ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • ALTBalaji announces #High5withALT campaign to celebrate fifth anniversary

    ALTBalaji announces #High5withALT campaign to celebrate fifth anniversary

    Mumbai: Video streaming platform ALTBalaji on Monday announced a new campaign titled #High5withALT to celebrate its fifth anniversary.

    With a proven track record of developing ventures and creating new opportunities, ALTBalaji currently has an MAU base of over 10 million and has sold 2.9 million subscriptions in H1 alone. In addition, the platform has an average audience engagement of 83 minutes per day with 91+ shows and a rich bouquet of genres that cater to a variety of audiences, according to the statement.

    Now, with its AVOD model, the platform is looking to gain more viewers and continue its mission of entertaining its audience.

    ALSO READ | ‘Lock Upp’ is ALTBalaji’s ‘KBC moment’ as it forays into AVOD: Divya Dixit

    “The platform has experienced a 36 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth in subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) in FY21. Furthermore, its active subscriber base increased by 75 per cent yearly to 2.1 million from 1.2 million in the previous quarter, 2020. As a result, the platform now has over 35 million subscribers and nine million monthly active users,” said the statement.

    ALTBalaji’s journey started with a promise of presenting the viewer’s non-stereotypical and groundbreaking shows that were never seen before in the Indian OTT space. With over 80 per cent of ALTBalaji’s audience under 35 years of age and its exciting library boasting 91+ original shows, the platform has rightly owned the tag of ‘OTT of the masses.’

    “We have continued to break barriers in content creation, with which we have built a unique loyalty & following amongst the audience especially the youth who contribute to 80 per cent per cent of our audience base. The year ahead is going to be even bigger, better, and bolder by creating differentiated content for our audience base,” commented ALTBalaji CEO Zulfiqar Khan. “We have also added another layer to our consumer offering by introducing AVOD to complement our SVOD business with the launch of the record-breaking non-fiction show ‘Lock Upp.’ We thank our viewers for the enormous love and support, and we take a step into our sixth year with a promise to make it even more exhilarating.’’

    This year, ALTBalaji launched two new shows “Pavitra Rishta” and forayed into the non-fictional space with Kangana Ranaut-fronted reality show “Lock Upp.” Its upcoming lineup includes shows such as “Apharan 2,” “Bois Locker Room,” “Cold Lonelly Messy,” “Hashtagwarrs,” “Paurashpur 2,” “Mentalhood: S2,” and many more.

  • Amagi will explore M&As to accelerate revenues, expand marketplace: Baskar Subramanian

    Amagi will explore M&As to accelerate revenues, expand marketplace: Baskar Subramanian

    Mumbai: Just a couple of years prior to the pandemic Amagi was known as a targeted TV advertising solutions provider. At present, it prides itself on calling “a global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV,” which aims to transform the media and entertainment industry by virtualising entire broadcasting operations.

    Pivoting around the growth of streaming, Amagi has evolved into a next-generation media technology company driven by increased demand for its products, more so globally, than in India. Today, its clientele includes large media conglomerates (NBCUniversal, Paramount, A+E Networks UK), connected TV majors (Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Vizio, LG Channels), content owners (Tastemade, USA Today, AccuWeather) and leading OTT/FAST players (Fubo, Stirr, Redbox, Rakuten TV & more).  

    Overall, Amagi supports 650+ content brands, 800+ playout chains, and over 2000 channel deliveries on its platform in over 40 countries. It has a presence in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Paris, Singapore, broadcast operations in New Delhi, and an innovation centre in Bangalore. Amagi witnessed a 59 per cent surge in customers in 2021, 108 per cent YoY growth in revenue, and 112 per cent YoY growth in ad impressions generated using its dynamic ad insertion platform – Amagi Thunderstorm.

    In March, the company solidified its position as a unicorn after raising $95 million in a funding round led by Accel. Impressive traction for Amagi’s cloud solutions, and its demonstrated leadership in the rapidly growing CTV-led Free Ad-supported Streaming TV space, led to further investments from existing investors Norwest Venture Partners and Avataar Ventures to power the next wave of growth.

