ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Amazon Prime to globally premiere seven Indian movies

    Amazon Prime to globally premiere seven Indian movies

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video today announced that an additional six highly-anticipated Indian films will be premiering directly on the streaming service. This follows the announcement of the upcoming premiere of Shoojit Sircar’s Amitabh Bachchan (Black, Piku) and Ayushmann Khurrana (Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, Andhadhun) starrer Gulabo Sitabo.

    Spanning five Indian languages, the Direct-to-Service line-up features additional releases such as Anu Menon’s Shakuntala Devi with Vidya Balan (Dirty Picture, Kahaani) in lead, legal drama Ponmagal Vandhal starring Jyothika (Chandramukhi) in addition to Keerthy Suresh (Mahanathie) starrer Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam), Law (Kannada) and French Biryani (Kannada). The movies will premiere exclusively on Prime Video over the next three months and will be available in 200 countries and territories worldwide.

    “At Prime Video we believe in listening to what our consumers want and working backwards from there. This belief is the genesis of our latest offering,” said Vijay Subramaniam, director and head, content, Amazon Prime Video, India. “Over the last two years, Prime Video has become the destination of choice for our customers to watch new releases, across the languages, within weeks of their theatrical release. Now we’re taking this one step further, with seven of India’s most-anticipated films premiering exclusively on Prime Video, bringing the cinematic experience to their doorstep.”

    “Indian audiences have been eagerly awaiting the release of these seven  highly anticipated films and we are delighted that Amazon Prime Video will now be premiering these movies for our customers – who can enjoy watching these from the safety & comfort of their homes and on a screen of their choice. Prime Video with its deep penetration in India, with viewership across over 4000 towns and cities, and its world-wide reach in more than 200 countries and territories, will give a large global release footprint to these films. We feel truly excited about this initiative and are confident of delighting our Prime Members with this offering” said Gaurav Gandhi, director and country general manager, Amazon Prime Video India.

    Amazon Prime Video’s direct-to-service slate:

    Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil), from 29 May

    Starring Jyothika, Parthiban, Bhagyaraj, Prathap Pothen and Pandiarajan, Ponmagal Vandhal is a legal drama. The movie is written and directed by J.J. Fredrick and produced by Suriya and Rajsekar Karpoorasundarapandian.

    Gulabo Sitabo (Hindi), from 12 June

    Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, Gulabo Sitabo is a quirky family comedy depicting day to day struggles of the common man. The movie is written by Juhi Chaturvedi, directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar.

    Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), from 19 June

    Starring Keerthy Suresh, Penguin is written and directed by Eshavar Karthic. The film is produced by Stone Bench Films and Karthik Subbaraj.

    Law (Kannada), from 26 June

    Starring Ragini Chandran, Siri Prahlad and veteran actor Mukhyamantri Chandru, Law is written and directed by Raghu Samarth and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar.

    French Biryani (Kannada), from 24 July

    French Biryani features actors Danish Sait, Sal Yusuf and Pitobash as leads. The movie is written by Avinash Balekkala, directed by Pannaga Bharana and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar and Gurudutt A Talwar.

    Shakuntala Devi (Hindi), release date to be announced

    Featuring Vidya Balan in the lead, Shakuntala Devi is a biographical drama on the extraordinary life of Shakuntala Devi, mathematics genius, writer and astrologer who was popularly known as the human computer. Also featuring Sanya Malhotra and Directed by Anu Menon, the film is produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Vikram Malhotra.

    Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam), release date to be announced

    Starring Aditi Rao Hydari and Jayasuruya, Soofiyum Sujatayum is written and directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas and produced by Vijay Babu’s Friday Film House

    The new releases will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue. These include Indian-produced Amazon Original series like Four More Shots Please!, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all on Prime Video, which is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

    Prime members will be able to watch all titles anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost with Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

  • Amazon Prime to premiere Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Gulabo Sitabo

    Amazon Prime to premiere Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Gulabo Sitabo

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video today announced the global premiere of the highly anticipated Hindi film Gulabo Sitabo exclusively on the streaming service. Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the film stars Amitabh Bachchan (Black, Piku) and Ayushmann Khurrana (Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, Andhadhun) in the lead. The movie will premiere exclusively on 12 June, 2020 on Amazon Prime Video and will be available in 200 countries and territories worldwide.

