ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Gaana CEO Prashan Agarwal steps down

    Gaana CEO Prashan Agarwal steps down

    KOLKATA: Gaana CEO Prashan Agarwal has stepped down after heading the music streaming service for five years.

    “After an amazing five years of leading Gaana to be the No. 1 Music streaming service in India, I am stepping down from my role as CEO and am extremely grateful to my wonderful colleagues, music industry partners and investors who put so much trust and empowerment in enabling me to deliver,” Agarwal wrote in a LinkedIn post.

    He thanked his mentors Satyan Gajwani and Vineet Jain for providing him with a platform to make such a remarkable impact on the Indian music ecosystem and bringing entertainment to more than 185 million users across the world.

    Gaana is jointly owned by Times Internet (the majority stakeholder), and Tencent, which raised Rs 3.75 billion in debt last year to help finance the company’s growth.

    Agarwal joined Gaana as CEO in May 2016. Before joining Times Internet, he co-founded multiple internet ventures including 19miles.com and PropTiger.com. He is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and the Indian School of Business.

  • ALTBalaji woos subscribers with #MarchingToALT campaign

    ALTBalaji woos subscribers with #MarchingToALT campaign

    KOLKATA: ALTBalaji has rolled out a new initiative to keep their audience engaged and convert them into yearly subscribers. While March 2020 changed people's lives most unexpectedly, the OTT platform is making sure that March 2021 isn't the same for the audience, and is filled with surprises and unlimited entertainment.

    With more than 74 Hindi originals on offer at a pricing of Rs 300/year for a subscription, ALTBalaji is the most affordable OTT platform in the country. To make March interesting, the platform has also planned robust gratification ideas for their new subscribers in weekly contests and exquisite gifts.

    The token of appreciation starts with subscribers getting an opportunity to meet their favourite star, television hunk Sidharth Shukla. Winners also get a chance to send personalised bytes for their loved ones via Tring, a platform for connecting fans to their favourite celebrities. Five lucky subscribers also get beautiful personalised hampers from ALTBalaji. The bonus gratification goes up to the extent of an all-expense-paid trip to a chosen destination.

    ALTBalaji marketing, direct revenue & analytics SVP Divya Dixit shared, "The past one year has been challenging and daunting. Hence, we made sure we make this March special for our subscribers as a special gesture using these unique gratifications. We have seen a tremendous subscriber growth in this past quarter and want to express our gratitude as well as welcome new subscribers to the ALTBalaji family via #MarchingToALT".

    ALTBalaji has launched many fantastic shows like Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala, Dev DD, Verdict, Code M, Dil Hi Toh Hai, Mentalhood, Who's Your Daddy?, Baarish Season 2, Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain Season 3, Bebaakee, MumBhai, Bicchoo Ka Khel, Dark7White, Paurashpur, Crashh, and LSD – Love, Scandal & Doctors, to name a few.

    For the upcoming year, ALTBalaji has an exciting pipeline consisting of multiple shows such as The Married Woman, Apharan 2, Broken But Beautiful 3, The Test Case 2, Puncch Beat Season 2, His Storyy, Cartel, Main Hero Boll Raha Hu, Class of 2020 Season 2, Code M 2 and many more. Each of these new shows is a high-octane drama which the audience can binge-watch.

  • Pocket Aces’ lifestyle channel presents first home makeover series

    Pocket Aces’ lifestyle channel presents first home makeover series

    KOLKATA: Pocket Aces’ lifestyle channel Gobble and Flipkart Furniture have launched their first home makeover series – Home Genie. After entertaining millions with its many food and travel series like Love Travel Repeat, You Got Chef’d and Bazaar Travels, Gobble’s latest venture into the home category attempts to create spaces which are a reflection of its residents’ personalities. Hosted by actor Shruti Seth, the quintessential genie with a keen sense of aesthetics, and award-winning interior designer Ali Baldiwala of Baldiwala Associates, the series released on Gobble’s YouTube channel on 25 February.

    The series through its tagline ‘Don’t just dream, make it happen’, showcases the transformational journey of couples’ homes, catering to all kinds of home design aspirations and offers the most creative solutions, be it trendy, vintage, or even a modern chic look.

