, the new product is unlikely to affect StarHub's pay TV market share because 60% of the telco's customers subscribe to at least two services under the so-called Hubbing strategy.

ViewQwest, on the other hand, mainly targets expatriate customers with its agnostic VPN (virtual private network) set-top box.

This will allow subscribers to access content from international streaming sites including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Instant Video, Viki and LeTV that are not available locally.

“The new set-top box will not have a significant impact on the local pay TV market as operators' bundling strategies will mean they are insulated from the threat of this new service. Moreover, the fact that this service and content is accessible through all networks means that interested users can view it as an add-on service to their current connection, regardless of their provider,” said BMI Research