PLDT, Disney forge groundbreaking partnership

MANILA, Philippines - Dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has tied up with The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia to bring popular digital titles under the Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Lucas Film brands such as “Frozen,” “Big Hero 6,” “The Avengers,” and “Star Wars” to subscribers in the country.

PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. and interactive entertainment arm Disney Interactive inked a multi-year collaboration partnership to bring a wealth of new and exciting digital content offerings to users in the Philippines.

PLDT and Smart president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno said the unique collaboration is the first direct partnership for Disney Interactive with a telco company in the Philippines.

He added that the tie up would offer the 75 million subscribers of the PLDT Group access to the entire breadth of the Disney Interactive portfolio.

“With this partnership, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, users will now have access to an unprecedented amount of digital entertainment content from Disney, including mobile and online games, visual e-books, value-added content services, and other co-branded mobile and home entertainment products for the combined 75 million mobile and broadband subscribers nationwide of PLDT and Smart,” Nazareno said.

Charles Lim, executive vice president and wireless consumer head at Smart, pointed out that the partnerships with the world’s biggest brands and digital companies would bring world-class services to Filipinos.

“We have created value-packed bundles that cater to our subscribers’ unique lifestyle needs, and made sure that these are all backed up by the largest and most advanced network in the country today. These are the initiatives at the core of our Internet for All message,” Lim said.

According to Lim, Smart is more than proud to be able to bring the Disney magic to fans through their mobile devices as Disney’s collection of entertaining and engaging characters for the young and young-at-heart have captured the hearts and minds of Filipinos over the years.

Disney Interactive general manager James Gray said The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia would work closely with PLDT and Smart to bring the best digital and multimedia experiences to Filipinos.

“As Filipinos continue to embrace digital technology, it is pertinent that we provide fans content on these various multimedia platforms so they can enjoy the Disney experience at their leisure and convenience,” Gray said.

For the initial offering, Smart subscribers would be able to get full and attractively priced access to Disney mobile game titles such as Marvel Avengers Alliance, Frozen Free Fall, Big Hero 6 Bot Fight and other offerings such as e-books and online games.

Smart subscribers would be able to easily download the mobile games from the GameX portal (gamex.ph/disney) and play them on their mobile devices. It is also planning to release Disney-branded content packages for prepaid, postpaid and broadband plans, enriching the overall experience of subscribers with a full suite of games, apps and e-books.

The same complete suite of digital content from Disney would also be available to PLDT Home subscribers nationwide.

The two brands will also help promote Club Penguin (www.clubpenguin.com), Disney’s innovative online multiplayer virtual world designed especially for kids to interact with other children in the Philippines and around the world. Through various in-app games, chat and interactive activities, Club Penguin fosters a digital experience that is fun, engaging, and safe for use by kids of any age.

This collaboration forms part of the Smart’s ‘Internet for All’ commitment to its subscribers, which promises to bring not only affordable access to the Internet, but the most complete suite of apps and content services for all their needs as well.

“By offering services and pursuing innovations that are both relevant and delightful to them, delivered by a robust and resilient network that is available all over the country – we are enabling Filipinos to live more and have the best Internet experience possible today,” Lim said.