Category: Over The Top Services

Mumbai: On Thursday, the Delhi high court denied Sushil Ansal’s request to stay the airing of Netflix’s original Trial by Fire, which is based on the Uphaar cinema tragedy that occurred in New Delhi in 1997 and is documented in the book “Trial By Fire: The Tragic Tale” of the Uphaar fire tragedy, which was published in 2016.

Ansal, who was found guilty of tampering with evidence in the Uphaar tragedy case, claims that the book on which the performance is based is full of untrue and defamatory claims. He had also highlighted that the web series’ airing would have a negative impact on the resolution of the revision petitions that are currently before the courts.

The court order said, “A series which is based on the book would necessarily result in infringing the right of privacy guaranteed to the plaintiff quite apart from causing irreparable harm to his reputation,”

The defendants in this case, the producers, argued that the series is fiction influenced by the book and that the plaintiff’s trial and conviction was a reality that had been widely covered in numerous newspapers throughout the criminal processes. The court agreed, finding that information and reporting on the event have been in circulation for the past 26 years.

“Prior to the institution of the present proceedings, the plaintiff neither alleged nor asserted that his right to a fair trial was or had been prejudiced,” the order stated.

While the work on which the web series is based has been penned by parents who had lost teenage children in the incident, there was a need to strike a balance between the aspects of freedom of speech and expression, the dissemination of information amongst the public at large on the one hand and the injury likely to be caused to the individual, the court order added.

The photo is captured by Arnav Kashyap photography.

Mumbai: Dish TV’s OTT platform Watcho kicked off the new year with an original web series Avaidh based on illicit relationships inspired by true-life incidents. Avaidh is an anthology of eight stories about illicit relationships, each with unexpected endings that will keep viewers glued to their seats. The web series will premiere exclusively on 13 January.

Avaidh has a stellar cast that includes Urvashi Dholakia, Nasir Khan, Vikas Verma, Rakesh Paul, Priyanka Sood, and Ashish Narula, to name a few. The storyline of the show is based on sexual exploitation at work, a love triangle within a family that affects the couple’s lives, a struggling actress’s relationship dealing with social complications, a one-night stand, and a love affair between a teenager and a middle-aged man.

Commenting on the launch, DishTV & Watcho marketing head Sukhpreet Singh said, “This series will entertain as well as compel viewers to think about the intricacies of relationships and long-term consequences. This interesting anthology, inspired by actual life incidents, features an amazing cast and hard-hitting performances.”

“Watcho strives to keep its viewers entertained with fresh and engaging content. The launch of Avaidh is an attempt to bring forth an intriguing story with a captivating narrative. We are sure that this new series will have our viewers hooked and will be a perfect addition to our ever-expanding bouquet of content,” he added.

An eight-part series, Avaidh, is directed by Tarun Chopra, written by Dilshad Patel and Vikash Kumar and produced by Crescendo Films production, Suresh Thomas, and Mohit Shrivastav.

While speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com, Chopra said, “I’ve been in the industry for the past 30 years. This is my 54th show. I’ve done around 4,000 TV episodes, 150 ad films, one film, and various events. This is my first web series; in movies, the requirements are different; in television, drama works better; fortunately, we are in the OTT space, which is in between both of these mediums; it’s an innovative space where you have to explore realistic things, and this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to tell stories without barriers.”

He further shed light on his experience working with OTT. “OTT is a magic box; I enjoy working in this space because you can tell different stories; there are no constraints; and you can work on any real-life stories that would not work for TV or cinema. Both TV and OTT will coexist in the future. OTT’s share could be different. It will rise, there is no TRP pressure, but appreciation and feedback pressure will always be there,” he added. “Producer Suresh Thomas had done a show with Watcho, and he wanted an innovative show that is not a typical crime show but something to learn from, so this show was created. We decided not to do anything vulgar, so we worked on it and there was no obscene scene, and we creatively incorporated it into dialogues.”

Watcho content head Simarjot Kaur agreed with Tarun, saying, “OTT is not about fantasy; it is about reality. Real stories are working for us; everyone feels a connection; DishTV has provided us with leverage, and we have taken stories from our viewers and created shows in response to fantasy budget increases. It does not happen in real-life stories. OTT has a bright future in which we can experiment; it is limitless and can be viewed by anyone in the world.”

While talking about the cost of content on OTT, she added, “Cost is determined by the content or project; it is never determined by the medium; we make certain that the stories are true, so the cost is determined accordingly.”

Avaidh is all about the complexities of relationships, the unfolding of storylines, and the consequences of decisions. Avaidh is an engrossing anthology that will leave viewers debating what is right and wrong.