    “The media industry has been swept up in a content storm with consumers demanding high-quality, personalised content at faster-than-ever turnaround speeds,” says Amagi investor Avatar Ventures’ founding partner Nishant Rao. “Amagi has enabled major media players to stay relevant in these times of change while helping them to extract nearly 40 per cent operational savings through cloud solutions.”

    But what does Amagi actually do?

    Amagi provides end-to-end cloud-managed live and on-demand video infrastructure to content owners, broadcast and cable TV networks, and OTT platforms. Its core expertise lies in broadcast-grade 24×7 linear channel creation, channel distribution to Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV platforms, live orchestration for sports and news, OTT server-side ad insertion, analytics for monetisation, and cost-effective disaster recovery, among others.

    “The popularity of streaming and the resultant change in consumer behaviour has also effected a change in the back-end or what is called the content factory,” Amagi co-founder and CEO Baskar Subramanian simplifies the jargon for us. “What used to be a hardware-based setup is now becoming software-driven. As a result, large TV networks are moving all of their media operations to the cloud. And this movement to a virtualised model of operating the business is nothing new; it has happened in retail, in BFSI, now it is happening in the media business,” he says.

    For TV channels Amagi helps in moving all operations to the cloud, while OTTs use its services to operate and monetise their content with targeted advertising at an individual level.

    “Even though OTT is starting to become big in the country, it’s not really big in advertising dollars. In India, we made about 900 million in ad revenue last year, which is quite low for a country of our size. Video CPMs are also dismally low at three-four dollars vs 30 dollars in the US. This needs to change, and it will happen when marketers start moving their TV budgets to OTT platforms. I see that happening in the next few years,” shares Subramanian.

    “FAST which is gaining traction due to increasing fatigue among consumers overwhelmed by choices, can be a great way of increasing streaming ad revenues, but it has not yet made inroads in India,” he informs. Internationally, FAST services like Pluto TV and Tubi continue to up the game by investing in quality content. Audiences and advertisers are following.

    According to the latest edition of the FAST industry report by Amagi, in 2021, total FAST viewership hours grew by 103 per cent, while the average session duration increased by eight per cent. Ad impressions grew by a robust 134 per cent, reminiscent of the $50 billion in ad opportunities up for grabs for content owners each year across FAST platforms.

    The next wave of growth for Amagi

    Buoyed by the recent fundraise, the company is doubling down on its R&D from last year. It has quadrupled its sales team and also plans to expand offices across the globe including in Australia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

    Amagi recently announced two new hires including Daniel Marshall as EVP of global sales for its SaaS business and streaming TV veteran James Smith to lead its global ad sales and partnerships business. Marshall moves in from Amazon, and Smith, from Facebook.

    The company is keen on raising capital and growth through mergers and acquisitions. “We are looking at acquisitions which can help us to accelerate the overall revenue and expand the marketplace,” informs Subramanian.

    “This is a crucial juncture for our business as we look to hit a hyper-growth trajectory by creating a winning combination of goals, processes, team structures and more. Our investors have a known history of crafting the success stories of companies with the promise of potential. We look forward to leveraging their astute understanding of the B2B SaaS landscape to successfully navigate the market intricacies and position ourselves for sustained success in the coming years,” he concludes.

  • What to stream this weekend? Top 8 releases you should look out for

    What to stream this weekend? Top 8 releases you should look out for

    Mumbai: Weekend is here but the increasing temperature is not letting you out to have fun, right? Don’t worry! OTT platforms are all up to help you with a fresh content line up for this weekend.

    With OTT players sorting out your weekend with exciting new titles, you can actually have a good time at home with family and friends. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other OTT platforms have new shows and films that you can hook up to right away.

    What makes this weekend special is that platforms have something to offer from all genres including a Hindi thriller “Bachchan Pandey,” the international show “The Kardashians,” a criminal suspense drama “Mai” and many more.

