ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Samya Deb joins YouTube as head of brand creative studio-APAC

    Samya Deb joins YouTube as head of brand creative studio-APAC

    Mumbai: Samya Deb has joined YouTube as head of brand creative studio, as per his LinkedIn profile. Deb, who is a co-founder of Northeast Edit, has moved from Airbnb as regional creative director, APAC.

    “Looks like the trial subscription to my early-retirement plan has come to an end. I have recently joined YouTube as Head of Brand Creative Studio, APAC. The mandate is to create an unprecedented stream of culture defining brand work to celebrate the most diverse creative community on the planet,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.

    Deb has over a decade’s experience in leading creative studios. In his over six-year stint at Airbnb, he helmed multiple roles such as creative consultant, regional creative director and head of design for the APAC region.

    Prior to Airbnb, Deb worked with companies like Bates CHI & Partners, Matrix, DY Works, Cowan and Superunion.

  • Chingari and Bengal Pictures collaborate for Bengal market growth

    Chingari and Bengal Pictures collaborate for Bengal market growth

    Mumbai: Short video sharing platform Chingari has entered into a partnership with Bengal Pictures – one of Bengal’s prominent independent music labels and distributors. With this collaboration, Chingari looks at tapping the upward Bengali music market for its demanding user base. 

    Since June 2021, Bengal Pictures started operating as a record label cum music distributor. It has been distributing and monetising music content along with international music streaming platforms with CRBT service within Indian and Bangladesh. Recently, it began a music distribution service for radio & FM broadcasting, and public performance licensing in India. Drawing on the app’s popularity, Bengal Pictures will be able to leverage viral mediums to spread Bengali culture, said the statement.

    “Bengali is the world’s fifth most spoken language with over 300 million speakers, but when it comes to culture or entertainment, we have a limited presence. Bengali culture is lagging in progress compared to other popular cultures, due to which the artists and workers are not able to earn required incomes,” shared Bengal Pictures founder and owner Satyaki Karmakar.

    “We are constantly working to overcome this issue and to make Bengali culture more widely accepted by reaching out to more and more people. We want to create a market for Bengali music where artists don’t have to seek anybody’s help for monetising their content. The acceptance of Bengali music globally should be such that any artist can work independently and ensure his/her earnings. The partnership with Chingari will help us in moving forward with this big goal,” he added.

    Chingari app co-founder and CEO Sumit Ghosh said, “Out-of-the-box ideas and collaborations have always been Chingari’s forte. We expect them to give our growing user base different offerings. The partnership with Bengal Pictures is in line with this vision.”

    “Bengal Pictures is trying to push the envelope further in Bengali music genre, and Chingari app is known to something similar for its user base. Having noticed rising demand for Bengali musical offerings amongst Bengalis and non-Bengalis, we believe this is a fantastic opportunity for both of us to spread Bengali music and culture in an innovative and engaging manner,” stated Chingari app co-founder and COO Deepak Salvi.

  • Zee5 Global launches second edition of Global Content Festival

    Zee5 Global launches second edition of Global Content Festival

    Mumbai: Leading on the success of its first Global Content Festival in 2020, Zee5 Global is back with its second edition. Transcending linguistic, cultural, and geographical boundaries, the initiative was launched to give budding and independent filmmakers a global platform to showcase their work to an audience across 190+ countries.

    The first edition of the Festival in 2020 witnessed entries from countries like Australia, Bangladesh, Netherlands, India, Dubai, Singapore, the UK, the USA and more. Singapore-based independent filmmaker Shilpa K Shukla emerged as the winner with three entries, “Kathaah@8,” “Tashi,” and “Dots” in the Drama films category.

    Zee5 Global chief business officer Archana Anand said, “After the huge response we got for the first edition of the Zee5 Global Content Festival, we are thrilled to now announce the second edition. The Zee5 Global Content Festival is a special initiative we started in 2020 to give independent filmmakers and content creators from across the globe an opportunity to showcase their work to audiences in 190+ countries. Last year, we saw some stellar entries coming in, and we look forward to this year being even better.”