    The first of the three-episode series features OTT favourite Abhishek Banerjee along with his wife Tina, who need a living room that offers ample seating for guests, but is minimalistic at the same time. Working with smart seating solutions and sleek furniture selected from Flipkart, Ali creates a space that strikes the right chord by curating the perfect look and feel to meet the couples’ home goals. The series also features TV's favourite couple, Mohit Sehgal and Sanaya Irani, who have personally selected the furniture pieces from Flipkart Furniture as their home office dream becomes a reality, with foldable, multi-utility pieces. The aesthetic designs make their tiny room a grand Insta-worthy, multi-functional home office.

    To give back to the Gobble community, the series created a unique opportunity for fans to win a chance to feature on the show. Mumbai-based Florence Saldanha, a die-hard Gobble fan, and her husband Shailesh were chosen as the winners. The channel provided a complete makeover of their master bedroom which as per their wish was intimate, yet functional. While working with these couples, Baldiwala also shared useful tips for audiences to implement and transform their spaces into their dream homes.

    Flipkart senior director (furniture, beauty, personal care, baby care) Kanchan Mishra said, “Transforming a house into a home is a very emotional and personal engagement and at Flipkart, we take pride in facilitating this journey for our customers and providing a hassle-free furniture buying experience through our home delivery and installation services. Our association with Gobble will enable lakhs of their viewers to witness home makeovers, get expert tips and hacks on transforming their personal or professional spaces. With Home Genie, we wish to familiarise the audience with the latest home décor trends and ideas to create spaces that resonate with their personalities.”

    Pocket Aces VP Sales Vishwanath Shetty said, “Being at home for most of 2020 led to a need to have quality multipurpose spaces which are a reflection of residents’ personalities. Home Genie is a show that enables and inspires couples to bring about this change in their spaces, while also encouraging them to adopt a unique approach to the functionality of their homes. Flipkart Furniture, much like Gobble, offers something for everyone, and so the brand fits in perfectly with our ethos of relatability among our audiences. The resounding response to the contest is a testament of how audiences are seeking new sources of inspiration to make changes in their lives, which inspires us to push the creative boundaries with each property that we create.”

  • Netflix India reveals 2021 line-up consisting 40+ originals

    Netflix India reveals 2021 line-up consisting 40+ originals

    KOLKATA: Netflix is upping the stakes when it comes to its streaming game in India, revealing its 2021 line-up comprising 40 plus originals. At a virtual event called ‘See What’s Next India 2021’, the streamer has given glimpses of its new content slate that cuts across genres.

    “Everyone has different taste, different preferences, different moods and they watch Netflix on different devices. Whether you are watching alone or with your family, whether you have 20 minutes or two hours, we work hard to make sure Netflix always has something great for you. This is exactly why we create so many stories across genres, languages, formats for you to choose. This year we are ready to take our next big leap to entertain India,” Netflix India vice president content Monika Shergill said at the event.

    Its newly announced 15 episodic series slate includes mystery thriller Aranyak, Bombay Begums, Decoupled, ray, Yeh Kalie Kalie Akhein. Along with the new releases, returning seasons of famous shows like Masaba Masaba, Jamtara, Little Things, Mismatched, and She will land on the platform soon.

    The fresh line-up also includes more than Netflix original movies, like the moving family drama Sardar Ka Grandson with Arjun Kapoor and Neena Gupta. Taapsee Pannu starrer Haseen Dillruba, the relationship drama Ajeeb Daastaans, and Ekta Kapoor production Pagglait are set to release on the streaming service tum the coming months.

    “In India, we love films, everything about films – stories, storytellers, starts, sometimes the songs, sometimes the action, thrill. But more than anything it’s the magic of cinema we love. Netflix has had the honour of bringing 30 Indian original films so far , including 17 films just last year,” Netflix India international original film director Srishti Behl Arya said.

    “Our upcoming line-up features more variety and diversity than we have seen before. From the biggest films and series, to gripping documentaries and reality, and bold comedy formats,” Shergill said in a blogpost. Netflix has also expanded its comedy library onboarding TV star Kapil Sharma, along with other known comedians like Sumukhi Suresh. The international streaming giant has content lined up in non-fiction genres like reality TV ( and documentaries.

