Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) is teaming up with Chinese online media service provider LeTV to jointly offer broadband access and online content services to consumers in Hong Kong.
Under the partnership, HKBN, the second largest residential broadband provider in the city with over 2.1 million residential homes passed, will bundle its fiber service with LeTV’s content services including 4K channel, VoD, entertainment and sport channels.
“By taking advantage of HKBN’s ultra-fast and reliable fiber broadband network, which begins at a speedy 100Mbps entry level service and goes upwards to a blistering fast 1000Mbps, all HKBN customers will be instantly ready to enjoy an unprecedented smooth viewing experience of 4K Ultra HD programming,” HKBN chief executive and co-founder William Yeung said.
Yeung said the first 5000 customers (new or existing HKBN customers) who sign up for the new offering before midnight today will be able to have a free LeTV4K set top box and watch selected LeTV content as well as sports channel and 4K channel for HK$272 per month for two years.
The two-year package comprises HK$138 a month for the first 10 months and HK$368 starting from August next year for the next 14 months, he added.
But he declined to disclose the alternative pricing for those who cannot sign in by midnight, saying that the company will try to provide the cheapest and most competitive plan to customers.
Separately, new customers who acquire Le TV Box 4K from other retail sales channels of Letv can enjoy free 100Mbps broadband service offered by HKBN for six months. Customers can register for the free service on hkbn.net/letvf6 starting from 15 Oct 2015, the company said.
Yeung said he hopes the new partnership with LeTV will help the company raise the number of customers and lift revenues.
The operator had said earlier that it aims to boost its subscriber base from 700,000 to one million by 2019.
“Now we are adjusting our deadline as we expect we could achieve it earlier,” Yeung told reporters at a media briefing in Hong Kong Thursday.
The HKBN-LeTV partnership comes weeks after the city’s largest fixed broadband provider PCCW-HKT announced plans to offer 4K UHD service in 2016.
The collaboration is also LeTV’s latest attempt to expand its market share in Hong Kong.
LeTV vice president and CEO of APAC Tin Mok said the company will be investing substantially to facilitate the joint promotion to grow the subscription base of two companies to 1 million in the shortest time possible.
“Leveraging on HKBN’s hi-speed fibre network and our 600 CDN (Content Delivery Network) nodes around the world and 10T bandwidth, we can deliver a blazing fast and reliable experience of our full range of remarkable content,” he said.
LeTV is currently offering over 20,000 hours of online content and aims to increase this to 30,000 by year-end.
The company’s platform currently broadcast over 1,000 hours of 4K programs in Hong Kong and is planning to produce an online 4K TV drama this year, Mok added.