ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • DocuBay Partners with TCL Electronics to offer premium library of documentaries

    DocuBay Partners with TCL Electronics to offer premium library of documentaries

    MUMBAI: IN10 Media Network’s DocuBay, a premium global membership streaming service exclusively for documentary features has entered into a multi-territory distribution deal with TCL Smart TVs, one of India’s fastest-growing TV brands and the world’s second-largest TV manufacturer. This collaboration enables DocuBay to be present on all TCL Smart TVs across regions – India, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. DocuBay app will be preloaded on the TCL Smart TV units and will be available on the home screen.

    The association enables TCL Smart TV users seamless streaming of high-quality documentary features at their comfort, with a new film released on the platform every day. DocuBay’s wide selection of international documentaries, sourced from more than 100 countries, spans a variety of genres organized in ‘Bays’, like TravelBay, PoliticsBay, ScienceBay, TechBay, AdventureBay, CultureBay, BiographyBay and more. Select titles available in 4K. The rich library encompasses documentaries featuring diverse human experiences, perspectives and narratives to appeal to a wide variety of audience. Additionally, DocuBay features, DocuBytes, which previews short clips of selected features; DailyBay, showcasing the release of the day; DocBuster, highlighting a select title every month; and TrendingBay, featuring relevant films from trending topics.

    With this partnership, DocuBay continues to steadfast in its global proposition through a clear and focused content positioning, and achieving deeper consumer penetration across territories.

    DocuBay VP – strategy D Girish said, “Launching DocuBay on TCL Smart TVs allows us to reach a new set of viewers to discover and explore DocuBay. We are confident that this partnership will strengthen our commitment to be present where the audience is and advance our OneTribe memberships across the globe.”

    TCL India GM Mike Chen said, “We are glad to partner with DocuBay and amidst these stressful times we want to continuously assure our viewers with something new and meaningful. These are unprecedented times faced by India and everyone across the globe. At TCL, we are driven to ensure that our customers are always entertained with something new and innovative.”

  • Hoichoi aims to double its size and revneue

    Hoichoi aims to double its size and revneue

    KOLKATA: From the beginning of its journey, the Bengali OTT platform Hoichoi has relied on a subscription-based model to run its business. While naysayers used to say Indian audience would not pay for content, the faith on people’s will to pay for good content has paid off the streaming service. With an impressive subscriber base of 13 million, it aims to double its size and revenue for the next few years as every year the addressable market will increase.

    The platform has always talked about leveraging the diaspora audience. It appears to be a perfect strategy for it as 40 per cent of its revenue coming from international markets. Bangladesh has obviously a very big market for it but what is more interesting is it has seen many subscribers coming from Japan, Sweden, as Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta shared.

    Read more news on Hoichoi

    It is now experimenting with other business models like sachet pricing. The ‘Carrier Billing’ will make it easier to buy a weekly or monthly subscription by paying with mobile balance. While it will be launched soon in the Middle East and Bangladesh, Mohta said it would open up access to blue-collar workers. He also added that the platform is making some free content available soon.

    According to Mohta, Hoichoi’s subscribers come from both urban and rural areas. However, he mentioned that the latter holds the next big opportunity for Hoichoi. A number of new users have come to the internet for the first time during this lockdown who are now consuming free content on platforms like YouTube. He is of the belief that they will convert to premium content at some point of time and the lockdown has made that process faster.

    Read more news on OTT business in India

    Hoichoi entered the market in 2017 with very witty campaign #Hoyejak. As it has unveiled a stellar content line up on its third anniversary, it will again launch a campaign during Durga Puja. From October to March, the platform plans to launch at least three originals every month including one marquee content.

    It is not only taking its content game one step ahead but investing in technology as well. The platform has also revealed today its new UI/UX design. Mohta said they have incorporated user feedback as well as an internal assessment as technology has updated rapidly in the last three years. They are also planning to launch a windows 10 application soon.

    “We are still at a very nascent stage. We have not been able to scratch the surface of how many people we may get to pay. That market will grow organically. I think we will be able to encash that growth,” Mohta stated.

  • Trump approves TikTok deal ‘in concept’

    Trump approves TikTok deal ‘in concept’

    NEW DELHI: It seems that the Byte Dance owned short video platform TikTok has got a breather in the US after the president had ordered the app to be banned in the region, citing national security concerns.