    The festival provides content creators with an opportunity to attain global fame instantly and experience a diverse environment.

  • Global app downloads totalled 36.1 bn in Q4 2021

    Global app downloads totalled 36.1 bn in Q4 2021

    Mumbai: Global app downloads reached 36.1 billion in Q4 2021, a 2.7 per cent year-over-year increase on Google Play, according to the latest data published by Sensor Tower.

    The mobile app space is still in a state of transformation amid the ongoing global pandemic. While categories such as shopping, finance, and entertainment dominated the download list, others too bounced back amid the pandemic lockdowns across the world. 

    According to Sensor Tower’s Q4 202 Store Intelligence Data Digest, finance and tools were among the quarter’s top categories with 39 per cent and 26 per cent year-over-year growth on Google Play, respectively. However, cryptocurrency and investing apps gained momentum with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) emerging as a top trend.

    Instagram had its best quarter since at least 2014, with installs up 10 per cent from its previous high in Q32021. Instagram was Meta’s first app to take the top spot since Whatsapp in Q42019. 

    The last quarter was also the second time in the past two years that Tik Tok was not the top app by worldwide downloads. The last app to surpass Tik Tok in a quarter was Zoom in Q2 2020.

    Meanwhile, record-breaking eight mobile games, including PUBG Mobile from Tencent, Honor of Kings from Tencent, and Genshin Impact from miHoYo generated more than $1 billion globally from the App Store and Google Play in 2021. PUBG Mobile, localised as Game For Peace in China and Battlegrounds Mobile in India, and Honor of Kings rank as the number one and number two revenue-generating mobile titles worldwide this year, accumulating $2.8 billion each, up nine per cent and 14.7 per cent year-over-year, respectively. 

  • Broadpeak’s mABR solution optimises Live sports OTT delivery in Italy

    Broadpeak’s mABR solution optimises Live sports OTT delivery in Italy

    Mumbai: Broadpeak, a provider of the content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, together with Italian telco operator TIM, is optimising live sports OTT delivery with an advanced multicast ABR (mABR). Using Broadpeak’s mABR solution, TIM is delivering Live third-party sports content to subscribers with an improved quality of experience (QoE).

    “Thanks to Broadpeak’s mABR solution, which optimizes network performance for streaming services, we provide the best technology for assuring an excellent customer quality of experience,” said TIM’s head of technology and innovation Crescenzo Micheli. “As a pioneer of multicast ABR technology, Broadpeak has solid experience and a reputation for delivering superior-quality live OTT content.”

    Broadpeak’s mABR solution includes the BkE200 transcaster server, nanoCDN™ agent, SmartLib library, BkM100 video delivery mediator, BkA100 analytics, and BkA200 video delivery monitoring. The BkE200 transcaster server pulls source ABR streams and embeds them into multicast, reducing delivery costs while also solving scalability and potential quality issues.

    “Streaming quality must be perfect in order to better enjoy OTT content, thanks to ultra-broadband connections,” said Broadpeak president and CEO Jacques Le Mancq. “TIM is leading the way for premium OTT delivery with our mABR solution, which will support live OTT delivery on smart TVs and other connected devices.”

    CVE, the prime contractor, ensured a smooth deployment, providing outstanding coordination and local support.

    “This project is significant for CVE because we’ve invested heavily in video-over-IP technology throughout the years,” said CVE’s CEO Luca Catalano. “CVE is happy to be an active part of the delivery of the mABR solution available for CDNs. This is an important milestone for the transition of the video world toward IP, and we’re proud that our IP knowledge and expertise made such a big, positive contribution to the deployment of the Broadpeak mABR solution.”

  • Zee5 partners with Garnier and Wavemaker for ‘Garnier Men BroCast’

    Zee5 partners with Garnier and Wavemaker for ‘Garnier Men BroCast’

    Mumbai: Zee5 has entered a partnership with Garnier and Wavemaker to exclusively stream “Garnier Men BroCast,” a celebrity podcast on male grooming conceptualised in partnership with Schbang.

