ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Zee5 set to launch in US on 22 June

    Kolkata: In what could be its biggest launch till date, Indian streaming platform Zee5 is all set to enter the United States market on 22 June.

    With this, the platform has set the stage for its rapid growth in a market that has over 5.4 million diaspora audiences with a deep cultural and language connection to its content. Zee5 is currently under beta testing in the US. This direct-to-consumer service launch is especially significant at a time when Indians settled in the US, many of whom remain deeply connected to their roots, are unable to travel home.

    The official announcement will be made at a virtual event where its platform and content will be unveiled. The company will also share key details about its plans for the market and its local partnerships, launch the brand campaign, and more.

    “The United States represents our most significant market and the last bastion in our global journey as we launch an ad-free subscription service. As a Global Media conglomerate, we have had a very deep connection with our diaspora audiences here, so it is a rather happy moment for me to now be bringing this audience the largest aggregation of South Asian content on a single platform through Zee5,” Zee Entertainment Digital Businesses & Platforms president Amit Goenka said.

    With this launch, the streaming platform will also open up access to the largest catalogue of content from South Asia including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to diaspora and even mainstream content consumers in the US who have been eagerly waiting to access Zee5’s massive content library. With 1,30,000 hours of content across 18 languages, Zee5 said it plans to offer a premium, highly accessible, and affordable option for viewers to engage with the best of South Asian stories.

    “The United States is home to millions of people whose families have a strong connect with South Asia, and we are glad to bring them the largest and most diverse catalogue of culturally relevant entertainment across Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi stories. These stories have the power to engage deeply and go well beyond the South Asian audience to entertain and delight even mainstream audiences with their authenticity and allure. I am confident that ZEE5 will become the go-to platform for all Americans who love great storytelling,” Zee5 Global chief business officer Archana Anand said.

    With ‘language of your comfort’ being a key promise across Content, Navigation, and even Voice Search, Zee5’s content library promises to be tailor-made for the diverse cultures and languages of Indian and South Asian communities in the US. The languages include Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, as well as Malay, Thai, Bahasa, Arabic, Urdu, and Bangla (Bangladeshi). Key titles are also subtitled or dubbed in English.

    Zee5’s Annual pack, priced at $84 will be available across all major devices at a limited launch offer price of $49.99. Zee5 subscribers in the U.S. will also be the first to stream Salman Khan’s Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai.

  • Voot Studio partners with German Broadcaster Deutsche Welle

    KOLKATA: Voot’s brand solutions arm, Voot Studio, has partnered with German international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, to stream the progressive series ‘HER- Women in Asia’. The series is based on the inspiring real-life transformational stories of women from the Asian sub-continent.

    The series will stream exclusively on VOOT from 11 June.

    With topics ranging from online dating to beauty, ‘HER- Women in Asia’ comprises six episodes, each 15-minutes long, highlighting the stories of women from different walks of life residing in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, and Taiwan. The series focuses on telling universal and existential stories with each episode showcasing three women who share their experiences about online dating, marriage, career, beauty, and more.

    Viacom18 Digital Ventures AVoD head Chanpreet Arora said VOOT Studio has been successful in driving a brand’s message and reach by providing the right platform and relevant audience engagement opportunity. “Our collaboration with Deutsche Welle’s ‘HER- Women in Asia’ is a step further in this direction to bring forth stories that are relevant and have a universal appeal. We are happy to partner with them to showcase an engaging and inspiring series that will strike the right chord with our viewers on Voot,” added Arora.

    DW, Asia, distribution manager, Daniel Schulz said, “Our goal is to promote versatility and ensure that real-life stories on important topics like women’s empowerment, cultural diversity, environment, technology, and sustainability are accessible to people across the globe. We are constantly working not only to meet the audience’s expectations of being a credible news destination but also to create motivating stories and educational programs for curious minds.”

    According to DW distribution representative for India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, Jaya Oberoi, said there is demand for high-quality ‘infotainment’ formats which give voice to serious messages. “India is a key market that offers tremendous opportunities. We aim to focus on co-production collaborations to provide digital content which is relevant and to steadily grow in the regional space,” said Oberoi.

