ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Chingari collaborates with Benchmark Entertainment for 20 music videos

    Chingari collaborates with Benchmark Entertainment for 20 music videos

    Mumbai: Homegrown short-video sharing platform Chingari on Tuesday announced its partnership with Benchmark Entertainment. As a part of the deal, Chingari along with Benchmark Entertainment will be releasing 20 new songs over the next six months.

    Chingari app users will be able to get access to the new music videos that will be launched by Benchmark Entertainment. The users will be able to watch the full videos of these songs on Chingari Multiplex/Superhit Songs platform. These songs will remain on Chingari app for a period of three years, said the statement.

    “Chingari has catapulted to become one of the most successful short video apps in India as it continues to innovate and expand its offering to suit the needs of its users,” remarked Chingari app co-founder and CEO Sumit Ghosh. “We have a strong media library and are constantly working at strengthening it with exclusive, entertaining content. Our association with Benchmark Entertainment is a step in this direction.”

    Benchmark Entertainment has released thirteen blockbuster videos featuring popular names such as Karan Kundra, Shraddha Arya, Suyyash Rai, Gajendra Verma, and Ieshaan Sehgal. Their latest track “Insaaf” featuring TV actor Parth Samthaan and Samreen Kaurwas was released in conjunction with Chingari on 8 October and is already gaining in the popularity charts on the Chingari app. “Our focus is to bring together a community of people who want to do more with music and redefine ways in which content is consumed,” said Benchmark Entertainment COO Mukesh Mishra on the association.

    “This partnership will help us both to explore new opportunities & areas to foster the growth. We believe that it is an ideal platform to promote our music videos and the users of Chingari will appreciate this content,” commented Benchmark Entertainment founder Sandil Dang.

    To promote the song “Insaaf,” Chingari has also organised a contest for its users. As a part of this contest, content creators and influencers are being encouraged to make videos using the song Insaaf and the best videos in this segment stand a chance to win 20 lakh Chingari coins, said the platform.

    “At Chingari, we are always looking at new and innovative ways to connect with the customers and add stickiness to the platform,” said Chingari app co-founder and COO Deepak Salvi. “We are happy to partner with Benchmark Entertainment and hope that our users will find these tracks a good addition to our music library.”

  • Zee5 unveils its Bengali content slate for Durga Puja

    Zee5 unveils its Bengali content slate for Durga Puja

    Mumbai: Zee5 has launched #AamarPujoSobarPujo, a digital campaign for Durga Puja 2021 encouraging viewers to celebrate togetherness through the platform. As part of the campaign, a fresh slate of Bengali festive content comprising featured shows, web series, and direct-to-digital releases have been announced.

    During Durgotsav the platform will stream pujo special programming and new films every Friday in October along with popular TV shows like “Mithai,” “Amader Ei Poth Jodi na Sesh Hoy,” “Aparajita Apu,” “Dadagiri” (season 9), and “Uma,” and originals such as “Lalbazaar and Kaali” (season 1 and 2).

    The campaign video featuring people immersed in festivities on one side, and several workers such as a police officer, cab driver, sanitisation lady, and waiter selflessly going about their jobs on the other, celebrates the spirit of togetherness that marks Durga Pujo in Bengal.

    “With inclusivity at the heart of the brand, this campaign brings forth the recognition of those who have selflessly contributed to the community through the good and the tough times,” stated Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra. “With #AamarPujoSobarPujo we want to bring entertainment home to everyone and have an inclusive occasion by delivering our durgotsav specials hailing from the heartland of Bengal, extending the celebration across geographies and borders.”

  • Why new age-media is the focal point for content publishers?

    Why new age-media is the focal point for content publishers?

    Mumbai: Let’s start with some simple math: Newspapers used to have an average engagement of one hour in the 1990s. This has fallen to two to three minutes today, which is 1/20th or 1/30th of what it used to be. Even if we imagine ad density has remained the same (it has actually increased as papers have become thinner), then ad CPMs for newspapers today are 20-30 times of what they used to be.

