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Category: Over The Top Services

  • From ‘One’ to ‘Without Remorse’: 5 best movies to watch on OTT this week

    From ‘One’ to ‘Without Remorse’: 5 best movies to watch on OTT this week

    NEW DELHI: The Covid2019 outbreak has elevated the popularity of OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar in India. As people are now confined to their homes due to the second wave of the pandemic, watching your favourite show or movie or discovering something new on streamers could be the best possible way to get entertained. 

    Indiantelevision.com presents you with a list of the five most anticipated movies set to land on OTT platforms in India this week. 

    One (Netflix)

    Mammootty’s new movie One will premiere on Netflix on 27 April. The film had its theatrical release on 26 March. Even though One received positive responses from audiences and critics upon release, the film failed to make it big at the box-office due to the rising Covid cases in Kerala. 

    Directed by Santhosh Viswanathan and scripted by acclaimed writers Bobby-Sanjay, the movie sees Mammootty don the role of Kadakkal Chandran, an ideal chief minister. Apart from Mammootty, One also casts Murali Gopy, Joju George, Siddique, Sudev Nair, and Shankar Ramakrishnan in prominent roles. 

    Without Remorse (Amazon Prime Video)

    Without Remorse is an action thriller that will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on 30 April. The film is based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy, and stars Michael B Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Luke Mitchell, Jack Kesy, Brett Gelman, Colman Domingo, and Guy Pearce in the lead roles. 

    Directed by Stefano Sollima, the film will showcase the story of an elite Navy SEAL who is on a journey to avenge the death of his wife. 

    The Disciple (Netflix)

    Marathi film The Disciple will be screened on Netflix on 30 April. Directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, the film stars Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat, and Kiran Yadnyopavit. Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron who has directed movies like Gravity has worked on this film as executive producer. 

    The Disciple had its premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, where it received positive responses from critics and audiences alike. The film traces the life of a young man who has devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist. 

    Back to the Future Trilogy (Netflix)

    Back to the Future is a time travel classic that enjoys a huge fan following in all nooks of the world. The first movie in this franchise was released in 1985 followed by sequels released in 1989 and 1990. 

    The sci-fi series has been on Netflix a million times before, but it is always special when the OTT platform streams all three movies together. Viewers can enjoy the Back to the Future trilogy from 1 May. 

    Yasuke (Netflix)

    Yasuke is a highly anticipated animation series, set to premiere on Netflix on 30 April. The series is loosely based on the historical figure of the same name – a samurai of African descent who lived and fought in 16th century Japan during the volatile Sengoku period. 

    Yasuke consists of six episodes, and is expected to offer a real treat to anime lovers. 

  • Mugdha Kalra appointed as head of content at FLYX

    Mugdha Kalra appointed as head of content at FLYX

    NEW DELHI: TV news presenter and journalist Mugdha Kalra has been appointed as the head of content at FLYX. Under this position, she will be responsible for creating content initiatives across multiple platforms and formats to increase user engagement, and fuel growth. 

    Kalra has more than 20 years of experience in content creation, and has worked in several organisations like News18 India, Zee, Aaj Tak, NDTV India, and CNBC Awaaz. She continues to appear in News18 India as a host of special programs that deal with multifarious subjects. Kalra is also the founder of Not That Different, a platform that is actively involved in raising awareness about autism. 

    FLYX founder and chief executive officer Shashank Singh said that the appointment of Kalra as content head could help the company to “deliver powerful, authentic storytelling in new and innovative ways.”

    “We are very pleased to welcome Mugdha into the FLYX and Bakstage leadership team as the chief content strategist. Her distinguished record and forward-thinking approach will help us stay ahead in connecting with new audiences and providing avenues to conduct quality and meaningful conversations for our users,” added Singh. 

    Kalra said, “As a new member of the FLYX and Bakstage family, I am excited to explore the possibilities and tap into the potential that audio streaming spaces present. My endeavour will be to enable people from all walks of life to use the platform to interact, engage and create interesting content. FLYX and Bakstage are young brands that aim to elevate user experience with content as a key cornerstone.” 

     

  • RCB skipper Virat Kohli jumps onboard MX TakaTak app

    RCB skipper Virat Kohli jumps onboard MX TakaTak app

    Mumbai: Amidst the burgeoning cricket fever that has engulfed the nation, MX TakaTak recently announced itself as the official short video partner for seven IPL teams. Now, the platform has roped in global cricket icon Virat Kohli, who has signed on as a member.