    During the weekend, President Donald Trump gave his nod to a multiparty deal ‘in concept’, under which TikTok will be partly owned by Oracle and Walmart. Media reports say that TikTok is seeking a valuation of 60 billion dollars of. Oracle will hold 12.5 per cent and Walmart will hold 7.5 per cent stake. Sequoia Capital and General Atlantic, already investors in TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance, are also expected to take stakes in the new company.

    “I have given the deal my blessing. If they get it done that’s great. If they don’t, that’s OK too,” Trump told reporters Saturday. “I approved the deal in concept.”

    Read more news on TikTok

    TikTok and ByteDance both welcomed President Trump’s approval of a proposed deal, which would still need to be signed off by the Chinese government.

    TikTok said the deal would ensure US national security requirements were fully satisfied, while ByteDance said it was working to reach an agreement that was “in line with the US and Chinese law” as soon as possible.

    TikTok interim chief executive Vanessa Pappas said in a video posted on Saturday that the app was “here to stay” in the US.

     

     

    President Trump’s support for the deal comes days after his administration said it would bar people in the US from downloading TikTok through any app store starting 20 September.

    The deal is more like a joint venture between three companies where Oracle will be acting as a “trusted partner” safeguarding the data of users. If one looks closely at the newly proposed deal, it is not what president Trump has initially demanded as it still allows TikTok’s Chinese owner Bytedance a controlling stake.

    It is expected that TikTok Global will likely be headquartered in Texas and will hire “at least” 25,000 people, Trump said. TikTok will need to recruit thousands of content moderators, engineers and marketing staff that were previously located in China and around the world.

    At present, the ban on TikTok has been delayed by a week by the US authorities.

    For the record, the app has been already banned in India by the Indian government along with several other Chinese apps. 

  • Vi to offer free ZEE5 premium subscription

    Vi to offer free ZEE5 premium subscription

    The newest telecom brand Vi has rolled out an exciting proposition for its prepaid customers that will enable them to enjoy one year of ZEE5 premium membership at no additional cost. The offer is applicable to select data plans starting from Rs 405 and will provide Vi customers access to ZEE5’s premium bespoke content in 12 languages across originals, shows and blockbuster movies.  

    Inviting all mobile customers with discerning entertainment choices to avail of this attractive offer,  Vodafone Idea marketing director Avneesh Khosla said, “Content consumption has seen an explosion as consumers today are spending 25 per cent-30 per cent more time (over three hours per day) watching varied content on their devices.. ZEE5 as a leading OTT platform has a rich and diverse content repertoire that appeals to a  wide cross-section of society. Their large library of movies and original shows in Hindi and other regional languages makes them an ideal partner as it helps us appeal to a large cross-section of the smartphone population in this country that is seeking to do more with their mobile devices. With the new Rs. 405 ZEE5 Recharge pack that we are launching – we are providing the consumer the best of both worlds – access to the   best entertainment on ZEE 5 for one year coupled with huge telco benefits – an unbeatable combination that delivers great value to consumers.”

    The annual ZEE5 membership is available with Vi data plans with recharge value of Rs 355, Rs 405, Rs 595, Rs 795 and Rs 2595.

    Speaking on the collaboration, ZEE5 India senior vice president and SVOD head Rahul Maroli said, “ZEE5 and Vi are classic consumer first brands, and this collaboration exemplifies this core DNA that these brands have been built on, by bundling the best of entertainment offering for the ever-evolving digital consumers of India and Bharat. As part of this unique offering, Vi users will get one-year access to the premium bespoke content that ZEE5 has on offer across 12 languages with the 5 Vi prepaid recharge packs. This partnership is of many firsts and it aims to provide a superior content watching experience to the Vi users at their convenience.” 

  • Hoichoi achieves a subscriber base of 13 million

    Hoichoi achieves a subscriber base of 13 million

    KOLKATA: The leading Bengali OTT platform, Hoichoi, has completed three years in the industry with its grand launch in 2017. It has achieved a subscriber base of 13 million with 40 per cent of its revenue coming from international customers. It has also doubled its revenue in the past year.

