ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Netflix emerges as largest OTT beneficiary during lockdown: report

    Netflix emerges as largest OTT beneficiary during lockdown: report

    MUMBAI: With the first phase of the lockdown coming to an end, it has become evident that the over the top (OTT) streaming industry has picked pace. It is, perhaps, one of the few industries that will emerge positively out of the economic impact of this pandemic. Streaming colossal Netflix has emerged as the largest beneficiary among OTTs.

    According to a report from KalaGato, which takes into account the lockdown period of 5 February to 29 March, Netflix users have been spending an average of eighty minutes a day on the platform by the time the lockdown was in place. Recently, the streaming service, which is still considered as a premium, has churned out original episodic content as well as digital movies which have gained word of mouth like Jaamtara, Taaj Mahal 1989 and Yeh Ballet. 

    “Juxtapose this with Hotstar that has experienced a thirty per cent decline in total session time. This could be a result of the different content libraries of the two platforms. Netflix creates the sensation of an endless well of content while Hotstar’s library feels much more limited. Netflix is built for binge-watching while the other feels more point and shoot,” the report added. 

    In the same period, the open rate of Netflix and MX Player went up by 68 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. Both platforms have seen an increase in daily active users as well. Netflix’s DAU has jumped by 102 per cent whereas MX Player has experienced a 14 per cent spike. Despite a falling open rate, Amazon Prime Video which has recently pushed some of its premium content before the paywall, has gained 83 per cent more DAUs.

    On the other hand, the leader in the Indian OTT space has witnessed a fall in both DAUs and open rates by 55 per cent and 43 per cent respectively. The report attributes the weaker performance of Hotstar to the absence of a sporting event, the USP of Hotstar’s popularity. However, the case may change soon with the launch of Disney+ in India as the rebranded Disney+Hotstar service already has around eight million subscribers.

  • ALTBalaji raises fund for distribution of food for needy

    ALTBalaji raises fund for distribution of food for needy

    MUMBAI:  ALTBalaji, one of the country’s leading homegrown OTT platforms, has initiated fundraising for the distribution of food for the needy and the underprivileged as the country is reeling under the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund will be used to extend a helping hand to the daily wage earners, labourers and the underprivileged who are struggling to make ends meet.  

    ALTBalaji has associated with Impact Guru to support Annamrita Foundation, who are putting their best foot forward towards ensuring that the underprivileged do not go hungry. With the help of the fundraising, ALTBalaji aims to reach out to maximum people to ensure they get their share of meals and are able to survive the lockdown period with dignity. ALTBalaji will be donating Re 1 for every subscription that they get on their app till 30 April and urges the viewers and people across the country to donate to the cause as well.

    The donation page can be accessed here https://altbalaji.impactguru.com/.

    With crowdfunding being the quickest way to collaborate and mobilize support during times of a crisis, ALTBalaji and Annamitra foundation will utilize the funds in buying grocery items such as lentils, rice, vegetables, cooking oil, flour etc., for meals to be distributed. ALTBalaji will be urging its users and followers via in-app notifications, social media posts and other efforts as this is the time for one to give back to the society and make a difference.

    “It is the need of the hour for all of us to show support to each other and society. Through this effort, the aim is to reach out to the masses and appeal to them by leveraging the combined strength of platforms: ALTBalaji, ImpactGuru and Annamitra. These funds will be utilized to feed the underprivileged across cities and we hope our subscribers and followers will also lend their extensive support as we all stand as one in such tough times,”  ALTBalaji CEO and Balaji Telefilms group COO Nachiket Pantvaidya said.

  • Movie Studio Inc acquires BINGE Networks

    Movie Studio Inc acquires BINGE Networks

    MUMBAI: The Movie Studio Inc., a vertically integrated motion picture production company, has executed a memorandum of understanding to acquire BINGE Networks, LLC. Both parties are conducting due diligence and in the near future seek to complete their transaction and enter into a Letter of Intent (LOI).