    IndianTelevision.com has jotted down a list of fresh content to watch on different streaming platforms.

    Take a look!

    “The Kardashians” (Disney+ Hotstar)

    If you’re a Kardashian fan and want to peek into their life, “The Kardashians” will be a perfect watch for you this weekend. The show was released on 14 April and you can watch it out on Disney+ Hotstar. The high-profile entertainment series brings on screen some glimpse of the life of Kardhasian sisters- Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé Kardashian, their half-sisters- Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and their mother, Kris Jenner and some of their partners including Travis Barker, Scott Disick, and others. The Kardashians was released on 14 April.

    “Choose or Die” (Netflix)

    “Choose or Die” is a horror thriller starring Asa Butterfield, Iola Evans, Eddie Marsan, and Robert Englund. It is an overwhelming British movie directed by Toby Meakins.

    “Mai” (Netflix)

    “Mai” is one of the most awaited web-series on Netflix. Featuring the popular Indian television actress Sakshi Tawar, the series brings on screen the story of a mother who turns merciless to find her daughter’s killer. “Mai” brings a perfect amalgamation of various emotions for the Indian viewers.

    “Anatomy of a Scandal” (Netflix)

    This anthology drama miniseries developed by David E is a story of a parliamentary minister James Whitehouse is a happily married man with a loving family home, then a scandalous secret comes to light. “Anatomy of a Scandal” is full of drama and suspense to keep you entertained this weekend.

    “Bachchan Pandey” (Amazon Prime Video)

    If you’re a fan of Bollywood, “Bachchan Pandey” will be your perfect resort for this weekend. Starring Akshay Kumar and Kriti Sanon, this film released on 18 March on big screen and is now available on Amazon Prime Video too. It is a story of a budding director trying to research a merciless gangster to make a film on gangster life.

    “Not So Pretty” (HBO Max)

    “Not So Pretty” is a mini TV documentary now available on HBO Max. If you’re looking for a light entertainment option for the weekend, you should definitely watch it. It features an investigation into the trillion-dollar cosmetics, beauty, and personal care industry.

    “Heirs to the Land” (Netflix)

    If you’re a fan of Spanish TV shows you can watch “Heirs to the Land,” which reads as Los herederos de la tierra in Spanish. The series is based on a novel of the same name. It is a well shot Spanish period drama following in the vein of its prequel series, Cathedral of the Sea.

    “Outer Range” (Amazon Prime Video)

    Most awaited American thriller is now live for the audience on Amazon Prime Video. “Outer Range” presents a western family saga with hints of wry humor and supernatural mystery. The first season has a total of 8 episodes, two have released this week. Remaining six episodes will be released in coming weeks, with two each week.

  • CAMM Summit 2022: ‘Technology no longer just a vehicle to transmit content’

    CAMM Summit 2022: ‘Technology no longer just a vehicle to transmit content’

    Mumbai: Technology has evolved from a support system to an enabler and finally a driver of content consumption in the modern media landscape. Content and technology have become inextricably intertwined with the role of technology becoming more important in the media industry. At the Content-Tech, Ad-tech, Mar-Tech and More (CAMM) Summit and Exhibition 2022 organised by IndianTelevision.com co-powered by PubMatic and industry partner Adjust, the publishers, technology partners and marketers were part of a panel discussion on ‘managing content infrastructure to create a seamless content experience.’

    The session was led by CupShup co-founder Sidharth Singh, who was joined by Network18 Media and Investments group chief technology officer Rajat Nigam, Rezolve chief executive officer – India Sunder Madakshira, Korra founder and CEO Gaurav Nabh, Yotta Infrastructure vertical business head Jollydeep Kaur, and Rackspace Technology managing director Asia Pacific/Japan Sandeep Bhargava.

    Network18’s Rajat Nigam started the discussion by highlighting the constant pressure on publishers to keep innovating in terms of content. “Creativity is a continuous challenge and we need to keep being different. Society has become a co-producer of content. This has opened the field up to multiple players. Our focus is on two areas which are increasing creativity and reducing costs,” he said.