    The brand has roped John Abraham and Tiger Shroff for the first episode of the podcast to initiate conversations about normalising grooming for the modern Indian man. The first season of the podcast is a three-episode series with each episode lasting for six to eight minutes, accessible to both AVOD and SVOD audiences on the platform.

    “An average Indian man spends 42 mins every day grooming himself. With search around men’s skincare increasing by 400 per cent over last five years and 22 per cent male consumers (aged between 18-34) turning to social media influencers for grooming tips, Garnier along with Wavemaker wanted to dedicate its latest property, ‘Garnier Men BroCast’ to change the perception around the idea of male grooming and address the stigma associated with grooming being a focus area only for women,” said the company in a statement.

    “Leveraging tech in beauty in collaboration with Zee5’s reach, we are confident of reaching the right audience, to drive talkability and consumer love for Garnier Men,” said L’Oreal India general manager – marketing Zeenia Shroff.

    “Garnier Men has been a pioneer in driving grooming conversation with Indian men,” said L’Équipe L’Oréal Wavemaker head Avinash Pareek. “In partnership with Zee5, we have been able to create an entire campaign around it with promotional elements leading to reach and buzz, giving BroCast stellar scale.”

    “We are glad to partner with Wavemaker to exclusively host the show, created by Garnier Men to lead conversations around this subject, along with lifestyle problems with their solutions,” stated Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd chief revenue officer – digital and SMB Gaurav Kanwal. “John and Tiger being the epitome of charm, will be the best examples to immerse and inspire across this trend of men’s grooming.”

  • One Take Media Co set to bring ‘Undercover’ in India

    One Take Media Co set to bring ‘Undercover’ in India

    Mumbai: Korean series has already vowed the Indian audience and now it is time to make way for some stellar Bulgarian shows. Bulgarian dramas are receiving immense love from Indian viewers. And now, viewers can enjoy their favourite Bulgarian shows in their own regional language. The Mumbai-based content production house and distribution hub, One Take Media Co (OTMC) is all set to bring the popular Bulgarian series “Undercover” in eight regional languages in India.

    Viewers will be able to stream “Undercover” in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Punjabi.

    “Undercover” follows a specially trained agent, who has been appointed to the most dangerous mission in Bulgaria, that is to go undercover in the gang of the most wanted mafia. The agent has to encounter a lot of challenges to look like he is a part of the criminal world. A lot of unexpected twists lead to uncovering the identity of the undercover agent.

    The popular Bulgarian crime drama is a global hit and won The Golden Umbrella Award in the ‘Best Series’ category.

    OTMC provides content and value-added services to leading DTH, cable, OTT, and TV channels in India and abroad, which are not only limited to Hollywood films but spans tons of shows including kids animation films and series, celebrity-based cooking shows, Korean drama series, and international shows.

  • Jason Monteiro joins HBO Max as GM for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan

    Jason Monteiro joins HBO Max as GM for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan

    Mumbai: WarnerMedia has appointed Jason Monteiro as general manager of HBO Max for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He will temporarily report to HBO Max international head Johannes Larcher until a new managing director for the broader INSEAK region (India, Southeast Asia and Korea) is appointed.

    Monteiro will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer business leading content experience, brand, marketing, subscriber management and digital partnerships. He will oversee the existing HBO Go streaming service and the eventual launch of HBO Max in APAC and the Middle East region, said the statement.

    “Jason arrives at HBO Max with a proven track record of building and growing subscription services across Asia and other important global markets,” said Johannes Larcher. “He is a passionate leader known for building and inspiring high-performing teams, and I am eager to see his leadership in action as he steps into his new role today.”

    “I could not be more excited to be joining this amazing organisation and in particular to lead the charge for HBO Max,” said Monteiro. “It’s going to be such a thrill to work with the people across WarnerMedia to bring the likes of Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, DC, Warner Bros, HBO favorites, new Max Originals and many more, to the viewers in Southeast Asia.”

    Moneteiro was previously associated with Arabic streaming service Shahid as director of advertising video-on-demand (AVOD). He was responsible for P&L for the free ad-supported tier offered by the service, ensuring that it had the widest user reach, user engagement, unique content offering and best digital video advertising solution for brands in the Middle East.

