Category: Over The Top Services

Prime Video drops ‘Wheel of Time’ trailer; starts streaming on 19 Nov

Mumbai: Prime Video has released the official trailer of its upcoming fantasy series “The Wheel of Time” based on the best-selling book series.

The first three episodes of season one will premiere on 19 November. New episodes will be available each Friday following, leading up to the season finale on 24 December, it said on Thursday.

Prime Video debuted the trailer with an immersive experience that allowed fans to view the 2-D trailer in a virtual three-dimensional wheel on YouTube. “The Wheel of Time” will be streaming in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novel, ‘The Wheel of Time’ was adapted for television by executive producer/showrunner Rafe Judkins. Larry Mondragon and Rick Selvage of iwot productions, Mike Weber, Ted Field of Radar Pictures, Darren Lemke, Marigo Kehoe, and Uta Briesewitz will also serve as executive producers, with Briesewitz set to direct the first two episodes. Rosamund Pike will serve as producer and Harriet McDougal and Brandon Sanderson as consulting producers. “The Wheel of Time” is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

‘The Wheel of Time’ books are one of the most popular and enduring fantasy series of all time, with more than 90 million books sold. They are set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.

October 28, 2021
Josh and SVF Entertainment enter strategic alliance

Mumbai: Short video app Josh has inked a strategic partnership with East Indian media and entertainment company SVF. The collaboration paves the way for the creation of short video content from Bengali influencers and celebrities on the Josh app, said the statement.

SVF will enable the production of more regional content by Bengali talent on the short video app Josh with the aim to empower regional creators. SVF will additionally extend its vast Bengali music library of SVF Music ranging from Bengali films, web series, and hit singles from popular artists from India and Bangladesh. This wide range of songs can be accessed by Josh’s 115+ million-strong user base.

The partnership was announced on the eve of 25 October and was graced by hoichoi co-founder and executive director of SVF Vishnu Mohta; Josh head – creator and content ecosystem Sunder Venketraman, and VerSe Innovation chief marketing officer Samir Vora.

“Josh and SVF, with the similar intention to create a wider content building ambiance in Bengal, is certain that this partnership will enable a lot of talents to create short format content in their regional language with advanced and easy to use video making features,” said Vishnu Mohta.

“We at SVF, are delighted to have this avant-garde partnership that will not only enhance the scope of content innovation but also recognise the local talents, thereby supporting the overall growth of the industry,” said hoichoi co-founder and director of SVF Mahendra Soni. “The SVF-Josh tie-up is all poised to make Bengali music library available to all creators across the country, opening up the paradigm beyond mainstream content visibility.”

“SVF Entertainment is a leader in the Eastern Indian content space and we, at Josh are very excited to have brought this partnership to life that will revolutionise the space of content creation in Bengali language,” said Sunder Venketraman and Samir Vora.

“We believe that our app will prove to be the perfect destination for budding Bengali creators to share their talent across audiences– bringing visibility to themselves and the plethora of invigorating content that Eastern India has to offer,” they added.

October 26, 2021
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment acquires Locomotive Global

Mumbai: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment which operates streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks has acquired a majority stake in Locomotive Global Inc.

The homegrown production company is currently producing and developing some original productions including an original series in development with Amazon Prime Video, as well as Indian local language remakes of well-known series including “Ray Donovan” for Netflix India.

“Expanding into India has been a top priority for us in our international expansion strategy and we are excited to be entering the market with an ambitious company like Locomotive Global,” said Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment chairman and CEO William J Rouhana Jr. “This acquisition allows us to utilise Locomotive’s revenue, cash flow and presence in India as a base for further expansion in the region.”

Locomotive Global is led by industry former programming and acquisition strategy head for the Hallmark Channel Scott Anderson, who also was with Starz/Encore and Liberty Media Corporation, and QYOU Media India co-founder and former EVP for Sony Pictures Television Networks India Sunder Aaron.

“India is arguably the largest and most accessible media market in the world right now. While we will continue to manage the business in India, as part of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment family, we now have the resources to capitalise on our ambitions and expand more quickly in this market,” said Anderson.

Elaborating on the move, Sunder Aaron said, “There continues to be a major opportunity to produce high-quality content for platforms and services in India. Production costs are also lower than in most Western markets, and we can use our development and production capabilities here to meet this growing demand for quality content. The AVOD business is primed for growth in India as broadband connectivity, FAST channels, and usage of connected televisions are expanding rapidly.”