Mumbai: Tata Play Binge on Thursday announced the addition of three new regional OTT platforms—manoramaMAX, Koode, and Tarang Plus—to its bouquet of offerings.

The newly added platforms, manoramaMAX, Koode, and Tarang Plus, will bring stories from the regions of Kerala and Odisha, respectively, to all subscribers of Tata Play Binge.

manoramaMAX, Koode and Tarang Plus join the band of 19 other popular OTT platforms on Binge like Disney+ Hotstar, ZEE5, MX Player, SonyLIV, ReelDrama, Voot Select, hoichoi, Planet Marathi, NammaFlix, Chaupal, SunNxt, Hungama Play, Eros Now, ShemarooMe, Voot Kids, Curiosity Stream, EPIC ON, and DocuBay. Content from all these platforms is available to viewers of Tata Play Binge through a single subscription and a single user interface. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video plans are available for Tata Play DTH subscribers.

In addition to these apps, free gaming is also available on Tata Play Binge as another point of engagement.

Commenting on the addition of the new partner apps, Tata Play chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri, said, “Regional content has been gaining national prominence, and one of the factors contributing to its growth has been the rise of content consumption through OTT platforms. We are glad to have partnered with manoramaMAX, Koode and Tarang Plus to make Malayali and Odia content more mainstream. We’ll continue to add variety content and apps on Tata Play Binge as the year progresses.”

The entire package of 22 apps and games is available to viewers for Rs 299 per month.

Mumbai: The ground is shaking big time in the sports broadcast landscape. JioCinema will air cricket’s biggest property, the Indian Premier League, for free. With this move, it is looking to build on the momentum it had gained by airing the Fifa World Cup for free last month. Arpus for the OTT industry could drop further in a market where subscription video on demand (SVoD) is already facing an uphill battle. At the same time, this move could help JioCinema compete strongly with tech giants like Google and Meta for ad revenue. On the broadcast front, this is bad news for Disney-Star, both in terms of subscriptions and ad revenue. JioCinema’s free move may have a negative impact on TV advertising and TV medium consumption. This is on top of the economic slowdown, which would anyway make it difficult to go for a rate hike. Experts have various views on how things will move. 

An industry expert speaking to Indiantelevision.com said that this is the way to go. “India is not an SVoD market. You have to look at AVoD (advertising-based video on demand). My expectation is that in the coming five years, the possible goal of JioCinema will be to take one-third of the ad revenue share of Google, one-third of the ad revenue share of Meta, and one-third of broadcast ad revenue. For me this news is not a surprise.”

The battle is well and truly on for customers between broadcast and digital, the expert added. “Disney-Star is going to take a bad hit on its pay-TV revenues. PayTV as we know it may very well get destroyed. JioCinema is also going to leverage connected TV.”

When asked whether other OTT platforms will take the plunge and go AVoD when it comes to cricket the expert replied in the negative. “Nobody has the guts to do what Jio is doing. The other platforms will rely on the digital rights of cricket to grow their subscriber base. So the upside will be limited. Ideally even Netflix should look at AVoD big time.”

“Pay-TV subscriptions in India have contracted and have remained under pressure. With the 2023 edition of IPL made available for free on Jio Cinema, paid subscriptions both on television and digital will find it even more challenging to grow. However, Jio’s splash in the advertising arena will expand the AVoD market, which otherwise is facing macroeconomic headwinds,” said Media Partners Asia VP Mihir Shah.

Another expert feels that this is a direct battle between Disney-Star and JioCinema for ad revenues. “If you assume that the IPL will earn Rs 4,000 crore, the aim will be to corner a bigger share. They are targeting TV revenue. Yes, JioCinema will also look to shift monies from Google and Meta, but that will apply only to male-focused brands on those platforms. The TV ad money is easier to try and corner, as that has already been committed. Basically, JioCinema is trying to destroy TV so that money can be shifted. JioCinema will try to corner 50 per cent of the ad revenue that goes to the IPL over time. Last season, digital got around 20 per cent of the IPL’s ad revenue.”

As far as shifting ad monies from tech giants, “why will a female-focused beauty brand shift to IPL just because it is on for free? Meta and Google are two different ballgames. Advertising is brand-specific. The IPL will finally deliver a sports audience. But if a brand does not have sports in its strategy, then why will it shift?” He also feels that pay-TV revenues for Star Sports will get hit. There will be reluctance on the part of the consumer to pay when it is available for free. He also feels that depending on the success of JioCinema’s move, other OTT platforms might tweak their strategy when it comes to cricket. “If ad revenue booms, then the platforms may look at selectively offering cricket content for free. It has to make business sense at the end of the day. Others have their own business models. Those could get re-oriented though. Subscription pricing might come down as long as the ad revenue is there,” the expert said.

