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  • This September upgrade your binge-watch list with Hotstar Premium

    This September upgrade your binge-watch list with Hotstar Premium

    MUMBAI: Ring in the month of September with some of the best international movies and shows. From comedy to action, thriller to drama – pick a new title to binge watch or catch the latest seasons of some of your all-time favourites; Now Streaming on Hotstar Premium

    MOVIES ON HOTSTAR PREMIUM

    The Hate U Give

    Based on the best-selling novel, The Hate U Give tells the story of Starr Carter, who lives in two worlds: the poor, black neighbourhood where she resides and the mostly white prep school she attends. This uneasy balance is shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend by a policeman. Facing pressures from all sides, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.

    Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, KJ Apa, Algee Smith, Lamar Johnson, Issa Rae, Sabrina Carpenter

    TV SHOWS ON HOTSTAR PREMIUM

    Mayans MC (Season 2)

    Part of the same fictional world as ‘Sons of Anarchy’, this show deals with the Son’s rivals-turned-allies – The Mayans Motorcycle Club. Season 2 is set in a post-Jax Teller world, "Mayans MC" sees EZ Reyes, a former golden boy now fresh out of prison, as a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California-Mexico border who must carve out his new outlaw identity.

    Cast: JD Pardo, Clayton Cardenas, Sarah Bolger

    04 September

    The Deuce (Season 3)

    Trace the beginnings of the billion-dollar pornography industry from its start in 1970s Times Square, in the gritty drama from creators George Pelecanos and David Simon. Themes explored include government and police corruption, the violence of the drug epidemic and the real-estate booms and busts.

    Cast: James Franco, Daniel Sauli, Mustafa Shakir

    10 September

    Mr Inbetween (Season 2)

    Juggling a new relationship, parental responsibilities, friendship and a sick brother while earning a living would be difficult for anyone but it’s particularly difficult when you’re a hitman. Ray Shoesmith ‘takes care of people’ — collecting debts, relieving them of drugs and guns, and often taking care of them on a permanent basis. Ray demands respect and does not tolerate anyone who doesn’t live up to his very strong and very clear code of ethics. As a series of very unfortunate and darkly funny events play out, the bodies pile up, and Ray must avoid being one of them.

    Cast: Scott Ryan, Justin Rosniak, Brooke Satchwell, Jackson Tozer

    13 September

    Room 104 (Season 3)

    An anthology series set in a single hotel room, where every guest who comes to stay reveals a unique set of circumstances and quirks.

    Cast: Ensemble

    14 September

    American Horror Story: 1984 (Season 9)

    An anthology horror story that follows a different set of characters and storylines each season. The ninth season titled American Horror Story: 1984 is said to be inspired by the slasher movies of the 80s.

    Cast: Emma Roberts, Gus Kenworthy, Sarah Paulson

    19 September

    This is us (Season 4)

    This Is Us chronicles the Pearson family across the decades: from Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) as young parents in the 1980s to their 37-year-old kids, Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) searching for love and fulfilment in the present day. This grounded, life-affirming dramedy reveals how the tiniest events in our lives impact who we become, and how the connections we share with each other can transcend time, distance and even death.

    Cast:  Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley

    25 September

    The Resident (Season 3)

    The provocative medical drama follows a group of doctors at Chastain Memorial Hospital, as they face personal and professional challenges on a daily basis.

    Cast: Matt Czuchry, Emily VanCamp, Manish Dayal

    25 September

    Empire (Season 6)

    The series centres on the fictional hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the drama among the members of the founders' family as they fight for control of it. The sixth and epic final season of the ground-breaking cultural phenomenon Empire promises to be filled with drama, shocking surprises and more jaw-dropping moments.

    Cast: Terrance Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Y. Gray, Trai Byers

    25 September

    It’s always sunny in Philadelphia (Season 14)

    Five friends with big egos and slightly arrogant attitudes are the proprietors of an Irish pub in Philadelphia.

    Cast: Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito

    26 September

    Single Parents (Season 2)

    A group of single parents leans on each other to help raise their kids while maintaining some semblance of personal lives

    Cast: Taran Killam, Leighton Meester, Kimrie Lewis

    26 September

    Modern Family (Season 11)

    The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan is a wonderfully large and blended family. These three families are unique unto themselves, and together they give us an honest and often hilarious look into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted, embrace of the modern family. The show returns with its 11th and final season.

