ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • DocuBay inks distribution deal with Albatross World Sales

    DocuBay inks distribution deal with Albatross World Sales

    Mumbai: Factual video-on-demand service DocuBay has acquired multiple premium documentary titles from Germany-based distribution company, Albatross World Sales.

    The deal includes documentaries on nature, science, history, and many more genres. The 20+ titles will be available for global streaming on DocuBay in more than 170 countries, with the app available on platforms such as the Apple store, Google Play, Fire TV, and Apple TV.

    “We are pleased to partner with Albatross World Sales, whose library includes a range of unique documentaries and factual, which are in line with DocuBay’s diverse line-up,” said IN10 Media Network, senior AVP of acquisition and syndication, Adita Jain. “Our strategy has always been to provide the audience with premium content, in various genres, from across the world.”

    “Working on this deal with the DocuBay team has been a pleasure and we’re very excited that our high-quality documentaries will be available to viewers around the world! It’s also a promising start to a fruitful collaboration,” added Albatross World Sales, sales manager for Asian territories, Eleytheria Heine.

  • Lionsgate Play announces its launch in the Philippines

    Lionsgate Play announces its launch in the Philippines

    Mumbai: Lionsgate Play, South Asia-based platform of premium subscription service STARZ, on Friday announced its continued expansion in Southeast Asia by getting ready for launching operations in the Philippines. The media company has appointed Ma Cecilia Marino as the general manager to lead its business in the region.

    With a population of 109 million, the Philippines will become the newest territory added to the STARZ global footprint which now includes 60 countries, the company said in a statement.  

    Lionsgate Play, MD South Asia, and networks – emerging markets Asia, Rohit Jain will continue to spearhead operations in the region. Marino will begin operations in the Philippines under the guidance of Jain, it added.

    “We are thrilled to expand into the Philippines where over a third of the population uses OTT services, a trend that has accelerated in the past two years as Filipinos become avid streaming consumers,” Jain said. “We see this as a great opportunity to reach and engage with them.  As part of this process, we are building a strong leadership team beginning with the appointment of Ma Cecilia Marino to lead our growth there, taking Lionsgate Play to new heights while creating long-term value for our stakeholders,” he added.

    Marino has over 25 years of experience in business strategy & development, brand marketing, and partnerships. She has worked closely with the dynamic telecommunications and fast-paced consumer industries. Most recently, she headed the integrated sales group of KidZania Manila, a global learning and entertainment brand.

    “I am delighted to join the team at Lionsgate and bring my expertise and a fresh perspective to the table,” Marino said. “The Philippines is an indispensable market for the South Asian business, and I am confident that the Filipino audience will enjoy Lionsgate Play’s unique and exclusive streaming offering.”

    According to a recent study by the Trade Desk, 36 million consumers stream two billion hours of OTT content per month in the Philippines, making OTT one of the fastest-growing media channels in the country. The mounting dominance of Hollywood films and soaring OTT viewership in the Philippines, coupled with only a few premium services to meet demand, creates a great market opportunity for Lionsgate Play to thrive in the country.

    The premium video streaming service also recently launched its service in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, after a successful rollout in India last year.

  • discovery+ fortifies its India play with star-studded originals

    discovery+ fortifies its India play with star-studded originals

    Mumbai: discovery+ has announced a slate of brand-new originals along with the return of its successful franchises ‘Star VS Food’ and ‘Mission Frontline’. The originals line-up includes ‘Say Yes to the Dress’, and ‘Money Mafia’.

    Produced by ABP Studios, ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ is an Indian adaptation of one of the biggest American reality television series, giving Indian brides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as they search for their perfect wedding dress. Launching on 4 August, ‘Money Mafia’ takes an in-depth look at some of the biggest financial scams the country has ever seen from the perspective of the victims and the perpetrators. The show is produced by Chandra Talkies.