    Prior to that, he was associated with Southeast Asian streaming service iflix as chief marketing officer and general manager of Indonesia and Malaysia. He has also worked at telco majors such as Indosat Ooredoo and Vodafone.

  • Hungama Artist Aloud and DeadAnt team up for stand-up comedy platform on Hungama Play

    Hungama Artist Aloud and DeadAnt team up for stand-up comedy platform on Hungama Play

    Mumbai: Hungama Artist Aloud, a platform that supports and promotes independent artists and content, has partnered with DeadAnt to curate, acquire and distribute regional stand-up comedy content on its OTT platform Hungama Play.

    The content has also been made available in the podcast format. The idea is to provide regional comedians with a platform within Hungama’s network for a wider reach, it said in a statement.  At least 10 artists will perform in five different languages — Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, and Tamil — to begin with. The roster includes Manpreet Singh, Mohit Morani, Trupti Khamkar, Mandar Bhide, Sriram Prasad, Chockalingam, Ramkumar Natarajan, Chirag Panjwani, Shravan Narayan, Subrahmanya Hegde.

    Hungama Artist Aloud senior VP Soumini Sridhara Paul said, “Regional comedy acquisition perfectly ties in with our core philosophy of creating pathways for independent artists from different backgrounds and cultures. While all these artists are popular names in the regional market, we wanted to provide them a global platform via OTT. We also wanted viewers to enjoy comedy while being in the comfort of their homes along with their friends and family, and this partnership with DeadAnt has given us the opportunity to make this happen.”

    DeadAnt founder and editor-in-chief Ravina Rawal said, “Comedy is emerging as the new voice of the youth, with the power to unite people and uplift their mood. With this partnership, we hope to harness Hungama Play’s wide network to introduce talented regional comedians to new audiences across the country, and even beyond borders.”

    The content will also be available on MX Player, Flipkart, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Tata Sky Binge, Tata Sky Binge+, DishSMRT Stick, D2H Stream, DishSMRT Hub, SITI Playtop, ISPs like Meghbela Broadband, Alliance Broadband, ACT Fibernet and Netplus, and Smart TVs like MI TV, TCL, OnePlus TV, CVTE, Toshiba and CloudWalker. 

  • HBO Max and HBO end 2021 with ~73.8 million subscribers globally

    HBO Max and HBO end 2021 with ~73.8 million subscribers globally

    Mumbai: HBO Max and HBO have ended 2021 with ~73.8 million subscribers across the globe, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced on Wednesday ahead of the company’s fourth quarter earnings call.

    It has added 4.4 million subscribers in the fourth quarter beating its July 2021 forecast to end the year with 70-73 million subscribers. In October 2019, at an investor day event, the company was projected to reach 75-90 million subscribers by the end of 2025. However, it achieved that goal almost four years early, noted Kilar.

    “To say that this is a remarkable result would be an understatement,” said Kilar. “This performance is beyond what had been our best laid plans at the start of 2021.”

    After the service launched in the US in 2020, it was launched in 45 more countries in 2021. HBO Max is expected to arrive in India in 2022. HBO Max is distributed as an app across devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Firestick, Google Chromecast, Roku and a host of smart TVs. WarnerMedia has also launched an ad-supported version of HBO Max which offers the service to consumers at a lower price.

    At the beginning of 2021, the company had taken the controversial decision to release its slate of films under Warner Bros. Pictures simultaneously in theatres and HBO Max ignoring the theatrical window completely. This meant that the movie studio’s 18 films were available on the streaming service at the same time as their theatrical release. “We took a thoughtful risk (and some understandable heat), and it has worked,” remarked Kilar.

    Impressive content launches by the company include ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’, ‘Mare of Easttown’, ‘Friends Reunion’, ‘The White Lotus’, ‘The Suicide Squad’, ‘Dune’, ‘Succession’, ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ and ‘Return of Hogwarts’.

    The service also launched its live sports offering by picking up the rights to UEFA Champions League in Brazil and Mexico.