    “At Amazon we’re listening to our customers, and working backwards from there.” said Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India. “Gulabo Sitabo is one of the most anticipated films of the year. We are happy to exclusively premiere Gulabo Sitabo on Prime Video. It is the first step in our endeavour to bring superior cinematic experiences to our customer’s doorstep.”

    “This is the dawn of a new era for Indian entertainment,” said director Shoojit Sircar. “I am happy that a global audience will be able to watch our gritty dramedy, and enjoy what the film has in store for them. Gulabo Sitabo is a quirky, light-hearted movie that the audience can enjoy with their families. It has been a wonderful experience working with Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana on the film.”

    “Indian audiences have been eagerly awaiting the release of Gulabo Sitabo and we are delighted that Amazon Prime Video will now be premiering the movie for our customers. The global release of Gulabo Sitabo on Prime Video, in over 200 countries and territories, will ensure maximum reach and visibility for the film not just in India but around the world. We are excited about the new offering and are happy to, once again, bring to our customers the best of entertainment through this release,” said Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Country General Manager, Amazon Prime Video India.

    “Gulabo Sitabo is a slice of life, dramedy that is a must watch for families at home,” said actor Amitabh Bachchan, “I was excited about my role since the first time Shoojit showed me the character’s look. It took me almost 3 hours each day to get into character with its different look. I had a wonderful time working with my very talented co-star Ayushmann Khurrana. Even though we are constantly bantering in the film, it has been a pleasure working with him for the first time. This family entertainer has the power to cut across geographic boundaries and we are pleased to bring Gulabo Sitabo to audiences across the globe.”

    Actor Ayushmann Kurrana said, “Gulabo Sitabo is a special film for me. It made me reunite with my mentor Shoojit da after Vicky Donor. Whatever I’m today is because of him and I’m happy that he made me a part of his vision again. Gulabo Sitabo also sees me share the screen space with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan for the first time and it’s a huge moment, it’s a dream come true for me. I have secretly wished to work with him for many, many years and Shoojit da made this happen and I will be indebted to him forever. It has truly been an honour for me to work with a legend and I feel enriched as an actor after the experience. What I love about the film is its sheer simplicity – the fleeting moments of simple humour in the banter between a landlord and tenant makes this film really special. I hope audiences love the film and our chemistry when it premieres.”

    Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, Gulabo Sitabo is the quirky tale of two slimy scheming foxes in a game of one upmanship, each one attracting other members to their clan and each one with an agenda of his own. A Rising Sun Films production, Gulabo Sitabo is directed by Shoojit Sircar, written by Juhi Chaturvedi and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar.

    Gulabo Sitabo will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue. These include Indian-produced Amazon Original series like Four More Shots Please!, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series, including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all on Prime Video, which is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

    Prime members will be able to watch Gulabo Sitabo anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost with Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

  • Arré back with ‘Official Bhootiyagiri’, in an exclusive streaming partnership with MX Player

    Arré back with ‘Official Bhootiyagiri’, in an exclusive streaming partnership with MX Player

    MUMBAI: Dilawar Rana is back!   The endearing socially anxious CEO, essayed by Sumeet Vyas, who made his debut as a drone in Official Chukyagiri and fought corporate battles behind umbrellas in Official CEOgiri, is now ready to come out and fight his strangest enemy… his own ghosts.

    Official Bhootiyagiri, an Arré Original Series and an MX Exclusive, will be Sumeet Vyas’s third outing as the much loved Dilawar Rana aka D Sir and this season will be streaming exclusively on MX Player for free.  Season 1 was conferred an Official Honoree at the 21st Annual Webby Awards and Season 2 garnered much love and engagement from the audiences as well as expanded the loyal fan base.