    ‘Star vs Food S2’ is produced in collaboration with Korea Tourism. It will feature popular celebs Ananya Panday, Anil Kapoor, Nora Fatehi, and Badshah trying to impress their family and friends with their cooking skills. Sara Ali Khan will be seen in the second season of ‘Mission Frontline’ returning in August.

    “Our upcoming content slate demonstrates our constant determination of bringing original, full of life, bold and unexpected stories to our audience. By on-boarding personalities from different walks of life like Sports, Bollywood, music, and comedy among others, we have made a conscious effort at expanding our reach and engaging with a new set of audience,” said Discovery Inc, managing director – South Asia, Megha Tata. “We aim at using our platform as a medium to connect people through the art of storytelling and the line-up ranging from documentary to reality TV has something for every generation to enjoy, further strengthening our Family, Facts and Fun premise.”

    Talking about his experience of being on the show, actor Anil Kapoor shared, “Despite my undeniable love for food, it is no secret that my expertise lies at eating and not cooking. Being blessed with excellent culinary artists in my home and family, I have never had to enter the kitchen to prepare a meal for myself. Star vs Food S2 set me up against the challenge of cooking a scrumptious meal for my loved ones and I must say, this was a much more daunting task than acting. Undoubtedly, it has been an exhilarating experience and I can’t wait to make my family proud with this new notch in my belt.”

    “The announcement of a season 2 within a six-month span of the first season is a testament to the success of season one. We look forward to yet another delectable season full of fun, flavour and food,” Endemol Shine India CEO Abhishek Rege added.

    BanijayAsia Founder & CEO, Deepak Dhar said, “Content consumption patterns have changed drastically in the last 2 years. People are consuming content faster and need more if they like a certain genre. With a plethora of content available to view on OTT platforms, it is immensely challenging, yet potentially lucrative for us to create stories that resonate with the audience. Our partnership with discovery+ gives us the freedom to work on different concepts as the brand is not limited to one genre. With our next special Mission Frontline with Sara Ali Khan, we have taken our relationship with Discovery to the next level after Into The Wild with Bear Grylls. We are confident that this show will deliver a special message we want to convey to our target audience and inspire them.”

    discovery+ has also put together a specially curated watchlist including ‘Special Operations: India’, ‘Little Singham Desh ka Sipahi Blockbuster’, ‘India: 70 Wonders’, ‘India Marvels and Mysteries’, and more to commemorate the Independence month.  Viewers will also have access to titles such as ‘Surviving R. Kelly’, ‘Could I Live There’, ‘MasterChef Canada’, and ‘Matilda & The Ramsay Bunch’.

  • ShareChat, Moj sign multi-year music licensing deal with T-Series

    ShareChat, Moj sign multi-year music licensing deal with T-Series

    Mumbai: Mohalla Tech-backed short video app Moj and social media platform ShareChat on Wednesday announced an exclusive multi-year agreement with T-Series. The partnership allows ShareChat and Moj to access an extensive catalogue of the music label’s Indian music library.

    ShareChat and Moj were also the first in the Indian social media and short video landscape to strike a licensing agreement with T-Series last year. Moj and ShareChat COO & co-founder Farid Ahsan said “the partnership drives more value to the industry, supports more artists, and delivers an incredible creative experience to the users across India.”
    “ShareChat and Moj have been a wonderful partner and they are a true long-term partner for us in the Indian short video space,” T-Series, managing director, Bhushan Kumar said. “This long-term license reciprocates both of our intent to support the creator economy and build a robust foundation for the creator-led content ecosystem in the country.”
    Moj and ShareChat together, with a 340 million-strong monthly active user community and over 82 million creator community, represent a significant share of the internet population in India, a statement said.

    “This is an important step forward and sets the standard in the Indian social media and short video space that acknowledges and respects the music industry.” T-Series, president, Neeraj Kalyan said. “With this continued commitment, ShareChat and Moj will bring more innovation and creativity for the Indian short video space an objective we share mutually. We are hopeful this would drive deeper engagements on the platforms and create a mutually benefitting partnership for years to come.”