  • Indulge in a culinary bliss @ 8pm with world renowned celebrity chefs on Zee Zest

    Mumbai: For the very first time on Indian television, Zee Zest – India’s premier lifestyle channel brings to you two iconic culinary shows Cook, Eat, Repeat with Nigella Lawson and Chocolat by Rachel Khoo. Taking inspiration from their various kitchen experiments, authored books, travels, and many cherished moments spent with friends and family, the shows will make a delightful watch for audiences. Indulging in the best of home-cooking, viewers are spoilt for choice with sweet, savoury and spicy dishes from across the globe, carefully crafted and alluringly presented by culinary queens Nigella Lawson and Rachel Khoo.

    Food, for many, is a constant pleasure. It provides comfort, inspiration, meaning, and beauty. Inspired by her book and more than just a mantra – Cook, Eat, Repeat by Nigella Lawson is straight from her heart and her kitchen. An absolute treat for the Indian audiences, the incredibly charismatic Nigella channels her inner “domestic goddess” and creates food that touches the soul. Cook, Eat, Repeat is home cooking at its finest – combining simplicity and some of Nigella’s favorite ingredients to deliver unforgettable food that deserves to be savored with silent appreciation, right in the comfort of your home. 

    Chocolate has always been celebrated as a tantalizing sweet treat, being everyone’s go to for a dessert craving. Rachel Khoo in her show Chocolat, brings to light and celebrates cocoa not only for being a remedy for cravings, but also for its versatility as a cooking ingredient. The show is the perfect inspiration for your experimental self, as Rachel brings to you a broad spectrum of dishes with chocolate as the star of them all.  From conventional banana splits and meringues to a chocolatey take on cacio-e-pepe pasta, Rachel elaborates on how the ingredient can be used in a plethora of ways. Taking inspiration from around the globe to create original, mouth-watering dishes, the show is a journey that appreciates the passion of chocolatiers and the ingredient itself.

    Excited about bringing two shows from global epicurean icons to Indian television for the first time, Mr. Amit Nair, Business Head, Zee Zest says, “In our consistent endeavor towards bringing world class content for our audience in India, we’ve created and acquired a wide range of shows across genres and formats since the channel’s inception in October last year. Taking it up a notch, we are elated to be bringing Cook, Eat, Repeat by Nigella Lawson and Rachel Khoo’s Chocolat for the first time on Indian television, as these shows align with our vision to UnLimit experiences for our viewers. Taking viewers on entertaining and extravagant culinary journeys, the shows reflect television at its most indulgent, where they witness how every meal, small or big can be taken as an opportunity to celebrate.”

    Join the leading culinary legends to experience the best of home-cooking as Zee Zest presents “Indulgence@8”. For a mouth-watering gourmet experience, tune in to Cook, Eat, Repeat by Nigella Lawson from June 10th, 2021 every Thursday at 8 pm. 

    Brace yourself for the bliss of sweet and savory escapism, as Rachel brings to you classic and unexpected dishes with chocolate while exploring the myriad of reasons that make it everyone’s favorite! Chocolat with Rachel Khoo airs from 11th June, 2021 every Friday at 8 pm only on Zee Zest. 

  • Lionsgate Play to premiere crime thriller series ‘The Pact’

    Mumbai: Lionsgate Play will premier the crime thriller drama series The Pact on 11 June. Directed by Rebecca Johnson and Eric Styles, the six-episode series stars Abbie Hern, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Laura Fraser, Eiry Thomas, and Heledd Gwynn as friends with a common agenda of acrimony towards their functional team leader.

    The Pact revolves around the lives of five colleagues who share similar concerns regarding their current boss. The five make common cause of their vindictive feelings, and abduct their unconscious boss, taking him into the woods. While they had planned to click his pictures in a semi undressed state to be circulated on social media and made to go viral, to leave him embarrassed, things didn’t go as per their plans. 

    When the friends next return to the woods to check on him, they find his cold lifeless body introducing criminal intrigue into the story plot. They make a pact on what has to be done next. The unexpected moments with twists and turns throughout the night play out for the major part of the six-part teleseries. 

    Magnificent locations, right from the chilling scenes in the woods to the warmth of the brewery all form a part of the unfolding drama of entanglement and secrets along with the suffering repercussions that follow. 