    In India’s crowded streaming market, Netflix is still lagging behind Disney+Hotstar, the shining star with nearly 28 million subscribers in the country. According to a report from Media Partners Asia, YouTube (43 per cent), Disney+ Hotstar (16 per cent), Netflix (14 per cent), Amazon Prime Video (seven per cent) remained the top five platforms which accounted for a combined 80 per cent share of total revenues in 2020.

    The country's overall online video market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 26 per cent over 2020-25 to reach $4.5 billion. Netflix which has been widely perceived as a “premium” service compared to its contenders, putting all efforts to reach the critical mass. It even unveiled a mobile only plan to woo the users.

  • ALTBalaji associates with Stylecraze and HerHQ

    ALTBalaji associates with Stylecraze and HerHQ

    KOLKATA: In an attempt to woo the millennial women audience, popular OTT platform ALTBalaji has tied up with Incnut Digital's properties – Stylecraze & Bridal Box, a brand operated by and for women with a vision to create a thriving ecosystem of information, opportunity and support for women.

    The association comes at a time when ALTBalaji's latest release Paurashpur is creating waves for its depiction of a fictional kingdom under patriarchal rule, where women strive against discrimination and fight for gender equality.

    "As India's biggest community of 50 million millennial women, we strongly believe that the media's role and power to influence the portrayal of women is more important now than ever. We have and continue to witness violence in various forms which stems from the struggle for power, acceptance and more importantly the physical and economic disparities which continue to co-exist between the sexes even in today's times," Incnut Digital vice president- business development and strategic partnerships Natasha Garyali said.

    ALTBalaji marketing, analytics, and direct revenue SVP Divya Dixit said, "With this partnership, ALTBalaji wants to ensure stringent support to the women out there who act as a strong catalyst. We create shows that depict women's empowerment and stand by it. Our content viewership has a huge percentage of women audience and hence, there is no better tie-up than this to showcase our appreciation and respect to these influential individuals, along with helping us expand our narrative to inspire them."

    HerHQ’s purpose is to help brands leverage heterogeneous women communities from different life stages, said founder Meera Chopra. In this association, HerHQ acts as a catalyst bringing content and communities together. “ALTBalaji's original content – Paurashpur gives us a peek into the kingdom dominated by men where women fight the ultimate battle of gender inequality eventually winning it. We believe, IncNut is the obvious choice given its expansive platform reach of 50 million women community,” she added.

    Growing from strength to strength on the back of innovative business strategies, ALTBalaji has become one of the major players in the Indian OTT industry. With a vast library of 70+ originals across genres that cater to all kinds of audiences, the shows at ALTBalaji are a mix of thriller, crime, drama, romance, youth drama, horror, comedy, amongst others.

  • Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series to stream in UK, Australia & New Zealand

    Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series to stream in UK, Australia & New Zealand

    NEW YORK: For Yu-Gi-Oh! fans in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, the wait is over as the series is headed to their home screens. Konami Cross Media has secured new streaming/digital agreements for its flagship anime property in the UK and in Australia and New Zealand. 

    The announcement was made by Konami Cross Media’s general manager & SVP of operations and business & legal affairs Kristen Gray.

    In the UK, Sky Kids is the first platform to exhibit the new HD formatted versions of the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters show. Additionally, the streaming service has also secured VRAINS Season 1 (46 half-hour episodes), where virtual reality, artificial intelligence and high-speed duelling merge into a fighting extravaganza. Both Duel Monsters and VRAINS are available now on Sky Kids.

    In the lands down under, AnimeLab, the premier stand-alone streaming platform managed by Madman Entertainment, has added Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters seasons 1 – 5. AnimeLab, which offers a basic free and a premium subscription service, has amassed more than one million users since it launched more than six years ago.

    With over 230 half-hour episodes, Yu-Gi-Oh! is the story of Yugi and his best buds Joey, Tristan and Téa. They share a love for the newest game that’s sweeping the nation: Duel Monsters, a card-battling game in which players put different mystical creatures against one another in creative and strategic duels. Packed with awesome monsters and mighty spell cards, Yugi and his friends are totally obsessed with the game. But there’s more to this card game than meets the eye.

