JUNGO PINOY, the local arm of the global streaming service of Los Angeles-based media company Jungo TV, is working on making quality entertainment accessible to Filipinos this year by offering a free library of live sports, dramas, and movies on their platform.
“We actually started off as a [paid] subscription service. What we did was we targeted as broad a market as possible, then we started curating and seeing whom our content was resonating with. Right now, we’re still pretty broad because we cover everything — live sports, telenovelas, even sexy movies,” said Miguel Santos, Jungo TV’s chief operating officer, at a media event.
“We’re definitely going after the female market for sure. At the same time, with live sports, we’re going after the men and women who love women’s sports,” he added.
Jungo Pinoy is aiming to offer “all the good stuff” through its various channels, like the All Women’s Sports Network (AWSN) and Hallypop, all for free for a global audience, starting with the Philippines.
EXPANDED LIBRARYJungo TV’s most unique offering is AWSN, a channel dedicated to airing women’s sports, which they produced in a team-up with acclaimed actress Whoopi Goldberg.It carries live games from nine major sports, namely basketball, volleyball, tennis, beach volleyball, table tennis, soccer, American football, cricket, and field hockey.
Jungo TV Chief Executive Officer and co-founder George Chung explained that there is a possibility of adding women’s sports from the Philippines to their programming in the future. “We’re seeking to showcase some of the top leagues and athletes here to a global audience,” he said.
He then emphasized the importance of Filipino martial arts like eskrima and kali in the global martial arts scene. This is why Jungo TV will be offering the Black Belt channel, which will “air combat sports, including instructional videos, martial arts movies, and documentaries,” he said.
Fans of K-dramas, K-pop, and K-variety shows can tune into Hallypop, which carries both original language and Tagalog-dubbed Korean entertainment content. Meanwhile, Filipino telenovela lovers can revisit classics like GMA Network’s Marimar and explore the Mexican originator of the genre through Tagalog-dubbed titles like Tagumpay ng Pag-ibig (originally Triunfo del amor).
The app also boasts a wide array of Filipino films, from contemporary hits such as Sid & Aya, Never Not Love You, and 100 Tula Para Kay Stella to classic titles like Lino Brocka’s Cain at Abel. Sexy movies, containing content unsuitable for younger audiences, will be preceded by a warning for those under 18 years old.
ACCESSIBILITY
Jungo Pinoy follows the traditional network television model — generating advertising revenues “through eyeballs and time,” according to Mr. Chung.
“It’s free because we value something just as much as we value money: your time,” he said.
While Filipinos with an internet connection now have access to Jungo Pinoy’s free content via the web browser or mobile app, Mr. Chung said that they are looking into connectivity solutions.
Currently, the service offers 4K resolution, but with adaptive bitrate streaming, meaning the video quality will adjust to the user’s network conditions for minimal data consumption.
“We’re exploring the option to watch offline because we understand that internet can be expensive,” Mr. Santos added. “We also definitely have plans to produce original Filipino content in the future.”
AWSN, Hallypop, telenovelas, and the rest of the expanded library of Filipino movies are free to watch at jungopinoy.com and via the mobile app, now available on Google Play and App Store. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