    Lionsgate Play app

    IOS

    Android

  • Infinix Mobile signs up as the title sponsor for ESPL

    Mumbai: Esports Premier League (ESPL) has partnered with smartphone maker Infinix Mobile as title sponsor for its inaugural edition and is seeking to mainstream the excitement surrounding the 2021 edition and revolutionise the ecosystem of esports in the country through the nationwide tournament. 

    The tournament organized by the India Today Group aims to tap into the growing landscape of esports in the country to help the competitive gaming community. This segment has received a significant boost in the last year as an increasing number of users are spending time on smartphones for gaming activities. 

    The first season of the league will begin on 16 June, and it will be telecasted live on multiple platforms including OTT giant Disney+ Hotstar as well as the official YouTube and Facebook channels of India Today and Aaj Tak, along with their websites. ESPL will be played as a virtual tournament in its inaugural edition and comprise more than 700 online matches with about 300 plus hours of streaming.

    “India Today’s gaming and esports platform will provide a thrilling experience to its users through a wide range of games, online tournaments, and an opportunity to win exciting prizes. These are very exciting times as smartphone usage continues to grow exponentially and I believe the partnership with Infinix Mobile will help us intensify our mission of taking esports to the next level in India,” said India Today Group vice-chairperson Kallie Purie. 

    Infinix Mobile chief executive officer Anish Kapoor said, “The Indian online gaming industry is growing at a rate of almost 27 per cent per annum and is estimated to reach $2.8bn by 2022. The current pandemic situation has further fuelled the growth of the gaming industry in India. At Infinix, we are part of this revolution by making devices for the mid-range segments that is feature-rich and enhances the user gaming experience, to further amplify the gaming capability of a user our research and development (segment) has developed a technology called Darlink which optimizes and improves a device’s performance on several parameters. Our partnership with India Today for the Esports Premier League is just another step towards achieving the same goal.” 

    The tournament, which will be played over a period of two and a half months, will have two initial levels to screen the best eight teams which progress into the grand finale representing eight cities across the country including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Punjab, and Rajasthan.

  • Major websites crash after global internet outage

    KOLKATA: A global internet outage hit social media, government, and news websites on Tuesday morning. Many renowned news outlets including the Financial Times, the New York Times, CNN and Bloomberg News were down.

    According to some media reports, a technical glitch in a private CDN (Content Delivery Network) caused the outage. “Error 503 Service Unavailable” message flashed across affected websites. Amazon.com Inc’s retail website also suffered due to the outage, even as Twitch experienced issues. Several Reddit users also reported issues with the platform. Ireland, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore were the countries mainly impacted by the outage.

    Some reports have traced the problem to Fastly, a cloud computing services provider that runs an “edge cloud”, which is designed to speed up loading times for websites, protect them from denial-of-service attacks, and help them deal with sudden bursts in traffic. “We’re currently investigating potential impact to performance with our CDN services,” Fastly said in an error message. Later, it announced on its status page that the issue was identified and a fix has been implemented.

  • Bob Bakish, ViacomCBS and the streaming war

    New Delhi: Over the last few weeks, a spate of mergers and acquisitions has taken the media and entertainment industry by storm. First WarnerMedia and Discovery, then Amazon and MGM – as the streaming war intensifies, US media giant ViacomCBS is also gearing up for a tough race, building one of the largest and diversified content slates.

    “We have what it takes to succeed in streaming. We spend about $15 billion a year on content, which makes us one of the largest producers of content on the planet. And all of that increasingly feeds our streaming ecosystem,” said ViacomCBS president and CEO, Bob Bakish at the first inaugural TMT Conference held virtually on Monday.

    The short and stocky Bakish said that ViacomCBS is in a good place in the streaming space. Free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) service Pluto is on course to cross a billion dollars in revenue in 2021, despite all the scoffing from critics, who said he was putting $340 million into a lousy investment two years ago, as it had just 12 million monthly actives and $70 million in revenues then. Today, it has more than 50 million monthly actives and is present in more than 25 markets in the US, and is expected to roll out in more cities and states soon, and internationally thereafter.