    With the vision of "entertaining people in their local language” and having over 60 Originals and 50 World Digital Premieres, Hoichoi has unveiled a fresh slate of 25 new Originals, two first day first show films and multiple world digital premieres for the upcoming year.

    As a Hoichoi subscriber spends 50 minutes a day on the platform, the OTT player is always keen on bringing the best of technology for its customers. It has revealed a sneak peek into its new UI/UX (user interface/user experience) built which is seamless and easy to use for the customers.

    Read more news on Hoichoi

    A parental control feature will soon be added, which comes with Hoichoi being among the top 15 OTT platforms of India who have signed up for a unified self-regulation process with IAMAI for classification and demarcation of content available on all video-on-demand apps and websites in India. 

    Having customers over 100 countries including places like Japan, Sweden, Argentina, Iceland and more, Hoichoi has also announced Carrier Billing. It is an affordable way to consume content in the form of sache pricing and to buy a weekly or monthly subscription by paying with their mobile balance. This will be soon available for users in Bangladesh and Middle East. There’s also, subscription bundling, specifically for customers in India with JioFibre and Bangladesh with its top telecommunication network. 

  • AVIA hosts the Satellite Industry Forum focusing on video in the satellite world

    AVIA hosts the Satellite Industry Forum focusing on video in the satellite world

    KOLKATA: The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) will be hosting this year’s Satellite Industry Forum (SIF) as a virtual conference, taking place over two days, from 24 – 25 September, 9.30am – 11.30am (SGT).

    As Asia’s leading satellite conference, the theme of Video in the Satellite World will look at the key conversations driving the industry today, with industry leaders sharing their thoughts on The State of the Satellite Industry with the Impact of COVID-19, a view on Asia with the outcomes from WRC-19, and weighing the Bear vs Bull Case for 5G. There will also be much conversations on the coming year, as we look at Satellite Financing and what to watch for in 2021, if it will truly become the landmark year for 4K UHD, and what will Drive Global Growth for the industry in the next decade.

    Speaking at the Industry Leaders Talk will be Christophe Cazes, CEO of Eutelsat Asia. In this opening panel, Cazes will be sharing his perspectives and predictions on the satellite industry over the course of the coming year.

    “Satellite industry in Asia has been undergoing a big transformation with the emergence of new players and the launch or investment in satellites of new generation. The COVID-19 situation will either be a catalyst or a disruptor of these trends,” said Cazes.

     This year, the conference will also be taking a look at Women in Satellite, a predominantly male industry, for a conversation on their perspectives, challenges and ideas for putting together best practices to strengthen gender equality both in the sector and within our organisations, as well as their perspectives on what the industry might look like in the coming year. This panel will bring together  KISPE Space strategic business manager Anita Bernie; SES Networks SVP global government Nicole Robinson; EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) secretary general Aarti Holla-Maini; Mynaric USA  president Tina Ghataore.

    “I’ve seen a small shift in women being invited to speak at satellite forums – and not just on topics related to diversity in the industry – but clearly more needs to be done. I look forward to the day when I’m invited to speak and I see around me panelists reflecting both gender and cultural diversity,” commented Ghataore.

    Other key speakers joining the Satellite Industry Forum this year include:

    Marc Halbfinger, CEO, PCCW Global

     Yew Weng Soo, VP sales and market development, SES Video, SES

    Terry Bleakley, regional VP, Asia Pacific, Intelsat

    Shakunt Malhotra, MD, Asia, Globecast

    Roger Tong, CEO, AsiaSat

     Lon Levin, president and CEO, GEOshare

    Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys

    Paul Estey, EVP, Customer Relations and Advisor to CEO, Maxar Technologies

     Mark Dankberg, CEO, ViaSat

    The Satellite Industry Forum aims to deliver as close an experience as possible to a physical event. All delegates will be able to enjoy a full event platform which will include access to the live conference sessions, virtual networking opportunities as well as meeting rooms to connect and engage with industry peers during the conference. All sessions will also be available for catch-up viewing on demand after the live event. 

