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Category: Over The Top Services

  • Lionsgate Play to produce new Indian original ‘Feels Like Home’

    Lionsgate Play to produce new Indian original ‘Feels Like Home’

    Mumbai: Streaming service Lionsgate Play has announced the production of its next Indian original series “Feels Like Home”.

    The show is created by Sidhanta Mathur known for series like “Little Things”, “What The Folks” and “Minus One”. Directed by Sahir Raza, the series features Prit Kamani, Anshuman Malhotra, Vishnu Kaushal, and Mihir Ahuja.

    Vishnu Kaushal is a popular content creator among millennial audiences; Prit Kamani featured in the hit film “Maska”; Anshuman Malhotra won accolades for his role in “Haider” and Mihir Ahuja recently featured in the mini-series “Feels Like Ishq”.

    “At Lionsgate Play we are looking to create a fantastic mix of premium content from global to Indian. Our Indian original slate is well rounded with stories from an urban family to a college drama and now a sneak peek into the lives of four boys who our viewers will love,” said Lionsgate South Asia and Networks, managing director – emerging markets Asia, Rohit Jain. “We want to tell more local stories and bring them to a global audience by continuing to expand our slate of Indian Originals across languages and genres. We are proud to add our latest original series featuring cutting-edge young talent that will resonate with our audience.”

    “Feels Like Home is a show revolving around four youngsters and how they deal with what life is throwing at them. We have a very talented cast on board, and we’re so happy to have the series presented exclusively on Lionsgate Play, which has become the new go-to entertainment platform for young adults,” said Writeous Studio, founder, Sidhanta Mathur.

  • aha forays into kids content, first animated show set for 10 Sept launch

    aha forays into kids content, first animated show set for 10 Sept launch

    Mumbai: Telugu language video streaming service aha has announced a partnership with Green Gold Animation to foray into kids content. The partnership will see aha launch six animated originals in the next 12 months and acquire 100 hours of content from the animation company.

    aha plans to launch its first animated original “Maha Ganesha” on 10 September coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi. The show will feature in a separate ‘kids’ section under the aha brand and will be followed by more releases on Children’s Day, Christmas, and so forth. This is the first original animated production that will be in the Telugu language, said the platform in a statement.

    The first season of “Maha Ganesha” will have eight episodes. aha kids content will be available to existing subscribers at no additional cost. To attract new viewers, it will stream its first episodes for free so that kids can sample its content.

    “This generation of kids have grown up with Marvel and DC superheroes. We want to bring back the stories that our grandmothers used to tell us, produced by one of the best animation companies in the world – Green Gold Animation,” said aha, chief executive officer, Ajit Thakur.

    “We believe kids are an important member of the family and that we should prepare a separate pipeline of content. Our tagline ‘Our Stories Our Values’ came from aha’s positioning which is 100 per cent local,” he added.

    Thakur believes that launching kids content on the platform will increase the stickiness with existing subscribers as well as bring news subscribers to the OTT platform. “If a family believes that our content is good for their kids, they will pay a premium for it,” he said.

    “When we started conceptualising a kids’ original, I thought nothing better than to launch a show on Ganesha because he is the remover of obstacles,” said Green Gold Animation, chief executive officer, Rajiv Chilaka. “Maha Ganesha will feature various stories from the life of Ganesh – the story of his birth, why he cursed the moon, the rivalry between him and his brother. These stories will be told over a span of eight episodes. When you do puja on Ganesh Chaturthi, you will find these stories locally in books. I feel today’s kids’ attention span is different from previous generations, so what if we told them these stories in animation. Hence, we came up with this idea.”

    Speaking about kids content on TV, Chilaka said, “The advertising monetisation of kids content on TV has not matched the viewership. There are very few brands that target kids. But in the SVOD ecosystem that’s a very different thing. We’re competing with TV and other entertainment platforms. The OTT medium allows much more flexibility in viewership.”

    Currently, aha has no plans to dub its animated content into other South languages.

  • Akshay Paul joins Newgen Gaming founding team as CMO

    Akshay Paul joins Newgen Gaming founding team as CMO

    Mumbai: Homegrown gaming and esports company Newgen Gaming on Wednesday named Akshay Paul as the co-founder and chief marketing officer (CMO). Newgen Gaming operates in esports with its brand, Penta Esports.