    “Yu-Gi-Oh! is pure adventure, fantasy and science fiction and we are confident our audience will be delighted to share in the ‘Duels’, especially as they will be among the first to see the new HD version of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters,” said Sky Kids acquisition executive Lisa MacKintosh.

    “AnimeLab is the ultimate destination and online streaming solution for anime fans Down Under,” added Dean Prenc of Madman.  “We are excited to expand our offerings with the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.”

    A synopsis of the anime reads thus: "A shy high-school student named Yugi Moto receives the fragmented pieces of an Egyptian artifact, known as the Millennium Puzzle, from his grandfather. When Yugi reassembles the puzzle he is possessed by the 3,000-year-old spirit of an ancient pharaoh. Yugi and his friends Joey, Tea and Hondo protect the puzzle, which contains powerful secrets many people would like to possess."

    Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters is actually the second anime adaptation based on Kazuki Takahashi's original manga. It aired from 2000 to 2004. 4Kids Entertainment aired the anime with an English dub in the US between 2001 to 2006. Funimation and New Video Group released the series on home video. Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens, the seventh and most recent anime series, premiered in Japan in April 2020 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the anime franchise. 

  • Streaming in APAC ups revenue by 14% in 2020: MPA report

    Streaming in APAC ups revenue by 14% in 2020: MPA report

    NEW DELHI: Coronavirus may have been like a catastrophe on many levels but it did precipitate an adoption of digital at an unprecedented rate. Consumers starved for entertainment thronged to video streaming platforms, forking over money for premium content. In fact, the Asia Pacific online video industry upped its revenue by 14 per cent in 2020 to reach $30.5 billion, said Media Partners Asia (MPA) in its Asia Pacific Online Video and Broadband Distribution report released on Monday.

    Subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) overtook the advertising video on demand (AVoD) to contribute 53 per cent of the total revenue in 2020. The trend is expected to continue and the total online video revenues would grow at a CAGR of 12 per cent to reach $54.5 billion by 2025, with subscription contributing 57 per cent and advertising 43 per cent, it stated.

    The comprehensive report published by MPA reviews the drivers shaping the fast-moving online video and telecoms industries across 14 Asia Pacific markets with analysis of online video subscribers, advertising and subscription revenues, among others.

    “During 2020, the Covid2019 pandemic created a work-from-home environment that scaled the adoption of online services, including SVoD. The average number of such services subscribed by customers outside of China grew through 2020, reaching 3.8 in Australia and Japan and 2.8 in markets such as India and Southeast Asia,” said MPA executive director Vivek Couto.

    He said that the subscriber growth will decelerate in 2021 and the production of new content will remain impacted in the first half. But the scale and velocity of investment in premium content should ensure that net new customer additions will remain robust over the medium term. “Moreover, profitability should grow more rapidly than revenues and subscribers as online businesses scale. This is particularly true in larger markets such as Australia, China, Japan and Korea,” he added.

    According to the report, the landscape for SVoD looks promising in the emerging markets of India and Southeast Asia. But it is still being shaped because of growing competitive intensity with increased investment in content and distribution. Theatrical windows are narrowing for online video operators while key genres are moving rapidly and exclusively online. ARPUs will remain compressed as platforms scale in India, it said.

    “The future will also see more distribution deals with mobile, fixed broadband, pay-TV and smart TV operators to drive consumption and payment on small and big screens. Evolving regulations may impact content creation and investment as governments look to introduce censorship and impose content quotas,” said Couto.

    MPA’s analysis further shows that 13 online video operators accounted for more than 70 per cent of Asia Pacific online video revenues in 2019, generating $21.1 billion in aggregate.

    Netflix has built a strong business in Asia Pacific. Amazon Prime Video is successful in India and Japan and is surging in Australia. Disney’s global SVOD expansion has been a success to date. Its subscribers in India are low-ARPU but the platform could secure more than 80 million subscribers in India if it can retain key sports rights and continue to invest in local originals, said the report.

    The launch of Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia has met with early success, especially in terms of reach and paid subscribers. The core Disney+ service has succeeded in Australia and New Zealand and is growing in Japan. These markets will benefit from the launch of Star (as part of Disney+) in 2021 as access to series and movies from ABC, Fox and FX brands should help drive customer growth.

