ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • ‘50 Shades Darker’ marks its Indian Television Premiere on MNX

    ‘50 Shades Darker’ marks its Indian Television Premiere on MNX

    MUMBAI: MNX, Hollywood’s Wildchild and the preferred choice of the new age Indians is all set to bring to its viewers the Indian Television Premiere of American romantic drama, ‘50 Shades Darker’ on July 28, 2019 at 1pm & 9pm on the channel. With its distinct content library, MNX resonates with the youth through its stylish, edgy, fast-paced, new-age and premium content, offering its viewers an immersive movie viewing experience with the best of Hollywood film franchises and smash hits. 

    Directed by James Foley, based on E. L. James's 2012 novel of the same name, ‘50 Shades Darker’ is the second film in the Fifty Shades film trilogy that dives deeper into Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey’s (Jamie Dornan) world. The grittier and more sensual version picks up from its prequel, takeing us through the whirlwind relationship of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. When a wounded Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) tries to entice a cautious Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) back into his life, she demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian's past start to circle them, determined to destroy their hopes for a future together. The story unfolds to keep one on the edge of their seat, wondering what will happen next. 

  • Amazon Prime Video announced as the exclusive home for the new sports docu-series take us home: leeds united narrated by Russell Crowe

    Amazon Prime Video announced as the exclusive home for the new sports docu-series take us home: leeds united narrated by Russell Crowe

    MUMBAI: Prime Video and Leeds United today announced Take Us Home: Leeds United, a new docu-series that will give Prime members an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the club’s 2018-19 season as they pushed for promotion under head coach, Marcelo Bielsa, after a 15-year absence from the Premier League. Academy Award winner and avid Leeds United fan Russell Crowe will narrate the six-part series that will launch exclusively on Prime Video this August.

    Bielsa, the 63-year-old coach who famously managed the national teams in Argentina and Chile as well as European clubs including Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Lazio and Lille, had an immediate impact at Leeds United following his announcement in June 2018. His unique style of play meant that the team, who finished thirteenth in 2017-18, were already top of the Championship midway through the 2018-19 season. The docu-series will cover the highs and lows of the season with exclusive footage of the players and staff behind the scenes, and include moments such as the “spygate” scandal and the controversial uncontested goal in the April 2019 Aston Villa match.

    “Take Us Home: Leeds United joins the great collection of live sports and behind-the-scenes docu-series on Prime Video,” said Chris Bird, EU Head of Content, Prime Video. “We saw that All or Nothing: Manchester City was a hit not only with Man City fans, but also football fans across the UK and around the world, so we’re excited to give Prime members an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into a fascinating year in Leeds United’s history.”

    “We are proud to partner with Amazon Prime Video to present this exciting documentary that chronicles a remarkable season in the history of Leeds United,” said Andrea Radrizzani, Chairman of Leeds United and the Eleven Sports Group. “Last season, with Marcelo at the helm, we made huge strides in putting Leeds United back on the map and reconnecting the club with our local community and wider fanbase.  We are delighted to be able to share a unique, behind the scenes perspective on the ups and downs, the emotion and the intimate moments that makes this club so special.”

    Take Us Home: Leeds United is produced by Eleven Studios in collaboration with Leeds-based media company, The City Talking. The executive producer is Anouk Mertens and the Series Director is Lee Hicken. The series will also launch on Prime Video in countries around the world, including the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Japan and India.

  • ShemarooMe Celebrates the Golden Era of Bollywood at a star-studded evening

    ShemarooMe Celebrates the Golden Era of Bollywood at a star-studded evening

    Mumbai: Shemaroo Entertainment Limited, India’s leading content powerhouse, offers high quality content and services to customers in more than 30 countries and has been associated with Bollywood and its legacy for more than 5 decades now. To revisit the golden era again and celebrate the magic of Hindi cinema, ShemarooMe today announces the launch of their chat show – ’Komal Nahta… Aur Ek Kahani’ with a young and innovative twist. The format of the show is designed and presented by ShemarooMe to get the best of the yester years under one roof and reminiscence about the power Bollywood classics still hold in today’s day and age of cinema. ShemarooMe is a latest over the top (OTT) video streaming service aimed at entertaining the audiences by giving them the power to choose across many genres of content and form of entertainment.

    The Golden Era of Hindi cinema got looked back upon with great fondness at an evening hosted by Shemaroo with host of artists from legends from the evergreen era. The yesteryear celebrities seamlessly attracted everyone’s attention with their entertaining, funny and emotional responses during an engaging on-stage chat. The first-of-its-kind Golden Selfie organized by ShemarooMe saw the Living Legends posing together with pious and elegance, that will be etched in audiences’ mind forever.