    TV and radio stats tell a similar story. Additionally, due to the non-targeted nature of newspaper, TV and radio ad outcomes are poor. That is why advertisers have been shifting dollars to the new age/digital. Obviously, as ad revenue largely drives the media industry, there is a large amount of focus and interest in digital. For that part of traditional media that is trying to shift away from its reliance on advertising, the path forward is still through digital subscription revenues.

    The important question is not why new age media needs to be a focal point for content publishers, but how to execute it successfully. Let’s take a brief look at how the content publishing landscape has evolved.

    Newspapers have existed since the 17th century, radio since the early 20th century, and TV since the mid-20th century. With the introductions of each of these forms of media, the richness of media evolved, from text to audio to video. But the fundamental delivery of media did not change – it remained one too many.

    Early internet and digital media mimicked non-digital media in this aspect – websites continued to be static, one to many deliveries of content to all audiences. Editorial teams within traditional media companies doing digital still manage static line-ups on pages delivered to their audiences manually. They try to cram as much information as they can on their home page because of the low hit rate on what they provide vis-a-vis their audiences and interests. This constrains the usability of digital websites run by traditional media organisations.

    Additionally, traditional media companies tend to be insular, and do not create a conducive work environment for critical skillsets for building great digital consumer products – engineers, designers, product managers, and social/digital marketers. This causes traditional media-created end consumer websites and apps to be several steps behind other digital consumer products.

    This has continued to remain true even as the rest of the internet itself has evolved across phases of consumption – from desktops using static bulletin boards and directory services; to a combination of desktops and laptops in search-driven interfaces; and finally to what we see today – mobile consumption driven by discovery and personalisation. As a result of this evolution, audiences today expect their content to be provided to them in a personalised, easy to consume fashion and delivered via a functionally and emotionally satisfying product.

    This difference in what traditional media organisations provide vs consumer expectation is why there is a massive gap in the user engagement (as measured by the number of visits and on the length of sessions within those visits) on traditional media- run digital websites vs other digital content providers such as social media. Traditional media companies urgently need to transform in order to bridge this gap.

    As a media CEO, I’m not going to sugarcoat how tough the journey is that lies ahead. This journey is hard, both in its initiation and in its sustenance. I have seen this personally in leading the transformation at one of India’s largest media brands as its digital CEO and the group and chief digital officer. In my role as CEO, I had to build a strong, growing, profitable digital business to form the future core of the company. In my role as the CDO, I had to help the rest of the group transform and become digital-first. This portfolio included India’s largest network of radio stations, some of the biggest and well-known newspapers in the country, and a sprawling education portfolio.

    We overcame resistance to change and other challenges to build one of only two profitable digital media businesses in the country. We put the larger group on a solid transformational path, divesting from non-core areas with a poor organisational fit and investing into areas of growth, particularly in digital. A lot of talent entered the company in areas such as technology, digital content leadership, product and user experience design. This team ended up creating one of the world’s fastest-growing traditional media websites.

    Today, the digital business is the media house’s crown jewel. But much of the talent that needed to spearhead its growth has scattered and overall transformation has stalled. The journey was well begun but has been hard to sustain.

    (Rajiv Bansal is the founder and CEO of OPOYI.com. The views expressed in the column are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them)

  • Deltin launches ‘Relive’ campaign with Rajeev Khandelwal

    Deltin launches ‘Relive’ campaign with Rajeev Khandelwal

    Mumbai: Homegrown luxury gaming and entertainment brand Deltin has launched its new campaign called ‘Relive the Deltin life.’ The marketing campaign focuses on providing the users with state-of-the-art “best assured” safety protocol, said the brand.

    The campaign includes a video featuring actor Rajeev Khandelwal that will be promoted across social/digital platforms and will also be amplified through out-of-home (OOH) media. The video emphasises the new experience and framework Deltin has curated to welcome its users.