    BINGE Networks is an award-winning streaming media platform, recipient of the Most Innovative Media Content Monetizing & Streaming Platform CV-Magazine-USA 2019 and New York 2019 Award Programing. The BINGE App is built into over 100 smart TV networks, providing the ability to globally and instantly syndicate and monetise content through key strategic partnerships throughout the streaming media industry. The company offers five core revenue streams: streaming packages, subscription video on demand (SVOD), advertiser video on demand (AVOD), transactional video on demand (TVOD) and platform syndication.

    BINGE Networks’ operations and assets are synergistic to The Movie Studio’s growth-by-acquisition business model, in which the company aims to secure a leading market position based on ad streaming measurements and big data analytic trends vying for uptick viewership.

    With the fast-growing OTT industry projecting revenues of US $78.2 billion by 2023, BINGE Networks has the potential to help The Movie Studio achieve its goal, leveraging the company’s ability to provide streamers a competitive edge by offering a single hub that enables multiple ways for content creators to earn revenues and establish relationships with many different networks.

    BINGE Networks distributes entertainment content for AVOD digital delivery on over 100 OTT platforms. Major revenue distribution partners are Roku TV, Tiki Live, Video Elephant, Glewd TV, Daily Motion, Endavo, Apple TV, Google Play Store, Amazon Fire and Android App Store, among others.

    The company’s streaming media platforms are Roku, Apple and Amazon apps, which are combined with strategic partners to bring BINGE TV content to over 100 smart TV networks. Its content library contains approximately 15,000 videos and 300 indie films and powers 46 apps on Roku and 77 on Amazon Fire. New ones are added almost daily on Amazon Fire and 125 live channels that comprise the video library.

    Using a defined marketing strategy, The Movie Studio intends to vertically integrate the assets and infrastructure of BINGE Networks with the Company’s current OTT and app for dissemination of The Movie Studio content and cross-pollination of the advertisers and strategic partners.

    The Movie Studio is establishing its own OTT VOD platform to integrate its own, as well as aggregated, feature film projects, television programming
    and other media intellectual properties.

    Ongoing streaming wars are allowing small competitors like The Movie Studio to capitalize on creatively designed digital business models. The company actively implements a “growth-by-acquisition” strategy that calls for significant purchases, resolution upgrades and remonetizing initiatives. 

  • Digital marketing becomes mainstay for OTT platforms during COVID-19

    Digital marketing becomes mainstay for OTT platforms during COVID-19

    MUMBAI: The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works of every single organisation. Even as the media and entertainment industry comes to terms with this ‘new normal’, the over the top (OTT) industry seems to have got a thrust. As digital viewership keeps increasing week on week, it is imperative for streaming services to ensure viewers are aware and engaged.

    Right at the beginning of the lockdown, several services opened up their premium content for free viewing. Since there is hardly any chance in the resumption of OOH advertising in the next few weeks or even months, OOT platforms are mulling over innovative ideas to attract and retain customers. In part two of this series, we explore how these platforms are communicating to its consumers who are stuck at home and hungry for good content.

    The BARC-Nielsen report states that VOD viewership on digital is at 3 hours 59 minutes a day in week three of lockdown, with a 12 per cent increase from pre-COVID time. This is being fuelled by movies and original series. Understanding this change, services have shifted their OOH spends to these two mediums.

    On the digital front, ZEE5 is focusing on reach and frequency campaigns along with expertise on entertainment and news websites. “News and entertainment are our two key segments on digital and TV now since people’s attention is currently diverted there. We have moved a lot of our OOH display advertising to the digital medium. We have also started a lot of video advertising,” says ZEE5 India SVOD marketing head Reilly Rebello.

    Voot Select and Viacom18 youth, music and English entertainment head Ferzad Palia is confident that Voot Select, which launched days before the country went into lockdown, has a huge slate of originals that can easily attract consumers. With the ongoing crisis, the aim is to focus on creating awareness. One of the ways is through chat shows with talented artists from their shows. Palia says that Voot had intended to take this approach even without a lockdown.