    Official Bhootiyagiri takes off from the end of Season 2 which saw Dilawar Rana being sent to jail. In its third edition, the drama-comedy sees our CEO being offered a ‘get out of jail free’ card with a condition attached – he must go turn around his childhood home cum family hotel and make it profitable. The catch? The hotel seems to be haunted. Not just by his own memories of childhood trauma but by a legit bhoot. Is the haunting real or is D’s mind playing tricks on him?

    The series goes live exclusively on MX Player today.

    The show is part of a longer term collaboration between Arré and MX Player to provide audiences a range of exclusive premium originals from the Arré stable. 

    Arré has also roped in Biryani By Kilo, known for their freshly prepared authentic biryanis delivered online across cities and Adda52, India's No.1 Poker site, as associate partners to the show.

    Sharan Saikumar , creative director at Arré, said: “This is a special franchise for us and  I’m very excited for this season because it  sends our familiar and much loved characters into a whole new setting that's fun and yet eerie. I’m delighted that we have an exclusive partner in MX Player for our third season and special shout out to our advertising partners Biryani By Kilo and Adda 52 for supporting the madness..”

    Mansi Shrivastav, head, content acquisition at MX Player, said: “With new users adapting to digital entertainment whilst in lockdown, we at MX Player are striving to offer our loyal consumers fresh and engaging content, across genres in multiple categories and languages. We’re delighted to have the third edition of this popular franchise stream exclusively on our platform.”

    The show is directed by Vishwajoy Mukherjee and produced for Arré by Still and Still Moving Pictures who also produced Seasons 1 and 2. Amritpal Singh Bindra said, “We’re very excited to continue our working relationship with Arré and after the super successful first two seasons, we hope this season will set the bar higher. This season comes with a refreshing new twist in the plot and in the genre and with a great ensemble cast and we hope it will delight the audience. ”

  • ZEE5 Global Brings Together Top Bangla Artistes to Recreate ‘Abar Jombe Mela’ in a message of hope for Bangladesh

    ZEE5 Global Brings Together Top Bangla Artistes to Recreate ‘Abar Jombe Mela’ in a message of hope for Bangladesh

    Amid the global pandemic comes a song of hope, of looking forward to a better day.

    ZEE5 Global brings alive again the ever-popular folk song “Abar Jombe Mela” in an all-new format rendered by Bangladesh’s youth icons. The song is being released today across all ZEE5 platforms. The initiative is in association with Dettol & supported by Nestle.

    In January ’20, at a huge event in Dhaka, ZEE5, the largest global video streaming platform for South Asians and beyond, shared its plans for Bangladesh and announced the rollout of various initiatives to drive growth in the market through strong local collaborations. The intent was encapsulated in the theme ‘Stronger Together’, thereby kickstarting a journey of deep collaboration and partnership that’s only grown from strength to strength over the last several weeks.

    The current situation, however, has caused some of the on-ground initiatives, that were well underway and even scheduled to launch like the Bangladesh Talent Hunt and shoot of the Originals, to be pushed out by a few weeks till the situation stabilizes. The joint team working on these initiatives was further disappointed with the traditional Pohela Boishakh and Ramadan celebrations being marred due to the pandemic.

    However, in the darkest of times, the resilience of the Bangladeshi people has always shone through. “Biswa Obak Cheye Robe: Towards Hope” – A ZEE5 initiative in collaboration with Good Company – An Asiatic 360 Content Initiative is a song that salutes this resilience in these difficult times.

    Amit Goenka, CEO, ZEE International and ZEE5 Global said,” Bangladesh is a hugely important market for us, and this song, symbolizing hope, is being launched with the specific intent of celebrating the spirit and resilience of the people of Bangladesh as they navigate these challenging times. We look forward to rolling out our plans for this exciting market soon.”

    Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global said, “With the world going through a difficult time during this lockdown period, we wanted to share a special message of hope with the people of Bangladesh. Music has always played a significant role in Bangladesh traditions, and this song has a strong historical significance for Bangladeshis. With this reimagined song, we want to share a message of hope amongst the people to look beyond today towards a brighter future, especially during the auspicious month of Ramadan, and that we will get through this time soon.”

  • BasicFirst announces the launch of the World’s First ‘Doubts on Video’ feature for Students in India

    BasicFirst announces the launch of the World’s First ‘Doubts on Video’ feature for Students in India

    BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt. Ltd – an aptitude-based personalized e-learning platform – today announced the launch of the world’s first ‘Doubts on Video’ service on its mobile application for students from classes 6th to 12th across all major Education Boards in India (including CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE and other State Boards) and major competitive examinations such as IIT Main, JEE Advance, NEET, AIIMS, NTSE, Olympiads and more.

    In the current scenario with schools shuttered and exams on hold, the new ‘Doubts on Video’ feature is poised to empower students for engaging in self-study and clarifying doubts by uploading a video or submitting the question on the mobile application. The unique feature empowers students by conveniently resolving their doubts via face-to-face communication. Students receive personalized attention from an experienced mentor in either Hindi or English – making BasicFirst the world’s first company to nurture and strengthen student-mentor relationships by venturing beyond the confines of conventional classrooms.

    Announcing the launch, Mr Randhir Kumar, Founder and Chief Mentor – BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt. Ltd said, “True learning begins when doubts are aptly addressed and resolved – enabling students to gain a good grasp over the concept as well as the subject. While schools are now switching to online learning, students are missing the personal touch. With our new feature, we are providing clarity of concepts to students through individualized attention. Our ‘Doubts on Video’ service will ensure the growth of students remains unaffected even during the lockdown while being enhanced in some ways.”

    BasicFirst is offering its ‘Doubts on Video’ service at reasonable monthly subscriptions beginning from INR300, providing students 60 minutes of video call time. Early subscribers can avail an extra 30 minutes of video time across all packages. BasicFirst releases students from long-term monetary commitments by offering an easy pay-as-you-use model through a simple recharge, whereby students can connect with a teacher over video call. No other platform offers such convenient subscriptions.  

    The ‘Doubts on Video’ feature will encourage students to participate in self-study, eliminating herd learning. Since doubts turn up suddenly, students should have the flexibility to address them as and when they occur. BasicFirst is enabling digital collaborations between students and teachers so the former can enquire about textbook questions, concepts, projects and similar issues through simple video calls. The new feature simplifies education because we believe learning should be encouraging rather than a daunting task.

    Once a question is posted on the BasicFirst app, depending on its complexity, the coordinator allocates a teacher within 15 minutes. There is no limit to how many questions a student can ask within the allotted time. Since all discussions are archived, students can refer to them again, if required. Students are also asked to give feedback after every call, helping redirect students to a different teacher, if necessary, improving the quality of service. Teachers are available from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm.

    Link to download the app – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.basicfirst.student

  • Amazon Prime Video reveals character posters from the highly anticipated Amazon Original Series Homecoming Season 2

    Amazon Prime Video reveals character posters from the highly anticipated Amazon Original Series Homecoming Season 2

    A week before the critically acclaimed Amazon Original Series Homecoming returns for its second season, Amazon Prime Video gives a glimpse into all key characters of the show. The new season stars Janelle Monáe, Stephan James, Oscar-winner Chris Cooper and Emmy-winner Joan Cusack, Hong Chau among others. The second season of critically acclaimed International Amazon Original Series Homecoming launches on 22nd May, 2020 across 200 countries and territories exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

    Janelle Monae

    Things can’t seem to be any worse for Jackie as she wakes up on a boat having absolutely no idea how she got there. And here begins her quest to figure out her own identity. Watch the singer-songwriter step into the spotlight as she goes head-to-head with the Geist Group as the suspense series returns on Amazon Prime Video.

