A few years ago, I watched my first ever Korean drama (Kdrama), and I would say getting hooked is an understatement. Since then, I am constantly looking for new Kdramas to watch. But, there is also a constant struggle of where to find and access these shows online.
During that time, there were only a few legal streaming sites or apps with Kdrama content. Fortunately, I discovered the Viki app that holds one of the largest libraries of Asian content of movies and television series available in the United States.
Viki is also known to have an excellent community engagement of fans and users. That is why I love this streaming service app. People should know more about the content of Viki and how they can access them. Check also how to download the app on your phone.
- The App Focused On Asian Content
- The Streaming App For Any Asian Content-Fan Use
- The App Powered By Fans
- The User-Friendly Streaming Services App
The App Focused On Asian Content
There was a boom of Kdrama popularity worldwide; fans like me are scouring everywhere to access the content. It is easy to admit that the streaming services we have in the US are focused on English content back then, making it rare to find Asian movies and television series.
Of course, legal streaming is a must, and the most popular streaming services have limited available content. Three Harvard and Stanford university graduates saw the need and demand for Asian content in the country. Thus, they developed a streaming services app that focuses only on Asian content.
Luckily, these graduates got funding and support from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and a Singapore startup backed by Joichi Ito. So, they can launch the Viki app. The name stands for the combination of video and Wiki, as they wanted it to have high community engagement like Wikipedia.
Since there is a continuous demand for their content, the Japanese firm Rakuten acquired the streaming site for a broader vision of global expansion. It was the time when I discovered the app, and I immediately fell in love because of the Asian-centered content. The app’s popularity also was in steady increase.
Expansion To More Asian Content
I remember during that time that licensing and acquiring Asian content was very difficult. But, Viki powered through that as they released over a hundred movies and television series in its launch. The response of the public and its users prompted the team to acquire more content, expanding its library.
At present, I can confidently say that I can find everything I need to watch in the app. Aside from the global phenomenon of Korean dramas, they introduced us to other content from other Asian countries like China, Japan, Thailand, and others. The public gladly welcomed this initiative.
I remembered that I was only hooked on Kdramas for a few years before exploring other app content from other countries. All of them are great and offer meaningful experiences for different genres of movies and TV shows. With this expansion, Viki has proven that it has everything for everyone’s preference and interest.
The Streaming App For Any Asian Content-Fan Use
One of the things I liked about the Viki app is that it is free to download across devices, thus making it more accessible to more people. Viki is available on both Google Play Store and iOS App Store. The app follows the freemium model so that those who are not interested in paying for the subscription can still enjoy the app’s content.
Upon installing the app, Viki requires users to create a new account or log in if there is already. I remembered that I could quickly sign up using my email, Google account, Facebook account, or Rakuten account. Then, I will enjoy the app since Viki will retrieve some important information from the linked email address.
As I mentioned, the app uses the freemium model, which lets me watch all of the free content. The only disadvantage is that I had to endure the advertisements while watching any show. Although, I liked it better since most of the ads are at the show’s start, unlike other streaming apps with pop-up ads.
Viki Pass: The Premium Subscription
Among other video streaming services apps out there, Viki has one of the cheapest subscription plans. I can pay for a monthly subscription for $4.99 and a yearly subscription for $49.99. Based on experience, the premium plan or the Viki Pass is worth my money for all its perks.
The first is that Viki lets me have an ad-free watching experience, so there are no interruptions. Also, all of the videos are in high definition, making them more enjoyable. The Viki Pass also permits me to stream the videos or content on TV through Chromecast.
The best thing about Viki Pass is that I can unlock the Standard shows and videos, which means I can access all the content available in the app. Viki also produced exclusive content; thus, the Viki Pass allows me to enjoy these exclusive originals, movies, and global dramas.
The App Powered By Fans
Initially, I wondered why the Viki app’s tagline is Global TV powered by fans. I remembered that it could be connected to the reason behind its name, Wiki. It aimed to be highly engaged with its users and fans for content generation and feedback, making it stand out from other video streaming services apps.
Viki encourages us, its users, to participate in different content generation initiatives. They wanted to make sure that all the users can say their thoughts and feedback on the app. I find this a great move since the team will use the feedback to improve the quality of the app’s services.
Aside from feedback, I am amazed by the fact that it is the fans who provide subtitles to the shows and series. Given that the shows are from Asian countries with different languages, the American audience cannot understand them entirely without the help of subtitles or captions.
The Viki app supports these volunteer translators, such as monetary benefits, access to the app’s services, and others. I personally know someone who is a volunteer translator, and he said that although the captioning work in Viki does not pay much, he still does it for the love of helping other users to understand and enjoy the shows.
Personalized Experience On Viki
If the fact that users are the ones who provide translations of the shows does not amaze you yet, then I still have one more that proves Viki values the preferences of the users. The app encourages its users to have a personalized experience by creating their video recommendation lists.
These lists can be viewed by other users, especially the new ones. I remembered that I spent some time curating my favorite shows and movies according to their respective categories and genre. Although I am unsure if other people have already accessed these lists, I still hoped to help them.
However, Viki already provides several lists and categories for new users, found on the app’s home screen. All of the content is categorized, whether it is a television show or a movie. Viki also picks out some of the best content, lists the Top 10 of the week, highlights the must-watch dramas and films, and the latest releases.
The User-Friendly Streaming Services App
Since I discovered the Viki app a few years ago, I still liked its user interface even if it has gone through several changes through updates. The team ensures that the content is well-organized and easy to understand and navigate. I never had a hard time looking for shows that I like.
All of the shows are shown in a grid so that the poster and the title are clear. Moreover, the app also provides the genre of the TV show and movies below the title. I liked it because I do not have to search it on the internet given that I am into only some genres like comedy, romance, action, etc.
For those looking for content based on countries, Viki also made their lives easier. The Viki shows the country of origin of the movie and series for users’ reference. I use it to set the expectations on the film or show’s production.
Lastly, the app has a search tab wherein I can easily find the content. The search option has a filter in terms of genre, region or country, format, available subtitle, and release schedule. It proves that the app is efficient in this feature.
Custom Settings For Better Experience
Viki offers more features and tools to make my experience better. I can customize where I want to on the auto-play button for binge-watching TV series. The team realized that playing HD videos will consume more data; thus, playing HD only on WiFi is an option.
Moreover, I can personalize the subtitle display on the app by changing the subtitle size, font, and color depending on my preferences. To clarify, the changes in subtitles only affect my experience or my account and not the others.
Since commenting on specific parts of the show or movie is possible, I can show other people’s timed comments.
Conclusion
Viki is indeed an excellent video streaming services app as it provides quality content to users. Two things made it stand out from the rest: focus on Asian content and highly engaged users.
