Media company mm2 Asia has announced it will launch a new video-on-demand service in Singapore in the later half of the year.

The Cathay CineHOME service will feature movies soon after they end their run in cinemas as well as content created mainly for the streaming market.

As mm2 Asia distributes mainly films from Singapore, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Asia through its subsidiary mm2 Entertainment, it is expected that Asian content will be among the first works to be in its streaming catalogue, a spokesman says. But the platform will feature content from all regions and distributors.

The company also operates Cathay Cineplexes, Singapore's third-largest cinema chain with eight outlets. Through mm2 Entertainment, it has also co-produced local works such as the Ah Boys To Men military comedy series (four films from 2012 to 2017) and the drama Long Long Time Ago (in two parts, 2016). The third film in the latter series, Not So Long Time Ago, will be released in the coming months.

The service's pay-per-view prices have yet to be finalised and there is no subscription plan in the works, the spokesman says.

Also, mm2 Asia has no plans for Cathay CineHOME to become the exclusive streaming platform for films produced by mm2 Entertainment, so films such as Ah Boys To Men (2012), which is now on Netflix, can still be viewed on other services after its launch.

Mr Melvin Ang, executive chairman of mm2 Asia, says the service will offer films to those who are unable to visit cinemas or who may prefer to watch movies at home.

Cinemas here have been closed since March 27 due to pandemic measures.

"We have always wanted a complementary platform to our cinemas to address the needs of movie lovers. The coronavirus situation has simply accelerated the group's total digital strategy," Mr Ang says.