  • Chingari marks first anniversary with #SaalEkChingariAnek campaign

    Chingari marks first anniversary with #SaalEkChingariAnek campaign

    Mumbai: Socio-commerce app Chingari has launched #SaalEkChingariAnek to mark its first anniversary. The platform has also announced its official Chingari anthem to offer creators a chance to be part of its celebration by creating interesting videos and winning lakhs of Chingari Coins.

    Chingari app CEO and co-founder, Sumit Ghosh said, “It has been a memorable one year. We saw a rapid upward growth trajectory owing to the efforts of the team. We shall continue to provide a plethora of opportunities to the artists in the country and aim at becoming the voice of the creators who often struggle to get an unbiased platform. The long-term objective of the brand is to foster the growth of art professionals so that they can explore their maximum potential and gain from it.”

    The platform provides an independent stage for content creators, and promotes their passions and creativity through various contests. “In the past one year, the app has collaborated with various brands and celebrities to expand its user base and open new opportunities for the users on its platform”, added Ghosh. “It has also developed a learning platform for content creators where artists can learn from experienced professionals and sharpen their skills.” 

    Chingari, COO and co-founder, Deepak Salvi said, “Just like entrepreneurs and institutions invest in science, commerce and technology, similarly our aim is to invest in nurturing talent and those who create it. Past one year has helped us understand the psychology, demographics and audience perception around creative content and we aim at harnessing this data and information to further upgrade our strategies for creators across the country to benefit from them.”

    The anthem ‘Bann Chingari’ has been written by creative director Pranat Ghude, with a multilingual, millennial appeal to capture the essence of Bharat. The anthem is also available on leading music streaming platforms. 

  • National Esports Championships 2021 to kickstart on 6 August

    National Esports Championships 2021 to kickstart on 6 August

    Mumbai: The Esports Federation of India (ESFI) is all set to roll out the 2021 edition of the National Esports Championships (NESC), scheduled for 6-22 August.

    Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the nationals will be held virtually with top athletes from across the country competing and showcasing their skills and strategies. Popular games DOTA2, Tekken7, PES 2020 will be part of the event alongside CS:GO, said the statement.

    The NESC 2021 will be played in a double-elimination format with the last date of registrations being 19 August (PES2020 & Tekken7), 5 August (DOTA2), and the registrations dates for CS:GO will be announced soon. The matches of popular esports titles PES 2020 and Tekken 7 will be played between 21-22 August, while the multiplayer online battle arena video game, DOTA2 is scheduled for 6-15 August.
    “For the Indian esports industry, this is our time in the sun. The increasing interest for esports in our country currently is encouraging us to push the envelope and give the athletes and the audience something new and exciting each time,” said the director of ESFI and VP of the Asian Esports Federation, Lokesh Suji. “We are extremely thrilled and excited to announce NESC 2021, it is a great opportunity for gamers to not only showcase their talent, strategies, and skills in competitive gaming but also make the country proud. While esports is now going to be a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games as well as few other Asian championship events and is expected to be included in Olympics in the near future, we are committed to develop, support and grow the esports ecosystem in India.”

    The winners of the NESC 2021 will be selected to represent India at the 13th Esports World Championship by IESF; these athletes will progress through the online regional qualifiers scheduled in September-October to the global finals which will take place in Eilat, Israel between 14-19 November. The air travel expenses and accommodation of the athletes traveling to Eilat will be covered, the organisation said.

    “As tournaments like these become bigger and grander, we are continuing to see a growing interest among the Indian youth to take up esports professionally,” said IESF secretary-general Boban Totovski. “We’ve got some of the world’s most recognised competitive games in the tournament that is being mastered by highly skilled, motivated, and talented virtual fighters. We can expect an edge-of-the-seat thriller in this season of NESC 2021. This is a very interesting time for esports in India and tournaments like this will fuel their ambition to become the powerhouse of esports.”

    With Artsmith – Concepts & Visions as the communication partner, the championships will be streamed live on ESFI’s official YouTube & Twitch channel and Facebook page.