    Of course, its Paramount+ (earlier called CBS All Access) premium service added six million new streaming subscribers in the first quarter of 2021, reaching a total of 36 million global streaming subscribers. While Pluto and Paramount+ delivered streaming revenue growth of 65 per cent year-over-year, the company expects the income uptick to accelerate in the second quarter, based on its differentiated strategy and tremendous momentum.

    Bakish is also quite sanguine that the recently launched Paramount+ Essential plan priced at $4.99 (which will show ads to viewers) will help expand its user base as well as give a leg up to advertising revenues going forward. Said he: “..given what we know about elasticity, we feel this lower price point of $4.99 will broaden the addressable market for Paramount+. …it also offers us another opportunity to serve the rapidly growing premium digital ad market… as we look at this product and the dynamics of the ad market, we actually believe analytically that the $4.99 version can generate higher average revenue per user (ARPU) over time than our $9.99 product. So we think that’s tremendously compelling because it – again, it broadens the consumer base and it drives higher ARPU.”

    Streaming is still an early stage media business in general and certainly for ViacomCBS and the company’s strategy is to focus on usage, then revenue. “Right now, we’re building the base”, he said. “The ad growth has increased in the last three quarters and expect another quarter of strong double-digit ad growth in Q2 largely because the demand continues to improve and scatter pricing is really at all-time highs.”

    A proven hit-maker when it comes to content across formats and genres, ViacomCBS has been investing heavily in content. Its content production capability is driving the rapidly growing slate of exclusive originals on Paramount+.

    “We have talked about these numbers even before our capital raise, 36 original series this year, going over 50 next year, a large volume of movies, particularly in ‘22. And its content at that level of quality and scale is ultimately what drives success in streaming. It is an extremely scarce and valuable asset and it is the core of what ViacomCBS is,” averred Bakish.

    ViacomCBS is driving significant subscribers and increasing engagement, but it is also seeing churn come down and the average age comes down materially, according to Bakish. All of those metrics have improved since our Paramount+ launch, he added.

    Sports continue to be an important part of its strategy, which includes the NFL, the SEC on the football side, golf, UEFA, women’s soccer on the European football side. Most recently, it added some incremental international soccer rights. “We just had Paramount+ the UEFA 2021 Champions League Final. It was the most streamed non-NFL sporting event ever for us,” he added.

    Amid the increasing transformation from the linear to the digital side, Bakish said, all of its cable brands have exclusive originals in linear, including events, which supports the value proposition. “We closed multiple deals, including with Comcast, with Verizon, with YouTube, with Hulu. None of these are walk-in-the-park companies,” he added.

    With an incredible slate coming, and many more originals and films ramp up, the entertainment giant is expecting streaming revenue growth to accelerate in Q2 relative to what was posted in Q1 to compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney+ in the streaming arena. A part of its ambitious plan is to make Paramount+ available in 45 markets by the end of 2022 and have up to 75 million streaming subscribers globally by 2024. 

    “And in addition to the general market, we are seeing the benefit of truly going to market as a combined company. And that creates a real advantage for us because we have the scale and reach both in high-quality, brand-safe, digital environments and in the linear side. And in addition to that, we have these must-have offerings, the NFL, Primetime, Late Night, tentpoles, diverse audiences. So the ad market is looking very good to us. Our company is connecting with it. Our IQ product is a big part of our strategy, and that combines all our high-quality digital. We’re seeing tremendous growth there,” said the ViacomCBS president.

  • Disney+ Hotstar to enter Thailand market on 30 June

    KOLKATA: Disney+Hostar has been a significant contributor to Walt Disney Co. (Disney)’s biggest OTT bet Disney+. Following its success in India and Indonesia, Disney+Hotstar is now rapidly expanding its footprints in the South East Asian market. Coming 30 June, the service will be operational in Thailand.

    As revealed on the official website of Disney+Hotstar Thailand, the service will be available at 799 baht a year or 99 baht per month. It will have close ties with local telecom provider AIS. For AIS customers, the service will be priced at 35 baht per month if pre-subscribed between 8-27 June with an additional one-month free service.

