Category: Over The Top Services

FIFS announces 4th edition of the GamePlan conference

Mumbai: Fantasy sports self-regulatory industry body, the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), has announced the fourth edition of its Annual Conference – GamePlan 2021, to be held virtually on 25 August. The event will witness the launch of an industry report on online fantasy sports (OFS), ‘Online Fantasy Sports: Creating a Virtuous Cycle of Sports Development’ along with in-depth discussions on the growth, impact, and potential of the industry.

GamePlan 2021 will include keynotes by UP Law Commission, chairman, justice AN Mittal; Government of Telangana, Industries and Commerce (IandC) and Information Technology, principal secretary, Jayesh Ranjan; Invest India, MD & CEO, Deepak Bagla and justice (retd) Arjan Sikri.

The conference will host a ‘CEO Roundtable on leadership Lessons from Founders’ with Dream11 and Dream Sports, co-founder & CEO, Harsh Jain; MPL, co-founder & CEO, Sai Srinivas; Games 24×7, co-founder & CEO, Bhavin Pandya, and MyTeam11, co-founder & CEO, Vinit Godara.

Besides the report launch and keynotes, there will also be three panel discussions on ‘The Economic Impact of OFS in India’, ‘Fantasy Sports: Fuelling Sports Consumption and Fan Engagement’, and ‘The Evolving Legal Landscape of Fantasy Sports in India’.

Among the eminent dignitaries speaking at the event are Dream11 and Dream Sports, COO & co-founder, Bhavit Sheth; Indian quizzer, orator, writer, sports producer and VP at Baseline Ventures India Pvt Ltd, Joy Bhattacharya; ITW Mediaworx, managing partner & CEO, Nikhil Vyas; NBA India, AVP-global partnerships, Siddharth Chury; Gameplan Sports, MD, Jeet Banerjee; enJogo, co-founder & CEO, Kishore Taid; Supreme Court of India, senior advocate, Gopal Jain, and Saraf & Partners, partner, Vaibhav Kakkar.

The panel discussions will be moderated by Ninanand Mathew, founding partner, Santosh Mathew; TMT Consulting, Deloitte, partner, Prashant Rao; Deal Advisory, partner and KPMG India, head – media and entertainment, Girish Menon; IndiaTech.org, president and CEO, Rameesh Kailasam, and LawNK, principal lawyer, Nandan Kamath.

Commenting on the announcement of the new edition, FIFS and FSRA, and former CIC, Govt of India, chairman, Bimal Julka said, “We are delighted to be back with the fourth edition of GamePlan where, together, we will deliberate on the impact and potential of the Online Fantasy Sports industry. With the right guidance and regulations, the Indian OFS industry will certainly have a far more positive impact on the Indian economy and sports ecosystem.”

The 2020 edition of virtual GamePlan was attended by over 1500 delegates from technology platforms, game developers, fantasy sports operators, financial institutions, payment gateways, consulting firms, media agencies, sports leagues, and legal advisory firms.

August 23, 2021
50+ brands advertise on SonyLIV for India’s tour of England

Mumbai: SonyLIV’s livestream for India tour of England attracted more than 50 advertisers including Acko General Insurance, Swiggy, Apple, CoinSwitch Kuber, Betway, Vimal Paan Masala, Abbott, TVS Tyres, Housing.com, Intel, FreshToHome, Rummy Culture, Amazon Prime Video, Accenture, and Digit Insurance, Castrol, Apollo 24*7, MRF, 188Bet, Fairplay, and NPCI among others.

The three remaining Test matches will air on 25 August, 2 September, and 10 September.

“As we progress from one international sporting event to another, we continue to witness an overwhelming response not only from viewers but also from advertisers,” said SonyLIV, senior vice president and head of ad revenue, Ranjana Mangla. “At SonyLIV, we remain committed to adding unique value to the respective brands and enable advertisers to get their desired reach. For India’s tour of England, we succeeded in retaining multiple brands, which reiterates our commitment to fulfil the demands of our growing partnerships. Extraaa Innings/Studio Show integrations are a great way to build stronger connect with relevant audience for the brands.”

“SonyLIV has a noteworthy mix of entertainment and sports content that reaches our core audience on a grand scale. Therefore, Swiggy has partnered with SonyLIV extensively in recent years – the platform has consistently driven visibility and engagement for us. We are sure that the India vs England series association will bring in great RoI thanks to the significant audience interest around the series,” said Swiggy, director marketing, Umesh Krishna.