October 26, 2021
ShortsTV is now on Amazon Prime Video channels in India

New Delhi: ShortsTV- 24×7 linear and OTT channel dedicated to short-form content has announced a partnership with Amazon to launch ShortsTV on Amazon Prime Video channels in India.

ShortsTV is already broadcasted in India across major DTH platforms including Tata Sky, Airtel TV, Dish TV, and d2h, and earlier this year, it entered India’s OTT world through the Airtel Xstream App. Through Amazon Prime Video, the short form entertainment network will now extend its reach into the Indian heartland at a cost of Rs 299 for a year, it said on Tuesday.

The collaboration is led by ShortsTV’s larger aim to expand its digital footprint in the country, and reach a new set of highly engaged viewers. Prime members will now be able to access the short film channel alongside a specially curated on-demand short film library of over 4,000 titles.

ShortsTV chief executive Carter Pilcher said, “Short films are India’s cauldron of creative energy, with some of the world’s most surprising and interesting movies emerging in what can only be described as a post-Bollywood revolution. We are thrilled to join with Amazon Prime Video to bring these ground-breaking films to audiences across the sub-continent on the Prime Video platform. Our goal to bring the short film revolution to every hamlet in India is one step closer.”

“From star-studded, internationally acclaimed films by The Academy Awards, Cannes, BAFTA, and others, to the movies produced by international, independent, and local Indian filmmakers, ShortsTV offers a complete binge-watching experience,” the company said in a statement. “In addition to a vast array of short films, the service also features various segments on local film festival coverage, film school vignettes, ‘making-of’ features, and interviews with directors, actors, and other leaders in the industry.”

The service features multi-language short films across English, foreign language, and local Indian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu.

According to ShortsTV president- Asia Tarun Sawhney, the service will provide viewers with the flexibility to watch their favourite shorts anytime, anywhere. “Our strategy is to continue partnering with the top content aggregators in India and worldwide to present the largest selection of short films to our viewers,” he added.

Head of Prime video channels Chaitanya Divan said the streaming platform is excited to bring even more selection to its Prime members in India with the launch of Prime Video Channels. “As consumers consume more content on the go and on their mobile phones, there has been increasing interest in short-form content in India, especially high-quality short films. We are happy to collaborate with ShortsTV and provide access to their deep library of short films from across the globe to Prime Members, with an add-on subscription. Consumers can select, subscribe and enjoy their favourite short-form content all within the Prime Video app and website,” he said.

October 26, 2021
GUEST COLUMN: Mobile marketing in the OTT landscape: Big opportunity for digital marketers

Mumbai: The rise in both viewership and engagement of over-the-top (OTT) has opened up a world of possibilities for marketers looking for new and better ways to reach their consumers sitting in the comfort of their homes. Recent reports estimate that the OTT segment will grow to approximately $ four billion by 2025.

Confirming this trend, India saw a huge upsurge in media consumption between March and June 2020. By the end of 2020, OTT video subscribers almost tripled to nearly 62 million, up from 32 million at the end of 2019. This accelerated growth of the Indian SVOD industry is assumed to be caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite the fact that the OTT streaming business is dominated by large corporations such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon Prime, smaller OTT streaming services continue to emerge. In order to have an edge over these budding competitors, it’s essential to utilise the power and proven results of mobile marketing.

Before we dive into the strategies, below are some major trends that mobile marketers must be cognisant of, to make the best use of this ripe opportunity:

Mobile is becoming the first choice for content: Mobile has surpassed traditional TV as the main growth route for video distribution. In fact, mobile collaborations now account for more than half of all recent OTT video bundle deals, indicating that customers are increasingly using mobile devices. As more MNOs subsidise at no additional cost to encourage upsell and retention, this trend is anticipated to continue.

The rise of 5G: Because 5G internet is projected to become the standard, especially in metropolitan areas, it will permanently transform streaming patterns.

Shared viewing due to lockdown: The entire population has been forced to stay at home owing to worldwide lockdowns, which has resulted in a fast rise in the consumption of content. Many OTT platforms, such as Netflix and Disney+, quickly acted on this and launched technology that allows individuals to view films together on a video chat, allowing platform users to stream in sync, to assist customers to isolate themselves and social distance. GroupWatch on Disney+ and Teleparty on Netflix have been huge hits, and it’s a trend that is likely to remain.

Shift in OTT Model: Live and linear OTT services, which are projected to be an essential element of the future generation of OTT video, have a large growth opportunity based on existing watching trends and untapped video segments. Pay-TV providers are ideally positioned to offer live streaming services that make use of content that is best enjoyed in real-time, such as news, weather, talk programs, and sports. In the future, the content will be re-bundled under an OTT structure, whereas the previous cable model concentrated on content unbundling.