    Cast: Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, Jeremy Maguire

    26 September

    Perfect Harmony

    When former Princeton music professor Arthur Cochran unexpectedly stumbles into choir practice at a small-town church, he finds a group of singers who are out of tune in more ways than one. Despite the ultimate clash of sensibilities, Arthur and his newfound cohorts may just be the perfect mix of individuals to help each other reinvent and rediscover a little happiness, just when they all need it most.

    Cast:  Bradley Whitford, Anna Camp, Will Greenberg

    27 September

    Fresh Off The Boat (Season 06)

    A Taiwanese family – The Huang’s deal with culture shock while moving to America in 1990s.

    Cast: Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang

    28 September

    Bless the Harts

    Bless The Harts is a new half-hour animated comedy that follows the Harts, a Southern family that is always broke, and forever struggling to make ends meet. They one day hope to achieve the American dream, but they’re already rich – in friends, family and laughter.

    Voice: Ike Barinholtz, Jillian Bell, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph

    30 September

  • Netflix India ropes in Tanya Bami as director international originals

    Netflix India ropes in Tanya Bami as director international originals

    MUMBAI: Tanya Bami is the latest senior executive to join Netflix as the global streaming giant continues to beef up its India arm. Tanya, Indiantelevision.com has learnt, will join the streamer next week as director international originals. She will be part of the team which Monika Shergill leads.

    In July this year, Indiantelevision.com had reported that Tanya had stepped down from her role at Viacom Digital Ventures as head Voot Originals and vice president content.

    The veteran media executive joined Voot in November 2015 from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd where she served as head – weekend content.

    Before joining ZEEL, Tanya spent over five years at Star India where she held the position of AVP content for the network’s flagship GEC Star Plus.

    Apart from stints at broadcasters like MTV, Channel V, and BBC, she has also worked at major production houses like Big Synergy and Optimystix Entertainment India.

  • Co-creator Sarah Treem on the Final Season of ‘The Affair’ – Now Streaming on Hotstar Premium

    Co-creator Sarah Treem on the Final Season of ‘The Affair’ – Now Streaming on Hotstar Premium

    MUMBAI: After a successful four season run, The Affair is back with its fifth and last season. The drama series explores the emotional and psychological effects of an extramarital relationship, and unfolds separately from multiple perspectives, using the distinct memory biases of each character to tell the story. The last season will take place in two different time frame – a present-day storyline and the other years later in the same place that started the series of events, Montauk.

    Showrunner and Co-creator Sarah Treem said, “It’s nice to be able to end the show in Montauk – that was not something I was sure we were going to be able to do. The impact of that affair is affecting characters that weren’t around when the action took place.”

    Actors Dominic West (Noah Solloway), Maura Tierney (Henel Butler), Julia Goldani Telles (Whitney Solloway) and Jadon Sand (Trevor Solloway) will reprise their roles. Anna Paquin joins the cast as Joannie Lockhart, who returns to Montauk to find out the truth about her mother’s death.

    While the series focuses on the emotional effects of an extramarital affair, every character has grown as a result of their actions and is almost entirely different from what they were in the first season.

    Sarah Treem added, “There’s this innate sense in being a human being that life can somehow always be better. There’s someone else you can meet, there’s some other life you could have. It’s part of what keeps us hungry and keeps us innovating. But it’s also the source of so much of our pain and follow, and it’s the reason that we break each other’s hearts.”

  • Viu collaborates with Warner Bros. (WBITVP) to remake Pretty Little Liars in Asia

    Viu collaborates with Warner Bros. (WBITVP) to remake Pretty Little Liars in Asia

    MUMBAI: Viu, a leading pan-regional OTT video service from PCCW Media Group, has teamed up with Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) to produce the latest international adaptation of the global phenomenon Pretty Little Liars. Localized in Bahasa and filmed in Bali, the series follows a group of four estranged undergrads whose group had fallen apart when their former leader went missing. The girls come back together in the face of danger, when they begin receiving messages from a mysterious figure known as "A", who threatens to expose their darkest secrets.

    Viu’s strategy is to produce compelling regional content with international production quality. In line with this, it will take Pretty Little Liars, which ran for seven seasons on ABC Family/Freeform in the United States and garnered 36 Teen Choice Awards during its run, and adapt it for Southeast Asia. This follows Viu’s success with the Viu Original, Endemol Shine’s The Bridge, which was also an adaptation set in Southeast Asia.

    Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director of PCCW Media Group, said, "We engage local audiences by creating and adapting stories that have strong relevance. Pretty Little Liars is a proven show that resonates with younger viewers with similar profiles to our Viu audience, and we are pleased to begin our journey with WBITVP and bring it to our audience and platform. In line with our strategy to invest in creating content assets, in 2019 we will have a mix of Viu Original productions and will work with international partners on local adaptations that resonate with audiences in Asia."

    Mr. Andrew Zein, Senior Vice President, Creative, Format Development and Sales, WBITVP, said, "Viu is one of the market leaders in local storytelling, and we are excited to partner with them in transforming Pretty Little Liars into a Southeast Asian show that builds on the original, yet is also uniquely its own story, entertaining millions of people."

    The series is expected to begin airing late this year. Keeping with the tradition of multi-market, globally appealing shows, Pretty Little Liars is an Indonesia and Malaysia Viu co-production and will be available in all 17 of Viu’s worldwide markets simultaneously. Set in the fictional town of Amerta, the series will be filmed entirely on site in Indonesia’s crown jewel of Bali, and directed by award-winning filmmaker Emil Heradi (The Night Bus, Sagarmatha).

    The cast represents the true diversity and talent of the region, headlined by Anya Geraldine as Hanna, Eyka Farhana as Ema, Valerie Thomas as Sabrina, Shindy Huang as Aria, and Yuki Kato as Alissa, as the famed lead quintet. 

  • Eros Digital COO Ali Hussein on international partnerships for distribution & subscription

    Eros Digital COO Ali Hussein on international partnerships for distribution & subscription

    MUMBAI: As distribution plays a crucial role along with content for the business of over-the-top (OTT) platforms, Eros Now is betting big on partnerships in international markets to expand its reach in international markets. After recently striking deals with Vodafone Qatar and China’s WASU Media, the streaming player is also looking at such other partnerships. Although India definitely remains a large focus of the business, the company is trying to strengthen international distribution also.

    Talking to Indiantelevison.com, Eros Digital chief operating officer Ali Hussein spoke about the objective of the partnerships. He emphasised on the importance of two of the partnerships as both the countries are very important for the company.

    “We did an announcement for WASU in China which was our second partnership there. So, I don’t think any Indian OTTs really have any distribution partnership in China where we already have two. Moreover, China is doing a lot of investment in terms of market development on how to increase the further distribution of Indian programming or Indian content around the world. China is obviously a big market in terms of theatrical releases also and we are investing lots of resources trying to improve our digital distribution in China,” he commented.

    Talking about the Vodafone Qatar partnership, he noted that the Middle East is a focus area for the company. The company would try to penetrate better in the UAE and now in Qatar with the partnership along with Bahrain and some of the other countries.

    Hussein added that each market is unique in itself when it comes to content strategy thus requiring multiple strategies based on the market with localised approach like dubbing, subtitling, etc. Along with that, marketing is another area to get subscribers in conjunction with its partners also.

    Interestingly, these markets have two kinds of audience as Hussein shared. The Indian audience and South Asian audience  are watching a lot of South Asian content but it is some of the local audience watching Bollywood films. He also added that each market has a very different objective with different understanding of the audience behaviour. According to him, curating customer journeys, marketing the product and localisation of the product are also important factors.

    “Direct subscription we are doing anyway. This kind of telco partnership helps because they have the billing relationship with consumers. They are very accurate in customer profiling. As Telcos are more accurate in what is the type of customers looking to watch what kind of content, customer targeting is better done through these partnerships. So, I think both these efforts continue to go ahead hand in hand. We don’t segregate, it’s just different means of how do you acquire customers,” he commented.

    A recent KPMG report noted that telco partnerships contributed 30-35 per cent to the overall subscription revenues of OTT platforms in FY19. The report also added that although a majority of the subscription revenues are expected to come from direct subscriptions, the revenue from telco partnerships is also expected to achieve a robust growth, although slower as compared to direct subscriptions.

    “Our maximum growth actually has been coming from beyond the top eight cities. Some of our originals are also garnering a large amount of viewership from beyond the top six or eight cities. Actually, the number from metros is quite high but if you look at the growth percentage from tier-II, tier-III cities, that has been maximum for us,” Hussein commented on the subscriber growth of the platform.

    “Although user engagement also has a lot to do with the quality of network and quality of services, our time spent in terms of retention has gone north up of 75 minutes for most active users. A lot of original launches contribute to longer sessions. In general, we have seen a significant increase in time spent. For long-form episodic content, the company is trying to hit one original a month in the second half of the year,” he added.

