iflix adds on new features to revamp user experience

iflix, a subscription video on demand (SVoD) service for emerging markets, released a revamped iflix user experience and new features.New Channels, ADD and FOLLOW features enable significantly deeper personalised experiences and intuitive ways of discovering new content, with additional improvements to speed and performance, said the company in a press statement.New Channels combines the best of traditional pay television with benefits of on-demand services. Working with traditional studios and channel providers, iflix has created on-demand ‘channels’ for users to enjoy on their terms, showcasing many of the world’s best and most exciting entertainment studios and brands along with users’ favourite content genres in a dynamic, engaging and easy to navigate channel interface, available for the first time in a digital non-linear service.With new personalised onboarding, users can now select their favourite Channels and receive recommendations optimised with their preferences and viewing history, as well as ADD TV shows, movies and Channels to their iflix homepage. The new FOLLOW function will additionally enable users to follow playlists curated by hundreds of their favourite People – popular influencers and celebrities, to discover new shows whilst voyeuristically keeping up with what their People have liked, watched or are currently watching.This comes weeks after iflix completed a US$133 million funding round as it continues to deliver on its vision of bringing the world’s “best entertainment” to its audiences. The new round brings total funding raised by iflix this calendar year to an excess of US$220 million. Proceeds from the round will be used to invest in its local content strategy.The latest funding round, which attracted significant interest from both new investors and existing shareholders, was led by Hearst, one of America’s largest diversified media, information and services companies with investment portfolio such as BuzzFeed and Roku. Other additional new investors include Singapore-based EDBI and clients of DBS private bank. Existing shareholders Evolution Media, Sky PLC, Catcha Group, Liberty Global, Jungle Ventures and PLDT Inc. also increased their investments.iflix co-founder and group CEO Mark Britt said, “Today represents an incredible milestone for iflix. This evolution begins to blur the distinction between traditional Video on Demand and traditional Pay Television. We are thrilled to be working with the world’s leading entertainment brands to create exciting new on-demand channels. These are not the channels we grew up with.”“We are in the golden age of TV for viewers, with thousands of great shows and movies available on demand. For the individual user however, sifting through immense catalogues of programs and finding what you want has become more challenging than ever. Our new personalisation features now allow us to solve this dilemma by delivering recommendations specifically curated for each local user across our business.”Now available to over one billion consumers across 20 territories throughout Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, iflix will make its world-class service available in Sub-Saharan Africa in the coming weeks. (Read also: Will Malaysia be a viable market for Disney to launch its VOD service in?)