    According to Palia, the impact lies in how effectively they use the two available mediums – TV and digital – in the crisis as the words need to be maximised.

    ALTBalaji, the streaming service from the house of Balaji Telefilms, struck a deal with Zee TV to air some of its family dramas. The duo also has an OTT partnership in place. ALTBalaji marketing, analytics & direct revenue SVP Divya Dixit says that for them, digital marketing comprises all social media handles, platforms and websites that are being accessed by the audience.

    “We create backlinks across our media communications to ensure our website witnesses a continuous influx of new and existing users. Influencer marketing is another tool that has worked wonders for us and the shows. When you see actors and vloggers talking about the show and the characters directly with their fanbase, it tends to create a personal bond with the audience and engages them in the journey of their favourite characters and actors,” she says.

    She adds that memes have become mainstream and an important and engaging tool for marketers. So, ALTBalaji has incorporated meme marketing as an integral part of its marketing campaigns. “Besides Instagram and Twitter, we also actively use WhatsApp to engage with audiences,” she adds.

    Switching over to digital, ZEE5 has started moving press screenings online. Rebello says that they have sent the key information to reviewers and media people along with a link to a 20-30 minutes preview.

    MX Player launched eight shows in March and the first week of April for which campaigns were seen across social media to create personalised experiences. “We have digital PR, an increase in spends on mobile marketing, optimising performance marketing to reach out to viewers at every possible touchpoint as well as contextual advertising. More so, since our own platform hosts 75 million daily active users, we have used our own internal inventory to cross-promote across categories. It’s more personalised with focused audience buckets,” MX Player marketing and business partnerships head Abhishek Joshi says.

    Hungama Digital Media COO Siddhartha Roy states that on the basis of the double-digit growth in consumption Hungama Play has noticed on the platform since the beginning of March, it will continue channel marketing spends on the digital medium for the next set of original shows that are ready for release.

    It is an opportune time for streaming platforms to target existing customers as well as attain new ones to sample the content in the hope that not only viewership but also revenue through advertising and subscription will increase over time.

  • COVID-19 crisis changes internet user behaviour

    COVID-19 crisis changes internet user behaviour

    MUMBAI: There has been a palpable shift in data traffic and internet user behaviour since COVID-19 hit the globe, particularly in India, with all its public measures in the fight against the pandemic, according to leading carrier and data centre neutral internet exchange operator on the Indian sub-continent DE-CIX India.

    DE-CIX India has seen an increase in overall data traffic of more than 20 per cent compared to the time before COVID-19 (end of February 2020). Also, with social distancing and the increasing adoption of the work-from-home system, networks are facing challenges, since the entire business internet traffic has shifted from business districts into residential areas. This increased the use of collaboration tools. Furthermore, online video streaming has increased by 120 per cent, and gaming by more than 80 per cent. Data traffic and internet usage during peak hours increased to new levels, with a 38 per cent increase in ISP traffic.

    “People face the challenge to act almost 100 per cent online: private, business-wise, and regarding the education of children and students. In times when everyone has to practice social distancing and perhaps self-isolate, a direct connection to family, friends, and the company environment via the various private and business applications is essential. These applications and the exchange of data must run smoothly, so trust in technology is a big issue. DE-CIX ensures with its infrastructure that people can rely on the applications now required in the desired smooth and resilient quality. We make sure that even though we are physically locked, we are still digitally unlocked,” said DE-CIX International CEO Ivo Ivanov.

    He further added: “Homes have turned into offices. The digital shift as a consequence of an increased demand for internet access and the related increase in data traffic now also makes evident the significance of digital infrastructures as the backbone of world economies. We are seeing the increase in capacities with the major global and regional internet and content providers. In some cases, the capacities have been more than doubled. Governments and businesses also need to support the implementation of reliable high bandwidth internet access with a proper framework and judicious investments to ensure the smooth functioning of digital business that currently drives the economy. This includes the deployment of better and bigger pipes to cover the demand arising out of the usage of digital applications – both private and business.”