    Local broadcasters have moved online or are licensing to key OTT players, and in some cases, doing both.

    Southeast Asian regional major Viu has grown its SVoD business with Korean content and local acquisitions. In Indonesia, Emtek’s Vidio has passed one million paying subscribers with premium local content and sports rights. Line TV is Thailand’s largest AVoD platform after YouTube and Facebook. In Korea, a number of local platforms compete including Wavve, TVing, Coupang Play and Kakao TV Talk.

  • India online video opportunity to scale to $4.5 billion by 2025

    India online video opportunity to scale to $4.5 billion by 2025

    NEW DELHI: 2020 was a breakthrough year for over the top (OTT) streaming platforms. India’s online video industry generated an estimated $1.4 billion in revenue in the year, with advertising contributing 64 per cent and subscription 36 per cent, said Media Partners Asia (MPA) in its ‘India Online Video and Broadband Distribution’ report.

    India is currently the fastest growing OTT market. According to MPA, the country's overall online video market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 26 per cent over 2020-25 to reach $4.5 billion.

    There are around 60 platforms operating in the Indian OTT landscape. However, YouTube (43 per cent), Disney+ Hotstar (16 per cent), Netflix (14 per cent), Amazon Prime Video (seven per cent) remained the top five platforms which accounted for a combined 80 per cent share of total revenues in 2020.

    “Subscription based online video services benefited significantly in 2020 as the country went into the lockdown. Key players are investing in premium local content while leveraging sports, movie rights and aggressive consumer pricing to drive subscriber adoption. The subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) market will remain competitive as Disney+ Hotstar scales its direct subscription business while Netflix and Amazon Prime Video deepen partnerships with mobile and fixed broadband operators. These three platforms accounted for almost 80 per cent of the SVoD revenues in 2020,” said MPA India vice president Mihir Shah.

    YouTube remains the market leader in AVoD, accounting for 67 per cent of total online video advertising in 2020. But, its market share is expected to decline to 55 per cent by 2025 as domestic broadcaster-backed platforms and short form user-generated content (UGC) video players expand their presence. “Local premium content and sports rights will help broadcaster-backed platforms gain share. Increased reach and engagement with rural millennials will improve monetisation for short-form video platforms,” added Shah.

    According to its projections, the SVoD market could reach $1.9 billion by 2025, a 30 per cent CAGR from 2020.

    Online video advertising reached an estimated $909 million in 2020, a marginal decline of two per cent y-o-y as reduced demand has forced advertisers to recalibrate advertising budgets. The AVoD segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 24 per cent over the next five years to reach $2.6 billion by 2025.

    India OTT content investment reached $700 million in 2020 as both domestic and global platforms are investing in the country’s burgeoning SVoD opportunity. The budgets for originals and local acquisitions continue to trend upwards. As a result, the OTT content costs are projected to grow at a CAGR of 18 per cent in the next five years to reach $1.6 billion, said the report.

    The 4G revolution drove the country’s mobile broadband penetration to 43 per cent as of December 2019. With commercial rollout of 5G expected to begin in 2021, India’s mobile broadband penetration is forecast to grow steadily to 66 per cent by 2025. India's fixed broadband market remains under-penetrated at merely six per cent of households, but fresh investments by private telecom players have renewed the market. According to MPA, the country's fixed broadband market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 18 per cent between 2020 and 2025 to reach 45 million subscribers with more than 82 per cent of subscribers through fiber.

    With the infrastructure upgrades, consumers are identifying new uses for the expanded broadband capacity including work from home, education from home, video conferencing, as well as online video streaming.

    Alliances and partnerships are emerging which facilitate the sale of VOD and data bundling packages. Jio has collaborated with all leading platforms, while Airtel has tied-up with Amazon Prime Video and Zee5 for its fixed broadband offering.

  • Lionsgate Play says ‘play more browse less’

    Lionsgate Play says ‘play more browse less’

    NEW DELHI: Lionsgate Play has launched its campaign ‘Play More Browse Less’ in India with a quirky digital film featuring actors Tiger Shroff and Ananya Panday. The digital film is developed on the insight that millennials spend too much time today trying to find what to watch and the app, with its curated edgy line-up, looks forward to solving this problem.