    The company is now looking at the interactive video area. Other key areas the company is focusing on are Eros Now Quickies and short films.

  • Regiment Diaries from EPIC Channel now available on Netflix India

    Regiment Diaries from EPIC Channel now available on Netflix India

    MUMBAI: EPIC Channel, India’s leading infotainment channel announced an exclusive licensing of its marquee show Regiment Diaries to leading OTT platform, Netflix. The show takes viewers behind the heavily guarded gates of army regimental centers, to showcase the legacy, history, and traditions of the various regiments of the Indian Army and the rigorous training that transforms a civilian into a soldier. An EPIC Original, the show will continue to air on EPIC TV, is available on EPIC’s OTT platform EPIC On, and will simultaneously be available on Netflix, enabling it to reach a larger audience.

    The show points the spotlight at the real stories of soldiers, both serving and retired, who share their anecdotes of army life and their experience as soldiers of India in times of peace and war. The show covers thirteen regiments of the Indian army including Madras Engineers Group, Rajputana Rifles, Sikh Regiment, Jat Regiment, Maratha Light Infantry amongst others.

    Adita Jain, Head – Syndication & Acquisition, EPIC Channel said, “We have always had very encouraging response for our shows on Netflix, and we are very excited to present the stories of the pride of our nation. We look forward to this association and hope our viewers enjoy the tales of our nation’s brave hearts.”

    Regiment Diaries joins the list of EPIC Original content which has been previously licensed by Netflix including Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik, Stories by Rabindranath Tagore, Raja Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan and Dharmakshetra.

  • Ganesh Venkatraman to host SonyLIV’s Crime Patrol in Tamil

    Ganesh Venkatraman to host SonyLIV’s Crime Patrol in Tamil

    MUMBAI: ‘Satark Rahe’, ‘Surakshit Rahe’, ‘Har Jurm Dastak Deta Hai’ – If these lines resonate with you, then you have grown up watching Crime Patrol. Over the last 16 years, this marquee show from the Sony Pictures Networks stable has kept us hooked onto our screens with compelling cases and gritty storytelling. Riding on its colossal popularity of being India’s longest-running reality crime television series, the show now gets a Southern makeover. SonyLIV, the digital streaming platform is set to launch the Tamil version of Crime Patrol and has roped in leading Tamil actor Ganesh Venkatraman as the anchor.

    Ganesh Venkatraman will step into the shoes of Anup Soni who toplined the Hindi version of the crime series for years. With films across six regional industries, Ganesh is one of India’s finest film and TV actor and was also a finalist in "Bigg Boss Tamil 1". Some of the films he starred in were Radha Mohan's Abhiyum Naanum (2008), Unnaipol Oruvan (2009) and Kandahar (2010) besides a number of ad films across different Indian languages.

    Confirming the news, Ganesh Venkatraman said, “Creating awareness about crimes is a serious job and I am happy to team up with a very passionate team of technicians for the same. I truly believe Crime Patrol is not just a format breaking series but a path-breaking one for the Tamil audiences. My grandfather was a Police officer and my father is a lawyer, so naturally law & order runs in my blood. My tough cop roles in my movies have been always appreciated by Tamil audiences. I am super excited to don a new avatar piecing together these crimes for our audiences. My best wishes to SonyLIV for a successful launch in Tamil and shooting for the series is turning out to be a fantastic experience.”

    Crime Patrol Tamil will go live this August only on SonyLIV.

  • Special episode of man v/s wild, featuring pm Modi on Netflix

    Special episode of man v/s wild, featuring pm Modi on Netflix

    MUMBAI: Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s special interaction with celebrity survivalist anchor, Bear Grylls is now streaming exclusively on Netflix across the world. The special edition of Man vs Wild, the global reality TV sensation hosted by Grylls has already broken Super Bowl 53s record of the most trending televised event ever by clocking over 3.6 billion social impressions. 

    Originally broadcast on Discovery Channel, the show features the Indian Prime Minister walking through the wilderness of the Jim Corbett National Park in the foothills of the Himalayas along with Grylls, while extolling the need for tiger and environmental conservation. The show witnesses Prime Minister Modi in a hitherto-unseen avatar, learning the tricks of survival in the wild from Grylls. 