    Rackspace Technology’s Sandeep Bhargava spoke about tools that help brands control costs and innovate by leveraging data. “We use the term data gravity. Similar to how a denser planet has a greater gravitational pull, the more data that you have, the more costs build up and it becomes difficult to make sense of it. At Rackspace, we have a media accelerator that helps our clients optimise data, lowers the cost of keeping data and finds ways to monetise it,” he shared

    The discussion veered towards technical integration in content and dos and don’ts for marketers. “My first advice is to only look at technology as an enabler. It’s not about which technology is best but how you use it,” explained Korra’s Gaurav Nabh. A lot of clients ask me why we’re missing out on NFTs, metaverse or any new technology. But the question they should ask themselves is whether this technology is relevant to their business and is generating RoI.”

    Over the years the perception of technology has changed. “Technology is not just a vehicle for transmitting content but it can actually help the industry generate better insights and create better content,” remarked Yotta Infrastructure’s Jollydeep Kaur.

    Rezolve’s Sunder Madakshira observed that evolving technology must also be accompanied by better metrics to understand consumer behaviour. He noted, “Earlier, marketers used to measure performance in terms of market share. Then it became share of wallet. Today, we talk about share of attention because there is so much content out there that it has created clutter. Similarly, when we talk about revenues, we no longer speak in terms of ownership but in terms of subscription.”

    In a subscription economy, it’s no longer relevant to look at app downloads as a metric for success, according to Madakshira. “There’s no point if the app has become a dormant platform. The focus then should be on retaining attention,” he affirmed.

    Watch the panel discussion here:

  • Regional OTT aha to double subscriber base with launch of Tamil service

    Regional OTT aha to double subscriber base with launch of Tamil service

    Mumbai: Regional OTT platform aha announced the launch of its Tamil slate of content at an event held in Chennai on Thursday. The platform, which offers Telugu content, has launched a new service aha Tamil that is targeted at the Tamil-speaking audience. Speaking exclusively with IndianTelevision.com, CEO Ajit Thakur said aha, which has a subscriber base of two million, aims to double up current number with the launch of this new service.

    “India’s SVOD subscribers are at 42 million and the share of these two markets (Telugu and Tamil) will be six-eight million. We are aiming for a 25 per cent share in each language,” Thakur stated. “The internet penetration in Tamil Nadu is one of the highest in the country and there are a great bunch of storytellers working in Tamil cinema. There is an excellent opportunity in terms of available audience for subscription-driven OTT. At the same time, it is also a challenge because the content preferences are dissimilar from any other part of the country and the benchmark is high.”

    The launch event was graced by Tamil Nadu chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin and was joined by actor Silambarasan and music composer Anirudh Ravichander who were announced as the brand ambassadors for aha Tamil. aha Tamil announced the launch of the film “Thattina Tamil Mattume” which stars the brand ambassadors.

    When queried why aha Tamil was launched as a separate service from aha Telugu, Thakur explained, “We have always believed that there is no homogenous South audience. When we started aha Telugu, we observed that people were watching everything from Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam on OTT but there was still a native language preference within a large part of the audience. 100 per cent local positioning was our core strategy no matter the language. If we put all languages under one service then we would lose that differentiation and that’s why we had to launch aha Tamil as a separate service.”

    While the backend i.e., app, website to access aha Telugu and aha Tamil is the same, the two services will have separate content, marketing and teams managing the operation. The platform offers two plans to access Tamil content, a quarterly plan priced at Rs 149 and a yearly plan priced at Rs 365.

    Speaking about the wallet share of consumers in the Tamil market, Thakur noted, “It holds true that subscribers in Tamil and Telugu markets on average subscribe to two paid platforms from a consumer habit point of view. A lot of national OTT players are fighting for this pie with multilanguage global scale content. However, we are uniquely placed in these two markets, where nobody is offering local language content at our scale.”

    aha Tamil has a library of 150-200 films and 10 web originals at the time of launch. By the end of the year, the count of originals should increase to 40-60 with a commitment to release four originals per month. Thakur was not able to share details about the expansion of the film library as theatrical releases are still fluid all over the country owing to the effects of the pandemic.”