    DE-CIX India operates digital infrastructure with fibre optic cables, which ensures a secure, resilient and smooth interconnection between connected networks; it takes on the neutral role of a “data intermediary”. Through its four markets in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, it provides direct interconnection ensuring that the quality of applications remains stable and internet service providers can thus guarantee the resilience of their networks and the provision of a high quality internet access for their users. 

  • hoichoi launches live TV with FTA channels

    hoichoi launches live TV with FTA channels

    MUMBAI: hoichoi has another innovation up its sleeve – it’s incorporating a Live TV section on the hoichoi App and website.

    As the name suggests, Live TV will have certain ‘Free-To-Air Channels’ that will simultaneously broadcast on hoichoi. However, hoichoi went up a notch to create its own segment titled ‘hoichoi Channels’ which will have carefully curated content from hoichoi’s vast library of movies and shows where the user does not have to go through discovering or searching a specific content. This segment is differentiated by genres; an initiative by hoichoi to increase engagement on the platform, to cater to audience of all ages.

    Over time, hoichoi has seen significant growth in its consumption on TV devices like Fire TV, Android TV, Mi TV, Apple TV and Roku. A major reason for this spike has been the growth in its 35+ users who have now become one of the top demographic segments for hoichoi. Most of these people prefer and enjoy the functionality of a TV channel. As such, hoichoi decided to curate some of the best content from its library to cater to these users.

    Though a few OTT platforms in India have already consolidated a Live TV section, hoichoi stands out as the first OTT platform to create its own segment of Live Content Binge Watch; the user gets the look and feel of television with various premium movies and web series, all in one app.

    The hoichoi channel sections have been divided genre-wise and is part of the current hoichoi subscription. The FTA (Free-To-Air) segment is free of any cost for customers along with the hoichoi free tab. The details given below:

    hoichoi Blockbusters 

    A channel that promises to keep you entertained with its blockbuster Bengali movies, non-stop! Get closer to your favourite Bengali actors from Prosenjit to Dev, Anirban Bhattacharya to Mimi, Abir to Parambrata, and their superhit films like Durgeshgorer Guptodhon to Amazon Obhijaan, Shah Jahan Regency to Crisscross, Chander Pahar to Baishe Srabon and the list is endless. For the first time, you have never-ending collection of Bengali Blockbusters at your fingertips, curated to your taste. 

    hoichoi Comedy 

    A channel to provide you endless laughter…enjoy a laughter riot with a bouquet of Bengali web series like Eken Babu, Japani Toy or Dupur Thakurpo and an array of films starting from classics like Sharey Chuattor, Mouchak or Bhanu Pelo Lottery, to recent hits like Bibaho Obhijaan, Roga Howar Sohoj Upay, Obhishopto Nighty, Haripada Bandwala and so on. Take a tour through this channel and let the laughing saga continue. 

    hoichoi Free 

    Non-stop entertainment and that too for Free, isn't that a stellar deal? Here's the one stop location for all genres of entertainment starting from Bengali movies, like Bidhatar Khela, Aandha Prem, Agni Juddho to Bengali Short Films, like Biulir Dal o Alo Posto, Audition and Wallet.  On top of that get a taste of their Originals like Hello, Dhanbad Blues, Charitraheen for which some the episodes are available for free consumption and so much more. 

    hoichoi Family 

    Binging on blockbusters or classics, with the whole family around – what's better than that? A one-stop destination for non-stop Bengali entertainment, perfect for your family with variety of Bengali movies like Posto, Mukherjee Dar Bou, Shubhodrishti, Prem Amar, Bibaho Diaries, Haami and the list is endless. Fix a movie date and enjoy binge watching with the youngest and the eldest member of the household. 