Offering a contrary view, an expert noted that it could be about growing telecom subscriptions. “My understanding is that they are looking to grow the telco business. If they go pure AVoD for five years, it will be difficult to make money. It could be that it is free for one year. After that, it may only be free for Jio subscribers. Everyone else starts paying for the app. But whatever the strategy may be, it is scary for Disney-Star. You have a situation where someone is offering the same content as you for free. And on top of that is charging less for ads compared to the previous season, according to reports.”

Elara Capital’s Karan Taurani noted that the move has a lot of risks attached to it. While ROI may not be easily recovered, the strategic initiative to scale up Jio subscribers and JioCinema subscribers may be an advantage. At the same time, he pointed out that the only possible risk was a poor user experience on the app. The move he noted can help JioCinema cross-sell its other content offerings. He agrees that the movie can help JioCinema compete with social media offerings like Instagram and YouTube.

This move, he explains, is bad news for Disney-Star. “We believe the Indian Premier League moving away from paid content is a potential threat for TV advertising in the medium term. It would be difficult for Viacom 18-Jio Cinema to recover even 50 per cent of its content acquisition costs via digital if content is free, at least in the short term; however, in the medium to long term, changes in consumption habits and increasing smart TV penetration would lead to digital ad revenue approaching TV advertising if IPL content remains free.”

He noted that the IPL had last year sold its digital media rights to Viacom18-Jio Cinema for Rs 234.9 billion (for a period of five years), including the 18-match cluster. India’s digital video advertising market size is Rs 130 billion (30 per cent of the country’s digital ad pie), and it is dominated by social media and aggregators (YouTube), leaving a mere 15 per cent for broadcast and other OTT platforms.

“Providing IPL content for free could have a negative impact on TV advertising and on TV medium consumption, given that 1) digital is a better platform for this content as it is available free vs. TV, where it is subscription-based, and 2) it will attract a larger audience vs. Hotstar in the past, which charged a subscription fee for its platform. On the other hand, advantages of the TV medium remain: 1) its mass viewership and reach; 2) a cheaper cable average revenue per user (ARPU) as 95 per cent of the market uses bundles and does not subscribe a la carte; 3) large scale advertisers, such as FMCG, autos, and telecom, which allocate sizeable budgets for mass campaigning on TV; and 4) sports are viewed in large groups on TV, which too augurs well. The Smart TV proposition may be a threat for linear TV only in the medium term, as penetration of the former is low at 10 per cent; this can scale up with the rise in broadband penetration.”

He believes that it will be difficult for Viacom18-Jio Cinema to recover even 30–40 per cent of its content acquisition costs via the digital route if the content is free, at least in the short term (over the next two years); however, in the medium- to long-term, due to 1) changes in digital media consumption habits and 2) growing smart TV penetration, there is the possibility of their digital ad revenue scaling up, though it may still be much lower as compared to TV medium ad revenue (IPL).

“Providing free IPL would also have a negative impact on India’s over-the-top (OTT) market, as ARPU may fall further or remain stable in a market where most OTT platforms are already available at low prices compared to global averages (for example, Netflix and Amazon have the lowest pricing in India). The domestic OTT market was already having a tough time, given fragmentation and high content costs. Lower visibility on ARPU would add to its concerns. Further, from Jio’s standpoint, this would push Jio Cinema’s subscriber base toward new records, as they may start to compete with the likes of YouTube India, which has a monthly average user (MAU) base of 520 million, the largest in India. It would further help Jio Cinema to cross-sell its other content offerings and assist with mobile subscriber retention. This, in turn, can help Jio Cinema compete with social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, as well as YouTube, which has an 80 per cent share of India’s video advertising segment, apart from mere broadcaster OTT platforms, which have a smaller share. The surge in advertising video on demand (AVoD) user base also augurs well for programmatic advertisers, such as Affle India, as there is a potential for higher conversions on homegrown OTT apps with a larger user base, rather than YouTube and social media apps owned by global giants,” he concluded.

Mumbai: In the recently organised Jaipur International Film Festival Awards 2023, video streaming platform ZEE5 bagged multiple awards for its original content. ZEE5 Originals shows dominated the iconic ceremony held in Jaipur on 6 January.

While The Broken News was felicitated under the best web series category, Mithya was awarded with the special jury mention—web series award.