    Paul will be working closely with the other co-founders and the executive team alike to chart out strategies, forge partnerships and lead the branding and marketing initiatives, said the company in a statement.

    Prior to joining Newgen Gaming, Paul worked with health and wellness company GOQii as head of marketing and before that, as marketing lead for games at Reliance Jio Infocomm.

    Newgen Gaming, co-founder and CEO, Anurag Khurana said, “Our plan is to scale up the business rapidly and contribute to the fast-moving esports industry. With his immense experience, we are confident that Akshay will lead the team to successfully mark our place in the growing esports ecosystem.”

    Paul has more than a decade of rich experience in product and marketing management and has been a part of known brands like Ubisoft, Reliance Games, and JetSynthesys, among others.

    Talking about his new role, Paul said, “I have been a gamer and an esports enthusiast since I can remember. Having played competitively myself, I know the thrills of the sport. I am excited to join the amazing team at Newgen Gaming – Penta Esports, who have some exciting plans for the esports ecosystem in India.”

  • ALTBalaji ropes in 13 brands for new web series ‘Cartel’

    ALTBalaji ropes in 13 brands for new web series ‘Cartel’

    Mumbai: OTT platform ALTBalaji has brought on board as many as 13 youth-centric brands for its mega-starrer release “Cartel”. The association draws upon the synergies between the show’s and the brands’ young TG.

    The list of partners on the thriller entertainment series includes Reliance (digital media partner), Voyage (accessories partner), USTREAK (Esports platform), Ugaoo (nature partner), Flyrobe (wardrobe partner), Growfitter (fitness partner), Ferns N Petals (gifting partner), Ixigo (travel partner), Bollywoo (fashion merchandise partner), Josh (short format app executing #CartelChallenge), Dunzo (food delivery partner), Mission Green Mumbai (NGO partner), and Invisible Lounge (hospitality partner).

    “Cartel is a tentpole property for us with a stellar star cast and storyline. The team went all out to promote this show and reach the intended audience via successful partnerships,” said ALTBalaji, SVP – revenue and marketing, Divya Dixit. “All of these brands have been chosen carefully and are helping us gain maximum momentum. The brand associations purely depend on the show’s content and target audience and how both the brands can benefit from each other’s audience base.” 

  • IAMAI’s India Affiliate Summit gets underway on 25 Aug

    IAMAI’s India Affiliate Summit gets underway on 25 Aug

    Mumbai: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is organising the seventh edition of India Affiliate Summit (IAS) on 25 August. The event will witness about 3,000 delegates from different spheres of the affiliate marketing industry including online publishers, bloggers, traffic sources, retailers, networks, and technology firms. Over 700 global companies and 50 exhibitors will converge at the conference.

    Among the key speakers will be vCommission, CEO, Parul Bhargava; Craig Campbell SEO, SEO trainer and consultant, Craig Campbell; Bright Leads Media, founder, Hassan Aanbar; Acceleration Partners, founder and CEO, Robert Glazer; Cashkaro, co-founder, Rohan Bhargava; Ferns N Petals, head – digital marketing, Sai Tota; Max Life Insurance, CVP – e-commerce and digital marketing Aditya Satpute; HDFC Bank, VP and head- digital, content and social media marketing, Jahid Ahmed; Godrej Consumer Products, VP and head – digital, Pankaj Parihar; and Lendinkart, director – marketing, Nijish Nair.

    Some of the key topics of discussion at the summit will include ‘How to build a multi-million-pound affiliate empire?’, ‘Is performance marketing a win-win deal or has a flip side?’, ‘Growing role of affiliate marketing in fintech domain’, ‘How are influencers changing the affiliate marketing fame?’, ‘Implementing affiliate marketing in mobile gaming’, and ‘GenZ, the social media generation – vital audience for affiliates’.

    According to reports, affiliate marketing continues to grow at 10 per cent year-on-year, thanks to the boom in online. Today, most of the brands and online marketplaces are partnering with the affiliates as they increase their bandwidth in the business of gaining more customers.