Now, in OTT, when it comes to developing a short- or long-term marketing strategy, mobile marketing is a critical component. There’s a mobile marketing channel for every segment of your audience where they are most comfortable, from email to pay-per-click (PPC), search engine optimisation (SEO), content marketing, and social media marketing.

To be effective with mobile marketing, marketers must provide a consistent experience that customers expect—which may be difficult to do when you’re trying to attract, engage, and retain people across several platforms.

Following are some of the key things that marketers must keep in mind while crafting strategies for the OTT landscape-

Push notifications are key: User-behavior-driven push notifications should remain a crucial component of the entire engagement plan, which are proven to boost engagement rates by as much as 80 per cent.

Value recommendations of customers: It’s extremely important for marketers to understand the preference of their customers and value their suggestions. Viewing history, in-app behavior, and daily time of app launch are some of the data points that when accumulated continuously will give a wealth of information on customer behavior, significantly helping personalisation. This personalisation will further help in increasing in-app time spent by generating the most appropriate content recommendations over time.

Timing is crucial: Focusing on personalisation and context is very important to make mobile marketing work for OTT platforms. However, what’s also important is delivering the content, suggestions, and notifications at the correct time, the results of which are proven to be phenomenal.

Conversion of freemium subscribers to paying customers is imperative: Acquiring users is definitely important when it comes to implementing a growth strategy, but the end goal should be to turn the subscribers who are consuming content for free into paying customers. Hence, marketers need to focus on pitching the platform’s subscription options, with appropriate personalisation, to the customer.

Make the customers feel important: Finally, building brand loyalty is the key at every stage, and this can be done by making customers feel valued by addressing their feedback. Hence, through personalised and crafted push notifications and in-app messages, repeat users can be encouraged to rate and review the OTT platform.

Connecting the links between online and offline media is the future of mobile marketing. When used with other, more traditional media, mobile is a strong tool that should be viewed as the glue that holds everything together. The competitive environment for OTT apps, both native and browser-based, is continuously shifting. Benchmarking one’s performance and development versus industry norms is essential for marketers.

OTT marketers need to note that distinctions between the provision of and accessibility to high-quality content across OTT platforms will continue to merge. How they can achieve a substantial competitive edge is by using data-driven AI-powered customised, relevant, and time-bound multi-channel dialogues with consumers. For successful user engagement for your media, marketers must take advantage of every single mobile moment!

(Dave Dabbah is former chief marketing officer of CleverTap. The views expressed in the column are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

October 23, 2021
Koo rolls out multi-lingual campaign ahead of T20 World Cup

Mumbai: Multi-lingual micro-blogging platform Koo has announced its new campaign #SabseBadaStadium for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021. Through this campaign, Koo aims to provide an immersive and hyperlocal World Cup experience across a gamut of native Indian languages.

The platform will host interactive content with legendary cricketers, commentators, celebrities, and the media engaging in conversations with users and sharing live match updates. Commentators will present an insightful analysis of matches through “Koo of the Match,” “Koo Fan of the Match,” “Koo Poll of the Match” exclusively for ‘Koosters’ to enhance the overall engagement.

As part of the campaign, Koo will also run a user contest ‘Koo Creator Cup’ for content creators to unleash their creativity through memes, videos, or real-time #Koomentary around the matches or players. Winners will bag prizes including MacBook, holiday in the Maldives. In addition, there are product enhancements on the platform to provide an unmatched experience to fans as they get together and cheer for India.

Cricket conversations carrying unique local flavours have gained tremendous momentum on Koo app in recent times with players like Virender Sehwag, Venkatesh Prasad, Nikhil Chopra, Syed Saba Karim, Piyush Chawla, Hanuma Vihari, Joginder Sharma, Praveen Kumar, VRV Singh, Amol Muzumdar, Vinod Kambli, Wasim Jaffer, Aakash Chopra, Deep Dasgupta enjoying huge following on the platform.

They have been sharing insights around the game in regional languages by leveraging Koo’s multi-lingual features to offer an immersive language experience to users across India.

“Never before have Indians had the opportunity to cheer for their favourite players or engage in cricketing banter in their mother tongue. We received an overwhelming response from users during the recent IPL – with star cricketers like Sehwag, Akash Chopra and others engaging with fans in their native language and taking the experience to a whole new level. The success of the IPL has encouraged us to design an even bigger interactive experience with the T20 World Cup 2021 with #SabseBadaStadium,” a Koo spokesperson said.