    Stephan James

    With no faith in his own memories, but eager to leave his traumatic war experiences behind him, one can’t wait to see if Walter Cruz will be able to solve the mystery behind the Homecoming Initiative's guileful methods? Get set for a fascinating watch as Stephan James returns to unfold new mysteries in Amazon Prime Video's thriller Amazon Original Series Homecoming Season 2.

    Chris Cooper

    An eccentric botanist, more at home in his greenhouse than in the boardrooms of the company he created, Leonard Geist's quiet existence is all about to be disturbed. Catch the Oscar-winner playing the role of Leonard Geist, the company’s strange founder, in Amazon Prime Video's gripping thriller Homecoming Season 2.

    Joan Cusack

    Eccentric, yet so ambitious, Army Officer Francine Bunda does not shy away from unconventional tactics to get what she wants. Get ready to be kept at the edge of your seat as the Emmy winner Joan Cusack carries out/executes the nefarious purposes of Geist Group and the Homecoming Initiative in Amazon Prime Video's acclaimed drama Homecoming Season 2.

    View the character posters here: https://www.webcargo.net/l/1B6jKMfZdB/

    View the character posters on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAFUUMFAoC1/

    Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/D9NO0dhCSAg

    Synopsis:

    NEW MYSTERY. Good intentions. Erratic bosses. Mounting paranoia. Unforeseen consequences spiraling out of control.

    Homecoming’s co-showrunners and executive producers are Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, who are also the creators of the Gimlet Media podcast upon which the show is based. All episodes of the second season are directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, who also serves as Executive Producer. Homecoming Season stars, Janelle Monáe, Stephan James, Oscar-winner Chris Cooper, Emmy-winner Joan Cusack and Hong Chau among others.

    Homecoming Season 2 will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue, including Indian produced Amazon Original series such as The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all on Prime Video, which is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

    Prime members will be able to watch all episodes of Homecoming Season 2 anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, Airtel, Vodafone, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video is available in India  at no extra cost to a Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at  www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

  • ZEE5 strikes partnership with Samsung ‘My Galaxy’

    ZEE5 strikes partnership with Samsung ‘My Galaxy’

    MUMBAI: ZEE5 today announced its partnership with Samsung ‘My Galaxy’, the all-in-one entertainment app for Samsung smartphone users. The partnership will open up a new world of digital entertainment for Samsung smartphone users by giving them easy access to ZEE5’s vast content library available across 12 languages and genres. The digital content partnership will offer a seamless OTT experience to Samsung smartphone users and they will be able to access ZEE5 content from within the ‘My Galaxy’ app without installing the ZEE5 app separately.

    ZEE5 India business development and commercial head Manpreet Bumrah said, “With a wide range of entertaining content, ZEE5 with over 100+ originals across genres and languages, is India’s entertainment super app and largest original content producer. We are extremely delighted to have partnered with Samsung for their flagship ‘My Galaxy’ offering and we are confident that this synergy between the two iconic brands will further augment the entertainment quotient delivered for the audiences across Samsung devices anytime, anywhere.”

    Samsung India senior director – content and services Pramod Mundra said, “Keeping in mind the evolving entertainment needs of Indian consumers, Samsung is delighted to bring exciting content from ZEE5’s bouquet of original shows, movies, Live TV channels, and catch-up TV on its ‘My Galaxy’ App. We are confident that this content will resonate well with our consumers and keep them entertained on their Samsung smartphones.”

    Samsung smartphone users can for the first-time use ZEE5 directly without having to download the app from Google Play Store. Samsung smartphone users can simply register and start consuming ZEE5 content from within the Samsung ‘My Galaxy’ App. They can also subscribe to ZEE5 to stream premium content. Consumers get access to over 1.25 lakh hours of great content in 12 languages across original shows, movies, Live TV channels, and catch-up TV.

