ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • UEFA partners with AVIWEST for Euro 2020 coverage across Europe

    UEFA partners with AVIWEST for Euro 2020 coverage across Europe

    Mumbai: Live video contribution solutions provider AVIWEST was appointed by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to support selected off-venue events, including official team training and press conferences from Europe’s biggest football show — UEFA Euro 2020 — using a bonded cellular ecosystem.

    UEFA leveraged AVIWEST’s PRO380 bonded cellular field units, StreamHub transceiver, and manager unified management platform to address its mobility, flexibility, and reliability challenges. AVIWEST also provided UEFA with SIM cards and data, and accompanied their broadcast team throughout all stages of the project, including expeditions across Europe, team training, installations, and follow-ups with a 24/7 support service.

    The AVIWEST PRO3 Series enabled UEFA’s host broadcast team to securely provide live high-quality feeds over aggregated cellular networks. They were also able to use IP networks to send first-class images from the field.

    “The AVIWEST Manager offers greater flexibility, efficiency, and simplicity than other systems on the market, so it was the perfect match for UEFA’s remote live video production requirements,” said AVIWEST’s area sales manager Alexandre Augereau. “We are proud of the support that our team of experts provided to UEFA. During the event, they worked together closely to streamline UEFA’s workflows and help them to reach their goals.”

  • Trell celebrates bond of friendship with #TrellMereYaar campaign

    Trell celebrates bond of friendship with #TrellMereYaar campaign

    Mumbai: Homegrown social commerce platform Trell has announced a new campaign #TrellMereYaar to celebrate Friendship Day on 1 August.

    The ten expert ‘Trellers’ – Anusha Swamy, Rohil Jethmalani, Tanaya Mahajan, Sanchit Batra, Rose Kawatraa, Macedon D’mello, Jeet Nayak, Disha Batra, and Clince Varghese will take over the brand’s social media handle by going LIVE and urging their followers to express themselves and their passion freely on the app, the platform said in a statement.

    The campaign has an eventful lineup of activities for the community to bond over food, fashion, music, movies, arts, wellness, and more, it added.

    As part of the #TrellMereYaar campaign, Trell’s app will also feature a multitude of specially curated Friendship Day-themed content across English, Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Kanada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam languages.

  • Vikatan Televistas & Motion Content Group set to bring new digital series

    Vikatan Televistas & Motion Content Group set to bring new digital series

    Mumbai: Vikatan Televistas in association with Motion Content Group and YouTube is all set to bring digital daily series Aadhalinaal Kaadhal Seiveer (AKS) for the audience.

    The show directed by Rajiv K Prasad with a screenplay penned by Ve Ki Amirtaraj & Joe George, is a slice-of-life drama that features the lives of six flatmates as they maneuver through the highs and lows of life to fulfill their millennial dreams.

    AKS is being launched as 120 episoder on Vikatan TV’s YouTube channel, building on the learnings of the successful run of Vallamai Tharayo, which also went on to light up the language markets of ETV Telugu and Flowers TV Malayalam, the production company said in a statement.

    “We are constantly innovating to keep our audience entertained, engaged, and informed,” said Vikatan Group MD, B Srinivasan. “Team Vikatan has always been coming up with the most interesting and entertaining ideas. From providing exclusive and innovative video content to the most happening and trending stories for the magazine, we have been giving the best of entertainment for our audience. And now, we are setting up the bar even high. For all who enjoyed Vallamai Tharayo, it’s now time for another enthralling, roller coaster ride of emotions with AKS, focussed on the inter-personal relationship between friends in a chummeryand its impact on their respective families and the society at large, AKS’s narrative will be a first of its kind in the South Indian content space.”

    “We are very excited to launch our newest show AKS in partnership with Team Vikatan,” said Motion Content Group India head Sudip Sanyal. “With this show, we are exploring the depths of relationships set in the young adult space which is vibrant, energetic, and contemporary.  The daily fiction format, which we started as an experiment is now integral to our content strategy and AKS is another step in keeping to the promise of delivering great stories, as a daily show to our digital audience.”