    The Indian captain will not only create fun and exclusive TakaTak Videos but also participate in hashtag challenges and livestreams, offering his fans a chance to get a closer look at him off the field as well.

    Regarded as one of the top batsmen in the world, Kohli has remained one of the undisputed leaders in terms of the number of followers for an Indian sportsman across all major social media platforms. His posts on MX TakaTak will offer his fans insight into the candid moments from his life.

    Kohli said, “I’m really excited to have joined MX TakaTak. It’s the leading short video app and gives me a new place to share moments from my life and to have authentic conversations with my fans across the globe.”

    MX Player and MX TakaTak CEO Karan Bedi said, “Short video platforms have until now been at the early part of the adoption curve, primarily led by the rapidly growing online influencer community to showcase their talent and build their fan base. However, with legendary cricketer Virat Kohli, who is India’s biggest celebrity as well as one of the world’s top stars, creating an account on MX TakaTak, we are now in the cultural mainstream.”

    He further added, “This space has changed a lot since the time we entered the market and has marked several high points in only a year. We are happy to be welcoming the Indian Cricket Superstar – Virat Kohli to the TakaTak family and look forward to being part of his life. With this move and many more to come, we want to offer our millions of users more delightful moments from their biggest idols’ lives.”

  • Chingari focuses on Marathi market with Kadak Entertainment team-up

    Chingari focuses on Marathi market with Kadak Entertainment team-up

    MUMBAI: Popular video-sharing app Chingari has entered into an agreement with Kadak Entertainment in a bid to affirm its presence in the Marathi regional market. 

    Started by two women entrepreneurs Shruti Akshay Munot and Mayoorii Swwapnil Munot, Kadak Entertainment has created three marquee properties and offers content of various topics and genres for the Marathi audience.

    Shruti and Mayoorii are sister-in-laws, and they have been doing pathbreaking work to crush the image that popular culture has painted for this particular relationship. 

    With this new collaboration, Chingari aims to strengthen its regional content library. The short video app has been forging ties that fortify its regional presence and this association with Kadak entertainment too is a step in this direction.

    "Breaking stereotypes and working to our best potential to offer wholesome entertainment to our user base has been a brand philosophy for Chingari. Kadak Entertainment has the same brand values and we see a natural fitment with them and are glad to have them on board," said Chingari App co-founder and CEO Sumit Ghosh. 

    Chingari App COO and co-founder Deepak Salvi said that it is always a pleasure to collaborate with like-minded partners like Kadak Entertainment. 

    "With Kadak Entertainment coming on board we have enhanced our Marathi library even further. At Chingari we have always strived to offer better and greater content to all our users and add to our regional library and we will continue to do that as we go along," he added. 

    Shruti Akshay Munot and Mayoorii Swwapnil Munot said, "We make sure that Chingari users will get more content for entertainment as Kadak Marathi has various plans of content creations and lots of campaigns in association with the app. The fresh content of Kadak Marathi meets the wide reach of Chingari to deliver maximum entertainment to the maximum number! Here’s to a great start and a long-lasting association that brings out the best for our audience."

  • Disney inks massive deal with Sony to stream ‘Spiderman’ & other films

    Disney inks massive deal with Sony to stream ‘Spiderman’ & other films

    NEW DELHI: After months of see-sawing and multiple rounds of negotiations, Disney has signed a deal with Sony Pictures that will allow Disney+ to stream Spiderman and other Marvel properties in the United States after they play on Netflix. Disney revealed that it will also add a significant number of Sony films to Hulu, the subscription video-on-demand service fully controlled and majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company. 

    Apart from Spiderman, Disney has also acquired streaming rights of hundreds of Sony Pictures movies including Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania. Some other movies that will be included in the deal are Marvel's Morbius, Brad Pitt's action thriller Bullet Train, and the new instalment in the Bad Boys series. 

    According to the new arrangement, Disney will be able to stream Sony movies that include Spiderman and Venom beginning 2022. After the theatrical screening, these films will be streamed on Netflix for an 18-month period and will be later streamed on Disney+ or any other Disney platforms. 

    The development comes close on the heels of Netflix inking a deal with Sony Pictures earlier this month to stream the latter’s movies after the first window of theatrical release. Similar to the Netflix deal, the new pact between Sony and Disney covers only the US market. 

    The deal between Sony Pictures and Disney was wrangled by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution head of business operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks, and acquisitions Chuck Saftler, and Sony Pictures Entertainment president of worldwide distribution and networks Keith Le Goy. 

