Megan Young on HOOQ

MANILA, Philippines – 2013 Miss World Megan Young shrugged off comparisons between her and newly-crowned Miss World Philippines Catriona Gray, saying the latter is unique and “a person of her own.”

Social media was abuzz with Catriona-Megan comparisons, with some saying the Fil-Australian could bag another award because she looks like well, Megan.

But Megan disagreed, saying Catriona will definitely make it on Miss World because she is her “own person.”

“Catriona is beautiful. She is her own person and if she used her strengths in the pageant, I know she will make it,” Megan told reporters at the launching of video on demand service HOOQ’s free app in Makati recently.

The app, the first of its kind hybrid model, is an ad-free premium service that allows customers to try out the service. Megan is part of HOOQ’s campaign to make the service available to every Filipino in the country.

During the presscon, Megan professed to be a binge-watcher and loves watching her favorite series like Scandal and Devious Maids on HOOQ.

“I like a series that shows women empowerment. I also love to watch old series like the first Encantadia and StarStruck on HOOQ because I love Jennylyn Mercado. You know in showbiz, it’s 90 percent break, 10 percent shoots, so during my downtime, I watch all my favorites on HOOQ,” she said.

Jane Cruz-Walker, HOOQ country manager, said you can turn your downtime watching your favorite content on your cell phone, instead of doing nothing while stuck in the traffic, waiting at the salon or clinic for a doctor’s appointment.

“Today, with the mobile lifestyle of Filipino people, when most people would like to watch movies on their own time and on their smart phones, while waiting in the salon, airport or during traffic, they can do so. HOOQ is very convenient and reliable, you know Pinoys are content-savvy, they’re good in fixing what they want to watch. With HOOQ, everything is in one platform. So whether you want to watch recently shown movies and series, a throwback of local films, the classics of Hollywood, you can all watch them on HOOQ,” Cruz-Walker said.

Meanwhile, in a related event, at the second HOOQ hangouts recently held at the BGC, top actor Piolo Pascual expressed gratitude to the service for promoting and showcasing Filipino movies not just here in the Philippines but in the Asian region.

“Platforms like HOOQ help the entertainment industry to grow, promoting our locally-made movies not only here but abroad. I’m really thankful that we have HOOQ, ibang klase, it’s a new player and it’s so nice because they’re catering to the local market and starting off with Filipino films, we’re excited because they’re getting materials from the local movie industry, from Star Cinema also. So maganda ang experience,” Piolo said.

Piolo’s 2014 movie with Angelica Panganiban Every Breath You Take was the featured movie at the outdoor event. He feels honored that two of his movies are shown on HOOQ.

“They already got OTJ (On The Job) and Milan as well. The more players we have, the more reason for people to watch what we have to offer them. So masaya. Times are changing and you’ve got to adapt. With the technology now, people are more into mobile phones, accessing movies through their smartphones and watching their content anytime. Same with me, when I’m in shoots, I watched my favorite series on my phone, because at home, I’d rather sleep,” Piolo said.

HOOQ offers close to 1,200 Filipino movies spanning almost five decades and over 4,000 hours of local television. Besides having the thousands of foreign movies and TV series, HOOQ is the prime destination for Filipino entertainment on demand with the largest library of local movies among any of the video-on-demand services in the country.

“In addition to thousands of Filipino movies spanning almost four decades (1980s to 2016), we also have over 4,000 hours of local television content which includes the best teleseryes, comedy and reality shows,” revealed Cruz-Walker.

“Pinoy films/TV shows are closest to our hearts because it tells the stories of our lives, that is why we have signed licensing deals with the top Philippine studios including ABS-CBN, Regal, Viva and GMA,” Cruz-Walker added.

Cruz-Walker said they also plan to make a Filipino series of OTJ, with director Erik Matti at the helm.

“The plot will be about corruption in the media, the series is coming very soon and we’re finalizing the cast. We’re all very excited about this,” she said.