  • Huge decrease in levels of streaming piracy seen in Malaysia over last 12 months

    Huge decrease in levels of streaming piracy seen in Malaysia over last 12 months

    KUALA LUMPUR: A new study of the online content viewing behaviour of Malaysian consumers, has found a massive 64 per cent decrease in consumers accessing piracy websites over the past 12 months. The survey commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, found that 22 per cent of online consumers currently use piracy streaming websites or torrent sites to view pirated content, substantially less than the 61per cent from a similar survey conducted in August 2019. The YouGov survey also found a 61 per cent reduction in the number of consumers who use an illicit streaming device (ISD) when compared to the August 2019 survey. 

    More than half (55 per cent) of online consumers had noticed that a piracy service had been blocked by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA). This would appear to have had an impact on consumer attitudes towards piracy, with 49 per cent stating that they no longer accessed piracy services and 40 per cent stating that they now rarely accessed piracy services as a result of not being able to access blocked piracy sites. 11 per cent of consumers said it made no difference to their viewing habits. 

    TVB International general manager Desmond Chan said: “We are encouraged by the efforts of MDTCA in fighting online piracy with their site-blocking campaign. Malaysia is an important market to our content distribution business. TVB’s programmes are popular in Malaysia and have always been the targets for piracy. The swift anti-piracy measures provided by MDTCA will foster a business environment in which we will continue investing.” 

    LaLiga global audiovisual director Melcior Soler said: "This substantial reduction in online piracy in Malaysia is a sign of the success of the actions undertaken by the MDTCA. Piracy only benefits the criminal organisations who operate the websites and illicit applications and harms society as a whole, especially those who work every day to generate content and entertainment for everyone. LaLiga will continue to fight against the problem of online piracy.” 

    The continual site blocking has had an impact on consumers viewing habits who are now more likely to access legal content services. 20 per cent of consumers who said they were aware of the government blocking piracy websites and illicit application domains, have since subscribed to a paid streaming service; 15 per cent said they now spend more time viewing free (AVOD) local streaming services; and 65 per cent now predominantly watch free (AVOD) international streaming services. 

    AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) general manager Neil Gane said: “We applaud the MDTCA for disrupting piracy website networks which are being monetised by crime syndicates. Consumers who subscribe to illicit IPTV services or access piracy streaming sites are wasting their time and money when the channels and websites stop working. Piracy services do not come with a ‘service guarantee’, no matter what their ‘sales pitch’ may claim.” 

    When asked about the negative consequences of online piracy, consumers placed funding crime groups (57%) , loss of jobs in the creative industry (52%) and malware risks (42%) as their top three concerns. 

  • ALT-Balaji a ray of hope in a productionless Covid quarter for Balaji Telefilms

    ALT-Balaji a ray of hope in a productionless Covid quarter for Balaji Telefilms

    BENGALURU: The most successful television content and film production house in India, the Shobha Kapoor and Ektaa Kapoor led Balaji Telefilms Limited (Balaji) reported a standalone loss of Rs 1.40 crore on a standalone operating revenue of Rs 21.17 crore for the quarter ended 30 June 2020 (Q1 2021, quarter or period under review). Balaji reported a consolidated loss of Rs 27.9 crore for the period under review per an investor presentation. For the corresponding year ago quarter (Q1 2020), Balaji had reported consolidated loss of Rs 42.2 crore on consolidated operating revenue of Rs 90.5 crore. Balaji had reported standalone profit of Rs 10.43 crore in Q1 2020 on a standalone revenue of Rs 116.07 crore. Consolidated EBIDTA for Q1 2021 was a loss of Rs 26.30 crore as compared to a loss of Rs 32.33 crore for Q1 2020.

    Read more stories on Alt Balaji

    Hit by a halt in all production during most of Q1 2021, Balaji has reported consolidated operating revenue of Rs 35.1 crore. A big chunk of the operating revenue – Rs 14.9 crore, came in from Balaji Telefilms OTT platform ALT-Balaji. The company says in a press release that ALT-Balaji subscription revenue increased to Rs 12.9 crore in Q1 2021, while for Q1 2020, ALT Balaji’s reported subscription revenue of Rs 6.7 crore.