    One of the keynote speakers, Parul Bhargava said, “India Affiliate Summit is an event very close to my heart – being the only affiliate/performance-centric event in the country. The event historically has experienced great brainstorming and networking by and with stalwarts of affiliates from our country who contribute to the global industry. Since the pandemic restricted our travels, it’s amazing to see how IAMAI is working so hard to ensure the affiliate industry comes together virtually every year with great insights on how affiliate trends are emerging.”

    “Indian e-commerce has seen massive growth and a shift in consumer behaviour over the last two years,” said Rohan Bhargava. “With D2C brands gaining popularity, CashKaro and EarnKaro have witnessed the same trends in sales and high ROI we drive for our partners like MamaEarth, MCaffeine and Ustraa. Cashback, rewards and affiliate programs are definitely the place to be right now for real results. I am really excited to explore this further with other players in the space at the India Affiliate Summit.”

    “Having the second-largest e-commerce market in the world and with digital shoppers increasing, India has seen immense growth in affiliate marketing in the last one-and-a-half year,” Admitad Affiliate India’s country manager, Neha Kulwal remarked. “With inventories like content sites, influencers, loyalty partners being capitalised by brands via affiliate marketing, it is imperative for brands to launch their affiliate programs to maximise growth. In line with e-commerce, other sectors such as fintech, online education, and many more have added affiliate channels into their advertising mix.”

    “Affiliate marketing has become an integral part of our growth strategy and the event is a great platform to discuss ideas and best practices. The affiliate ecosystem in India is still at a nascent stage. As the ecosystem matures, media tie-ups could transform into strategic win-win business partnerships in the future,” added Aditya Satpute.

  • DNEG expands global footprint with new Toronto Studio

    DNEG expands global footprint with new Toronto Studio

    Mumbai: DNEG- visual effects (VFX) and animation studio for the creation of feature film, television and multiplatform content- has announced plans for increasing its Canada-based VFX and animation operations and talent pool.

    With surging worldwide demand for its content across all platforms, DNEG is planning a new studio in the Greater Toronto Area that will initially employ up to 200 people, including many new technology positions. It will also expand its existing Vancouver and Montreal offices, and add a new studio for its Feature Animation division in Vancouver.

    DNEG also has North American operations in Los Angeles. North American expansion and investment will bolster DENG’s leadership and multi-platform capabilities as a modern-day content production powerhouse for major Hollywood and independent studios and production companies, it said in a media statement.

    DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra said, “We are also continuing to build out our studios in Vancouver and Montreal to support our upcoming slate of VFX projects, and extending our highly successful Feature Animation team to Vancouver as they move into production on five new animation projects. Growth in our Canadian talent and capabilities will help us strategically align with the demands of the entertainment industry and seize upon our new growth initiatives and content creation opportunities.”

    The new Toronto studio will create up to 200 new jobs, initially in a remote-work capacity. Roles will encompass visual effects for film and episodic projects, feature animation, and technology positions. Opportunities will be posted at DNEG.com.

    DNEG Global CTO Paul Salvini added, “I’m excited that DNEG is bringing these new opportunities to the visual effects and technology communities of the Greater Toronto Area. This is a great chance for technologists working in AI, machine learning, UX and across a broad spectrum of technology areas to refocus their talents on helping to create incredible imagery for some of the world’s biggest feature films and episodic series. We are not fixed on candidates having previous film or media industry experience – we’re looking for passionate and curious technologists who are excited at the prospect of a new challenge.”

    DNEG will be creating up to 300 new roles across its Vancouver and Montreal offices, including up to 100 new positions in Vancouver for its Feature Animation team, to support their upcoming slate of animation projects. Opportunities will be posted at DNEG.com.

  • Wolf777 to sponsor Barbados Royals in CPL T20 ’21

    Wolf777 to sponsor Barbados Royals in CPL T20 ’21

    Mumbai: With the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2021- the annual Twenty20 cricket tournament held in the Caribbean- set to unleash the best in T20 sporting entertainment, online gaming platform Wolf777 has signed a deal to become the official sponsor of the Barbados Royals team.