    “I believe that we will add a new set of onlookers who search not only for a thrilling lifestyle but also for a glamourous, and safe ambiance,” stated Deltin general manager – marketing Arindam Basu. “We are looking forward to welcoming our guests to the new Deltin Life with our premium quality services coupled with best-in-class safety and hygiene protocol – Best Assured.”

    The gaming enthusiasts will again get a chance to show their skills, ride their lucky streak and let go of the major pandemic blues that had gripped the nation. Deltin stands firm and strong with its high-end hospitality framework and safe environment, said the statement.

    “One can only be present here and experience the global standards with which Deltin functions. I am glad to be the face of the campaign and also of the ‘Best Assured’ safety protocol,” said Khandelwal.

  • Pulling back the curtain on cell phone cinema

    Pulling back the curtain on cell phone cinema

    Los Angeles: Director, writer, and producer, Vineesha Arora-Sarin mixed together unusual but effective ingredients combining a family vacation, an epiphany, her iPhone, and adding a generous portion of talent to produce her debut feature “Between Mountains,” a visually whimsical but sobering thematic drama about loss, guilt, and mental health.

    Arora-Sarin grew up in New York balancing her western upbringing with her cultural Indian roots. She traveled to India post-college to reevaluate her life and reconnect with family and ended up enrolling in a drama class. It was there she was set up on a blind date with her future husband, a young, talented drama student and future Bollywood star, Amit Sarin. In 2003, Arora-Sarin made her acting debut in the film “Supari” just as Sarin began landing television roles. It turned out to be a pivotal year as she later traveled to New York where she met her idol, Al Pacino after his Broadway show. Her meeting with Pacino added clarity and inspired a shift in focus to pursue writing. Upon her return to India, Arora-Sarin began honing her skills in writing, as well as acting. In 2009, she started a production company along with her husband producing short films and media advertising, as well as organising Bollywood events.

    In 2018, after lining up projects in Los Angeles, Arora-Sarin and Sarin decided to make the leap from Bollywood to Hollywood. Early in 2020, just as their creative ventures were moving forward, the Covid-19 virus began its deadly march shutting down productions in Bollywood, Hollywood, and around the world.

    “My main mantra of life is to keep moving forward, keep creating, keep inspired. My mantra became my savior during this time. I kept an open mind and kept thinking about how do we turn this around into something positive,” Arora-Sarin stated.

    With the Covid-19 pandemic raging, their projects side-lined, and with their two children off from school, the couple decided to take a family road trip through the natural beauty and tranquility of national parks from California to Colorado and through Utah. A close family friend and Sarin’s onetime co-star Sushant Singh Rajput had committed suicide earlier that month and his sudden and tragic death was weighing heavy on them. Early one morning while on the trip, Arora-Sarin woke up with an epiphany, an idea about the effects experienced by people from a sudden loss and the mystic power of nature to heal.

    She brought out her iPhone and with no script in hand, started to shoot with her basic concept and the surrounding nature serving as her inspirations. With “Between Mountains,” Arora-Sarin became the first female director, writer, and producer to make a film entirely on an iPhone.

    “I had an iPhone in my pocket and I thought to myself, ‘What’s stopping me?’ That’s the beauty and convenience of cell phone cinema. You just need a little knowledge in terms of how to take your shot and you need a compelling story,” Arora-Sarin said.

    “Between Mountains” stars Arora-Sarin’s husband, Amit Sarin, and tells the story of a recently widowed father who reaches his breaking point after also losing his young son to an untimely sudden death. Overcome with sadness he sets out on the road with the intent of ending his life.

    His journey takes audiences on a progressive journey of self-discovery, enlightenment, and acceptance. The film features a haunting soundtrack, written and performed by Nashville musician Scott Turek, which helped create the mood of the film.

