Category: Over The Top Services

Vidnet 2019 to discuss how to engage the OTT consumer

MUMBAI: While user acquisition comes in the priority list of over-the-top players in India, maintaining consumer engagement also seems to remain a challenge. Although a number of new users are flocking to OTT platforms, many of them don’t stay on the platform for long. To stay relevant in the highly competitive market, OTT players should focus on consumer needs to keep them engaged.

At the stage of Vidnet 2019, experts from the industry will discuss on the topic – Competing for Consumer Engagement. The session will provide insights on different approaches adopted by platforms to keep their subscribers hooked.

Many reports have indicated that brand loyalty is not very high among digital audiences as a number of apps are abandoned pretty quickly. Poor app interface, lack of personalised content and recommendation, and lack of quality content are among the most important causes of this challenge.

Easier content discovery, data-driven marketing approach with the use of AI and machine learning, tracing consumer behaviour properly can help the platforms to overcome this challenge. As retention of consumer should be given equal priority to customer acquisition, the panel discussion on 3 October at Vidnet stage will dive deep into the topic.

September 28, 2019
Vidnet 2019 to lead OTT industry discussions on monetisation

MUMBAI: Video streaming services are in the race to grab the attention of India's surging internet audience. Streaming platforms have left no stones unturned with their investments. However, the question mark on monetising content still remains.

While advertising has been the primary monetisation mode till now, subscription will have to catch up soon.

A recent report by MPA also predicted that subscription will form a major chunk of revenue for OTT platforms in the coming years.

At the stage of Vidnet 2019 , experts from the industry will discuss the pressing issue of fine tuning models of monetisation – a session that assesses the challenges video-on-demand services face in pocketing a share of the consumer's wallet, a deep dive into new monetising models, sachet pricing and the potential of branded solutions.

There is no single solution for monetisation in a dynamic market like India. It depends on factors such as content genre, target audience, scale and competition. However, OTT players are attempting many ways such as sachet pricing, content bundling, regional packs, offline payments and collaboration. A session at the Vidnet Summit on 3 October will capture all questions related to the issue.

September 27, 2019
ZEE5 Global wins ‘Digital Content Service of The Year’ at Telecoms World Middle East Awards

MUMBAI: ZEE5 Global, the largest global entertainment platform for Indian content, has been crowned Digital Content Service of The Year at the 2019 Telecoms World Middle East Awards in Dubai. The ‘Digital Content Service of The Year’ award recognizes OTT platforms, content providers or broadcasters in the region who have set themselves apart in a hyper-competitive industry. The award was received by Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global from a panel of judges at a ceremony held at The Conrad Hotel, Dubai on 24th September.

As the largest and most comprehensive OTT platform for Indian content worldwide, ZEE5 Global is well loved by not only Indians and South Asians across the Middle East but also the local population that loves Bollywood movies. ZEE5 Global’s library includes over 2000 movies including latest Bollywood blockbusters as well as TV Shows, exclusive Originals, 60+ Live TV channels and more, across 17 languages, making it a truly unparalleled global offering.

A freemium proposition, ZEE5 Global has been extremely aggressive in the Middle East market. The platform has already partnered with key players in the region to enable users to seamlessly access the premium content via telco billing and also built key offline retail partnerships with LuLu and Eurostar. ZEE5 Global has also recently partnered with Jalesh Cruises.

Amit Goenka, CEO, ZEE International and ZEE5 Global said “As we expand across the globe, we are deeply committed to offering a highly localised entertainment experience for our audiences across key markets. The Middle East is one of the most dynamic and competitive regions in the world, and we are extremely happy to have been recognised for our performance here.”

Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global said, “We are thrilled to receive this recognition within the first year of our presence in global markets. Telecoms World Middle East is a highly coveted platform and we are glad that our efforts and ambitions especially in an important market like the Middle East are being recognised. Through a strong tech backbone, key ecosystem partnerships, high quality content including a huge library of Bollywood movies, and well-defined audience strategies, this win further fuels our drive to deliver the best entertainment experience to our global audiences.”