  • ‘Toofan’ is Amazon Prime’s most watched Hindi film within premiere week

    ‘Toofan’ is Amazon Prime’s most watched Hindi film within premiere week

    Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video had recently streamed the world premiere of much-anticipated films across multiple languages. Now, the OTT giant has revealed the viewing data of films, series titles that performed well within their premiere weeks so far this year. Leading the race is actor Farhan Akhtar’s boxing drama Toofan which becomes Prime Video’s most-watched Hindi film within the first week of its release globally.  

    Toofaan was watched by more customers on Prime Video India than any other Hindi film in its opening week. The film was viewed in over 3900+ towns and cities in India and in 160+ countries and territories across the globe, according to the data released by the streamer.
    Furthermore, in the local languages catagory, films ‘Narappa’ (Telugu), ‘Sarpatta Parambarai’ (Tamil), and ‘Malik’ (Malayalam), were each watched in over 3,200+ towns and cities in India and in over 150+ countries and territories globally.

    In the web shows category, ‘Hostel Daze (S2)’ emerged as one of the most loved shows amongst young adults within just a week of its launch, with viewership from 3,600+ towns and cities in India and from over 100+ countries and territories around the world.

    Amazon Prime Video India saw its best-ever viewership in the month leading up to Prime Day, with the highest number of streamers enjoying the content on the service, the streamer said in a statement. Prime Day 2021 marked the most Small Medium Businesses (SMBs) selling on Amazon.in ever, as they saw an overwhelming response from Prime members, it added.

  • Cosmos-Maya names Rajaram Sundaresan the director of operations, international

    Cosmos-Maya names Rajaram Sundaresan the director of operations, international

    Mumbai: Animation major Cosmos-Maya on Thursday announced the appointment of Rajaram Sundaresan as the director of operations for international business.

    In his new role, Sundaresan will look to take responsibilities ranging from project management and client relations to revenue maximisation for the division. He has been brought aboard to set a higher standard for the creative team at Cosmos-Maya by targeting to produce content for the largest international broadcasters, the company said in a statement.

    The paradigm shift in the Indian kids entertainment segment that was initiated with successful shows like Motu Patlu in the domestic market and Eena Meena Deeka internationally, will now be helmed by Sundaresan and the company expects to see much more growth in this space in FY22 and beyond, it added.

    “We extend a warm welcome to Rajaram,” Cosmos-Maya CEO Anish Mehta said. “Cosmos-Maya hopes to significantly benefit from his expertise in scaling businesses and deepening their position while maintaining a strong governance and risk mitigation structure. We have a growing presence globally with multiple international co-production projects in nearly every continent, and with Rajaram coming on board we are gearing to see much more along this road.”

    Rajaram brings more than 30 years of experience in the animation industry, having previously handled production for ventures like Prime Focus, Delux Entertainment, and DQ Entertainment.

    “I am excited to be joining the team of creative technology enthusiasts who have relentlessly worked for a decade to create a highly fertile ecosystem and a huge corporate entity with immense brand value in its sector. With the entertainment industry witnessing rapid growth, Cosmos-Maya will look to increase market share with consistent quality production in the animation space commensurate with global benchmarks of kids animated content,” Sundaresan said on his new role.

  • FanCode to live-stream WI vs PAK in India

    FanCode to live-stream WI vs PAK in India

    Mumbai: Digital sports platform FanCode has announced that it will be exclusively live streaming the 2021 Pakistan tour of the West Indies. The tour will be available to watch on FanCode app and website in India.
    As an added attraction, sports fans can access in-depth sports analytics, insights, and tips to hone their skill and knowledge on the matches, players, teams, and overall sport through the FC stats feature, the platform said.