  • Voot ropes in Swiggy & CoinDCX as ‘co-powered by sponsors’ for Bigg Boss OTT

    Voot ropes in Swiggy & CoinDCX as ‘co-powered by sponsors’ for Bigg Boss OTT

    Mumbai: Days before Bigg Boss OTT debuts exclusively on Voot, the streaming platform has successfully onboarded food delivery platform Swiggy and cryptocurrency exchange platform CoinDCX as co-powered by sponsors for the reality show.

    The OTT special edition will be hosted by Karan Johar for the first six weeks following which it will be aired on Colors TV. The deal will allow the two brands to engage with consumers through industry-first innovations, said the platform on Tuesday.

    Swiggy is among the earliest digital-first companies in India and will use this occasion to celebrate its seventh birthday with both viewers and contestants. Swiggy will deliver one of the most special IPs of Bigg Boss OTT that will enable fans to digitally interact with their favourite contestants once a week, it said.

    While CoinDCX is looking to build trust through education to foster awareness and credibility with respect to the cryptocurrency industry. They have chosen to partner with Bigg Boss OTT with a host of innovative content integrations and digital interactivity that will build awareness and educate users about cryptocurrency. A trivia quiz “Hazaaron Jeetenge Karodo Inaam” has been specially designed for Bigg Boss fans on Voot along with CoinDCX’s Learn team, giving viewers a chance to play and win multiple prizes as they watch their favourite reality show.

    Apart from the digital interactivity, CoinDCX is also set to garner deep brand exposure and visibility through an exclusively designed branded zone in the house, where CoinDCX will share a screen with the entertaining contestants of the house, setting up space for some juicy conversations, arguments, and fights amongst them.

    Viacom18 digital ventures, head – AVOD (Voot), Chanpreet Arora said, “Bigg Boss OTT is a pioneering step that blends entertainment and technology seamlessly.  Given the all-digital play, Bigg Boss OTT is designed to empower the viewer with one-of-a-kind interactive features brought to life through polls, quizzes, voting, and a lot more, thus changing the narrative of reality shows and bringing in a whole new paradigm of engagement. Bigg Boss OTT, power-packed with gamification and engagement, has successfully garnered patronage of cutting-edge brands and we are excited to welcome Swiggy and CoinDCX as our ‘co-powered by’ sponsors. We are driven to explore newer ways to keep our viewers engaged while partnering with top-notch brands for India’s biggest reality show!”

    Elaborating on the partnership, Swiggy, director-marketing, Umesh Krishna K said, “Bigg Boss has been a marque property in Indian entertainment for more than a decade. When we started our partnership with Voot for Bigg Boss in 2018, we were taken aback by the scale of viewership on VOD. Bigg Boss helps us connect with our core audience through advertising and meaningful integrations, and we hope that the engagement will be far-reaching this year around.”

    Talking about the collaboration, CoinDCX, head of marketing and communications, Ramalingam Subramanian said, “I believe the audience that CoinDCX appeals to is well-aligned with Voot. The OTT platform already has a large share of the audience that falls under the same category which we focus on. This makes it a perfect fit for us. CoinDCX has been a pioneering player in the crypto space in India with a vision to make crypto accessible to Indians. Our association with Voot for Big Boss OTT should further help CoinDCX in creating awareness and educating retail investors about cryptocurrency as an asset class.

    The show will start streaming on Voot from 8 August.

  • The Q appoints Pankaj Rai as head of ad sales, North & East regions

    The Q appoints Pankaj Rai as head of ad sales, North & East regions

    Mumbai: Hindi GEC, The Q on Tuesday announced the appointment of Pankaj Rai as head of ad sales for North and East regions, effective immediately. He will be based out of the company’s New Delhi office.

    In his new role, Rai will be responsible for driving the advertising sales for the channel in the respective regions and report directly to CEO, Simran Hoon, said the company in a statement.