September 26, 2019
Gaana Originals unveils Love Edition Season 3 with India’s Most Popular Musicians

MUMBAI: Music is undoubtedly the most universal language of love. After the success of Gaana Originals Season 2 last year which achieved more than 220 mn playouts, the music app touted to be one of India’s largest has now launched the third edition of its Originals – Love Edition, and it promises to be bigger and better this time around.

The album features an impressive lineup of artists, ranging from Salim – Suleiman, Papon, Meet Bros, Tony Kakkar, Ankit Tiwari, Arko, Sonu Nigam, Kumar Sanu, Dev Negi, Nikhil D’ Souza and Sonu Kakkar among others, the latest season has already launched 4 tracks – ‘Aawara Shaam Hai’, ‘Neendo Se Breakup’, ‘Follow Me’, and ‘Zaroori Hai Kya Ishq Mein’. These tracks are based on the common theme of love and longing are the perfect feel-good ballads that'll remind you of your first crush or celebrate the special connection you enjoy with your other half. These tracks have delivered more than 40 mn playouts in the last 1 month.

Speaking on Gaana Originals, music composer Salim Merchant said “Originals are the best and purest form of music that comes straight from the heart of an artist. It requires dedication and continuous effort to keep on innovating and staying relevant over time, which is really difficult and rare in today’s scenario. I really appreciate the efforts of the Gaana team in putting together a platform for Independent artists to showcase their talent and creativity”.

“Love is best set to music—no matter where you may be. It's hard to think of a more universal human emotion than love, and over the last two years we have delivered a great list of love tracks for our users to fall back on, no matter the circumstance. With Gaana Originals Love Edition, we have collaborated with some of the most gifted musicians in the country to ensure that in the throes of 2019, music lovers have the choicest of melodies to fuel their love lives”, Prashan Agarwal, CEO, Gaana said

September 26, 2019
ZEE5 strengthens its rgional news content; adds Polimer News – tamil nadus most preferred news channel

MUMBAI: ZEE5, India's fastest growing ConTech brand,has strengthened its LIVE TV offering in the news content space by addingTamil Nadu’s most preferred news channel PolimerNews.With this addition, ZEE5’s news portfolio will offer uninterrupted access to state/country specific local news specially curated for all its subscribers across various languages.Having launched its operations in February 2018 with a strong acquired content portfolio and successively strengthening its original content portfolio, ZEE5 has now strongly established its news section too.

Polimer News is an Indian television channel based in Chennai, India. It was launched by Kalyana Sundaram as a local TV station in Salem, which was carried only on subscription providers. It later changed its programming to an entertainment network and expanded its coverage area to the whole State of Tamil Nadu.

Aparna Acharekar, Programming Head, ZEE5 India said,“With this partnership, ZEE5 will open its platform forTamil languageviewers who want to be constantly updated about the latest happenings in and around the globe through Tamil Nadu’smost preferrednews channel, Polimer News. Our association with the channel aligns well with our commitment to making ZEE5 as India’s only multilingual OTT platform as the one-stop destination for digital news consumption anytime, anywhere.”

P V Kalyansundaram, Founder and Owner, Polimer TV said “The increasing growth in the world of OTT has disrupted the information and entertainment industry. We are thrilled and privileged to join hands with ZEE5, as it gives easy access to our viewers to watch content on their smartphones. This partnership helps us to widen our reach among the young audience. Currently, PolimerNews is the leading news network catering to All districts across Tamil Nadu.With this association, we are certain that ZEE5 will have a great opportunity and upsurge in their engagement among Tamilian audience.”

ZEE5 has a wide news library of leading regional channels on the platform such as Doordarshan News, 24 Ghanta and Raj News. Additionally, the platform also gives viewers access to India’s biggest news channel Republic TV, international news channels such as BBC World News, CNN and Chardikla Time TV.

Since its launch,ZEE5 has been focused on bringing a wide range of content to its regional viewers including catch-up TV, Original Content, digital premieres of blockbuster movies and so on. ZEE5 has rolled out around 25 original shows across genres, and the platform is committed to launching 72+ shows by March 2020. It has crossed 70 million+ gross downloads since launch on the Play Store and had 76.4 million global monthly active users globally as of June 2019.