“This is a great start to 2023 with ZEE5 being recognised at the globally acclaimed Jaipur International Film Festival. It encourages our efforts to explore and expand our slate with meaningful stories that resonate with audiences. As the largest homegrown OTT player, ZEE5 envisions catering to every audience as per their preferences, investing in industry talent, and partnering with the best storytellers across regions and languages. We are thankful to the jury, our partners, and the audiences for their love and support in our endeavour to make ZEE5 a platform of choice for multilingual entertainment seekers,” stated ZEE5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra.

Other ZEE5 Originals that shone bright at the awards show included the series Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd., Vilangu, and Rangbaaz – Darr Ki Rajneeti.

Talking about award wins and revamping content design strategy, ZEE5 chief content officer – Hindi originals Nimisha Pandey said, “We are delighted to begin 2023 on a high note, with multiple award wins at the prestigious Jaipur International Film Festival. This is a result of our consistent efforts towards bringing forth India’s cultural essence through extraordinary stories, working with the most prolific storytellers and actors, and constantly developing our content offering with variedness to keep up with changing trends. Staying true to ZEE5’s ideology, we have constantly supported our creator community’s vision, laying special impetus on authenticity, breaking through the conventional norms of storytelling. As we enter 2023, our strong line-up of shows and movies in Hindi as well as other regional languages is a testament to our commitment of continuing to entertain viewers from across the globe, taking ZEE5’s popularity beyond the barriers of language, culture and geography.”

As an industry pioneer, ZEE5 has been experimental in its content design approach throughout 2022, from introducing India’s first adaptation of Korean drama show – Flower of Evil, with the launch of Duranga, to following a multi-pronged approach in creator collaborations. Taking major strides in India’s OTT ecosystem, ZEE5 has not only onboarded well-established content creators, but is also nurturing young talent by providing them a platform to showcase their stories.

In recent years, ZEE5 has been making consistent investments in expanding its ‘Originals’ content slate across languages. With an array of impactful stories that cater to multiple consumer cohorts, ZEE5 has been successful in offering its audiences a diverse and compelling slate featuring titles such as Sunflower, State of Siege: Temple Attack, Break Point, Bob Biswas, Broken News, and Kaun Banegi Shikharwati, amongst many others. In a bid to consolidate its position as the most-preferred digital content platform, ZEE5 has built a strong line-up of Hindi originals across the spectrum for 2023, with shows like Mithya, Abhay 3, Rangbaaz 3, and many more. ZEE5 is one of the first national OTT players to announce an exclusive, specially curated slate for its Tamil, Telugu, and Bangla audiences, in a major push towards strengthening its hyperlocal brand positioning for region-specific as well as global audiences across 190+ countries.

Mumbai: According to the latest app ratings on the Android Play and iOS App Stores, ZEE5 has scored the highest rank. The platform’s current rating is 4.5/5 on the Android Play Store and 4.8/5 on the iOS App Store.

In order to address the needs of the new-age consumer seamlessly across connected devices, the ZEE Tech & Innovation Center in Bengaluru built a strong cohort of design, technology, data, and talent. This has made it easier for the team to respond to and use user feedback, leading to significant product-led innovations and a better user experience. A thorough investigation, data analytics, and the brand’s concerted and focused efforts have resulted in numerous technological innovations that dramatically improve the app experience.

Talking about the product experience and the business strategy, ZEE5 India Manish Kalra chief business officer said, “Being a consumer-first brand from the very outset, we have focussed on building a platform that offers a holistic experience to our audiences. Our strategy has been to invest in improving the platform’s user experience across devices and ensure that high quality content is showcased with best in class viewing experience. The increase in app rating is a significant validation from our consumers and encourages us to continue to provide great quality content with equally good viewing experience across demographics. We will continue to invest in becoming the most preferred OTT platform on the back of innovation, research and analytics with one simple objective of delighting our viewers.”

ZEE5’s increased content viewing experience was primarily driven by improvements to the video player, 4K video quality, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Digital Plus audio support in the app. Adding to this, the personalisation of search results and its fundamental recommendation engine are the cornerstone initiatives taken by ZEE5 to achieve this milestone.

Simultaneously, the platform also revamped the entire connected TV app’s interface and worked towards reducing the app’s size by 10 per cent. The app launch time also improved by 25 per cent and reflected in the mobile app rating.

The team simultaneously made fundamental modifications to video player technology, tracked and improved key video player performance indicators, and offered consumers fluid playback and simple video player controls.

Along with improving the app’s content security, they also made it simpler for customers to intuitively solve their own problems with the customer service chatbot flow.