    Arora-Sarin’s advice to aspiring filmmakers: “If you have a burning desire and passion to tell a story, you don’t need to wait. Find a way to tell that story,” she stated.

    “Between Mountains” wooed the audience at its world premiere in Los Angeles in August with its raw story and visual beauty. In addition, attendees were later astounded to learn the film was shot entirely on an iPhone. It won Best Narrative Feature with Amit Sarin taking home the Best Actor prize at the AFI Karl Bardosh Cell Phone Cinema Humanitarian Awards which take place during the Cannes Film Festival. In addition, the song, World on Fire featured in the film was released in a separate music video and won the Best Music Video award.
    With her innovative work in “Between Mountains,” Arora-Sarin is inspiring a new way of thinking and approach to filmmaking. The use of cell phone technology expands possibilities to creative filmmakers for their stories to be told. She is set to start work on her second feature, Deathbed, to be shot on an iPhone, as well. In addition, Arora-Sarin is working on a crime drama web series “End of Karma” and along with her husband, Sarin is producing “Tiger Heart,” an anti-poaching feature on tigers.

  • Hollywood Scrambles to Avert Strike

    Hollywood Scrambles to Avert Strike

    Los Angeles: Negotiations between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which represents film and television crew members throughout North America, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Televisions Producers (AMPTP), the bargaining unit for producers with studios, have now resumed in Hollywood in order to avert a threatened strike which would affect film and TV productions nationwide.

    As widely reported, members of the IATSE voted overwhelmingly over the weekend to authorise a strike, bringing film and TV productions one step closer to shutting down if a contract negotiation with major studios is not resolved soon.

    It was the first time in the 128-year history of the IATSE that a nationwide strike has been approved and with the support of 98 per cent of the voters. The outcome is a clear indication that the 60 thousand members who work in television and film will keep pressing for better working conditions. Talks between the two organisations broke down earlier last month.

    “The members have spoken loud and clear. This vote is about the quality of life, as well as the health and safety of those who work in the film and television industry,” said IATSE president Matthew Loeb of the strike authorisation.

    IATSE’s recent three-year contract expired in July and the two parties have been trying to craft a new one, however, IATSE said the AMPTP needs to address issues such as excessively unsafe and harmful working hours, fair wages for all production workers, and reasonable rest periods and meal breaks.

    It is well known that individuals that work in film and television productions don’t usually have set hours, often skip meals, and are forced to work on weekends and holidays. In addition, many of these workers are in the lowest-paid positions.

    In a statement after the strike authorisation, the AMPTP said by leaving the table, the IATSE “walked away from a generous comprehensive package.” They further stated that the contract offered included improvements in rest periods, as well as increases in wages and benefits.

    The threat of a strike comes as Hollywood productions are starting to boom again after being shuttered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Soundstages are beginning to, once again, be in short supply and productions are now having trouble finding enough workers to keep shooting.

    This fact has further emboldened the IATSE, with members arguing that the pressure to work long hours has grown worse in the streaming age, particularly as studios scramble to ramp up production time lost during the Covid-19 shutdowns. The union said it received over 50 reports of 14+ hour workdays during the first seven months of 2021 as reported by Quartz News.

    “I hope that the studios will see and understand the resolve of our members,” Loeb said. “The ball is in their court. If they want to avoid a strike, they will return to the bargaining table and make us a reasonable offer,” the IATSE president stated as talks were set to resume with the AMPTP.

    The last major Hollywood strike was from 2007 to 2008 when 12,000 writers walked off their jobs. It lasted for 100 days and caused productions to be delayed, shortened, and even resulted in shows being canceled. It’s too soon to know how long an IATSE strike would last but it would affect significantly more workers with 60,000 crew members, ranging from editors to make-up artists to camera operators, potentially walking out.

    Film and television shows produced by studios including Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+ and others could be affected by the strike which could extend through the United States and Canada and could have ripple effects on shows worldwide.