    ‘My Galaxy’ app provides Samsung consumers in India exciting content to meet their growing entertainment needs. It offers a unique all-in-one experience including videos, music, games, news and personalised offers and updates.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • Endemol Shine Group partners with Plex for extensive catalogue deal

    Endemol Shine Group partners with Plex for extensive catalogue deal

    MUMBAI: Global content creator, producer and distributor Endemol Shine Group today announced a multi-territory content partnership with Plex, the global streaming media company that brings your favourite content together in the highest-rated OTT video app.

    The agreement includes a raft of programming from Endemol Shine Group’s extensive library, which will be available for Plex users across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

    Popular titles, spanning a broad range of genres, include Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Bananas in Pyjamas, City Homicide, Deal or No Deal, MasterChef, McLeod’s Daughters, Mr Bean and Peaky Blinders*.

    Kasia Jablonska, head of digital distribution and monetisation, Endemol Shine Group, said: “We are very pleased to launch another partnership, which demonstrates the enormous popularity of Endemol Shine’s catalogue. Plex is a unique platform, combining more types of content in one solution than any other streaming service in the industry, including a media storage solution and an original media player experience with a vast media library. We are looking forward to working and growing our business together.”

    “Plex has always served a global audience and growing our library of content available around the world has been a top priority,” said Shawn Eldridge, vice president, strategic alliances and content, at Plex. “The quality of the Endemol Shine library is sure to appeal to a wide range of audiences and these titles are welcome additions to the Plex platform.”

    Offering all types of content together in one app, Plex is the world’s most comprehensive streaming platform. Through Plex, consumers have access to free, on-demand movies and TV shows, podcasts, web shows, news, music, over-the-air live and recorded television, as well as personal media collections. By offering access to this diverse range of content mediums, Plex provides cross-content discovery options, helping identify movies, TV, news, podcasts, and web shows consumers might enjoy based on what they’ve already watched or listened to. This advanced technology reduces decision fatigue about what to watch, making the entertainment experience actually entertaining instead of overwhelming.

    Endemol Shine Group showcase their catalogue of content beyond linear through licensing and self-publishing content and curated channels across a variety of digital platforms. From YouTube to Facebook, TikTok, Amazon, Roku, Samsung TV Plus and Tubi to name a few, Endemol Shine Group maximises opportunities across their deep content library which contains 68,000 hours of programming.

  • OTT players eye CDNs for optimised video delivery on mobile devices

    OTT players eye CDNs for optimised video delivery on mobile devices

    MUMBAI: There's no doubt that content is the most important component for over-the-top (OTT) platforms and publishers. But what has been put on the backburner is how platforms deliver content to our devices; i.e, the role of content delivery network (CDN) in the online ecosystem. During the Covid2019 lockdown, all OTT platforms and news websites have seen 2X-3X growth on average and CDNs have ensured uninterrupted consumer experience. As smartphone usage shoots up with more interactive content, CDNs need to innovate as well.

    Snapdeal CTO Prashant Parashar said during a virtual roundtable organised by Indiantelevision.com that CDNs have not focused highly on mobile devices while Indian consumers mostly consume content on smartphones. According to him, it is the right time for CDN players to innovate on the mobile side of videos and images and optimise for the newer economy in the post-Covid2019 world.

     “A lot of time we experience that video delivery is not as optimised as you would expect for mobile platforms. As new content is not being created, content consumption has spread out quite a bit. As a result, it is putting pressure on CDNs in terms of efficiency. Hence, it has become tough managing traffic,” Viacom18 Digital Ventures technology and engineering head Mohit Srivastava added.

    Limelight Networks product management senior director Michael Milligan also acknowledged that serving video to mobile devices have certain challenges. If a user is on fixed broadband, the bandwidth can be anticipated. But in terms of mobile connection, bandwidth as well as the latency may change unpredictably.