“Our association with SonyLIV on Euro 2020 and now India vs England, has helped Acko build strong affinity in the OTT audience across our key markets of Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi,” said Acko, chief marketing officer, Ashish Mishra. “Our property called ‘ACKO Insurer Of The Day’ further helps drive brand connect. The association has helped drive brand awareness and a stronger recall amongst sports enthusiasts.”

August 23, 2021
ZEE5 announces new original ‘Kya Meri Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai’

Mumbai: Taking the incident where ‘Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai’ written on a currency note went viral across the country to the next level, ZEE5 has announced its next original film “Kya Meri Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai”, which will premiere on the platform very soon. The film is presented by Dr Jayantilal Gada of Pen Studios.

Produced by Dhaval and Aksshay Gada and directed by Ssaurabh Tyagi, the film marks the Bollywood debut of TV actor Surbhi Jyoti opposite Jassie Gill. It also stars Vijay Raaz, Bijendra Kala, Atul Shrivastava, and the National Award-winning late actress Surekha Sikri in pivotal roles. The film has a couple of soundtracks which will be available on ‘Saregama’.

Set in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, the romantic comedy follows a young man named Sintoo who falls in love with Sonam Gupta, the town’s heartbeat and a girl way out of his league. The story unfolds when Sonam reciprocates his feelings, leaving Sintoo all the more confused. What happens after is a series of comedy of errors where a line written on a note goes viral and starts a chain of events, the platform shared in a statement.

ZEE5 India, chief business officer, Manish Kalra said, “There is a story waiting to be told in every nook and corner and we are glad to be picking on these stories and presenting it to a larger audience. ‘Kya Meri Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai’ is based on a true incident but it picks up from there and completes the narrative. We are sure that people are curious to know why something written on a currency note was trending and we thought it would be interesting to tell a fictionalised story based on this viral incident. This movie is romantic, funny, and witty, and it has a message. It is a complete package, and we are excited for the premiere.”

Pen Studios, chairman and MD, Dr Jayantilal Gada added, “The film’s script is very inspiring and interesting. Taking a viral incident that caught the nation’s attention and making a content-driven contemporary story out of it was something that caught our attention in turn. We at Pen Studios focus on strong content and this film has it.”

August 20, 2021
Eros Now expands digital footprint in Africa

Mumbai: Eros Now, the video streaming service owned by Eros STX Global Corp, on Friday announced the partnership with Digital Media 333 (DM 333), an African OTT entertainment platform.

With this association, Eros Now’s premium Bollywood content line up with new and classic Bollywood films, originals, exclusive online premiers, and more wide-ranging content in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati languages will be available with English subtitles for audiences in African countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, DRC, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

DM 333 will be offering seamless entertainment through the recently launched AVVATTA, a complete digital mobile entertainment experience.

“As a leading global premium SVOD platform, it is our constant endeavour to deliver entertainment to audiences worldwide,” said Eros Now, CEO, Ali Hussein. “Indian content has been receiving greater interest globally and Africa remains one of the most significant markets for players offering the best of Indian entertainment. The partnership enables Eros Now to build a deeper connect in African countries and cater to their growing demand for online streaming.”

As per the Digital TV Research report, the African OTT market is set for an explosion over the coming years, with the market set to reach $1.7 billion by 2026. SVOD services will continue to make up the bulk of the market.

“With the growing Indian content consuming population in the African region, this association will further strengthen and satiate the demand for Indian entertainment content amongst its viewers and expand Eros Now’s reach in international markets,” the platform said in a statement.

“African people are constantly looking for premium entertainment experience and are in love with Indian content. I spotted this gap and realised it is the right time to offer premium content to South Africans at an affordable subscription,” said DM 333, founder, Surie Ramasary.

August 20, 2021
EPIC ON partners with ISPs to expand footprint across India

Mumbai: Responding to increasing internet penetration in tier 2 and tier 3 India, IN10 Media Network-powered OTT platform EPIC ON has partnered with various Internet Service Providers (ISPs) with an aim to reach out to new consumers in these parts of the country. The platform now has 30 players like Meghbala from Kolkatta and Next Trillion from Mumbai as partners from across regions.

With the ISPs, the app has already seen growth in terms of brand equity and revenues. To achieve this, EPIC ON bundled numerous offers like a monthly pack or yearly pack for customers via the ISP route. The East zone has seen a surge in monthly pack uptake while Mumbai has witnessed yearly pack demand, said the media brand in a statement.