    hoichoi Classics 

    Take a trip down the memory lane with characters from Pather Panchali,  Sanyasi Raja, Mouchak or with the iconic duo Goopy Bagha in Hirok Rajar Deshe. Let Sata Bose from Chowringhee welcome you to a plethora of Bengali classic cinemas, anytime, anywhere. So, if you want to submerge yourself into non-stop nostalgia, this is the place. 

    hoichoi Thrillers 

    If you are in the mood to have a chill run down your spine with mind-bending thrillers, search no more! Be it the eccentricities of Byomkesh or your next door Bouma Detective, spend your day solving mysteries and busting crimes with your favourite sleuths. From the drama and thrill of Hello or Paap, from the darkness of the internet in Dark Web or Six, hoichoi has lined up a crazy list of top-notch thrillers to keep you hooked to #WatchFromHome. 

    In addition to the above, hoichoi will have several TV channels on the platform, all free to watch, for its audience. hoichoi has segregated this to 24*7 news, music and music videos and other forms of entertainment a television provides as a medium. 

    The TV channels section currently include: 

    Kolkata TV 

    One of the top Bengali news channels that not only provides news 24*7 but also entertainment with multiple interviews of Bengali artistes, events and latest blockbuster songs. 

    Sangeet Bangla 

    The no. 1 Bengali music channel – serves as a suitable platform for the film and music industry of Bengal, acting as a perfect media partner to reach the target viewership. It is an endeavour to showcase the resplendent Bengali culture through its music and movies, which is unique and typically a characteristic of the land. 

    Bangla Talkies 

    Good packaging, high production standards and quality content have positioned the channel as one of the most preferred choice of the Bengali music loving audience. From break-free compilations to karaoke and retro to romantic, BT offers a variety of shows showcasing different genre of music and moods serving an audience of all age groups. 

    DD Bangla 

    The classic Doordarshan in Bengali language. The network’s programming consists of a library of serials, infotainment series, cartoons, news and current affairs, social programs and even films. the network's programming consists of soap operas. 

    Aamar Cinema 

    A 24-hour Bengali Movie Channel for the mass! It is a mirror of daily life, happiness and sorrow, struggle and enjoyment, relations and deviation. All kinds of flavours are explored in this channel – “Bangliana” will be reflected like a spectrum through this kaleidoscope. 

    Sadhna News 

    Catering to the contemporary and the traditional viewers, this Hindi 24*7 news channel focusses on News and Entertainment. 

  • Sony Corp takes equity stake in Chinese online platform Bilibili

    Sony Corp takes equity stake in Chinese online platform Bilibili

    MUMBAI: Sony Corp America (SCA) will pay Chinese online entertainment platform Bilibili $400 million in an all-cash transaction. On completion of the deal, the two companies will work together to tap the Chinese market, especially in sectors such as mobile games and anime.

    Once the deal is closed, SCA will own around 4.98 per cent of Bilibili's total issued shares.

    Bilibili, which started as an animation website targeted at and popular among younger audiences, now seeks to diversify into other areas like music videos, documentaries, and e-sports, attracting more than 130 million users per month. Its offerings include videos, live broadcasting and mobile games. Bilibili has primarily been known for its user-generated, short-form content. Of late, it has ventured into professional content-making, extending its bouquet of offerings to documentaries and long-form films. Its recent partnership includes the one with Discovery and China Intercontinental Communication Center to make “COVID-19: Battling the Devil,” about China’s battle against the virus.

    “The strategic investment and business cooperation (by Sony) further align our goals to bring best-in-class content offerings and services to our users, as we increase our (Chinese) domestic stronghold in animation and mobile games,” said Bilibili CEO and chairman Rui Chen.

  • How OTT players re-calibrate OOH advertising during social distancing

    How OTT players re-calibrate OOH advertising during social distancing

    MUMBAI: The world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented crisis in living memory that has almost crippled our everyday lives and left the whole country deserted. And the reality has been unpalatable to the media and entertainment industry, especially the outdoor advertising segment, which is bearing the brunt of the stay-at-home/social distancing stipulations.