    "This landmark multi-year, platform-agnostic agreement guarantees the team at Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution a tremendous amount of flexibility and breadth of programming possibilities to leverage Sony’s rich slate of award-winning action and family films across our direct-to-consumer services and linear channels. This is a win for fans, who will benefit from the ability to access the very best content from two of Hollywood’s most prolific studios across a multitude of viewing platforms and experiences," said Saftler in a recent statement. 

    Keith Le Goy said, "We are thrilled to team up with Disney on delivering our titles to their viewers and subscribers. This agreement cements a key piece of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximise the value of each of our films, by making them available to consumers across all windows with a wide range of key partners.'' 

  • India is a ‘speculative’ investment: Netflix’s Reed Hastings

    India is a ‘speculative’ investment: Netflix’s Reed Hastings

    KOLKATA: It is not easy to win over Indian consumers given the diversity of the market – be it in terms of language, income or preferences. Since its foray into India, streaming giant Netflix has taken several measures from the dual point of view of content and pricing. While top executives remain bullish about the India market, there’s still a lot of work to be done by the streamer.

    Netflix has already seen huge success in some Asian markets like Japan, South Korea. The APAC region has contributed to a third of its subscriber growth in Q1 and has seen healthy revenue growth, including average revenue per member. However, it is “still figuring things out” in India, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings said in an earnings call.

    “Investment takes some guts and belief forward-looking. But the other investments you should think of, just like rich European countries, content exports really well and we are just getting a little better every month on it,” he added.

    While comparing India’s growth story to that of other Asian countries, Hastings averred that investing here still remains a "speculative" venture as they're still working out the kinks in their overall content strategy.

    “I would say we are still mostly focused on getting a content fit and getting broader content. So that’s why I would say that one is a more speculative investment than, say, Korea or Japan, which again, five years ago was very speculative. But we are over the hump on that,” he detailed.

    India is a tremendous opportunity for Netflix; moreover, the platform offers great scope for the creative community to connect with the enormous audiences, Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos said.

    “It’s just like all great opportunities. It’s a long journey, and it’s a challenge. And we think it’s worth it. And that’s why we’re investing early and trying to stay ahead of it. And I think we will be able to see those kinds of results that we’ve seen in other places in the world as we continue to learn more and more and more,” he stated.

    Of all its markets, India was the first one where Netflix launched its mobile only plan. Recently, it started testing Mobile+ plan at Rs 299 per month. Netflix COO Greg Peters said they would work more and more on such plans that have the right balance of features and pricing. The streaming platform is working on bringing in price points that are low enough for more and more of the world’s population to be able to access the service.

    Along with sachet plans, partnerships with market leaders have also yielded good results for the platform. “Jio is a great example of a partner we’ve been working with there to really bring the service to a new demographic at a very, very low price associated with low-cost mobile plans that they are offering as well as home-based IPTV plans. And those have been successful for us as well,” Peters said.

  • Lionsgate Play marches into Indonesia market

    Lionsgate Play marches into Indonesia market

    KOLKATA: Global streaming platform Starz has launched its direct to consumer OTT app Lionsgate Play in Indonesia, expanding its presence in Asia following a successful launch in India.  With this, Lionsgate Play’s deep library of Hollywood blockbusters, film franchises and first-to-Indonesia original series and boxsets are immediately accessible to a wide Indonesian audience.

    Lionsgate Play Indonesia will bring blockbuster film franchises including The Hunger Games and Twilight Saga, the star-studded global box office hit Now You See Me, Academy Award-winning films from other studios like The Aviator and Babel, romantic drama Remember Me and acclaimed original television series Weeds, Power, Mad Men, and The Spanish Princess directly to Indonesian consumers.

    Starz president and CEO Jeffrey A Hirsch said: “Indonesia is an exciting market for us. The large and diverse population, increased data usage in urban and rural markets, and adoption of OTT across all demographics created an exciting opportunity for us to launch Lionsgate Play. We’re confident that our unique, exclusive and exceptionally curated content will generate a great response from Indonesian audiences.”

    The service has also launched with an attractive price point in Indonesia, making the app available as part of two subscription models, IDR 35 per month and IDR 179 for a year, price points that give Indonesian consumers the opportunity to enjoy the best of global entertainment affordably and at their convenience. Lionsgate Play content will also be made available through various bundle offerings with key partners such as Telkomsel and Telkom. The attractive price points and flexible availability give Indonesian viewers multiple convenient options to enjoy Lionsgate Play.