“Tier 2/3 and Bharat majorly remains untapped from OTT content perspective; hence, deep penetration into these regions will amplify EPIC ON brand among the new audience bases as well as bolster our acquisitions suited for the audience,” said EPIC ON, COO, Sourjya Mohanty.

“Depending on user behaviour, we create flexible deals with ISPs to cater to their user bases. It’s B2B in nature and we are happy to keep it the same way as we believe any MSO or ISP has complete knowledge about their customer bases and we want to leverage it in our business model,” added Mohanty.

The partnership benefits the independent ISPs by enhancing their ancillary revenue as now they provide services beyond data plans.

Commenting on the partnership, Meghbela Broadband’s director Tapabrata Mukherjee stated, “I see the Meghbela android TV box bundled with EPIC ON’s premium subscription backed with high-speed internet up to 250mbps, as a marriage of entertainment and technology which will enable the delivery of quality content right inside the living room of the end consumer.”

“We are extremely excited to partner with EPIC ON to enhance our OTT users’ experience with PlayboxTV. Our undertaking to cover the entire gamut of entertainment fits perfectly with EPIC ON’s vast array of content. We hope to nurture and strengthen this partnership even more in the long run,” said Playbox TV business head and director, Samson Jesudas.

EPIC ON offers multi-format content with videos, web series, movies, documentaries, podcasts, e-books, and games. The platform recently crossed 40 million downloads.

August 20, 2021
Planet Marathi on boards Arun Tyagi to drive investor relationships

Mumbai: Vistas Media Entertainment powered platform Planet Marathi OTT has brought on board Arun Tyagi to drive its investor relationships. In his new role, Tyagi will be nurturing investor relations and shaping new initiatives.

An entertainment and media professional, Tyagi comes with more than 21 years of experience in media sales, marketing, planning, and buying, advertising, film marketing & distribution, digital & new media, and digital cinema. In the past, he has led the teams at BCCL, Jagran Prakashan Ltd, Amar Ujala, WPP (Group M India Ltd). His last assignment was with Reliance ADA Group as group head – media, while paralley also heading Big Cinemas as business head. Tyagi is also the founder of 361 Degree World and has given a strong lineup of entertaining films as a co-producer.

Welcoming Tyagi on board, Planet Marathi OTT’s CMD, Akshay Bardapurkar said, “With Arun on board and looking at his vast experience across vrious domains will definitely steer Planet Marathi OTT in the right direction. We are looking forward to building a cutting-edge entertainment platform that is at par with the expectations of our global audience.”

Talking about his synergy with Planet Marathi OTT, Tyagi added, “I am really excited to be a part of the platform that is not just a leader in the Marathi entertainment industry but it is also a driver of change that inspires the regional entertainment industry as a whole. My life’s work has been about shaping brands to achieve excellence and contributing to this larger-than-life vision of Planet Marathi OTT team certainly aligns with my personal goals.”

August 20, 2021
Amazon Prime Video to livestream WNBA games in India

Mumbai: Enhancing its portfolio of live sports streaming, Amazon Prime Video and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) on Thursday announced that Prime members in India can live-stream WNBA games during the league’s historic 25th season with the next opportunity to watch in India on 21 August. The move follows a multi-year agreement between Amazon and the WNBA in May this year, giving Prime Video exclusive streaming rights in India to select league games each season of the agreement.

The WNBA games will mark the first live sports streaming experience for Prime Video viewers in India.

“We are happy to bring the WNBA games to our viewers,” said Amazon Prime Video, India spokesperson, Chaitanya Divan. “We are confident that the world-class, friction-free live experience of the WNBA games on Amazon Prime Video will delight the growing base of basketball fans in India.”

Prime members in India will have exclusive access to six games from the second half of the 2021 WNBA season, said the streaming platform in a statement.

The season, which tipped off 5 May, is available with Prime Video streaming its next WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm on 21 August followed by five other games. For the viewers who have missed out on the previous games, an entire replay will be available on the app in English, it added.

Currently, in its 25th season, the WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. Featuring 12 teams, the WNBA is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and social responsibility.

“We are pleased to offer WNBA games to our fans in India through Amazon Prime Video,” said NBA India, head of global content and media distribution, Sunny Malik. “The collaboration will provide easy access to the games, expand our visibility and reach in the region and educate fans further about one of the most popular sports leagues in the world.”