    “People don’t pay for the content library, they pay for new premieres,” said Thakur, commenting on what will drive subscriptions. “Initially, a lot of our library will be available for streaming for free so that audiences can sample our content. What will drive subscriptions are the new pieces of content that we’ll add every week. The library will help consumers spend more time on the app.”

    In the coming months, aha Tamil will offer theatrical films including “Selfie” featuring GV Prakash Kumar and Gautam Menon, “Sardaar” featuring Karthi, Venkat Prabhu’s “Manmadha Leelai” starring Ashok Selvan. The content slate also includes director Vetrimaaran’s “Pettakaalai” along with a host of originals such as “Bhamakalaapam” featuring Priyamani, “Ammuchi 2,” and “Ramany vs Ramany 3.”

    “We at aha are constantly working towards catering to all demographics through our diverse and relatable content offerings,” said aha promoter Ram Jupally in a statement. “The reveal of our Tamil slate today on the occasion of Tamil New Year is a reflection of the belief that entertainment and stories are best told and enjoyed in one’s local language. After its success in Telugu, aha is aiming to provide quality content in Tamil with diverse genres to fulfill the interest and demands of different age groups. A majority of our Tamil slate is original content and I believe it is only prudent for the platform to associate with content creators who can complement us in meeting our vision”.

    “We are excited to present our Tamil slate that has been developed locally with creators from Tamil Nadu,” said aha promoter Allu Arvind. “It is a collection of diverse stories and genres, told through web series and movies. Today, aha will disrupt the Tamil industry with phenomenal content, bringing the best Tamil talent to the fore and showcasing their artistry globally.”

    aha was launched in 2020 as a Telugu OTT service with original programming such as web series and films.

  • Haptik appoints Praful Krishna as chief product officer

    Haptik appoints Praful Krishna as chief product officer

    Mumbai: Jio Haptik Technologies, a conversational AI company and subsidiary of Reliance Jio Platforms has appointed Praful Krishna as its chief product officer (CPO). 

    In his new role at Haptik, Krishna will drive the transition of businesses from web to the conversation economy, resulting in significantly improved customer experience. “Krishna will spearhead Haptik’s strategic vision and be the driving force behind building the brand’s suite of products. He will also oversee product requirements, design, messaging, pricing, reliability, and customer engagement,” said the statement.

    “In addition to being an ex-entrepreneur, Praful has a proven record of success in both startups and large companies and his arrival marks a critical moment in Haptik’s growth journey,” said Haptik CEO and co-founder Aakrit Vaish. “I am confident that under his leadership, the product will be making even further strides in solving customers’ biggest pain points across the conversational commerce journey; and accelerate our journey towards becoming a global leader in the conversational AI economy.”

    Krishna comes with 20+ years of cross-functional experience in developing, digitising, marketing, and investing in AI and NLP-driven products at startups and Fortune 500s. He was previously founder & CEO at Coseer, a company helping data science teams in enterprises with intelligent process automation tools. Before entering the world of AI and products, he was at a hedge fund and a consultant with McKinsey & Company. 

    “I truly believe Haptik is poised to be a global leader in enabling conversational commerce for brands by meeting the user wherever they are – from metaverses to phone lines – and helping them throughout their journey – from acquisition to advocacy. It has already seen incredible momentum: not everyone can boast 500+ million users served with billions of interactions,” remarked Krishna.

    Krishna is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and Harvard Business School. Currently, he lives in San Francisco.

  • Dina D’Souza joins MX Player as senior vice president direct and OTT AVOD

    Dina D’Souza joins MX Player as senior vice president direct and OTT AVOD

    Mumbai: Times Internet owned MX Player has appointed Dina D’Souza as senior vice president of direct and OTT (AVOD) business, according to her LinkedIn profile.