    The integrated campaign will be extended across impact properties on digital and social media.

    The film showcases Tiger Shroff pranking Ananya Panday by drawing a moustache on her face while she is sleeping. Seeing herself on a video camera she gets annoyed and tells Tiger to utilise his time better. Tiger says, “Teri tarah browse karne mein time waste nahi karta, Lionsgate Play app hai mere paas (Unlike you, I don’t waste time browsing. I have Lionsgate Play app).”

    Lionsgate South Asia and Networks – emerging markets Asia MD Rohit Jain commented, “Our app launch has received a phenomenal response from Indian viewers. We have been offering curated content from all across the globe to our viewers. We extensively emphasise on edgy content that is easily accessible on our savvy interface. Today the consumer has a plethora of choices but is always struggling as to what to watch next. We have launched our brand campaign basis this insight and bring a promise to our consumer to Play More Browse Less. We are very excited to rope in Tiger Shroff and Ananya Panday and feel they are the right talent to introduce Indian audiences to shows like Normal People, Manhunt: Deadly games, Romulus and No Man’s Land to name a few.”

    Tiger Shroff said, “I am really excited to partner with Lionsgate Play, have loved some of the global movies and shows they have made. Very happy to be a part of their India chapter.”

    Ananya Panday said, “Normal People is one of the shows that I have been waiting for a while and I am really excited it's finally on Lionsgate Play in India. I am really happy to share some of my favourite shows and movies from my watchlist on Lionsgate Play. Really excited to partner with Lionsgate Play."

  • Twitter permanently bans Donald Trump

    Twitter permanently bans Donald Trump

    NEW DELHI: After years of hectoring allies, attacking opponents and disseminating disinformation, US President Donald Trump’s favourite online mouthpiece has been shut down. Twitter on Friday permanently suspended Trump’s account citing “risk of further incitement of violence,” thereby effectively cutting him off from his 88 million plus followers on the microblogging platform.

    Twitter’s move comes days after hundreds of pro-Trump protesters stormed Capitol Hill in Washington DC and unleashed chaos in the very seat of American power. The service clearly stated the incident was the trigger leading to the permanent ban on Trump, especially since the president had taken to Twitter to further propagate false claims about the 2020 US elections.

    Initially, in the wake of the Capitol riot, Twitter had locked Trump’s account for 12 hours following three tweets that violated the company’s terms of service. It restored his handle after 12 hours had elapsed, even as Facebook indefinitely suspended Trump’s page as “the risks” of allowing him to post on the platform are “too great.”

    No sooner was his Twitter account restored that Trump took to it and posted a video message telling his supporters to go home. He not only did not censure them for their actions, but instead, referred to them as “special people” and told them “we love you.” While he eventually posted another video statement saying he would support a peaceful transition of power, he followed it up with a tweet stating his intention to skip president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on 20 January.

    And while many commentators agree that it was a long time coming, Jack Dorsey gave Trump the boot from his platform as “in the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action.”

    Trump, of course, did not take the snub lying down, and accused Twitter of having “coordinated with the Democrats and Radical Left” to suspend his @realDonaldTrump account. He also, according to several media reports, tried multiple times to post from alternate handles, like the official @POTUS account, but these tweets were promptly deleted by the platform.

    Apart from Twitter and Facebook, other social media networks have also shown some spine and are finally cracking down on Trump. Instagram, Snapchat and Twitch barred access to the president’s account, while YouTube enacted a stricter misinformation policy which makes it easier to suspend Trump for posting false election claims.

    Calls for Trump’s impeachment have been gaining momentum over the last couple of days, as bipartisan lawmakers and the common people alike hold the president responsible for spewing unfounded lies of voter fraud and provoking the mob that broke into and defaced the US Capitol. Five people, including a policeman, died in the riot.

    Democrat and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the House would move ahead with the process to impeach Trump if he did not resign immediately. A CNN report stated that "multiple Republicans" and former Trump allies are considering supporting his impeachment. And while Trump was the third US president to have impeachment proceedings initiated against him (in January 2020), he may well be the first leader of the free world to be impeached twice.