Schedule of six games airing on Prime Video during the second half of the 2021 WNBA season:

1. 21 August – New York : Seattle – 4:30 a.m
2. 27 August – Washington : Dallas – 4:30 a.m
3. 1 September – Minnesota : New York – 5:30 a.m
4. 3 Sepetmeber – Seattle : New York – 7:30 a.m
5. 8 September – Dallas : Connecticut – 5:30 a.m
6. 17 September – Atlanta : Los Angeles – 4:30 a.m

August 19, 2021
Lionsgate Play sets India premiere of ‘Dr Death’ on 20 Aug

Mumbai: Lionsgate Play has announced the India premiere of the American crime drama mini-series “Dr Death” on 20 August.

The critically-acclaimed show is based on the terrifying true story of Dr Christopher Duntsch, a young and charismatic, ostensibly brilliant doctor in the Texas medical community. Created by Patrick Macmanus, it features actors Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin in the lead roles.

With IMDb 7.7 rating, “Dr Death” has received rave reviews globally.

August 19, 2021
ZEE5 to premiere ‘Helmet’ on 3 September

Mumbai: ZEE5 has announced the premiere of a social comedy “Helmet” on 3 September.

Produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Dino Morea’s DM Movies, “Helmet” stars Pranutan Bahl, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee, and Ashish Verma. The film is directed by Satramm Ramani with screenplay and dialogues by Rohan Shankar.

“Helmet” is a quirky depiction of the entrenched taboos and diffidence surrounding the simple act of buying condoms in the nation’s heartland, said the streaming platform in a statement.

“We, at ZEE5, are proud to present a film like ‘Helmet’ which is not only entertaining, but also has a strong message attached to it,” said ZEE5, chief business officer, Manish Kalra. “Through the journey of the protagonists, it highlights the problem our country is currently facing and tries to give a solution in a unique & interesting manner. We are sure the audience will have a great laugh, but also take notice of the overall objective that we aim to achieve with this film.”

“I’m thrilled that the world premiere of our film ‘Helmet’ will unfold to audiences world over on ZEE5. ‘Helmet’ is a light-hearted take on a subject that has been wrapped up in so much ignominy. The film wonderfully demonstrates that hilarity is sometimes found in the most unexpected places,” added Sony Pictures Films India, managing director, Vivek Krishnani.

“This is a film which has been made with a sense of humour with a sweet message,” said producer Dino Morea. “I am also excited about the wonderfully talented ensemble cast, the refreshing storytelling by Satram, my director and the way both entertainment and a certain intelligent sensibility blend together.”

August 19, 2021
SonyLiv’s new comedy show ‘Chalo Koi Baat Nahi’ to take off 20 Aug

Mumbai: SonyLIV is set to launch a satirical comedy show titled “Chalo Koi Baat Nahi” on 20 August. The six-episode show is co-created by comedians Amit Tandon and Gursimran Khamba and it focuses on issues of a common man centered around media, trains, sports, hospitals, schools, and the environment.

The show will be hosted by Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey, who will be coming together on-screen after almost a decade. It also features Kavita Kaushik, Karan Wahi, Suresh Menon and Atul Khatri alongside talent from the digital world such as Ankush Bahuguna and Kriti Vij amongst others. The show, originally in Hindi, will be dubbed in two languages – Tamil and Telugu.

“Bringing diverse content to the digital space, SonyLIV aims to widen its reach and cater to the viewing interest of the audience,” said Sony Pictures Networks India, head – content, Sony Entertainment Television and digital business, Ashish Golwalkar. “We also strongly believe that relatable comedy shows in the entertainment space is the need of the hour. And Chalo Koi Baat Nahi, a satirical sketch comedy with great performances put up by the artists. The show interestingly captures the challenges of the common man while bringing in loads of laughter. As showrunners, Gursimran Khamba and Amit Tandon have been successful in creating an out and out family entertainer.”

“It’s been truly fun and rewarding an experience working on Chalo Koi Baat Nahi. It’s unlike any other comedy-drama; it’s old school and the kind of show you can watch with your whole family,” said the showrunner Gursimran Khamba. “Besides, it’s a very classical format – In this show, we look at subjects like education, environment, etc. in India. The show brings to light important challenges that we face on a daily basis in an entertaining and light manner. Viewers can expect laughs, a lot of fun cameos from familiar people will help one unwind at the end of a hard day.”

“It has been such a tremendous experience creating this show, working with Gursimran and a very talented crew that has given their best,” said the showrunner Amit Tandon. “There are about four sketches in each episode making it a total of 24 sketches and that increased the complexity of casting and production processes and involved a lot of switching between locations. It’s been a journey that we won’t forget, and we hope the audience enjoys watching it as much as we did making it.”

August 19, 2021