Addressing the success, ZEE5 chief technology officer Kishore AK said, “The vision for us at ZEE5 has been to identify and then overcome the roadblocks for a better user interface while building a product that can be seamlessly integrated across devices. We rely on research and customer feedback to design the strategy for efficiently catering to the larger and more diverse audience base. We are happy to see the results of our efforts as we continue to develop and make investments to enhance the user experience on ZEE5.”

“About a year ago, when we came together to set up the Technology and Innovation Centre in Bangalore, we went back to the drawing board and decided to reinforce the consumer experience as the core proposition of ZEE5, our flagship digital platform. Empowering cross-functional teams to identify and solve consumer problems allowed us to make rapid improvements on many fronts at the same time,” said Zee Entertainment chief product and innovation officer Bhushan Kolleri.

Currently the fastest-growing OTT platform in India as per the latest industry reports, ZEE5 is known for its diversified content across 100+ taste clusters and its focus on real, relevant, and resonant storytelling. Today, ZEE5 offers over five lakh hours of on-demand content as well as 160+ live TV channels. With a rich library of over 3,500 films, 1,750 TV shows, and 700 originals, ZEE5 offers content in 12 Indian languages: English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Punjabi. The platform has an exciting line-up for 2022 that will add to its extensive library of content, offering a wider array of catalogue to entertainment seekers. Additionally, the products, data, and technology based in Bangalore at the ZEE Technology and Innovation Center have an exciting line-up for further product enhancements aimed to delight its consumers and further consolidate its leadership.

Mumbai: It’s gripping, it’s layered, it’s complex… Hotstar Specials’ latest, The Night Manager, is wrapped in lavish drama and picturesque sights—it’s everything one can expect in a thrilling package. The series onboarded Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur in never-before-seen characters along with Sobhita Dhulipala, Tillotama Shome, Saswata Chatterjee, and Ravi Behl, among others.

Created and directed by Sandeep Modi and co-directed by Priyanka Ghosh, The Night Manager is produced by The Ink Factory and Banijay Asia and will be released soon on Disney+ Hotstar.

Disney Star head of content for Disney+Hotstar & HSM Entertainment Network Gaurav Banerjee said, “The Night Manager in our ambition is the best high stakes drama! Great actors, stunning locales, and a rich plot with juicy twists. We hope viewers have as much fun watching it as all of us have had while making it.”

“This is my second association with Disney+ Hotstar, and we’ve tried to raise the bar with this show, be it the storytelling, scale, or technical finesse. It’s always exhilarating and exasperating in equal measures to helm such a big show, and I am super excited to present this tale of espionage, revenge, and betrayal to the world,” Modi added.

“I have always loved working on differentiated content and characters. The first time I read the script, I just fell in love with the character of Shelly Rungta,” said Anil Kapoor. “Shelly is a powerful man, a philanthropist, and a perfect balance of wit and evil with imperceptible menace, just like the story of the show—a perfect blend of entertainment and great storytelling. I thoroughly enjoyed working with some of the finest in the industry and one of the leading OTT platforms – Disney+ Hotstar and eagerly waiting to see the audience’s reaction to the show,” he added.

Aditya Roy Kapur commented, “I have always wanted to perform a multi-layered character in a series with a complex narrative arc, and when the platform approached me to play the title role in The Night Manager, I knew this was just the one I’d been looking for! My character Shaan is the kind of person who can effortlessly make people believe whatever he wants them to, and that perfectly mirrors what we as actors strive to achieve with our craft. I’m glad that the Disney+ Hotstar team and Sandeep Modi gave me this opportunity to play such an exciting character, and I can’t wait to bring him to audiences in India and around the world!”

The Ink Factory’s Asia slate leader Tessa Inkelaar said, “We are thrilled to see Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur play the lead roles in this wonderful story, under the remarkable direction of Sandeep Modi. It’s a hugely fresh and exciting story, and we hope that Indian audiences will be as excited about it as we are. We are profoundly grateful to Disney+ Hotstar for giving us the chance to tell this story on a fresh canvas, working with our partners in Banijay Asia. We hope that this will be the first of many Ink Factory projects in India, and we cannot wait to see it launched.”

“It is always a pleasure partnering with Disney+ Hotstar, and we’re excited to be kicking off the new year with The Night Manager. The show carries with itself the grand legacy of the original British adaptation of the novel, with The Ink Factory, which has been widely loved and acclaimed. The show brings together some of the best names in the industry, from Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sandeep Modi, to name a few. It amalgamates thrill, drama, and entertainment with an Indian heartbeat. Our aim is to continually introduce concepts and shows that have the potential to be reimagined with local sensibilities, and we are looking forward to sharing this with the audiences,” added Banijay Asia founder & CEO Deepak Dhar.