    Lionsgate Play Indonesia general manager Guntur Siboro believes that the combination of the OTT app launch and the previously-announced partnership with big players Telkomsel and Telkom will bring a seamless customer experience and easy access to Lionsgate Play content for their subscribers. “The partnership allows us to give more Indonesians the best entertainment experience. With a diverse audience reach, Lionsgate Play can be exposed to various levels of society. Everyone can enjoy Lionsgate Play content. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements,” he said.

  • Netflix global TV head Bela Bajaria dishes on ‘local impact strategy’

    Netflix global TV head Bela Bajaria dishes on ‘local impact strategy’

    KOLKATA: Among a host of over-the-top (OTT) platforms in India, Netflix has always been considered as the “premium” one in terms of pricing and content. To break the stereotype, the streaming giant has taken several measures like launching a mobile-only plan. Netflix global TV head Bela Bajaria said the platform wants to “please many more members” with its diverse content offering as well.

    Speaking on day one of APOS 2021, Bajaria, who smilingly disclosed her “personal bias” for the market because of her ethic roots, remarked that the platform wants to have a wider breadth of offerings for the country. She pointed to the much-hyped slate of more than 40 originals which consist of different categories of originals.

    “I think sometimes when we’re in a country, we make the first couple shows people externally and even sometimes [viewers] internally perceive us as just a platform having premium or edgy dramas… We want to please many more members than that,” she said during the discussion with Media Partners Asia executive director & co-founder Vivek Couto.

    Of all its Indian originals, Masaba Masaba really struck a chord with audiences. She also spoke of the recently launched women centric Bombay Begums, and the upcoming season of the highly acclaimed web series Delhi Crime that she believes will be compelling for viewers. She went on to reveal that more exciting shows would be launched in Q3 & Q4.

    Considerably, she noted the presence of family drama in Netflix’s upcoming slate. “I think it was important because we still want to have everybody’s favourite show. We want to have a show you could co-view with your family,” Bajaria commented.

    While Netflix is highly focusing on staying true to local stories, having a strong local team is really important, as is being part of the local ecosystem. For any local market the focus is always on “massive local impact”, not on making shows popular across markets. Netflix India took its localisation a step ahead with Monika Shergill’s appointment.

    “People sometimes think we want to make a show global or international. The most important thing is we make it the most authentic and specific vision in that country and it has the most local impact and people love it in that country. If people love it in that country, other people will love it too,” she stated.

    However, local shows like La Casa De Papel, Barbarians, Lupin, Who Killed Sara? and Space Sweepers have seen global success. In its home market, non-English viewership has grown by 50 per cent as the viewership of anime has increased by 100 per cent, while Korean drama consumption has tripled.

    “Traditionally, Hollywood has exported stories. Now what we are doing is we are exporting local authentic stories and shows everywhere around the world. All of these stories are different in point of views, from different lenses and very specific to the cultural lens,” she stated.

    Netflix has grown exponentially in other Asian countries too. South Korea has been the most prominent market for the streamer. It has a mix of licensed, regional, the original film in the market. While some of the licensed shows like K-Dramas have performed well, Korean shows in other categories also travelled. More importantly, Netflix could continue its production in Korea the whole time during the pandemic. Hence, the OTT platform has a “pretty solid” slate in Korea for 2021.

    The streamer is gearing up its efforts in Japan by building studios and partnering with local talent. Along with investing in anime which is very successful for the platform, it is also betting big on live-action and non-fiction in the Japan market.

    “The strategy is always going to be, we want to have the best shows. If the best shows are original shows, that’s great. If the best shows are a combination of acquisitions and partnerships and co-productions and originals, then that’s what we do,” Bajaria contended.

    To build a solid global footprint of Netflix, the other goal is it wants to be a part of the creative community in each country. There will be new places the platform starts making more original content in, she added. For instance, it was only a year and a half ago it started doing originals in Africa.

    “We’ve barely scratched the surface. There are so many great storytellers in so many parts of the world. There are great stories that can be told on a global scale in so many places,” she said.

    The media executive has worked across mediums, starting her career with millennial TV, spending a chunk of it at Studios. She has seen the growth and progression of the M&E business, especially the rapid change in the last three to five years. It has always been very important to create a supportive environment for creators and for executives to do the work.

    “I think what has been interesting about working at Netflix is typically the speed. The speed of decision making. There are not many layers like other traditional media companies I worked in. What I had to learn is to move very quickly,” she signed off.

  • The future belongs to creator-led franchises: James Murdoch

    The future belongs to creator-led franchises: James Murdoch

    New Delhi: Creator-led franchises will be more powerful and more profitable in the years to come if they can take a little more risk and own their IPs, said James Murdoch former chief executive officer of 21st Century Fox and now the founder & CEO of private holding company Lupa Systems.