    MX Player is one of the largest AVOD OTT platforms in the country with a base of 300 million monthly active users.

    “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as senior vice president at MX Player! I will be driving the Direct and the OTT AVOD business for the organisation, in this new role,” said D’souza in the post.

    D’Souza’s previous assignment was short video platform Trell as vice president and head of the monetisation. She was associated with Flipkart as director of the monetisation and before that was with advertising platform Pokkt as vice president of sales.

    She has over 22 years of experience in sales and marketing across organisations such as 9XM Media, Microsoft, Yahoo! and Bennett Coleman and Co.

    D’Souza has widespread experience across the media, internet and ad-tech industry and has worked in the revenue function across print, web, mobile, ad-tech and commerce products.

  • Voot adds new titles to April content slate

    Voot adds new titles to April content slate

    Mumbai: Viacom18’s AVOD service Voot is expanding its content library with “Brochara S2” and “Baked: S3” exclusively streaming on the platform on 18 and 25 April, respectively.

    “With these new additions to its content slate, Voot aims to reach out to male audiences across metros, as well as the tier 2 and 3 cities,” said the statement.

    “Brochara S2” is a slice-of-life comedy exploring the nuances of male bonding and friendship in a long-distance relationship. “Baked S3” follows the reunion of three friends after seven years of an unfortunate incident.  

    “At Voot, we have recognised the changing entertainment needs of our viewers and have constantly innovated to deliver content that appeals to all,” said Viacom18 Digital Ventures head –AVOD Chanpreet Arora. “Keeping up the momentum and strengthening our libraries with a focus to appeal to the younger audience, with web series like ‘Brochara’ and ‘Baked,’ we continue to expand our content offerings to bring delightful and relatable content for our existing users, while also attracting new ones. ”

  • Scaler, Isobar India partner with Bhadipa for web series ‘BE Rojgaar’

    Scaler, Isobar India partner with Bhadipa for web series ‘BE Rojgaar’

    Mumbai: Tech-based upskilling startup Scaler in collaboration with creative experience agency Isobar has partnered with Marathi content platform Bharatiya Digital Party (Bhadipa) to launch a web series “BE Rojgaar.”

    The upcoming web series is an aspirational story of three friends that captures the struggles faced by engineers in India, today. Directed by Sarang Sathaye, the show stars Saie Tamhankar, along with Sambhaji Sasane and Jagdish Kannam.

    “The objective of this association is to convey the brand’s value proposition to its niche audience through engaging storytelling, the core focus is to leverage the power of digital media on the back of regional content,” said the statement.

    “We have done other small experiments in vernacular language content, and the business & brand outcomes were fantastic. The one-line story of the show is ‘skills over degrees’ built around friendship and employability of engineers, with the quintessential Marathi sass – is right up our alley,” commented Scaler and InterviewBit head of brand and content Ranjeet Kumar. “With ‘BE Rojgaar,’ we want to develop a strong affinity with our Marathi audience and break the degree/certificate hoarding bias when it comes to skilling. We are very confident it will be one of the biggest shows in that market, and our learners will resonate with the theme.”

    “Content is always more relatable when it comes packed with cultural nuances and regional flavours. When a brand is seamlessly integrated within that, it is sure to hit the sweet spot and move the needle on business,” remarked Isobar India AVP and head of branded content and partnerships Madhura Ranade. “A great brand experience is elevated when it is encountered in the most comfortable setting, which is being a regional language in this case. This has proven true, time and again and with every new partnership, this belief gets stronger. This time, addressing a key market in Maharashtra and with none other than the team at Bhadipa and a stellar star cast, we are sure to make this a blockbuster in the Marathi-speaking market and beyond.”

    Isobar India group CEO Heeru Dingra said “this will be the largest regional content collaboration India has ever seen.” She further added, “Given India’s size and diversity, we have always been hearing that vernacular and regional content is the way to go. However, with most brands, there is a hesitation when it comes to committing to this narrative. We are glad to team up with pan India, addressing a brand like Scaler.” 