    “So from a Limelight point of view, we have done a lot to optimise how we can sustain network condition changes in real-time. We have done a lot of work in CDN and HTTP streaming capabilities to be aware of bandwidth changes quickly and to work with our customers to make it easier as things like buffer rate have a huge impact in countries where people are watching mostly on mobile. We have optimised a lot of our CDN to do that,” he added.

    “It has to do with TCP optimisation and understanding a client’s bandwidth. There are various algorithms which you can use to understand real-time bandwidth. It's a very interesting technical challenge because as you are trying to measure the bandwidth, you are actually impacting how you do that. There are some algorithms that have been developed lately by companies like Google and Netflix to help do that in a way that’s more efficient. We look at the connection real-time and understand the bandwidth and latency simultaneously,” he elaborated.

    Asked as an OTT player what he expects from a CDN, Srivastava said that cost is very important because the amount of video OTT players deliver can really change the economics of the business. But beyond cost, everyone who delivers video is looking at the quality of service that they can expect of a CDN along with the kind of configurabilty and customisability that it provides because the video has multiple use cases. He mentioned that broadcast is an easier case to serve but as soon as it comes to peer-to-peer communication, it starts becoming a challenge. According to him, CDNs have not played that important role so far in the case of such communication.

     “For customers, we are looking to have specific types of applications they want to build for something specific. We have edge computing capabilities around the world. They can use it to deploy their application. When we specifically talk about low-latency types of communication, we do have a real-time screening application that we have rolled out. We provide the ability to share video with viewers anywhere around the world in less than a second,” Milligan responded.

    EPIC ON COO Sourjya Mohanty highlighted that the challenge of compression continues to exist. Milligan added that consumer appetite for quality goes up but at the same time they need to have a compression standard. He also stated that several compression tools have come into the market. Srivastava added that it’s not only about newer compression technologies being available but also be adaptable on client devices as well. Hence, CDNs still need to evolve and invest despite being an essential requirement for the online content ecosystem. 

  • Netizens step into Covid warriors’ shoes through VMate

    Netizens step into Covid warriors’ shoes through VMate

    MUMBAI: The Internet’s new-found sensation are people disguised as policemen and doctors to express their gratitude towards and pay respect to the frontline corona warriors. Several such videos have appeared across social media boards wherein users have extensively used a new virtual sticker, launched by trending short video app VMate – one of the most downloaded social media apps globally, in the honour of the corona warriors, who have put their lives at risk to ensure that people stay safe during the novel virus outbreak.

    When a user accesses the sticker, he appears dressed as a policeman, with uniform and sunglasses that have become synonymous with cops, and then as a doctor, with surgical robe, mask and stethoscope. Also part of the sticker is some hands that appear at the bottom of the screen and clap in the honour of the frontline warriors.

    Link – https://www.facebook.com/603006289860852/videos/258225705558653/

    The text appearing along with the sticker urges all to clap so that the policemen, armymen, doctors and nurses can be felicitated. It further makes a reference to the users themselves, suggesting that even those who are adhering to the lockdown norms are helping in the ongoing fight against the novel virus. The voiceover in the backdrop of the sticker says, “Bharat aur Bharat-vasiyon ki rakshha karna hamara param kartavya hai. Har Bharatiya swasthya rahe yeh hamari zimmedari hai. Hum hamesha aapke saath hain (It is our prime duty to safeguard India as well as all Indians. It is our responsibility that all Indians remain healthy. We are always with you)”.

    This comes even as several doctors and policemen have converged to VMate in the wake of the lockdown to raise awareness and dispel misinformation concerning Covid-19. Besides, some of the reputed media groups, such as Punjab Kesari and Dainik Jagran, too joined VMate in bolstering the front against the novel virus. Recently, Indian government’s citizen engagement platform MyGovIndia also launched a profile on VMate to provide real-time official information to people and promote Aarogya Setu, a mobile application developed by the government to connect essential health services with the people of India. The 64th edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s radio show ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was also streamed live through the profile.