October 22, 2021
discovery+ delves into FIFA World Cup scandal in new documentary

Mumbai: Discovery on Friday announced the commission of “The Men Who Sold the World Cup,” a compelling two-part film from critically acclaimed directors Daniel DiMauro and Morgan Pehme (“Get Me Roger Stone,” “The Swamp”). The film is based on the definitive story of how football’s biggest competition was sold to the highest bidders.

Made in partnership with award-winning producers Story Films and Calliope Pictures, “The Men Who Sold the World Cup” will premiere exclusively on discovery+ on 24 October.

The awarding of the World Cup to countries around the world was rumoured to have been infested with bribery, corruption, global politics, backroom deals, and greed. It all came to a head when the 2022 World Cup was awarded to Qatar – a desert nation with baking summer temperatures, zero world-class stadiums, a population mostly indifferent to soccer, and lots of money, said the platform in a statement.

With exclusive interviews from those right at the heart of the story, the documentary reveals the stranger-than-fiction truth behind how the world’s biggest sporting event was sold by some of international football’s most senior officials and how they were eventually evicted from their seats of power and luxury lifestyles, it added.

With unique testimonials lifting the lid on the story, viewers are taken inside FIFA during the era of Sepp Blatter, the infamous ex-president who presided over world Football for decades. This was a world where, for some, normal rules didn’t apply and bribery and embezzlement were part of the business.

The film features a cast of outrageous characters including US soccer bigwig, Chuck Blazer, and Qatari deal-maker, Mohamed Bin Hammam. Contributors include a whistle-blower from the Qatari bid team, Blatter’s former Press chief, soccer greats including Jurgen Klinsmann and Landon Donovan, and Sepp Blatter himself.

The first episode showcases Sunday Times investigators Heidi Blake and Jonathan Calvert and follows their incredible investigation and scoop of the century that revealed rampant corruption at the heart of FIFA. The second features FBI and IRS investigators who exposed criminal behaviour at the heart of an organisation with a structure they likened to The Mob.

The show was ordered by Discovery Group’s VP content & acquisitions EMEA and APAC Myriam Lopez-Otazu; SVP marketing, head of factual & sport Simon Downing, and VP original content – factual Victoria Noble. Executive producers for Story Films are David Nath, Peter Beard, and Jeremy Phillips at Discovery.

October 22, 2021
Dream11’s new campaign for T20 World Cup urges fans to #DreamBig

Mumbai: Fantasy sports platform Dream11 has unveiled its new brand campaign #DreamBig for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. Conceptualised and executed by Tilt Brand Solutions and Rehab Films, the campaign films bring to life inspiring, real-life stories of Indian cricketers and Dream11 brand ambassadors Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shikhar Dhawan.

The brand has launched the campaign with the return of the T20 showpiece where passions run high and some players realise life-long dreams, not just theirs but also of their family, coaches, and teammates.

“Sport has always thrown up stories that drive fans to be inspired and achieve their own potential. We would like to encourage fans to strengthen their self-belief and go after their dreams, not just in sport but in any vocation they pursue,” said Dream11 chief marketing officer Vikrant Mudaliar.

“#DreamBig celebrates this sentiment through the stories of the extraordinary people who had the tenacity and were relentless in the pursuit of fulfilling their dreams. This also resonates with us at Dream11, where dreaming big was a huge part of our journey — going from being a start-up to becoming the world’s largest fantasy sports platform with over 110 million users,” he added.

The first film featuring Rohit Sharma leans on the origins of the cricketer’s ‘45’ numbered jersey, which, as we learn, is a lucky charm bestowed upon him by his mother.

The second film with Rishabh Pant showcases the classic sports hero worship story of idolising a star and eventually rubbing shoulders with him on the same pedestal, the hero, in this case, being MS Dhoni, who was Pant’s idol and inspiration, well before anyone knew about the budding player or his talent.

Hardik Pandya’s film portrays a story of humble beginnings. Pandya knew his chances were bleak but his sheer drive enabled him to Dream Big and achieve stardom from a near-impossible position.

The fourth film on Jasprit Bumrah’s journey showcases the results of channeling raw talent and watching the results unfold. Long before breaking records for India, the young lad was infamous for breaking many objects in his house and locality.

The fifth film featuring Shikhar Dhawan throws light on how elite sports is not about equals or competing at a level playing field.

The campaign films are now live across multiple platforms including TV and digital.

As the official fantasy sports partner of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, Dream11 will provide opportunities to millions of Indians to put their cricket knowledge and skills to test, and engage closely with the matches, said the brand.

The T20 tournament features the world’s top-16 teams including India, England, Australia, West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Bangladesh among others.