    Segment revenue

    Commissioned programmes

    Revenue from Balaji’s commissioned programmes during the quarter under review was less than one-twentieth of the revenue for the corresponding year ago quarter. Balaji reported operating revenue for its Commissioned programmes segment at Rs 4.10 crore for Q1 2021 which was 95.6 percent lower than the Rs 93.17 crore in Q1 2020. The segment reported an operating loss of Rs 6.33 crore in Q1 2021 as compared to an operating profit of Rs 9.67 crore in Q1 2020.

    Films segment

    Revenue from Balaji’s Films segment was 17.49 crore in Q1 2021 as compared to Rs 1.67 crore in Q1 2020. The segment had an operating profit of Rs 5.27 crore as compared to a small loss of Rs 0.10 crore in Q1 2020.

    Digital segment (ALT-Balaji)

    Revenue from Balaji’s Digital segment (OTT segment – ALT-Balaji) in Q1 2021 increased 20.9 percent to Rs 14.90 crore as compared to Rs 12.33 crore in Q1 2020. The segment had a lower operating loss of Rs 25.79 crore in Q1 2021 as compared to an operating loss of Rs 36.83 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Read more stories on Balaji Telefilms

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Balaji

    Consolidated total income for Q1 2021 at Rs 40.79 crore was 56 percent lower y-o-y as compared to Rs 92.75 crore. Consolidated total expenses for Q1 2021 fell 48.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 69.57 crore from Rs 134.30 crore.

    Consolidated cost of production declined 69 percent in Q1 2021 to Rs 26.53 crore as compared to Rs 85.69 crore in Q1 2020. Consolidated marketing and distribution expenses in Q1 2021 declined 47.6 percent to Rs 6.07 crore from Rs 11.57 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Consolidated employee benefits expense in Q1 2021 declined 53.9 percent to Rs 5.52 crore from Rs 11.08 crore in Q1 2020. Consolidated other expenses in Q1 2020 reduced 32.9 percent to Rs 13.20 crore from Rs 19.68 crore in Q1 2020.

    Company speak

    Balaji Telefilms Limited managing director Shobha Kapoor said through a press release, “The quarter has been particularly challenging as all content production activity came to a stop. However, our digital businesses have performed well and we are well positioned to grow that business. We remain confident that our TV business will return to more normal levels of content production as our teams have adapted to shooting under the new rules following all health and safety requirements, we now have 6 shows on air and a couple more in the pipeline. We have initiated several cost optimisation programs during the quarter and should continue to see the benefits of these programs as content production volumes return.”

  • Virtual Fireside Series: Catch Eros STX Global’s Pradeep Dwivedi live on 18 Sep

    Virtual Fireside Series: Catch Eros STX Global’s Pradeep Dwivedi live on 18 Sep

    KOLKATA: Taking ahead its virtual fireside series with eminent professionals of the media and advertising industry in India, Indiantelevision.com will be hosting Eros STX Global CEO-India Pradeep Dwivedi on Friday 18 September at 11.30 am. The session will be helmed by our founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

    Dwivedi is an industry veteran with nearly three decades of experience across media, marketing, publishing and advertising. He has worked at multiple brands and publishing houses in different capacities and played a key role in the growth. Dwivedi started his career with Eicher Motors, and went on to work with GE Capitals, Standard Chartered Bank, and American Express. His longest stint has been with Tata Tele Services which extended just a little over eight years. Post that he served with Dainik Bhaskar Group as chief corporate sales and marketing officer and later served in the capacity of chief executive officer with Sakal Group.   

    Watch more Virtual Fireside Chats

    Eros International recently changed its corporate name to Eros STX Global Corporation recently following the completion of rare Bollywood-Hollywood merger. The opportunities are flaring up for both sides of the business – OTT and studio segment. At this crucial juncture of the business, Pradeep Dwivedi is spearheading the Indian market of the newly merged entity.

    Read more news on Eros

    Dwivedi will be sharing his experiences of sailing through the times of pandemic, the changing landscape of the media environment, new trends and developments in the content space, merging of Bollywood and Hollywood at Eros STX Global and leadership & life lessons.

  • ViacomCBS to rebrand CBS All Access to Paramount + for early 2021 launch

    ViacomCBS to rebrand CBS All Access to Paramount + for early 2021 launch

    MUMBAI: Paramount+ is the brand name of the new global streaming service that ViacomCBS will be rolling out in Australia, Latin America and the Nordics in early 2021. This was revealed by the company’s president & CEO Bob Bakish who had announced in June 2020 that its subscription video on demand CBS All Access will be rebooted and relaunched with additional premium programming.  