September 26, 2019
ZEE5 goes big on south; brings Asianet News and Suvarna News on its platform

MUMBAI: ZEE5, India's fastest growing ConTech brand,has partnered with Asianet News Network (Asianet and Suvarna News) to offer live news streaming in Malayalam andKannada. This is the first time since its launch in February 2018, that ZEE5 will offer live streaming of news in Malayalamand Kannada languages to its subscribers. This collaboration will offer ZEE5subscribers a holistic viewing experience, including news and entertainment on the go.

Asianet News Network is one of the leading news networks in South India, and Asianet News and Suvarna News are among the most popular in the states of Kerala and Karnataka respectively.The collaboration additionallyoffers five content pieces every dayand catch-up content for both languages i.e. Malayalam and Kannada respectively.

Aparna Acharekar, Programming Head,ZEE5 India said,“While we have some of the biggest names in national news broadcast on our platform, we are now thrilled to welcome Asianet News and Suvarna News into our portfolio. Consumers will now be able to catch up on their day’s dose of entertainment and news at a single click – web series, movies, music, news in their favourite language. Through this association, we have further showcased our commitment to fortify ZEE5’s position as one of the preferredregional OTTplatforms in the country today.”

Abhinav Khare, CEO, Asianet News Groupsaid“Digital is one of the fastest evolving platforms in the news industry today. The alliance plays to bothpartner's individual strength in which the viewer emerges the winner. With growing number of people who prefer one touch solutions to avail information on trends and developmentsit will give both of usan opportunity to widen our reach among the audience. ZEE5 is, today, one of the top regional content producers in the OTT space, and hence collaborating with them seemed a natural next step. We hope this partnership will allow our viewers across the country to access news on our channels, no matter where they are.”

Since its launch,ZEE5 has been focused on bringing a wide range of content to its regional viewers including catch-up TV, Original Content, digital premieres of blockbuster movies and so on. ZEE5 has rolled out around 25 original shows across genres, and the platform is committed to launching 72+ shows by March 2020. It has crossed 70 million+ gross downloads since launch on the Play Store and had 76.4 million global monthly active users globally as of June 2019.

September 26, 2019
SonyLIV brings Season 3 of the popular American drama series The Good Doctor

MUMBAI: “Disability need not be an obstacle to success”. These words by Stephen Hawking are words to live by! When one’s passion and spirit remain undeterred, no challenge can come in the way of excelling in life. A similar story of Dr. Shaun Murphy is all set to take you through an eventful journey, yet again. SonyLIV, India’s first premium video on demand (VOD) service, brings to you the third season of the popular American drama series, The Good Doctor, which will go live on the platform, one new episode every Tuesday at 8:00 AM.

The Good Doctor is a story of a talented young surgeon, Dr. Shaun Murphy, played by popular actor Freddie Highmore, with savant syndrome, who is on a mission to save lives, amidst the many roadblocks that take a dramatic turn of events during the series. Picking up from the thrilling finale of Season 2, where Dr. Shaun acts out to the new Chief of Surgery Dr. Jackson, as he gets demoted, Season 3 of the hit series will unfold the drama that will come in Shaun’s way and his brewing relationship with co-worker, Dr. Carly Lever, played by actor Jasika Nicole. While season 1 and 2, replete with thrill kept viewers on the edge, Season 3 will showcase a journey of hope, love and goodwill in its own extraordinary way.

The launch of The Good Doctor Season 3 will further build onto the English content catalogue of SonyLIV, which is home to some of the top rated and quality shows like Power, Mr Mercedes Unforgettable, The Handmaid’s Tale, Community, Counterpart, Riviera amongst many others. Home to some of the most prestigious titles such as the ASCAP Screen Music Awards, Seoul International Drama Awards for Most Popular Foreign Drama of the Year and the Best Drama series of all time at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, The Good Doctor is back with its third instalment that promises to be another exciting watch on SonyLIV.

The Good Doctor S3 will be available for viewing under the Premium umbrella of SonyLIV for INR 99 per month or INR 499 per year.

September 26, 2019
Vidnet 2019 to discuss OTT ecosystem, conduct masterclasses with leading industry names

MUMBAI: The over-the-top (OTT) ecosystem in India has evolved rapidly in the last two-three years attracting large international players along with the growth of home-grown ones. Amid the OTT buzz in the media and entertainment industry, Indiantelevision.com is again ready to host a conference bringing all the experts from the booming industry together. The conference on 3 October will turn into the stage of dynamic discussions on wide-ranging topics while the Masterclasses will give answers to many enthusiasts on the creative process on 4 October.

