HOOQ, an Asian-based premium video-on-demand service, and direct carrier billing provider Fortumo Thursday announced a partnership for direct carrier billing in India. Thanks to the partnership, consumers can now subscribe to HOOQ by charging payments to their mobile phone bill, according to a press release.

"It is important for all businesses serving emerging market customers to allow for accessibility to their product," Ravi Vora, chief marketing officer of HOOQ, said in a statement. "HOOQ is an app built in Asia for Asia and we are aware that in order for more customers to be able to enjoy our product, we must first make it easy for them to purchase it. Partnering with Fortumo is a natural choice with their seamless integration and secured APIs with the carrier billing partners." 

“India is an attractive market for digital merchants right now as smartphone ownership is growing rapidly," said Sanjay Sinha, head of Fortumo India. "New users want access to premium online content and entertainment, but often do not have a way to pay for this content. We are excited to be working together with HOOQ, a leading player in Asia's digital streaming industry, to provide users with the simplest and most convenient payment method."

Fortumo has been active in India since 2013. In the Asia-Pacific region, Fortumo has coverage in 16 countries, covering a total of 1.3 billion mobile users. Besides HOOQ, Fortumo provides direct carrier billing to a number of leading digital streaming merchants in the region, including SonyLIV, Box TV, Ditto TV, Ten Sports and Gaana.