    Shemaroo’s newly launched chat show ‘Komal Nahta… Aur Ek Kahani’ promises to transport audience to the Golden Era of Bollywood. Komal Nahta has already shot the show with incredible artists like Jeetendra, Jackie Shroff, Javed Akhtar, Shakti Kapoor, Johnny Lever, Prem Chopra, Gulshan Grover, Poonam Dhillon, Sooraj Barjatya, Satish Kaushik, Pyarelal ji, to name a few, sharing many entertaining and unheard tales. A mix of funny anecdotes, emotional turmoil, career obstacles, striking revelations shows the other side of the stars.

    Commenting on the occasion, Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment said, “Bollywood classic cinema has always been the strength of Shemaroo, and the chat show is an innovation to connect with audiences across all age groups. As we celebrate the golden era in the presence of accomplished Bollywood celebrities, we are delighted to have Komal Nahta join us in our new journey, who has impeccable knowledge about the industry and shares true bond with the stars. Using our experience, we have tried to craft this show, with all our love and passion and our looking forward to receiving the same affection from our audiences.”

    Komal Nahta, Ace Trade Analyst, shares his contentment, “It’s an absolute treat for the audience who want to know their favourite stars up, close and personal. I am thankful to Shemaroo to help build this together and present today’s generation and audience of all age groups some of the never-heard-before, fun and entertaining stories by bringing the most celebrated names under one roof from the golden era with ‘Komal Nahta… Aur Ek Kahani’. Celebrities have already given star rating to the show and I am sure audience will be craving for more once this goes on air”.

    ’Komal Nahta… Aur Ek Kahani’ will go on air soon on ShemarooMe, DTH and all other platforms of Shemaroo.

    The show will be available on ShemarooMe and DTH platforms including Tata Sky Classic Cinema, Dish TV evergreen Classics, d2h Evergreen Classics and Airtel Sadabahar Hitz. The show format connects with the millennials and audiences of all age groups. The show will be bringing alive moments connecting new generation with Bollywood’s glorious past that ambitiously retains the value and charisma of the unparallel entertainment seen by Indian audiences.

  • ZEE5 MAU touches 76.4 mn in Q1 of FY 20

    ZEE5 MAU touches 76.4 mn in Q1 of FY 20

    MUMBAI: Media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (ZEEL) digital arm ZEE5 continues its growth in user base reaching 76.4 million monthly active users (MAU). ZEEL in its first quarter financial result of FY 20 revealed the MAU of the streaming platform as of June 2019 while it had 61.5 million MAUs in the quarter ended March 2019.

    The streaming service had a global daily active user base of 6.6 million in June. It has also witnessed a hike in user engagement as users spent an average of 33 minutes per day on the platform in contrast to 31 minutes per day in the last quarter.

    During the quarter, ZEE5 launched 18 Original shows and movies including seven in regional languages. The company said that many of the shows helped ZEE5 to grow its paid subscriber base. The streaming service also entered into new partnerships with Hathway and ACT Fibernet in the quarter to offer bundled package to consumers. Moreover, ZEE5 also tied up with players in the online ecosystem like Myntra, Qwikcilver, Netmeds and Gaana.com.

    “ZEE5 continues its strong run and is working towards achieving its aim of becoming India's # 1 digital entertainment platform. In the international markets, it has seen an encouraging response in the initial phase. I am confident that with its strong content line-up and partnerships with leading players in the digital eco-system, value proposition of the platform and engagement with the consumers will continue to improve," ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka commented in the earnings release.

    Along with the expansion in the domestic market, ZEEL is looking at an international expansion of its digital business as well. Following the launch in priority APAC markets, ZEE5 commenced marketing activities in the neighbouring countries to leverage its language and content affinity. To tap into the existing demand for Indian content in several markets, it also soft-launched dubbed content in five international languages. Moreover, the roll-out in APAC will be followed by MENA, Europe, Canada and Caribbean markets.

  • Hungama Play expands its library with blockbuster TV shows from BBC Studios

    Hungama Play expands its library with blockbuster TV shows from BBC Studios

    MUMBAI: Hungama Play, a premium video on demand platform owned by Hungama Digital Media, has premiered a slate of critically acclaimed TV shows from BBC Studios. Available as a result of a long-standing partnership with BBC Studios, these shows include BAFTA winner – Happy Valley, cult comedy – Yes, Prime Minister, Golden Globe winner – Top of the Lake, Emmy nominated – Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond and Almost Royal.