    Rai is a seasoned media professional armed with over 15 years of expansive industry experience. Prior to joining The Q, he was associated with Zee Network, Mid-Day, and Shaadi Dot Com in various capacities. He has handled key accounts for linear TV channels including Zee TV, Zee Cinema, &TV among others. With hands-on media sales experience across TV, print, and digital, he has successfully contributed to top-level revenues. Rai also has a deep understanding of traditional and new media functioning.

    Speaking on the appointment, Hoon said, “We are delighted to welcome Pankaj to The Q. This is one of our most-awaited and critical hires in ad sales for the North and East regions and we are confident of the value he will add to our growing portfolio of advertisers. Given his exceptionally strong relationships and business acumen with stakeholders in the market, we look forward to him bolstering our businesses to new heights.”

    Talking about his new role, Rai shared, “I am delighted and grateful for this opportunity with The Q. The Q brings to the market an exciting proposition unlike any other channel in the GEC space. The channel has also seen tremendous growth within a short span and continues to gain popularity among viewers and advertisers which by itself speaks volumes. I am excited about this new innings and look forward to working closely with Simran and the team entire team as we steer towards the next wave of growth.”

  • Twitter executive Arvinder Gujral moves on after eight years

    Twitter executive Arvinder Gujral moves on after eight years

    Mumbai: Twitter managing director, SE Asia, and senior director-business development, APAC, Arvinder Gujral has quit the company after an eight-year stint.

    “After eight years it’s time to say goodbye to the Blue Bird. From helping set up Twitter India in 2013 and running APAC BD to pivoting the SEA team to become one of the fastest growing revenue and audience markets for Twitter globally it’s been an incredible ride,” Gujral said in a LinkedIn post.

    Gujral had joined the micro-blogging platform in 2013 as senior director-business development Asia Pacific. He was given the additional responsibility of leading SEA as MD in 2017. He launched the service in new markets in SEA besides expanding partnerships in the region with media companies, governments, agencies, and clients. He was also the founding member of Twitter India in 2013 where he helped set up India operations which today has three offices.

    Gujral is an executive leader commanding over 22 years of experience in internet, media, telecom, tech consulting, and advertising. Prior to Twitter, he was at Aircel where he launched the brand nationally. Gujral was previously associated with companies like Infosys, FCB Ulka and iGATE. His next move is still unknown. 

  • MX Player launches interactive film ‘Balcony Buddies’

    MX Player launches interactive film ‘Balcony Buddies’

    Mumbai: Entertainment app MX Player in association with Amazon, exclusively premiered its second interactive film ‘Balcony Buddies’ to celebrate Friendship Day on 1 August. The film is an extension of e-tailing giant’s ‘Har Pal Fashionable’ campaign. 

    The film starring Aisha Ahmed and Amol Parashar is about an accidental friendship between two strangers in lockdown who have only one thing in common – a balcony facing each other, and it celebrates their lockdown friendship like never before. It allows viewers to make fashion choices for the characters and even decide the course of the story. The merchandise can simultaneously be purchased on Amazon.

    “With interactive video, MX has enabled personalising the story to each individual user’s preferences. We are putting the user in control of exploring multiple forks in the story – by generating user curiosity with multiple ‘what-if’ moments that deliver non-linear storylines,” said MX Player, SVP-product, Sidd Mantri elaborating on the product innovation. “We’ve fundamentally disrupted video as a story-telling format that’s remained linear for 100+ years since its invention in the late 19th century.”

    Speaking about the association with Amazon, MX Player’s head of brand partnerships, Pankaj Malani added, “There is an appreciation for brands that invest in content and innovate with their storytelling in order to break through the clutter. We’re delighted to have had this opportunity to collaborate with Amazon to bring alive their ‘Har Pal Fashionable’ campaign in this MX special interactive film. Content today needs to add value and entertain the viewers, and with initiatives like these, we aim to seamlessly integrate the brand voice with content making it a wholesome experience for our large audiences. ”

    https://bit.ly/BalconyBuddies