    After a thrilling tour with Australia, the Windies are ready to host Pakistan for a series of four T20Is and two Test matches. The tour begins today, 28 July, at 7:30 pm IST with the first T20I at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

    The schedule for Pakistan tour of West Indies, 2021:

    T20I match:

    1st T20I: 28 July (Wednesday) – 7:30 pm
    2nd T20I: 31 July (Saturday) – 8: 30 pm
    3rd T20I: 1 August (Sunday) – 8:30 pm
    4th T20I: 3 August (Tuesday) – 8:30 pm

    Test match:

    1st Test: 12 August (Thursday) – 8:30 pm
    2nd Test: 20 August (Friday) – 8:30 pm

  • The Q announces its line-up of new-age comedy series

    The Q announces its line-up of new-age comedy series

    Mumbai: Following the success of ‘BakLol’ and recognising the audiences’ burgeoning need for light-hearted content, a Hindi general entertainment platform, The Q has further strengthened its content slate.

    In addition to the recently launched ‘Dum Laga ke Hasna’, the platform on Wednesday announced its content line-up which includes three exclusive to television comedy series: ‘Yo Yo Yogesh’ (5 August), ‘Chu Chu Ke Funs’ (14 August) and ‘Ridhu Pidhu’ (4 September). With these new releases, the platform aims to take the laughter quotient a notch higher with funny and relatable content.

    “At The Q, our belief that youth entertainment can also be family-inclusive and fun for all is further strengthened with the increasing viewership we are witnessing,” said the programming head, Tanya Shukla. “The success we have seen with BakLol and Dum Laga ke Hasna was unexpected. Acting on this and understanding our viewers’ need for lighter relatable content we are adding three fresh series. These light-hearted stories with their young protagonists will surely win our viewers’ hearts in India. Our commitment to infuse the Indian homes with exciting content that is fresh and a little different will continue.”

    With a growing library of over 850 programs, The Q has reached an audience of over 712 million via 100 million television homes with partners including DD Free Dish, TATA Sky, DISH TV, Siti Networks, and 380 million OTT users via platforms including ShemarooMe, MX Player, ZEE5, and Dish Watcho as well as 232 million users on mobile and digital platforms including Snap, JioTV, Airtel Xstream, Amazon Fire TV, Chingari and Samsung TV Plus, the entertainment platform said in a statement.

  • OTT aggregator PlayboxTV onboards ZEE5 and SonyLIV

    OTT aggregator PlayboxTV onboards ZEE5 and SonyLIV

    Mumbai: OTT aggregator app PlayboxTV which allows viewers to watch multiple OTT platforms and Live TV under one roof has brought onboard ZEE5 and SonyLIV to enhance its proposition.

    A collaborative effort between Next Trillion Technologies and Microscan Infocommtech, PlayboxTV positions itself as a one-stop destination for wholesome entertainment, bundled up in subscriptions starting at Rs 129. It is accessible on TV as well as on mobile devices. In the absence of a Smart TV, PlayboxTV set-top box can be used to avail the same services on television sets. It customises content recommendations based viewers’ viewers’ interests and choices. Playbox TV has a collection of 100,000 movies, over 350 live TV channels, multiple originals and popular shows, according to the official statement.

    Commenting on the collaboration, Playbox TV founder and CEO, Aamir Mulani said, “I am truly excited about these collaborations that aim to revolutionise the OTT space. We are trying to adapt and evolve according to the rapidly changing needs of the consumers, who are now in search of a single OTT aggregator to consolidate and bundle their favourite OTT platforms into a simple yet accessible application. We at PlayboxTV believe that connecting movie lovers to their favourite content is of utmost significance and that is how we will be able to stand out in the fast-progressing OTT industry. The ecosystem is evolving, and hence consolidating and bundling is the way forward for an affordable viewing experience.”