    Hungama will leverage its distribution strengths to give the shows a wide release. Besides Hungama Play, the shows will be available to stream through Hungama Play on Vodafone Play, Idea Movies & TV, Airtel TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Tata Sky Binge, SHAREit and Android TVs. Additionally, Hungama’s strategic association with Xiaomi will also enable users to watch the shows via Hungama Play on Mi TV.

    Speaking about the new BBC content, Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media, said, “Hungama Play offers a diverse, multi-lingual and multi-genre library of content. Our partnership with BBC has helped us strengthen our library further by adding award-winning and critically acclaimed TV shows to our content offerings. We are certain that the new shows will offer our audiences a chance to explore content that is enriching, distinct and unique.”

    Stanley Fernandes, Sales Director, South Asia at BBC Studios said, “BBC’s content is well-appreciated by viewers and critics alike, around the world. Our shows are known to be path-breaking and driven by strong stories and characters. We are glad to premiere five of our most-watched shows on Hungama Play. We are certain that Hungama Play’s strong distribution network will make the content available to the viewers readily and easily.”

    New shows, now available on Hungama Play include:

    Happy Valley

    Happy Valley is a British crime drama that follows Catherine, a no-nonsense police sergeant who heads up a team of officers in a rural Yorkshire valley. Things go downhill when a staged kidnapping spirals out of control turning into a brutal series of crimes. The story follows Catherine involved in something significantly bigger than her rank, but unknowingly close to home. The BAFTA-winning series has been touted as a powerhouse of heartbreak, thrills and laughs along with a chilling narrative.

    Creator: Sally Wainwright

    Stars: Sarah Lancashire (BAFTA, National Television Award recipient), Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abbey), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders), James Norton (Black Mirror)

    Top of the Lake

    Top of the Lake is a powerful and haunting story from Oscar-winning writer/director Jane Campion and stars Emmy Award winning actress Elisabeth Moss in the lead role (who won a Golden Globe for her performance in this show). Obsessed with the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl near a freezing lake in New Zealand, a brave detective finds herself up against small-town secrets and a side of herself that was meticulously kept at bay.

    Creators: Jane Campion, Gerard Lee

    Stars: Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale, Mad Men), David Wenham (300: Rise of an Empire, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Lord of the Rings), Peter Mullan (Ozark, Braveheart), Holly Hunter (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Big Sick)

    Yes, Prime Minister

    A revival of classic 1980s comedy ‘Yes, Minister’, ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ deals with much complex situations of current times. The ultimately powerful but beleaguered Prime Minister is once again 'assisted' by his impenetrably loquacious Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, and torn but sensible Principal Private Secretary, Bernard Woolley. As in their previous roles, their jobs often devolve into a battle of agendas, ideals, wills, and wits.

    Creators: Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

    Stars: David Haig (Killing Eve, Downton Abbey), Henry Goodman (Notting Hill), Chris Larkin

    Almost Royal

    BBC America’s first original comedy series Almost Royal follows the lives of two ignorant British aristocrats visiting America for the first time.  The faux-reality series shows its protagonist interacting with real-life, unsuspecting everyday Americans.

    Directors: Chris Faith, Marcus Liversedge

    Stars: Ed Gamble, Amy Hoggart

    Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond

    Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond that chronicles the adventurous military career of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. The fictionalized biography dwells on various aspects of Fleming’s Royal Navy espionage and romantic adventures. The action drama features Dominic Cooper in the titular role and is directed by Mat Whitecross.

    Director: Mat Whitecross

    Stars: Dominic Cooper (Captain America: The First Avenger, My Week with Marilyn), Lara Pulver, Samuel West

    The shows join Hungama Play’s extensive library of over 5000 films in English, Hindi and regional languages, over 1500 short films, 7500+ hours of kids and TV content in various languages and more than 150,000 short-format videos across genres like music, films, humour etc. 

  • ALTBalaji partners with Eko, India Financial Services

    ALTBalaji partners with Eko, India Financial Services

    MUMBAI: India’s leading homegrown OTT platform, ALTBalaji announces a consumer benefitting  alliance with Indian fintech company, Eko India Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.  The association will allow the digital platform to use the Eko Store through which any merchant will be able to sell ALTBalaji subscriptions directly to potential subscribers who may not have access or may not be at ease using a digital payment mechanism.

