Lionsgate Play, the premium streaming service platform of Lionsgate-owned STARZ, announced the appointment of Phait Lee Wong as General Manager of Malaysia. Effective immediately, Phait will lead operations and management of the Lionsgate Play business in Malaysia, developing local leadership and teams to support core functions, including brand building, strategic innovation and business growth. Phait will be based in Kuala Lumpur, reporting directly to Amit Dhanuka, Executive Vice President, Lionsgate.
Commenting on her appointment, Phait says she is looking forward to bringing her experience and vision to the table. “I am thrilled to join the Lionsgate Play team at an exciting stage of its growth in the country. Malaysia is a vibrant over-the-top (OTT) market with great opportunities for Lionsgate Play to tap into evolving consumer behaviour and their appetite for customisable, on-demand entertainment. I am confident of building the Lionsgate Play brand here and look forward to bringing exclusive, interesting and unique content to a wider Malaysian audience.”
Malaysians live a bulk of their lives connected to the internet, spending an average of 9 hours and 17 minutes a day online for work, play and entertainment. High internet penetration rates alongside changing consumer consumption trends have seen Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) platforms steadily gaining in popularity in the country. In recent years, there has been an uptick in ‘cord cutting’ behaviour – discontinuing subscriptions to cable or satellite television services – as people desire more content options and choices available at their convenience, particularly on smartphones and smart TVs.
“Demand for SVoD services in Malaysia is expected to double in the coming years, and we are positioning ourselves for business growth opportunities. Under the able guidance of Amit Dhanuka, Phait’s wide-ranging experience and stellar vision will be the foundation for us to take Lionsgate Play to new heights as we create long term value for our stakeholders,” said Rohit Jain, Managing Director, Networks – Emerging Markets Asia, Lionsgate.
“We are aggressively gearing up our team in Malaysia following Lionsgate Play’s recent foray into the country in October 2021. Phait’s strategic approach for the brand and app will help us reach newer avenues of growth as we drive momentum for our business here. I look forward to working with Phait to amplify our vision in the market with her expertise and knowledge,” said Amit Dhanuka, Executive Vice President, Lionsgate.
With over 20 years of experience in business and strategy, Phait began her career in capital markets in the financial and banking sector. Traversing into the media sector with Astro, she led a range of prominent projects, including international ventures, media and intellectual property investments and mergers & acquisitions across India, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the UK. Phait conceptualised and developed Astro Malaysia’s OTT service – sooka – targeting Malaysian millennials and sports fans.
She had a key role in partnership deals and successfully launched Maxis TV in December 2021.
Lionsgate Play in Malaysia offers consumers premium content catering to audiences of all ages. April is a blockbuster month with multiple releases on the Lionsgate app, including Gomorrah, The Pier, John Wick and Primal to name a few. Popular and most-watched shows on the app include Vigil (7.8 IMDB rating) and Starstruck (7.4 IMDB rating), as well as movies such as Hunger Games, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist and many more.
