iQIYI hands out RM1.5m worth of VIP subscriptions to drive vaccination rates in Malaysia

Streaming platform iQIYI has partnered with Malaysia's COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) to hand out approximately RM1.5 million worth of iQIYI VIP subscriptions to Malaysians nationwide who have been vaccinated. Under the “iQiyi Bersama Rakyat Malaysia (iQiyi with Malaysians)” programme, iQIYI hopes to do its part in driving the registration and average attendance rate through advocacy and reward-based initiatives nationwide. 

Under the partnership, more than 3,000 titles of Asian content in iQIYI's platform will be made free to vaccinated Malaysians. The collaboration is in support of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme’s agenda of reaching herd immunity by the end of 2021. The VIP subscriptions will be doled out in the form of vouchers available for redemption on the programme’s website.

According to the spokesperson for iQiyi, the partnership with CITF is part of the vaccine preparedness activities currently being rolled out, which includes communication campaigns to increase vaccine awareness and community outreach. The spokesperson also added that the partnership is in line with the company’s approach to innovative collaboration that connects the viewing public, partners, and local non-profit organisations as a way to achieve local impact and give back to the community.”

The spokesperson also said that iQiyi will be partnering with BP Healthcare. IQiyi subscribers that book a BP Healthcare COVID-19 test via its Doctor2U application will receive a discount on their test costs and an iQiyi FREE VIP code. This is also part of iQiyi’s contribution to the nation’s recovery efforts by addressing the critical need to have rapid and accurate testing to identify and stem local COVID-19 infections. In addition, it will reward frontline volunteers helping at mega vaccine centres with the VIP subscription vouchers. 

IQiyi will promote the programme on all its media channels, including its ad inventory, added the spokesperson. IQIYI did not comment on how long the partnership was in the works.

IQIYI's country manager for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, Dinesh Ratnam, said the company understands how difficult the past year has been for Malaysians. "We would love to keep everyone entertained with our beloved Asian content while they stay safe at home and hope it makes their time during the MCO 3.0 that much easier,” he added.

At the same time, Khairy Jamaluddin, coordinating minister of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme said cooperation is a crucial aspect of containing the spread of COVID-19. He added that public-private partnerships send strong, clear messages that everyone plays a part in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and promoting vaccine awareness.

According to the minister, the task force has significantly expanded immunisation efforts by ensuring access to more doses of vaccines, allowing for sufficient supply nationwide.The vaccine rollout will be further supported by the openings of several more mega vaccine dispensing centres that will have greater capacity, providing for the immunisation of up to thousands per day in the coming weeks. Malaysia is also looking at incorporating a drive-thru vaccine programme. 

As of 12pm on 22 June, Malaysia's Ministry of Health reported 4,743 new COVID-19 cases and 62,027 active cases. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia now stands at 705,762. According to Malaysia's Special Committee on COVID-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV), more than 15 million individuals have registered for the national COVID-19 immunisation programme. JKJAV also states that the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered have crossed 6.3 million.

Meanwhile, other companies in Malaysia are also carrying out their own initiatives to encourage employees to get vaccinated. According to Channel NewsAsia, a company named My CO2, which offers accreditation services for products, has offered employees an RM150 cash incentive to get vaccinated. OCBC Bank is also offering incentives such as off days and transport reimbursement to its 5,000 employees in a bid to encourage them to get vaccinated.

Separately, iQIYI has been actively accelerating its presence through partnerships across Malaysia. In April, the streaming platform partnered Malaysia's National Film Development Corporation for a month-long anti-piracy campaign called #JanganTontonHaram. IQIYI's Ratnam said the initiative was a grassroots approach to combating content theft and digital piracy and is a digital-led campaign centred around several pillar initiatives. They include a series of public service announcement videos and social media activations designed to rally their fan base and drive participation in the movement.

A month before that, iQIYI also tied up with Media Prima's content production and distribution arm Primeworks Studio, and Celcom Axiata in a multi-year partnership to grow its content footprint in Malaysia. The partnership offers iQIYI exclusive first window broadcasting rights to the majority of TV3's locally produced primetime dramas.

Photo courtesy: 123RF

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