The ecosystem currently consists of more than 30 over-the-top players and each of them is trying to gain a stronger foothold by investing more into original content. More importantly, the new platforms have widened the opportunities for local content creators as well as the international video streaming services have globalised local stories. Keeping on track with the pressing issues of the market, the conference will focus on these topics broadly – fine-tuning monetisation, the challenge of content protection, consumer engagement and telecom deals.

Red Chillies Entertainment chief revenue officer Gaurav Verma , House of Cheer founder and CEO Raj Nayak, The Linus Adventures founder and chief evangelist Sunil Lulla, Balaji Telefilms group COO and ALTBalaji CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya, ZEE5 GLOBAL chief business officer Archana Anand among other industry veterans will talk on the mentioned topics.

In addition to the conference, Indiantelevision.com, with the aim of facilitating this creative process and giving the budding as well as established creators a chance to learn from the best in the industry, is organising masterclasses on 4 October for writers, directors, and editors at the upcoming edition of its VidNet 2019.

Delhi Crime director and creator Richie Mehta, Kota Factory director Raghav Subbu, Ghoul and Liela director Patric Graham, Sacred Games writers Nitin Bhave and Dhruv Narang , Rangbaaz Writer Siddharth Mishra along with other experts will take the masterclasses which will be divided into two sections: one for writers and the other for directors and editors.

September 26, 2019
‘Rangbaaz’ writer Siddharth Mishra to discuss writing for web at Vidnet Masterclass

MUMBAI: Rangbaaz writer Siddharth Mishra will be a part of the exclusive lineup of celebrated writers at the Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet Masterclasses, being hosted at The Westin, Mumbai, on 4 October. The talented writer will be discussing with the audience how to write the perfect narrative for a successful web series.

An engineer-turned-advertising professional-turned-radio jockey-turned-writer, Siddharth Mishra has dabbled in almost all forms of storytelling in different fields and in different formats. While continuing with his popular radio show on Big FM, he developed a concept which turned into one of the flagship and most talked about shows of Zee 5, Rangbaaz.

Immediately after that, he wrote 377 – Ab Normal, a film on the struggle of 4 persons who created history by compelling the judiciary to do away with the draconian law against the LGBTQ community.

Now, a full-fledged writer, he is writing three web series for different OTT platforms, including the second season of Rangbaaz and a period drama based on the early years of Hindi films and the studio system. He is also working on a film, a political thriller, set against the backdrop of Naxalism in the eastern part of the country.

Other speakers at the Masterclasses include Raghav Subbu, Dhruv Sehgal, Puneet Krishna, and Siddharth Mishra.

September 25, 2019
‘Kaafir’ writer Bhavani Iyer to share writing experiences at Vidnet Masterclasses

MUMBAI: Kaafir writer Bhavani Iyer will be joining the stellar lineup of speakers at the Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet Masterclasses, being hosted at The Westin, Mumbai, on 4 October. She will be highlighting the important requisites that a writer should keep in mind while writing for web in the session.

The Vidnet Masterclasses are being conducted by Indiantelevision.com as an extension to its online video and content summit, with the aim to facilitate the creativity of young and aspiring content creators who are willing to leave a mark in the digital world. The Masterclasses will host directors & editors, and writers, who will be talking to the audience directly about the craft of video creation.

Iyer who has written for all the three media—TV, digital, and films—has been associated with some impressive projects including Hindi films Raazi, Guzaarish, Lootera, Black, and TV shows like 24, Meri Awaaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai.

Her understanding of complexity, conflict and human relationships and drama comes to life once again with Kaafir, a web-series starring Dia Mirza and Mohit Raina. She is writing season 2 of Breathe series on Amazon, Nikhil Advani’s Mughals on Hotstar and Onir’s Kashmir for Netflix.

Other speakers at the Masterclasses include Raghav Subbu, Dhruv Sehgal, Puneet Krishna, and Siddharth Mishra.

September 25, 2019