viki.com
It seems as if every new premium streaming service is released every day. Nowadays, every TV network and movie studio wants a piece of the pie. Sooner or later, I can't help but wonder if the allure of premium streaming services might be fading. It is starting to feel less like a good deal, like it did back when you only had to worry about paying for Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. These days, with everyone starting their own premium streaming sites, it just seems like cable TV but more expensive.
Many free movie streaming sites have recently come about, and for every new premium streaming site, there is at least one free streaming site in development. Whether these free streaming sites are ad-supported or offer freemium tiers, I appreciate them coming into the fold like Viki.
There is no other streaming site like Viki. They are a free movie streaming site that goes against the grain, following the old Silicon Valley philosophy of disruption to a tee while also serving a growing niche demand for Asian content around the world.
Though Viki does not specialize exclusively in Asian content, it does offer a wide assortment of South Korean and Chinese dramas for free, as well as free movies. With its headquarters in the United States, Viki has a great chance to become the best Asian streaming service on the market.
Viki is a Japanese tech company that has offices in both the United States and other countries around the world. Its full name, Rakuten Viki, nods to its parent company, Rakuten, which is a Japanese tech giant. So strictly speaking, an American company would not be entirely accurate when referring to Viki. However, Viki is one of those companies that consists of a diverse range of cultures and is represented in its service and audience by people from all over the world. In addition to its US headquarters, Viki also has offices in Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, and Japan.
What makes Viki such a unique free movie and TV streaming site? Well, the answer lies in its name. According to its website, Viki is pronounced like wiki, which refers to the use of volunteers when it comes to content management. This is an intriguing and viewer-based approach to running a streaming site, one that could pave the way for a more interactive and hands-on streaming experience in the future.
At the core of Viki, the way in which the company acquires and distributes content is not necessarily novel. Their premium syndication can be compared to that of Hulu?s, but the difference lies in what happens to that content once it is licensed. First, a show or movie is added to one of the site's channels. From there, the content is able to be subtitled by community volunteers. Viki is also the first freemium streaming site to provide real-time subtitling and community content editing. There are 200 subtitle languages available on Viki, and approximately 50 of them are endangered or vulnerable languages.
History
Viki was founded in 2007 by entrepreneurs Razmig Havaghiman, Changseong Ho, and Jiwon Moon. The initial round of funding for the company came from a Singapore startup, Neoteny Labs. This investment was also funded by Joichi Ito and the co-founder of Linked In, Reid Hoffman.
One year later, the company made a wise and clever decision to relocate the business to Singapore in order to take advantage of generous government subsidies and its location as a bustling Pan-Asian hub. After these first 3 years of development and fundraising, Viki exited their beta trial period in 2010, releasing the free movie and TV series streaming service to the general public.
After three years, in September 2013, the company announced that it was to be acquired by its new parent company, Rakuten. The acquisition reportedly cost $200 million.
Design
Viki offers a easy-to-use streaming service with no required sign up. Their library of shows and movies is easily browsed and played without any delays or introduction of buffering. This makes Viki a great choice for watching free television shows and movies online.
The viewing experience is good on both the desktop and mobile apps. Everything is streamlined and smooth, so you can conveniently browse other episodes and seasons of a given series while still watching a given episode. You can alter your viewing experience with in-depth, subtitling tools and options. And you can cast videos from Chrome Cast just by clicking a button.
The library browsing layout of Viki is fairly standard. Users can browse by genre, topic, or channel with a side-scrolling layout. If you have ever used Netflix or Hulu, the layout and browsing features of Viki will be immediately recognizable and intuitive.
Content and Features
Viki boasts a variety of features that are not typically found on other streaming sites. In addition to the uncommon approach to community and volunteer subtitling, they also have built-in timed comments that users can toggle on or off. This presents an unprecedented level of community interaction for a streaming site of this magnitude, allowing people to watch and comment along with others. This is an ingenious additional feature that helps set Viki apart from other movie and TV series streaming sites.
Viki has a wide variety of content to offer its users, including some of the most popular dramas from Korea and China. This includes classics like The Wolf, The General's Lady, True Beauty, My ID is Gangnam Beauty, and more. And for users who want to experience original content that's only available on Viki Passâa premium subscription serviceâthere's plenty of that too.
Without a doubt, Viki is the best Asian drama streaming site. It's one of the best free TV and movie streaming sites online, and their innovative approach is sure to resonate throughout the rest of the industry.
Mobile and Desktop Experience
The Viki mobile app is amazing. Available across a wide range of mobile devices and smart TVs, Viki's apps offer a smooth, intuitive, and user-friendly viewing experience no matter where you are - whether in your living room or on the train.
The app is available for iOS and Android devices, Roku, Android TV, Apple TV, Chrome Cast, and Fire TV. It has an average user rating of 4.8 stars on the Apple App Store and its design is good.
Pricing and Plans
Viki Pass offersusers access to all of the content on the site, while Viki Pass Plus offers users exclusive content, including shows and movies not available to those who do not sign up for the premium service.
Introductory price for new members only. Subsequent monthly price will be $4.99/month.
Introductory price for new Viki Pass members only - subsequent monthly price will be $4.99/month.
-Unlock all Elite content
Unlock all content
is available only to those who have a paid membership
The only way to access Viki's exclusive content is by having a paid membership.
Netflix is a great streaming service with no ads!
Viki Pass Plus is a monthly pass that allows access to all Viki content for $9.99/month. This pass offers users the ability to watch original series, movies, and documentaries as well as listen to audio content from Viki's library.
Unlock all Plus show and movie content.
Unlock all of the Standard shows and movies.
-Viki Pass Standard includes everything that is included in the Viki Pass Basic plan
All of the content that comes with the Viki Pass Standard plan is included in the Viki Pass Basic plan.
Additional hours of Korean television were included by the top broadcasters.
a list of reasons why she believes her company should be chosen as the winner
Kocowa included a list of reasons why she believes her company should win the competition.
Both the standard and student versions of Viki Pass come with a 7-day free trial. And students are offered a 20% discount for the standard version of Viki Pass.
Conclusion
If you love Korean and Chinese movies and TV shows, Viki is a great streaming site that you should 100% know about. It has high-quality streaming with unprecedented approaches to community features and content editing. If you are a serious Asian entertainment buff, I highly recommend subscribing as a premium user.
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