Shwe Stream set to grow rapidly in Myanmar

Shwe Stream set to grow rapidly in Myanmar
Phay Thwin Htun, the firm’s business development manager at his office in Yangon
Phay Thwin Htun, the firm’s business development manager at his office in Yangon
Published 10 July 2019
Khine Kyaw

In response to the growing demand for digital content in the entertainment industry, locally owned eTrade Myanmar Co has introduced a value-added service, the Shwe Stream application, to the market, according to Phay Thwin Htun, the firm’s business development manager.

In an exclusive interview, the executive said more than 5,000 subscribers had used the application in the week following the launch of the online entertainment platform.

“If we manage to keep this growth momentum, we are sure to get around 10,000 subscriptions every month,” he said.

“Our aim is to receive more than 100,000 subscriptions every year. We hope to provide a new choice for Myanmar viewers.”

Phay Thwin Htun said this was the perfect timing for Shwe Stream, as Myanmar is shifting to a digital economy and communication costs and data prices are now more competitive than ever before.

“Nowadays, our infrastructure is much stronger than before, and the majority of Myanmar people know how to use movie applications,” he said.

“We have late-comer advantages, as locals’ experience in using other applications will definitely come in handy. As our app is quite easy to use and packed with good content, we do not see any barrier to our growth right now.”

Right now Android users can download the application via Google Play Store and Lotaya web portal while iOS users have to go to the official website. However, it will soon be downloadable for iOS users, which will largely contribute to meeting the firm’s target of reaching 100,000 users by the end of this year.

Phay Thwin Htun said the rise in smartphone usage and data consumption would drive rapid growth of Shwe Stream.

“Today, many people are too busy to go to the movies. Sometimes, people want to watch new movies starring their favourite actors but simply don’t have time to go to the cinema or, in some cases, have no cinema in their small towns,” he said.

“We hope to fill this gap by providing good content so people can easily watch them at a convenient time and place. They no longer have to worry about missing their favourite movies or soap operas.”

To date, Shwe Stream offers 30,000 minutes of Myanmar and South Korean content, mainly movies and drama series, on its platform. Unlike other over-the-top (OTT) video service providers, Shwe Stream has an equal share of content between Korean and Myanmar movies.

“Our content will be available with Myanmar subtitles, and we offer a wide variety of entertainment including horror, thriller, romance, comedy, action, drama and A-nyeint (Burmese plays),” he said.

“We will make sure to include new content every day and we aim to add much more by the end of this year.”

According to the executive, MPT SIM subscribers can use the application for 99 kyats (Bt2) a day, and a special pay-per-view system is also available from 100 kyats to 500 kyats a movie.  

Cooperation with other telecom operators could be part of the firm’s future plans, as the user base grows.

“We have some exclusive content on top of a good mix of new and old movies. We are now cooperating with Korea’s Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and will be adding well-known Bollywood movies soon,” he said.

He said Shwe Stream would continue to cooperate with content providers by ensuring more benefits than advertisement-based businesses like YouTube and Facebook.

“At Shwe Stream, we place creativity at the heart of our business. We always invite producers, creative artists and rising stars to showcase their artistic works on our platform,” he said.

The firm will hold a national-level micro film contest in August, for new generation directors, actors and actresses for future production. The contest details will be announced in the near future.

“Our aim is to encourage creativity. Local creators can participate in our contest even if they produce content with a mobile phone,” he said.

Though Shwe Stream is a newcomer to the OTT business, its parent company eTrade Myanmar has been in the content industry for 16 years. It has been providing value-added services for MPT subscribers since 2016.

The firm now has more than 100 permanent staff with a good mix of gender balance in its workforce, and plans to expand its team as the business grows.

“We have enough translators to make our Korean and Indian contents available with Myanmar subtitles but sometimes work with outsourced professionals for translation work,” he said.

Phay Thwin Htun considers people’s lack of awareness about intellectual property rights and digital literacy as the biggest challenge for expansion of its portfolio.

“Another challenge is to meet the needs of our customers from all walks of life, as different people have different tastes. With our expertise, we are fully confident we can address the challenges,” he said.