    As the streaming war rages on, Murdoch said it will put a lot of pressure on the content creators, leading to a huge demand for their services in near future. “The real question is what the creative output is going to look like in these conglomerates. There will be more value for creators in the future, not just in terms of selling for a high price and on a work for hire basis,” he detailed while delivering the keynote address at the annual APOS conference which began virtually on Tuesday.

    According to Murdoch, author ownership will become common, as more creators would not want to sell their work forever and a day.

    Talking about the Indian market, he noted that while some multinationals may be frustrated by bureaucracy or having the wrong local partners, ultimately India is a transparent marketplace, not very top-down but driven by ideas and entrepreneurs, and a consumer economy that is going to grow for a long time.

    “I see a lot of opportunities there, especially when you get into towns and villages where distribution revolution is most profound. Digital connectivity will open vast opportunities for society, logistics, education and it is going to be exciting for entrepreneurs as well as customers if done right,” he said. “The broader media sector is continuing to grow, but it is going to be a chaotic and tumultuous few years in terms of how it shapes in India. There is cutthroat competition in down streaming, complexities of legacy distributions, it is a very disaggregated production environment. But it will be interesting.”

    The one-time scion exited his family's media empire to found his own holding company Lupa Systems in 2019. Early this year, he announced his new venture along with former chairman & CEO of Star India and president of Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific Uday Shankar, to explore technology and media opportunities in emerging markets.

    Highlighting how several big media companies have been seeking to scale to compete in the streaming environment, Murdoch said, the question is not if it's right to scale, but how many of these companies will be more profitable than they were in the past. “Avoiding the loss of value is great, but near survival does not create value. The downstream competition is going to be intense for a long time whether it's Amazon or Netflix. If you try to compete with the mass market, you have to have an amazing user experience and lots of good programming,” he added.

    On founding Lupa Systems in 2019, Murdoch said he wanted to explore areas of long-term consequences. “The more exciting opportunity was to do something entrepreneurial with a small team, but also focus on future questions, especially with all legacy businesses adopting digital,” he shared.

    Run by the regional consultancy Media Partners Asia, the three-day conference kicked off on Tuesday, with the keynote address by Murdoch. Asia's influential media and entertainment industry conference is traditionally organised in Indonesia, but is being held virtually this year due to pandemic restrictions.

  • Netflix adds 3.98 mn subs in Q1, to spend $17 bn on content this year

    Netflix adds 3.98 mn subs in Q1, to spend $17 bn on content this year

    KOLKATA: After a year of astounding growth, Netflix has missed the subscriber addition estimates in the first quarter of 2021. The company has added 3.98 million subscribers globally in contrast to its six million guidance. It has estimated even lower gains for the next quarter – one million with almost zero growth from US, Canada, Latin America.

    The Los Gatos-based streaming platform has cited the pull-forward growth in 2020, a lighter content slate due to delayed production as the reasons for slowdown in subscriber addition. “We don’t believe competitive intensity materially changed in the quarter or was a material factor in the variance as the over-forecast was across all of our regions,” it stated in a letter to shareholders.

    However, it has topped analysts’ expectations in terms of revenue and earnings per share. The entertainment giant has posted $7.16 billion revenue compared to $7.13 billion expectations and $3.75 earnings per share versus estimated $2.97.

    “We compete with many activities for consumers’ entertainment time, ranging from watching linear TV, video gaming, and viewing user generated content, just to name a few. Against this backdrop, the entertainment market is huge, giving us plenty of room to grow, if we can continue to improve our service. We believe we are less than 10 per cent of TV screen time in the US and even smaller in other regions and when including mobile devices,” it added.

    The streamer expects paid membership growth will re-accelerate in the second half of 2021 thanks to its strong slate with the return of big hits like Sex Education, The Witcher, La Casa de Papel (aka Money Heist), and You, as well as number of original films including the finale to The Kissing Booth trilogy, Red Notice, Don’t Look U. It also promises a comprehensive local language offering including Too Hot to Handle for Brazil and Mexico, Dhamaka for India along with others.

    Netflix will spend $17 billion cash on content this year compared to $11.8 billion last year. The company is also testing a crackdown on password sharing. It is working on making sure the people who are using a Netflix account are the ones who are authorised to do so, Netflix COO Greg Peters said.

    “We’ll test many things, but we’ll never roll something out that feels like turning the screws,” co-CEO Reed Hastings said.