    ZEE5 head of alliance and partnerships, Vivek Arora, added, “ZEE5 is excited to partner with PlayboxTV and unlock a completely new audience demographic who can now enjoy our best-in-class stories. Value-driven partnerships have always been important to us and this association with PlayboxTV aligns with our larger goal of harnessing the power of ISPs hyper-local presence with ZEE5’s diverse content library to democratise entertainment for millions of individuals across the country.”

     “At SonyLIV, we are consistently making efforts and committing resources to build a great personalised experience for our users. This partnership with PlayboxTV enables us to further expand our consumer footprint to wider pop-strata and bring millions of new users onto the digital content platforms. The audience is always on the lookout for good and wholesome entertainment and this association will enable them to consume a wide range of SPNI content in a familiar environment,” remarked SonyLIV, head – growth & monetisation, digital business, Manish Aggarwal.

  • Flipkart Video launches ‘Crime Stories’ season 2 offering interactive experience

    Flipkart Video launches ‘Crime Stories’ season 2 offering interactive experience

    Mumbai: Should inspector Vikrant check the victim’s phone logs? Or should he check the surveillance footage to find the killer? Which lead should inspector Vikrant follow? The power to decide now rests in the hands of the viewer! Flipkart Video has announced the second season of its investigative drama series, Crime Stories by giving it a new avatar.

    Launching 27 July (Tuesday) on the Flipkart app, the show has introduced ‘branching video’ technology, a feature that draws audiences to become a part of the narrative by letting them choose between different, compelling storylines.

    Each episode, released daily, will be a stand-alone case, revolving around the interrogation of multiple suspects while also engaging viewers through one branching question per episode that lets them explore the story in the direction they want to, and win exciting prizes, said the platform in a statement.

    Talking about the launch, Flipkart Video senior director & head of content, Aloka Guha said, “With the launch of the second season of Crime Stories, we continue to be at the forefront of innovation by launching interactive content that delivers a unique experience. By introducing the branching video technology, we are giving viewers a more immersive entertainment experience that is different from anything we have done before. This introduction is built on our deep consumer understanding, which has revealed a growing fascination in taking more ‘control’ of the content they consume. We are excited for audiences to watch this new season and determine for themselves, how the story moves forward.”

    Commenting on his association with Flipkart Video, actor KC Shankar said, “Inspector Vikrant is one of the most interesting characters that I’ve ever played, and the experience of working on this show only got better with the new season. With the introduction of the ‘branching video’ feature, we had to shoot an alternate storyline which was thrilling and challenging at the same time. Audiences are looking to do more than just watch the show. They want to be involved, everyone loves having control and this new season gives them an opportunity to do just that. I can’t wait for everyone to tune in to the Flipkart app and catch the criminal along with me while winning exciting prizes.”

  • Disney+ Hotstar unveils 2021 slate, Ajay Devgan’s digital debut series on the list

    Disney+ Hotstar unveils 2021 slate, Ajay Devgan’s digital debut series on the list

    New Delhi: Streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar on Tuesday unveiled its latest content line-up for 2021 with engaging original series and movies across genres and featuring several noted actors. 

    The new line-up includes high-magnitude productions like the period-action drama magnum opus series The Empire helmed by Nikkhil Advani and starring Kunal Kapoor, Dino Morea and Shabana Azmi, and crime-drama series Rudra – The Edge of Darkness which marks the digital debut of megastar Ajay Devgn, and Esha Deol.

    Some of the new movies that are set to be available on the OTT platform include: Ajay Devgan starrer war-epic Bhuj: The Pride of India, chaotic comedy Hungama 2 starring Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Crime thriller Collar Bomb starring Jimmy Shergill and horror comedy Bhoot Police starring Saif Ali Khan.

    The platform is also expanding its subscription offering. Starting 1 September, it will add three new subscription plans, namely – Mobile plan for Rs 499 per year (single device, mobile-only plan), Super for Rs 899 per year (access to two devices across mobile, web and living room devices) and Premium for Rs 1499 per year (access to four devices across mobile, web and living room devices).