    The out-of-home (OOH) medium has been one of the go-to points for OTT services in India so much so that leading streaming platforms had started outdoing even retail brands in OOH advertising. Now, with that option totally shut, streaming services are looking at ways to re-calibrate their ad spends. 

    In this new series, we explore how the OTT industry is coping with its communication strategies amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We start off with the OOH industry. 

    As people have suddenly been forced to shift to seek entertainment online, digital advertising has gained traction. However, none of the platforms denies the importance of OOH in the media mix.

    ALTBalaji marketing, analytics & direct revenue SVP Divya Dixit says that the platform has been at the forefront of executing creative and innovative OOH formats for its varied shows. However, she mentions that their strategies have always been a mix of varied tools, and in times such as these, they seek to explore the rest of them with innovation and uniqueness. 

    "For marketers, with OOH advertisement being suspended, it does create a dent in the overall marketing outreach. As all of us exercise the mandatory stay-at-home-stay-safe measure during the lockdown, audiences across the country are now consuming content digitally every part of the day. In such a situation, digital marketing, buoyed by social media, influencer marketing, meme marketing, OBD calls, SMS and email blasts etc., can prove to be the best bet for brands right now. Especially for a digital-first platform like ours, it promises to play a crucial role in the overall marketing mix, seeing 50 per cent of the allotted marketing budget," she adds.

    Hungama Digital Media COO Siddhartha Roy comments that the stay-at-home measure has enabled the TV and digital media to find captive audiences while the audience for OOH and other forms of outdoor and experiential marketing has decreased dramatically. "As a platform, we realised a long time ago that our audience is present on the digital medium; hence, our marketing strategy, even in the past, has been heavily skewed towards digital and social platforms," he says.

    Broadcaster-led platforms, like VOOT, ZEE5, etc., whose traditional business has also been bullish on OOH, accept it as a key component of the media mix. Voot Select and Viacom18 youth, music and English entertainment head Ferzad Palia says that outdoor is very important when a new service is launching, especially in markets like Mumbai. But he also adds that they have never been over-indexed on outdoor; hence, cutting back on this area is not a huge change. While having an outdoor option could have been an advantage, he mentions the OOH spends are being shifted to a mix of TV and digital ads.

    ZEE5 India SVOD marketing head Reilly Rebello also echoes Palia's thoughts. While terming OOH as a key component of its advertising mix, he does not forget to mention that there are a lot of other mediums that have been used regularly. Rebello also says that they are focusing a lot on digital and TV. ZEE5 India is doing heavy targetted advertising on the ZEE5 app while focusing on other digital mediums. A major part of ZEE5's OOH cost has moved to the digital medium.

    However, TheSmallBigIdea CEO and co-founder Harikrishnan Pillai has a different take. He is of the view that outdoor was never a pivot platform for OTT. According to Pillai, while OOH builds perception and is a great reminder medium, it is seldom the core medium. "What outdoor helped OTT do is place itself alongside broadcast television in terms of scale. Over the years, TV has built a perception on the back of the outdoors. So for OTT, which is digital-first, absence of outdoor doesn't matter much in these times, since TV, too, isn't making much use of it," he says.

    "Given the stay-at-home, stay-safe mandate, a lot of outdoor media has had to be removed from the marketing media mix, but at MX Player, we firmly believe that all else can wait, but your daily dose of entertainment must go on. We've gone live with eight shows just in the month of March and the first week of April," MX Player marketing and business partnerships head Abhishek Joshi states.

    While OOH hoardings stay barren for now, the hope is that the industry will be back on track after this crisis passes us.