  • How viewer data analytics are shaping operators’ revenue and content strategies

    How viewer data analytics are shaping operators’ revenue and content strategies

    Mumbai: Indiantelevision.com, in partnership with Synamedia, organised a virtual webinar on ‘how analytics shaping operators’ revenues and content strategy?’ on 23 March. The panel discussion was joined by Altbalaji’s Divya Dixit, MX Player’s Viraj Jit Singh, Zee5’s Abhirup Datta, and Synamedia’s Amruta Shankar. Shankar, who is Synamedia’s director of data and analytics, has penned observations of the panelists and highlighted the crux of the discussion.

    During a recent IndianTelevision webinar, I was joined by leading Indian OTT streaming platforms, Altbalaji, MX Player and Zee5 to discuss their wealth of video data, and how it can be leveraged to address their pain points and achieve genuine business-boosting results.

    Bringing together all the digital clues that viewers leave behind when they watch video content across an ever-increasing number of screens is critical to ensuring data caters to the different needs of the organisation. It helps the content rights manager to understand what viewers want to watch, or the marketing director to realise when and how they want to watch content. The product manager can use data to ensure that the content is searchable and keeps viewers engaged.

    “Our entire business and growth are based on data,” said MX Player’s senior vice president and head of revenue Viraj Jit Singh.

    For streaming providers and operators, the content remains king, but data is the jewel in their crown. A source of priceless insights from across the video ecosystem, data can help to drive viewer engagement, reduce churn, slash operational costs and grow revenue.

    On-demand content is driving a lot of today’s consumption, and so to keep pace with changing viewing habits, “you have to be platform-agnostic,’’ remarked Altbalaji senior vice president of marketing, partnerships and revenue Divya Dixit. Whilst content ‘snacking’ on small screen devices is growing in prevalence, particularly through social platforms like TikTok, the lure of long-form content on the big screen in the living room continues to endure.

    ALSO READ | ‘Lock Upp’ is ALTBalaji’s ‘KBC moment’ as it forays into AVOD: Divya Dixit

    With data underpinning all the big decisions, including monetisation and advertising, all the panelists agreed that getting the tech stack right to cope with all the available data is vital. Equally important is ensuring the data is of sufficient quality to avoid a shifting base, where the numbers simply don’t add up from one month to another.

    Using data for business decisions certainly added up for Altbalaji and MX player’s latest joint venture, a new show called “Lock Upp,” which achieved over 100 million views in less than 20 days.

    Because MX Player is an AVOD platform, Singh emphasises the importance of understanding viewers “to get the right brands to advertise to the relevant audience, which obviously leads to higher efficiencies for advertisers but also better viewing for our subscribers.”

    Zee5 head of AVOD marketing Abhirup Datta agreed and said, “Leveraging data to showcase the right content to the consumer is very important….also using data about the viewing devices and what kind of content they end up watching.”

    Tackling pain points

    Datta shared how data can also help alleviate pain points including how to address ‘guest users’ on Zee5; juggling and balancing the risk of bringing new releases onto the platform at the expense of older consistently performing content; and ensuring an ad is served to the right cohort.

    For Dixit, her greatest headache is understanding why a consumer drops out at the subscription page or in the middle of sampling the first episode. She added, “the helping hand of somebody who can map out where the churn is coming from, and what needs to be done to rectify this, could obviously add a lot of value.”

    Listening to customers and optimising their experience

    For Singh, this is an ongoing process “we work very hard to listen to our consumers and try to over-deliver on their expectations.”

    Datta agreed that “a user’s experience is at the core of everything we do. It is our North star.”

    In business, the customer is always right, but more importantly, the customer’s data never lies. Scrutinising and validating that data objectively, and validating it using a trusted, independent third party has the power to deliver a treasure trove of valuable business insights.

    The last word goes to MX Player’s Singh, “listening to your consumer, understanding that data, and seeing how you can mix it all together and figure out a solution for them is the best metric you can work on today,” he said.