    Disney+ Hotstar, president and head, Sunil Rayan said the 2021 content slate demonstrates the company’s relentless pursuit of bringing original and locally relevant stories to its consumers. “With our fresh slate of movies and shows, we are proud that India’s top stars and industry stalwarts have chosen to debut with us to present stories that are genre-defining clubbed with high-quality production that makes Har Watch, Top Notch.”

    The platform has also scaled up stories featuring strong characters and women-centric narratives including the second season of Aarya featuring Sushmita Sen, Fear – a supernatural thriller starring Tisca Chopra, and medical drama Human starring Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari. The line-up also includes the ‘Special Ops Universe’ where multiple characters, stories and seasons will co-exist within a universe in a multi-series format; starting with Kay Kay Menon-starrer Special Ops 1.5.

    Star India, president and head, Hindi and English entertainment, Gaurav Banerjee said, “At Disney Star, we believe in the power of great storytelling. We have always challenged conventions and been at the forefront of content creation with powerful and category-defining stories ranging from strong women-centric narratives, mythology to history and contemporary tales. We’re thrilled to expand our offering on Disney+ Hotstar by adding an incredible array of blockbuster movies and multilingual original series in Telugu and Tamil.”

    The line-up also includes murder mystery Six Suspects starring Pratik Gandhi and Richa Chadha, the tech-thriller Escaype Live, political dramas City of Dreams (Season 2) and Gharshana, bestselling novel adaptation Those Pricey Thakur Girls, dance reality series Dance+, the third chapter of popular franchise Criminal Justice starring Pankaj Tripathi.

    In addition to these shows and movies, the subscribers will also have access to Disney library titles, Disney+ shows and movies as well as sports content through LIVE streams of the biggest cricket tournaments, including the VIVO IPL 2021 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup – all within the next six months (as per current schedule). The platform will also showcase LIVE streams of upcoming Tennis, Football and F1 tournaments.

    Actor Ajay Devgn, who makes his digital debut with crime-drama series Rudra – The Edge of Darkness said, “The quality of entertainment being delivered via digital platforms has opened up avenues for filmmakers to experiment and scale-up. The sheer scale of production of these projects has multiplied significantly in the last few years. My upcoming series Rudra – The Edge of Darkness is bigger than anything I’ve done before.”

    CONTENT LINE-UP:

    New Shows:

    1.      Historical fiction The Empire starring Kunal Kapoor, Dino Morea, Shabana Azmi and Drashti Dhami,

    2.      Crime drama Rudra: The Edge of Darkness starring Ajay Devgn and Esha Deol, Family crime drama Aarya (Season 2) starring Sushmita Sen

    3.      Medical drama Human starring Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari

    4.      Murder mystery Six Suspects starring Pratik Gandhi, Richa Chadha, Ashutosh Rana

    5.      Political drama City of Dreams (Season 2) starring Priya Bapat, Atul Kulkarni, Eijaz Khan, Sachin Pilgaonkar

    6.      Tech-thriller Escaype Live starring Siddharth, Javed Jaffrey, Ritvik Sahore

    7.      Supernatural thriller Fear 1.0 starring Tisca Chopra, Saurabh Shukla and Rajesh Tailang

    8.      Crime drama Gharshana starring Naveen Chandra, Sarath Kumar and Jagapathi Babu

    9.      Family drama My Perfect Husband starring Sathyaraj

    10. Mystery thriller Family Matters starring Murali Sharma, Nandu, Akshara Gowda and Sonia Agarwal

    11. Romantic comedy Those Pricey Thakur Girls starring Akshay Oberoi, Saher Bamba, Raj Babbar and Poonam Dhillon

    12. Live animation series The Legend of Hanuman (Season 2) with voice by Sharad Kelkar

    13. Dance reality series Dance+ with Remo D’souza

    14. Crime-drama series, Criminal Justice (Season 3) starring Pankaj Tripathi

    15. Espionage thriller Special Ops 1.5 starring Kay Kay Menon