Globe is banking on gaming and related content to enhance customer experience and maximize revenue stream.
Speaking during the panel discussion titled “Revenue Opportunities in Video Gaming for Telco and Content Providers” at the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) OTT Summit 2021, Nikko Acosta, Globe senior vice president for Content Business and Product Management said telcos and gaming providers need to work together to make sure the needs of the customer are addressed.
Globe is currently exploring new business models with gaming partners on revenue sharing and for customer satisfaction. “We are always open for a new one. And that really depends on what the partner can bring into the discussion and in the ecosystem, as well as what Globe can bring accordingly as we see and mutualize our values together. So, it’s one team playing in this ecosystem to take care of the customers,” he said.
Acosta stressed the importance of learning from others who are experts in gaming. “I think that is an opportunity for anybody who is serious into this landscape to be able to say ‘I don’t know everything, but I want to delight my customers so I want to partner with the best globally in order for us to deliver the experience, right product, right delivery channel, and the best experience that we can provide as one team,” he added.
Globe’s foray into the gaming field is one of the ways the company sees through its purpose of serving customers with what delights them on a regular basis. Especially with the pandemic keeping people at home, games and the different forms of gaming content (whether individual or team play), emerge as a very important driver in many people’s lives regardless of their background.
“In terms of penetration on how to use data, I’d say we have a double or triple digit growth for those who are using new games in one form or the other, whether a casual gamer or a specialist or a team player, or a mixture,” Acosta said.
Among the games available to Globe customers are Arena of Valor, Mobile Legends, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Rules of Survival, and Free Fire. These are usually bundled with a Globe product or part of a promo.
Gaming is also viewed as a big driver of 5G given the very fast speed and low latency that the new technology offers which means quicker time to download large files, seamless game graphics, and more immersive games. 5G’s higher throughputs will also be beneficial to virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) content.
Globe is already working on enabling gamers to play graphics-heavy games by marrying cloud technology and 5G. It is also the first Southeast Asian telco member of the Niantic Planet-Scale AR Alliance, with the goal of pushing the state of AR experiences on 5G. Niantic is the maker of the hit game Pokemon Go.
“I think 5G is an excellent platform to be able to bring in more unique offers to our customers not only in terms of the content that they use but also the experience that 5G brings,” Acosta said.
Globe’s 5G network now covers 84 percent of Metro Manila and is already present in Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, CDO and Boracay. The company continuously expands the geographical reach of 5G as part of its aggressive network upgrade and rollout that includes the construction of 2,000 new cell towers, modernization of existing network infrastructure to 4G/LTE, deployment of one million fiber-to-the-home, and other data network builds to deliver #1stWorldNetwork internet connectivity to Filipinos.
To know more about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph.
In photo (L-R): Anthony Cliquot (COO & Head of Strategic Partnerships at AirConsole), Nikko Acosta (SVP, Content Business and Product Management at Globe Telecom), Robert Langton ( Group Head XL Home at XL Axiata)L-R_Anthony Cliquot (COO & Head of Strategic Partnerships at AirConsole), Nikko Acosta (SVP, Content Business and Product Management at Globe Telecom), Robert Langton ( Group Head XL Home at XL Axiata).