    Apart from sharing space in a make-shift raft with Grylls, making a spear and partaking in a hot drink made from curry leaves, Prime Minister Modi also speaks about his time spent in the Himalayas and highlights the rich environmental heritage of India, which needs to be preserved. Prime Minister Modi is only the second world leader to feature in the iconic show, the first being former US president, Barack Obama.

    Man v/s Wild is now available on Netflix. 

  • Ballers starring Dwayne Johnson returns with Season 5 on Hotstar Premium

    Ballers starring Dwayne Johnson returns with Season 5 on Hotstar Premium

    MUMBAI: After a successful four season run, Comedy series Ballers returns with its fifth season! Starring Dwayne Johnson (Spenser Strasmore) and Created by Stephen Levinson, Ballers explores the glamorous and often cutthroat world of pro football through a group of past and present players striving to stay in the game.

    This season finds Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) settling into retirement and reflecting on his past, when an offer that’s too good to refuse comes his way and sends him back into the lion’s den, this time as a team owner. In the wake of his split with Spencer, an ambitious Joe (Rob Corddry) gambles aggressively to make Sports X greater than ever with the help of his new partner, Lance (Russell Brand).

    Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Rob Corddry, John David Washington, Omar Miller, Russel Brand

  • Flipkart’s entry into video streaming space more of an e-commerce play

    Flipkart’s entry into video streaming space more of an e-commerce play

    MUMBAI: Ever since Flipkart announced its entry into India’s booming video streaming space, it’s been the talk of the town. The Walmart-owned e-commerce platform will open it up for Flipkart Plus loyalty program members in a fashion similar to Amazon Prime Video.

    The upcoming video streaming service will enter the market in September, before the festive season of Diwali. The difference between the two is that Flipkart’s service is entirely free for Plus members while the other entails a cost of Rs 129 a month. Another difference is that Flipkart is currently licensing content while Amazon invests in its own. However, industry experts are divided on the effectiveness of the e-commerce player’s plan to enter the market with commissioned content.

    “Walmart acquired Vudu in 2010 and has been trying to scale it with an ad-funded model rather than originals/subscription. For India, if they have decided to do aggregated content, I think it is because they are testing waters initially. Walmart as a new video OTT player is a good step for consumers and the industry. I think once they taste the success they will start investing in local content or originals as well. Walmart is also as deep-pocketed as Netflix or Amazon,” Eros International group chief marketing officer Manav Sethi commented on the strategy.

    On the other hand, Elara Capital vice president research Karan Taurani is of the view that until and unless OTT players make an investment into original content, no massive changes can be expected since it is a very crowded space with more than 30 players. Reports say that Flipkart has not ruled out the possibility of launching originals.

    Despite its different stance, experts are sure that it will definitely boost Flipkart’s business. One media analyst opined that the model is similar to Amazon Prime Video where content is one offering in Flipkart’s loyalty programme. However, instead of targetting a million subscribers, Flipkart’s aim is to get more consumers to spend money on its platform.

    “The play they want to have is really similar to Amazon than Netflix. The idea is to hook the audiences to its content to study consumer behaviour for better targetting,” said another analyst from an auditing firm who wished to remain unnamed. He added that if it can get people to linger on the platform and increase the number of services provided to them, Flipkart will be in a better position to target them efficiently. But he added that the quality of content and price point will also matter.

    “In the past 10 years, our vision and ethos have been to create India-specific tech solutions. What we are rolling out when it comes to addressing the needs of the next 200 million users in our country, is taking forward those founding principles of access and affordability,” Flipkart group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy commented as per media reports.

    Taurani added that Flipkart can tie up with multiple OTT platforms which will help it boost its e-commerce segment. As Amazon Prime is restricted to have in-house content, this can be an advantage.

    Moreover, as per Taurani, the OTT platforms or broadcasters providing content to Flipkart will also gain from the deal as this will be an additional revenue stream for them apart from their current tie-up with the telcos. Hence, it’s a win-win situation for both but it will obviously help Flipkart’s e-commerce play more.

    It’s yet to be ascertained how this move will create a dent in the market. “It will increase the competition. The consumers who were having 30-plus options will have one more big option to consume. Depending on how Walmart packages and prices it, I think it should see significant consumption uptake,” Sethi added.

    According to a recent report from KPMG, the digital segment of the media and entertainment industry in India contributed Rs 173 billion in revenue in FY19 with digital advertising and subscription from OTT platforms contributing significantly. The potential of the market is noticeable as the report predicts 580 million OTT consumers by FY24 will be spending more than 30 minutes on online video platforms each day.