    Over 80% people earn in cash in India, thus, a number of potential customers are more comfortable paying in cash specially when it comes to modest amounts. The partnership is about providing assisted commerce not just as means of collecting money. Eko's merchant would be able to provide more information about ALTBalaji service and educate consumers and enable them to download the app. Using Eko, ALTBalaji is enabling payment in cash via Eko merchants, over & above all the digital modes of payment. 

    With over 40+ originals in its content offering, ALTBalaji has built on the legacy of creating iconic shows, like ‘Apharan,’ ‘Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain,’ ‘Home,’ ‘Gandii Baat’, ‘The Test Case’, ‘Bose: Dead or Alive’ among others which has been lauded by its audience. Established in 2007, Eko aims to enable seamless digital transactions for anybody, and from anywhere. Helming one of the largest and most efficient domestic money transfer services in the country, Eko also holds strong partnerships with banks with additional Prepaid Payment Instrument license from the RBI. With a demographic reach extending to over 150k retail stores in India, Eko will aid ALTBalaji to expand its presence by enabling easy process of selling the subscription. Merchants will have to follow a few easy steps to avail the voucher code provided on the portal giving easy access to sell ALTBalaji subscriptions.

    Speaking about the association, Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO ALTBalaji and Group COO Balaji Telefilms said, “ALTBalaji is fuelling the growth of subscription based digital video streaming. Partnering with Eko is a way to bring the offline consumers into the online world. With ALTBalaji now being a part of their Eko Store, we are expanding our reach to a whole new audience and are excited to welcome them as a part of the ALTBalaji family.”

    Commenting on the association, Abhinav Sinha, Co-founder and COO, Eko India Financial Services said, "Eko is pleased to partner with ALTBalaji. Through this partnership, ALTBalaji has launched its brand and services on the Eko Store, which gives them access to our vast network of merchants and customers. We believe this is a perfect fit for both, our customers and ALTBalaji. At Eko, our endeavour is to take digital products to the masses and help everyone benefit from the digital economy.” 

  • Paying OTT subs to reach 30-35 mn by 2021, only 2x growth in ad revenue

    Paying OTT subs to reach 30-35 mn by 2021, only 2x growth in ad revenue

    MUMBAI: Digital media is set to overtake filmed entertainment in India this year in terms of revenue. While TV will retain its pole position as the largest segment, digital will also overtake print by 2021 to reach $5.1 billion, according to a report from FICCI and EY report on ‘How a billion screens can turn India into a media and entertainment powerhouse’.

    In this overwhelming growth of digital media, telecom operators will be the future MSOs. As per the report, while 60 per cent of total consumption today is through telco bundles, it is estimated to grow to over 75 per cent by 2021 and cater to over 375 million subscribers. Smartphone penetration is just 36 per cent in 2018, leaving massive room for growth. 30 per cent of phone time is dedicated to entertainment.

    “While watch time could grow 3 to 3.5x over the next five years, resulting in a massive inventory growth, advertising revenues will grow only around 2x. CPMs will correspondingly fall during the period for non-premium inventory,” the report added.

    Along with growth in advertising revenues, subscription revenue is also projected to grow. The report predicts 30-35 million paying OTT video subscribers and 6-7 million paying audio subscribers by 2021.

    “Digital segment will benefit from the growing popularity of e-sports, AR/VR technologies, online gaming and fantasy sports, all of which are “Generation Z” products,” it added. “With its massive base of internet users, India’s digital media market is attractive to global streaming platforms looking to capitalise on the country’s fast-growing digital consumption. This is especially true as competitively priced 4G services become more widely available.”

    The report went on to mention that despite the growth in digital media consumption, piracy threat is
    “likely to restrict full monetisation of content as well as large-scale acceptance of SVoD in India”. It mentioned, “Indian market is highly price-sensitive and is driven majorly by advertising revenues. Several sectors such as print, digital, television and radio derive major share of their revenues from advertising.”

    The report highlighted that consolidation will be needed for platform profitability as contest costs will remain high as each platform produces or acquires content to meet its needs. It also added that post the new tariff order regime, OTT platforms are sure to benefit due to increased parity between television and OTT content choice and costs.

  • Insight TV, 4K UHD producer and channel provider, partners with monster energy for india, The Fast Life

    Insight TV, 4K UHD producer and channel provider, partners with monster energy for india, The Fast Life

    MUMBAI: Insight TV, the world’s leading broadcaster and producer of native 4K UHD adventure sports and lifestyle content, has joined forces with energy drink company Monster Energy to co-produce Jndia, The Fast Life, a documentary film featuring the incredible story of female drag-car racer Jndia Erbacher. The documentary, which premieres August 17 on Insight TV, is the latest in an ongoing production partnership with Monster Energy. See a trailer here: Jndia, The Fast Life. 

