iflix head of marketing takes on duties for WeTV after Tencent acquisition

Nisha Sundrum, iflix Malaysia's head of marketing, has been appointed head of marketing at WeTV Malaysia. In her new role, Sundrum will be overseeing both iflix and WeTV platforms. She reports to WeTV's country manager Aik Kuang Heng, and her team will consist of social media head, Joseph Pek and herself.

WeTV is Tencent's international streaming platform and the latter acquired iflix’s content, technology and resources in June this year to expand streaming platform's service in Southeast Asia.

In a statement to A+M, Sundrum said she aims to build a strong local following for WeTV and replicate the wins that iflix had onto the platform. She also looks to help audiences understand that WeTV originals consist of a variety of shows, including Chinese, Malay and Indonesian shows as well as Korean dramas. The marketing team was previously managed by WeTV's Indonesia and Thailand teams.

According to Sundrum's (pictured) LinkedIn, her responsibilities include introducing Malay audiences to WeTV's entertainment portal and app, as well as increase WeTV Malaysia's popularity as the top OTT platform in Malaysia. Sundrum is also responsible for retaining Chinese viewers who enjoy the platform.

Sundrum was previously with iflix for more than a year, during which she introduced new social media strategies and increased engagement by 150%, her LinkedIn said. She also increased engagement rate of international marketing portals from 1% to 15% by using audience targeting. Prior to that, she was a content manager at Astro Radio's mix for a year.

Sundrum also has experience in the agency side, having worked at Havas as an entertainment branding specialist for close to three years, overseeing and evaluating market reserach to determine and adjust marketing strategies to meet changing markets and competitive conditions.

She has also worked at Universal Music Group as a new businses consultant, as well as Star Radio Group for more than four years, last helming the role of head of programming, according to her LinkedIn. A+M has reached out to Sundrum and iflix for comment.

Tencent's spokesperson previously told A+M that the acquisition is in line with its strategy to expand WeTV, across Southeast Asia and provide users with international, local and original high-quality content in a wide range of genres and languages.

She added that the purchase comprises a strong local network across emerging markets with a wide and compelling selection of video content such as TV shows, movies and local originals, to stream or download, on any Internet-connected device. WeTV, also known as Tencent Video in China, officially made its foray into Thailand last year, adding on to Tencent's other offerings in the country such as music streaming service JOOX. Meanwhile, iflix is currently available in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Brunei, the Maldives, Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Join us on a three-week journey at Digital Marketing Asia 2020 as we delve into the realm of digital transformation, data and analytics, and mobile and eCommerce from 10 to 26 November. Sign up here!

Enjoyed what you have read? Follow us on Instagram for the latest updates in Southeast Asia's marketing and advertising space!

Related articles:
Tencent buys iflix to expand international streaming platform WeTV
CtrlShift inks deal with iflix for OTT integration and insight
TikTok jumps on board iflix platform with dedicated channel
iflix CEO Mark Britt steps down after more than five years
iflix Malaysia and Indonesia lead Jason Monteiro joins Dubai-based VOD service