    The Barbados Royals, the 2014 and 2019 CPL champions boast of a cracking line-up of players – including the dependable all-rounder who revved-up up a storm in the Indian Premier League, Jason Holder, Sri Lankan seamer Thisara Parera and leg-break bowler Hayden Walsh. The partnership with Wolf777 promises to be a compelling mix of sports and entertainment and a celebration of cricket in the Caribbean.

     “This marks the beginning of an incredible season,” said Wolf777 chief marketing officer Harry Blackburn. “It was evident that our vision to revitalise the cricketing experience for fans was aligned with the Barbados Royals. Together, we want to make the CPL T20 2021 an incredibly engaging and entertaining spectacle.”

    Recently, Wolf777 had announced its association with the Jamaica Tallawahs as the title sponsor.

    The Jamaica Tallawahs will feature some of the most charismatic players in their line-up this season, including the gritty Andre Russel who is best known for his fiery performance in the Indian Premier League, the hard-hitting Carlos Brathwaite, and the paceman Fidel Edwards.

    CPL T20 2021 is scheduled to start on 26 August, with the final on 15 September.

  • SonyLIV launches PlayAlong in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu formats

    SonyLIV launches PlayAlong in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu formats

    Mumbai: SonyLIV has launched its second screen initiative – ‘PlayAlong’ in Hindi, Marathi, and Telugu formats for the new seasons of “Kaun Banega Crorepati” (KBC), “Kon Honaar Crorepati” (KHC) and “Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu” (EMK) airing on Sony Entertainment Television, Sony Marathi and, Gemini TV respectively.

    PlayAlong gives viewers the opportunity to win prizes worth lakhs by answering questions fielded by Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Khedekar, and NTR in their respective shows. Users need to download and register on SonyLIV to participate in PlayAlong, said the platform in a statement.

    “Capturing a diverse set of audience KBC, KHC and EMK have been the most preferred gaming reality shows,” said Sony Pictures Networks India, business operations – digital business, Amogh Dusad. “Not only do the viewers get a chance to be on the hot seat, but they also stand to win a multitude of cash gratifications every day including a chance to become lakhpati.”

  • Benchmark Broadcast System is Now Adobe Certified Solution Partner

    Benchmark Broadcast System is Now Adobe Certified Solution Partner

    Mumbai: In September 2020, Adobe introduced the Adobe Certified Service Partners for Video and Audio program. The idea was to help system integrators gain high-level knowledge and confidence needed to deliver their services in three strategic areas: support, workflow, and system design, and in software integration. Systems integrators that meet proficiency requirements in all three areas become Adobe Certified Service Partners for Video and Audio.

    Ahead of the CXO Connect event, Adobe, senior manager and head of ACeSP Program, Michael Gamboeck and Benchmark COO, Eswaran MP got into a freewheeling conversation with Indiantelevision.com to discuss what this programme is all about, and how does this partnership helps in providing better services to their clients.

    Edited Excerpts:

    On the importance of this partnership and how it benefits one to become an Adobe certified partner

    Michael Gamboeck: Adobe delivers the best experiences for creatives and the best UX to our broad user base. With a partner like Benchmark we are completing the offering to our clients. Benchmark will consult, support and integrate Adobe technology for clients.

    Eswaran MP: Benchmark has been serving in the Broadcast Media industry for more than 20 years and has been successful in earning trust and confidence through the work delivered. Each customer is unique in the way they handle their process and use different sets of applications. Now, as an Adobe Certified Video Products Service Provider, Benchmark can serve the uniqueness of customers better in terms of integrating their workflow with Adobe suite of video products and related third party video applications. Benchmark sees a great potential in its handling these interactive customer requirements by creating extension panels, customising according to requirement and giving focused support to the customers, which would bring in more efficiency and ease of operation.

    On the services Benchmark plans to bring to the table as ACeSP and how it will help the video customers

    Michael Gamboeck: Video is still the most complex part of content creation today. Projects were complex always, but with the use of new technology, we have seen some big transformation in the video industry. First is a shift of the business models. For example, preference for VOD like Netflix. Second we do see a general transformation of technology toward standard IT. A vision mix is replaced with software and IP based solutions. The same is true for video editing, which is no longer a single editing suite. Now everyone in an organisation should be able to tell a story with the video. And last but not least, clouds. Remote workflows are the new standard. All of that are big challenges for our client, and this program aims to help our clients. Thanks to partners like Benchmark they will be able to focus on their strength and be agile when they are planning systems and solutions.