  • Short video app VMate launches ‘Myth Buster’ to spread corona-related info issued by WHO

    Short video app VMate launches ‘Myth Buster’ to spread corona-related info issued by WHO

    MUMBAI: Trending short video app VMate, which has taken a slew of measures to help people in the prevailing lockdown condition triggered by the outbreak of COVID-19, has taken yet another step to bust myths doing the rounds on various social media platforms. VMate, among the 10 most downloaded social media apps globally, has now launched a dedicated profile to help users get corona-related information that is confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyvTkTMMH4s

    Taking into consideration its userbase and ensure better communication, the profile caters the information in an animated form and the language chosen for the same is Hindi. The profile has also been aptly titled ‘Myth Buster’, in accordance with its purpose. The idea behind the profile is to check the spread and impact of rumors doing rounds on social media platforms and give relevant and correct information to the users. Some of the facts that have been presented through videos in the profile include:

    ·        Hot and humid climate does not prevent the spread of coronavirus

    ·        There is no evidence to substantiate the claim that consumption of garlic can help prevent coronavirus

    ·        People from all age groups are susceptible to coronavirus and not just the elderlies

    ·        Antibiotics do not act as a safeguard against the virus

    ·        Breathing exercise cannot be helpful in the diagnosis of the virus

    ·        Rinsing nose repeatedly is no safeguard against the virus

    The facts furnished on the profile have been designed in a Q&A format, making the videos interactive in nature. Clear text coupled with simple illustrations further ensures clarity in the intended communication. The text has also been converted into video and animation format to maximize the reach of the message among the masses and help them understand the technicalities in the simplest possible manner. In each of the videos, the text has also been read out in the audio format. There is also an option for users to share videos on different social media and instant messaging platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Thousands of VMate users have already followed the page within a short span of its launch.

    Following the outbreak of the novel virus and announcement of 21-day countrywide lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government, short video app VMate has taken a number of initiatives to help its users. VMate had roped in some reputed doctors who not just busted myths, but also guided people on the Dos and Don’ts in the prevailing situation. Apart from keeping the users informed, the app has also taken up the responsibility of keeping them entertained and engaged during the lockdown situation.

    Recently, the app launched the VMate Corona Anthem, a foot-tapping song spreading the right message related to the pandemic. It urges people to adhere to the practice of Namaste, wash hands repeatedly and use masks. It asserts that Indians would emerge as winners in the ongoing war against coronavirus. The song was sung and composed by Advait Nemlekar, a popular Bollywood name who has worked in projects like ‘Saand ki Aankh’ and ‘Special Ops’, among others.

    Simultaneously, VMate is also running a #21DaysChallenge wherein users are given a fresh challenge each day with the intention of keeping them confined in their homes and maintain a positive frame of mind. In addition to this, the app has also launched three games – a Super Mario-themed game, a quiz and a ‘kill Corona with Masks' sticker. In the Mario-based game, the flowers and the mushrooms have been replaced with sanitizers and masks while the Mario has been replaced with a tweaked version of the VMate mascot, Vivi, who holds an anti-corona flag to turn into an anti-corona mascot.

  • Disney+Hotstar boasts of 8 mn paid subscribers

    Disney+Hotstar boasts of 8 mn paid subscribers

    MUMBAI: Disney+ is making noise in the market even after its launch as it has surpassed the 50 million subscriber mark globally. The new streaming service from the mouse house has been racing ahead of all its guidance numbers and has reached the magnificent number within five months of its launch. Disney+ became available last week in India, where it is offered in conjunction with the existing Hotstar service, and already accounts for approximately eight million subscribers.

    “We’re truly humbled that Disney+ is resonating with millions around the globe, and believe this bodes well for our continued expansion throughout western Europe and into Japan and all of Latin America later this year,” Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International chairman Kevin Mayer said.

    The number has almost doubled in two months as it reported 28.6 million Disney+ paid subscribers as of 3 February. In the past two weeks, Disney+ rolled out in eight western European countries including the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. 

    “Great storytelling inspires and uplifts, and we are in the fortunate position of being able to deliver a vast array of great entertainment rooted in joy and optimism on Disney+,” Mayer added. 

    These few weeks have been a bonanza for OTT services. Due to countrywide lockdown, more viewers are consuming online video content and signing up to more services. In India, the time spent on smartphones, the primary device to consume OTT content,  has also gone up.