  • YouTube original ‘You V YouTube’ to launch on 9 October

    YouTube original ‘You V YouTube’ to launch on 9 October

    Mumbai: Video sharing platform YouTube is set to stream its original show “You V YouTube” on 9 October. Produced by Fremantle, the quiz show will be hosted by Indian television presenter Gaurav Kapur.

    The new episodes of the show will be released every weekend at 7 p.m. It has been shot completely in a virtual setting and will feature popular content creators who will turn quizmasters allowing viewers to play, learn and stand to win big. The quiz will cover a wide range of subjects from science, general knowledge, math, English, travel, food, and technology, said the statement.

    “You V YouTube is a unique quiz show that not only brings together some of India’s best creators but also gives contestants a chance to both learn and earn, in a fun filled environment,” said Fremantle India managing director Aradhana Bhola. “The series has been filmed entirely virtually, with cast and contestants participating from the safety of their own homes during the pandemic; a feat that makes us proud. What’s even more gratifying is that whatever sum of money a contestant has won on the show has been matched in donation along with the proceeds of the live play (available to viewers during the premiere episode) to charities working for covid relief.”

    The YouTube creators who will appear as guests on the show include Roshni Mukherjee (science), Gaurav Garg (general knowledge) Ganesh Pai (mathematics), Ceema Picardo (English), Arun Krishnamurthy (environment), Gaurav Chaudhary (Technology), Nidhi Mohan (health and wellness) Ranveer Brar (food), Reena D’Souza (sports), Sucharita Tyagi (movies and music), Rachana Ranade (finance) and Tanya Khanijow (travel). 

    The contestants are selected through an online audition process. On the show they must answer ten questions across ten different subjects, each asked by a different YouTube creator, for an opportunity to win over Rs 10 lakh. 

    “I am really excited about this new journey,” said host Gaurav Kapur. “Every day on this show is a learning experience for me. The energy of the contestants and the knowledge shared by the creators is enriching.”

  • MX original ‘EK Thi Begum 2’ crosses 300 million streams

    MX original ‘EK Thi Begum 2’ crosses 300 million streams

    Mumbai: MX Player original series “Ek Thi Begum 2” has crossed 300 million streams over five days, said the OTT platform in a statement. The Anuja Sathe starrer has received an 8.8 rating on IMDb and ranks amongst the platform’s biggest hits like “Aashram,” “Bhaukal,” and “Raktanchal.”

    Directed by Sachin Darekar and Vishal Modhave, “Ek Thi Begum 2” is laced with a host of talented actors including Shahab Ali, Ajay Gehi, Hitesh Bhojraj, Chinmay Mandlekar, Vijay Nikam, Resham Shrivardhankar, Rajendra Shisatkar, Nazar Khan, Sauraseni Maitra, Lokesh Gupte, Mir Sarwar, Purnanada Wandekar and Rohan Gujar in pivotal roles.

    “I am overwhelmed by the response Ek Thi Begum 2 has received,” said the lead actress Anuja Sathe. “This series goes to show that it isn’t star power but gripping narratives and content that pulls in audiences.”

    The show was available for streaming in Hindi and Marathi dubs and is a rare sequel that has received as much acclaim as its predecessor.

    “We are delighted to see a regional, bilingual show like Ek Thi Begum turn into one of the most-watched series on MX Player,” said MX Player chief content officer Gautam Talwar. “We always strive to deliver interesting elements from different realms and Ek Thi Begum 2 has given us a chance to recreate that era’s fascination in today’s world and we are glad that the audience is appreciating it.”

  • Watcho collaborates with India Film Project season 11

    Watcho collaborates with India Film Project season 11

    Mumbai: Dish TV India’s OTT platform Watcho has partnered with Asia’s noted content festival India Film Project (IFP) for its 11th season to encourage emerging artists and content creators to showcase their work.