October 22, 2021
Sportskeeda gears up for T20 World Cup 2021 coverage

Mumbai: One of the biggest and most exciting cricket tournaments, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is here and fans couldn’t be more excited. Sports platform Sportskeeda too, is all geared up with a ton of exclusive content and coverage to add to the World Cup T20 excitement.

Indiantelevision.com got into a conversation with Sportskeeda head of content marketing and video Shantanu Pusalkar and business head Kanav Sud on how they’re adding to the fire for both fans and brands looking to make the most of the tournament. Excerpts:

1. The whole sports industry, and especially the fans are super excited about the World Cup. What does Sportskeeda bring to the table that’s new and fun?

Shantanu P – Well apart from the staple ball-by-ball commentary, live scores, match preview and reviews, and fantasy league content, this time around our team has put in special efforts to bring forward a whole host of exclusive stories and fun banter on video and articles with the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Harbhajan Singh, Danny Morrison, Lendl Simmons, and many others.

2. Could you tell us a bit more about the different formats and stories you’re bringing for the customer?

Shantanu P – Certainly, two of our marquee properties will be:

‘Masters of the Game’: Our behind the scenes series is being launched with an exclusive look at Pakistan Captain Babar Azam’s journey into International cricket

‘SK Tales Bhajji-Shoaib Uncensored’: This segment is a free-flowing no-holds-barred banter show where Harbhajan Singh, Shoaib Akhtar, and Danny Morrison talk everything cricket on and off the field, guaranteed to tickle your funny bone and bring forward unheard incidents for fans.

We also have exclusive Interviews of Shakib-Al-Hasan and Lendl Simmons who talk about how they are preparing for the T20 World Cup. Along with that, we are bringing ‘SK Yorked’, our preview segment to the matches coming up. It will include Key battles, Expected XI, Predictions, etc. to bring both the facts and stories that resonate with cricket fans all over the world.

Kanav S – I’d also like to add that we have already seen a lot of excitement coming in from brands looking to capitalise on the World Cup, and we have managed to get a good set of brand sponsorships and partnerships for some of our exclusives lined up.

3. Kanav, could you tell us some more about how you integrate content with the brands and what other solutions you offer?

Kanav S – Brands are signing up as main and support sponsors for a lot of our exclusives that Shantanu spoke of with Bhajji and Shoaib Akhtar, with in-content brand integration and mentions. We also have the capability to create exclusive and relevant content from scratch for brands based on their proposition, to fit into the World cup conversation more seamlessly, something we believe is more effective than just running ads and gives a brand 360 presence and relevance on our platforms.

We have a host of food delivery, BFSI, fantasy cricket advertisers working with us for this world cup. Overall, we are extremely excited to put our best foot forward for the fans and the brands this world cup season and are gearing up for a good response on both fronts.

October 22, 2021
The Walt Disney Co announces Disney+ Day global event on 12 Nov

Mumbai: The Walt Disney Company is set to host Disney+ Day global event on 12 November to celebrate the second anniversary of its streaming service Disney+. The streaming platform will also expand to new Asia-Pacific markets on the day of the event.

Subscribers to Disney+ Hotstar will access exciting content releases including Hotstar Specials’ series “Special Ops 1.5” helmed by Neeraj Pandey, starring Kay Kay Menon. Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings,” “Jungle Cruise,” and “Home Sweet Home Alone” will premiere digitally along with fresh content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Star in international markets.

Disney+ will give non-subscribers access to preview 100 hours of content across genres to promote its service, said the statement.

“The inaugural Disney+ Day will be a grand-scale celebration of our subscribers across the entire company,” The Walt Disney company chief executive officer Bob Chapek. “This day of appreciation brings to life our mission to entertain, inform, and inspire fans and families around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, and will become an annual tentpole event to be amplified across our global businesses.”

On the day of the event, viewers can watch the content premieres of titles like Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Olaf Presents,” and “Frozen Fever.” Oscar-winning shorts “Feast” and ”Paperman,” and Oscar-nominated Mickey Mouse short “Get A Horse!”.

The content slate also includes an animated short film “Ciao Alberto” from Pixar, featuring characters from this summer’s animated hit breakout film “Luca.” A new short from “The Simpsons.” The first five episodes from season two of “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” from National Geographic.

Furthermore, a special celebrating the origins and legacy of Star Wars’ legendary bounty hunter, Boba Fett. A special celebrating of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+ with an exciting look towards the future. “Dopesick” an original series starring Michael Keaton, will be released in international markets as part of the Star general entertainment content offering.

October 21, 2021