    Eswaran MP: Benchmark as Adobe Certified Service Provider (ACeSP) offers enhanced workflows. Customers would enjoy full advantage of the product features and seamless integration of Adobe products with their own creative production ecosystem. Benchmark offers automated workflows by streamlining content creation processes, removing repetitive drudgery and enabling professionals to focus only on the required creative process.

    On the global and India perspective:

    Michael Gamboeck: Globally, we are adding more and more partners to the program. We will support them with deep technical training and help them build solutions for our clients. That is needed for India as the rest of the world.

    On the certification and how it is going to enhance the overall business scope and potential

    Eswaran MP: With adobe certification, Benchmark team has been trained to produce Adobe extension panels to integrate with Newsroom system, MAM, editing system, etc., integrating scripts to customise the workflow and user interface according to the requirements, automating workflows to help customers focus on creative process and provide collaborative remote project management features.

    On what customers can expect out of this program

    Eswaran MP: Customers can expect to improve their efficiency by focusing on their core strength and take the full advantage of the product without the need to put extensive man hours into learning each tool and tricks. Benchmark as the trained service provider will work to provide those benefits and work with customers for their workflow. This program aims to expand on the importance of an automated and collaborative environment of production and introducing service partners such as Benchmark and its capability of providing such solutions to enhance overall customer experience of the Adobe suite of video products.

  • Amazon Prime Video wins big at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2021

    Amazon Prime Video wins big at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2021

    Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video scoops a massive win at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2021 which has announced its winners for the year. IFFM is the largest of-its-kind festival in Australia celebrating the best of Indian cinema in all its forms. The festival showcases a wide range of Indian content and encapsulates the best of entertainment from the Indian sub-continent.

    Amazon Original titles like the crime drama series “Mirzapur Season 2” has won in the category for ‘best web series’, Suriya Sivakumar and Vidya Balan have bagged the honors for ‘best performances in leading roles’ for their stellar acts in “Soorarai Pottru” and “Sherni” respectively. 

    Post the successful second season, The Family Man ‘Srikant Tewari’ has aced his TASC yet again with Manoj Bajpayee winning the award for ‘best actor (male) in a web series’. Marking her digital debut with this espionage thriller, Samantha Akkineni won the award for ‘best actor (female) in a web series’. In addition to this, the Malayalam family drama, “The Great Indian Kitchen” has earned recognition in the category of ‘equality in cinema (feature)’.

    “The many wins at the prestigious Indian Film Festival of Melbourne are a reinforcement that our efforts to create and curate for our consumers are working,” said Amazon Prime Video spokesperson. “It’s also a recognition of the hard work of the team, the entire cast and crew of our titles. The last year wasn’t an easy year for any of us, at Prime Video we are happy to bring joy to the safety and comfort of consumers’ homes across the world.”

    An elated Vidya Balan remarked, “Sherni has been special for me not only for the character I got to play but because it delved into a space, lesser explored in cinema. It’s a relevant subject that needed to be told. This award is for my team. I am also thankful to the audience for all the love and this award is the icing on the cake.”  

    On Soorarai Pottru’s big win, lead actor and producer of the film, Suriya said, “This film has been made with a lot of heart and to finally witness it getting recognised on a global platform is heartwarming and incredibly special. It’s a huge honour for us as a team and I am thankful to Amazon Prime Video for making the film reach audiences globally and my fans for showering so much love.”

    Manoj Bajpayee said, “I will always be short of words to describe the adulation The Family Man has garnered the world over and this award just scales up the honour further. As an artist, I am inspired and motivated to do better with every role that comes my way hereon and stay true to my craft.”

    Samantha Akkineni shared, “The character of ‘Raji’ was one of the most layered and intense roles of my career that called for a lot of preparation and forced me to dig deep. I am thankful to Raj & DK for conceiving such a powerful female character and for being able to see me beyond the ‘cute girl’ image that many couldn’t look past. I am grateful to the jury at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne for this honour and I look forward to more of such groundbreaking roles as an actor.”