    Watcho will exclusively host three of IFP’s prominent challenges including ‘50 Hour Filmmaking Challenge,’ ‘50 Hour Music Challenge,’ and ‘7 Day Storytelling Challenge.’ Participants can submit their original content on Watcho’s creator platform Watcho Swag, and subsequently view their entries on the app, said the statement.

    Apart from other prizes, Watcho-IFP winners will get an opportunity to showcase their content on TV. Winners will be announced during the four-day virtual festival starting from 22 October, it added.

    “At Watcho, we aim to bring fresh, short-form and on-the-go snackable video content for our viewers across genres. We are providing a platform for emerging content creators to exhibit their talent and reach a large audience with Watcho Swag,”said Dish TV India’s corporate head of marketing DishTV and Watcho Sukhpreet Singh. “Our partnership with IFP will provide them with significant exposure to a broader audience while allowing viewers to access the repository of creative and unique user-generated content.” 

  • IPL brings growth in traffic and advertisers for ESPNcricinfo

    IPL brings growth in traffic and advertisers for ESPNcricinfo

    Mumbai: The second phase of IPL 14 is witnessing a strong surge in consumption on the ESPNcricinfo app with a 30 per cent jump in time spent and 25 per cent growth in unique users on the back of the India-England test series. With over 95 per cent active users, the platform has cricket fans checking out new features like pinning and sharing of live scores, dark mode, and runs forecaster. 

    To further engage the audience the platform had launched its latest product ‘Askcricinfo’ – an AI-powered tool for all cricket stats.  

    “ESPNcricinfo has once again proven its dominance as a leader in well-rounded cricket coverage and in nurturing a strong community for cricket fandom and multiple opportunities for advertising and content partnerships,” said ESPN head of sales for South Asia Akshaya Kolhe. “We have an excellent line-up of traditional and new age brands onboard such as Maruti Suzuki, Intel, HDFC Ergo General Insurance, TVS Tyres, ITC Bingo, Coinswitch Kuber, HDFC Life, ForexTime, GoMechanic, Swiggy, Playerzpot, Upstox, and FreshToHome. We are thankful to our partners for their continued trust in the platform which is a testimony to the strength of our multiple brand partnership opportunities.”

    A mix of live shows, chat rooms, stats-based daily coverage and insights, fun and comedy, and off-field stories in English and Hindi serves fans with the unique perspectives of the game from experts in an interactive format. Most popular among them is the pre, mid, and post-match show “ESPNcricinfo T20 Time:Out,” which has experts such as Carlos Brathwaite, Daniel Vettori, Gautam Gambhir, Dale Steyn, Ian Bishop, Aakash Chopra, and Deep Dasgupta providing a holistic analysis of every match.

    The daily live is being simulcast on the ESPNcricinfo YouTube and Facebook channels to enhance reach and make it available to fans anytime, anywhere, said the platform.

    “Indian customers love two things – cricket and value for their money! As the presenting sponsors on ESPNcricinfo T20 Timeout, we are thrilled to engage cricket fans across the country, throughout the day as they consume match-related content and stories,” stated Maruti Suzuki senior executive director of sales and marketing Shashank Srivastava. “We have the daily post-match segment – Kam Se Kaam Banega Player of the Day centred on the key facet of our current campaign – optimisation or efficiency. These content propositions are a great way to reach out to our customers as they seamlessly integrate our brand communication and help us drive brand love.”

    “We believe it is important for fans to be cautious and aware of what they are purchasing when it comes to a health insurance plan and our partnership will witness fan-favourites come together and educate viewers on the nuances of our Optima Secure Health Insurance,” commented HDFC Ergo General Insurance president of accident and health business Ravi Vishwanath. “IPL is a great communication platform for brands and ESPNCricinfo being the hub of all things cricket provides the opportunity to build awareness through intriguing post-match segments like “Sabse Bada Performer.”

    In addition to the flagship show ESPNcricinfo is also hosting a range of in-depth programmes such as “Newsroom” and debate-led shows like “Runorder” and “Mute Me.”