    Along with Thai shows, content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic will be available for its users. Disney has entered partnerships with studios like GDH 559, Sahamongkolfilm, Kantana Group, and One 31 for a robust content library. Exclusive shows like God Bless The Trainees Too!, Extraordinary Siamese Story: Eng and Chang, movies such as Pee Mak, Friend Zone, Brother Of The Year, Laddaland, and Tom Yum Goong will be on the service.

    Disney+Hotstar entered Malaysia just a week back on 1 June. The platform struck a deal with Astro Malaysia Bhd for distribution. For its Singapore launch last year, it tied up with Starhub.

    Hotstar, which grew as an Indian OTT platform under Star India, came under the Disney umbrella after the 21st Century Fox acquisition. After Disney Plus’ launch, the parent company decided to rebrand it as Disney+Hotstar in India to leverage the existing base of consumers. Notably, Hotstar was already regarded as the biggest OTT platform after YouTube in the Indian market. As Disney+Hotstar was launched in India last April, it was soon expanded in Indonesia.

    Disney+ paid subscribers already exceeded 100 million at the end of March, Disney+Hotstar was the strongest contributor to net subscriber addition and made approximately a third of the total Disney+ subscriber base.

    Recently, the company announced that it will close 100 linear channels this year to push its direct-to-consumer strategy. A large part of the linear TV content will move to Disney+. 

  • SonyLIV sells 70 per cent inventory for Euro 2020

    Kolkata: Much-awaited UEFA Euro 2020 will go live on SonyLIV. The platform is now ready to add a local touch to the tournament, by bringing it live in six different languages in India including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Bengali.

    Powered by a robust 360-degree marketing campaign to reach football fans across India, SonyLIV is ready to add to the buzz of Euro 2020. The recently rolled out campaign, “The Wait Is Over”, aims to honor the fans and players alike for their year-long patience, and has expertly conveyed the emotions that rule the beautiful game.

    The ‘Wait is Over’ campaign depicts how fans, and players have been waiting for a year for Euro 2020 to attain the holy grail of European football. Teams like Spain, Germany, and Italy are waiting to revive their past glory. Others, like Croatia and France, are eager to prove that their recent emergence has not just been a slice of luck. Sony LIV is now ready to join in Euro 2020 celebrations by catering to the needs of the fans as well as the advertisers.

    There has been an overwhelming response from advertisers for Sony LIV’s Euro 2020. The platform has already sold out 70 per cent of the total inventory available on the tournament. Some of the key sponsors on board for the tournament include WazirX, Dell, Acko Insurance and Betway with substantial inventory buys from mobile handsets, auto, e-commerce, and technology brands.

    Sony Pictures Networks India digital business marketing head Aman Srivastava said: “Euro 2020 stands out as one of the most awaited sporting properties and we at SonyLIV take immense pride in inviting the fans to the biggest virtual arena for the much-awaited championships. The campaign #Wait Is Over celebrates the undying spirit of football and amplifies the joy of every fan who has been waiting for the kick-off.”

  • Voot strengthens its original content lineup with Khwabon Ke Parindey

    Mumbai: Voot is all set to premiere its new original series, Khwabon Ke Parindey on 14 June.

    Presented by CoinDCX Go and powered by Airtel, the six-episode series stars Asha Negi, Mrinal Dutt, Manasi Moghe and Tushar Sharma in the lead roles. The series is set in the backdrop of Australia, and revolves around the lives of three friends, Bindiya, Dixit, and Megha. They meet Aakash, a rugged hitchhiker on an adventurous and life-altering road trip from Melbourne to Perth. 

    Speaking on the content strategy adopted by Voot, Viacom18 Digital Ventures business head AVOD Chanpreet Arora said, “We at Voot are committed to creating a robust entertainment ecosystem, catering to the diverse entertainment needs of our audiences. We will continue to invest in creating a wide repertoire of inclusive content and experiences that will engage and enthral our users. The series marks the beginning of our originals slate this year and we are sure that with its immersive content and enhanced engagement, Voot will garner significant audience patronage.” 

    CoinDCX chief marketing officer Ramalingam S said, “Crypto & Blockchain is a concept supported and promoted by dreamers. CoinDCX through its various products supports this dreamer within everyone. By partnering with Khwabon Ke Parindey, we felt that by supporting this unique show we’ll be able to give wings to these dreamers.”