    Said Bakish: “Paramount is an iconic and storied brand beloved by consumers all over the world, and it is synonymous with quality, integrity and world-class storytelling. With Paramount+, we’re excited to establish one global streaming brand in the broad-pay segment that will draw on the sheer breadth and depth of the ViacomCBS portfolio to offer an extraordinary collection of content for everyone to enjoy.”

    Read more news on Paramount 

    Bakish also announced a slate of fresh shows and series which would be available to subscribers of Paramount+:

    .  The  Offer, a scripted limited event series from Paramount Television Studios, based on Oscar-winning producer Al Ruddy’s extraordinary, never-revealed experiences of making The Godfather. The 10-episode event series is written and executive produced by Michael Tolkin (Escape at Dannemora and The Player). Ruddy will also serve as executive producer, and Emmy-winning producer Leslie Greif (Hatfields & McCoys) will executive produce and be a writer on the series.

    .  Lioness, a spy drama created by Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) with Sheridan, Jill Wagner, David Glasser, David Hutkin, and Bob Yari set to executive produce. Based on a real-life CIA program, Lioness follows a young Marine recruited to befriend the daughter of a terrorist to bring the organization down from within. The series is produced by Paramount Network and 101 Studios.

    Read more news on ViacomCBS

    .  A reimagination of the Emmy®-nominated series Behind the Music entitled MTV’s Behind The Music – The Top 40, which will unlock MTV’s vault from the past 40 years for a unique and intimate look at the 40 biggest artists of all time, through their voices and their eyes. The series will be produced by Creature Films and MTV Studios.

    .  The Real Criminal Minds, a true crime docuseries based on the hit CBS Television series, and produced by XG Productions in association with CBS Television Studios and ABC Signature.

    .  The service is also developing a revival of The Game  as part of BET’s programming on Paramount +  from CBS Television Studios and Grammnet Productions.

    The new original series announced today join the service’s previously announced plans for Kamp Koral, a new original children’s series from Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob Squarepants, and the service’s role as the exclusive SVOD home to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in early 2021. Additional new original content will be announced ahead of launch.

    This programming will join  CBS All Access’  robust existing offering of more than 20,000 episodes and movies from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and more, as well as exclusive original series including  The Good Fight, The Twilight Zone, Tooning out on The News, No Activity, Why Women Kill, Interrogation, The Thomas John Experience, and Tell Me A Story, The Stand, The Man Who Fell to Earth,, The Harper House, Guilty Party, Star Trek: Discovery Star Trek: Picard, animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Strange New World.

    Since the transformation of  CBS All Access  began in late July, the service has experienced significant growth and engagement. With the addition of a diverse mix of content, including UEFA, Big Brother Live Feeds, star Trek: Lower Decks, and more than 3,500 episodes from across ViacomCBS’ brands, the service broke a new record for total monthly streams in August and experienced one of its best months ever in terms of new subscriber sign-ups. In addition, the average age of new subscribers in August was measurably younger than the service’s overall average subscriber age, due in large part to the addition of UEFA and the newly added content from various ViacomCBS brands.

    Leading up to the early 2021 rebrand to Paramount + ,  CBS All Access  will expand its content offering to more than 30,000 episodes and movies and continue to develop additional original series across brands including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and more, transforming it into a diversified super service for the ViacomCBS portfolio.

    “The response from consumers in just the early weeks of the service’s expansion already illustrates the tremendous opportunity ahead of us in bringing these phenomenal ViacomCBS brands together in one premium streaming home under the new Paramount +  name,” said ViacomCBS chief digital officer & ViacomCBS Digital CEO Marc DeBevoise. “With the addition of even more content from across the portfolio as well as the new exclusive originals we are announcing today, we look forward to the early 2021 rebrand and bringing existing and new subscribers more of the compelling, genre-spanning live sports, breaking news and mountain of entertainment ViacomCBS has to offer.”

    Earlier this month ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) president & CEO David Lynn had said that the super streamer would not be launched in India as it already has successful streaming operations in Voot and Voot Select in partnership with Viacom18 and Reliance.