    Originally from the Swiss city of Basel, Jndia is a stereotype-busting 24-year-old known as “the fastest woman in Switzerland.” In Jndia, The Fast Life, viewers ride along on her journey to fulfill her dream of becoming the fastest female drag-car racer in Europe, and ultimately the fastest in the world. Her car, a Nitromethane-fed dragster, can reach speeds over 300mph (480km/h) and cover a quarter of a mile of asphalt (0.4km) in seconds. Erbacher’s speed levels are so intense that it takes two parachutes to bring her car to a stop.

    “Through our partnership with Monster Energy, we have had the good fortune to identify exceptional emerging talent. Jnida Erbacher is another outstanding example. Her story is as contemporary as it is compelling, and with the incredible adrenaline-producing racing and exotic locations, which are  all the more engaging in stunning 4K UHD, this is perhaps our most exciting co-production to date.,” said Frank le Mair, Executive Producer, Insight TV.

    “I’m really excited for people to see this documentary because it is an authentic representation of what it’s like to be a young woman in the world of drag racing – a traditionally male dominated sport,” said Jndia Erbacher. “The show looks at how I train, race and recover, and viewers will see the challenges that I face every day in order to be at the very top of my game.”

    This is not the first time Monster and Insight TV have partnered on epic motorsports content. The two companies co-produced Road to Gymkhana Grid, following YouTube mega star Ken Block’s own yearly drift race event, and Morbidelli Rising, which chronicles the first racing season of Valentino Rossi’s now-famous apprentice Franco Morbidelli. Other Insight TV/Monster projects include the short film series on top athletes overcoming challenging obstacles to achieve stunning success in Born To, and Dangers of DarkFest, which documents the world’s best freestyle mountain bikers in an epic race on the southern tip of Africa.

    Jndia, The Fast Life (1x:47) is an Insight TV Studios production, co-produced with Monster Energy. Frank le Mair is executive producer.

    All of Insight TV Studios’ original films and documentaries are featured across Insight TV’s various linear and digital platforms and are available for license to broadcast and digital platforms around the world.

  • Welcome to the continent // Netflix drops teaser trailer of the witcher at san diego international comic-con

    Welcome to the continent // Netflix drops teaser trailer of the witcher at san diego international comic-con

    MUMBAI: Fans in Hall H were treated to the first look at the highly anticipated new series The Witcher  at San Diego Comic Con 2019 on Friday, July 19 when star Henry Cavill previewed the teaser trailer for the room. Yvette Nicole Brown (“Community,” “Mom”) moderated the panel discussion with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and cast members Cavill (Geralt of Rivia), Anya Chalotra (Yennefer) and Freya Allan (Ciri).

  • VOOT Kids licenses children’s content from Oxford University Press

    VOOT Kids licenses children’s content from Oxford University Press

    MUMBAI: Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd’s digital arm Viacom18 Digital Ventures has gone live with India’s most inclusive kids’ entertainment and fun learning OTT application: VOOT Kids.  Catering to the digitally native kids’ ecosystem, VOOT Kids is all set to redefine entertainment and pedagogy through a diverse and multi-genre content offering across Watch, Read, Listen and Learn segments. Further expanding the entertainment experience in the kids’ category, VOOT Kids, the all new fun edutainment platform, has engaged with iconic brands including Oxford University Press to fortify its rich content library by licensing 175 junior fiction and non-fiction titles. The 500+ e-books now available on VOOT Kids, including the titles from Oxford University Press, are all set to provide an immersive reading experience to children across the nation.

    Offering the most pedagogically advanced learning and educational content, Oxford University Press is a globally well-known and trustworthy brand with a wide range of children’s books. With its vast and multi-varied genre of content, VOOT Kids’ content slate (READ section) will now include much-loved titles by Oxford University Press, including traditional tales and rewritten classics, such as The Jungle Book, The Three Musketeers and Gulliver's Travels.

    Speaking about VOOT Kids and the content licensed from Oxford University Press, Saugato Bhowmik – Business Head, VOOT Kids, said, “Kids today are screenagers and have emerged as prolific users of content on digital.  As digital natives, they are the first to adopt trends on digital. It was hence imperative to create a platform that offers holistic entertainment and learning experience that would improve quality and relevance of content consumption by kids on digital. VOOT Kids is just that – An inclusive app aimed at enriching Kids’ entertainment and learning experience on digital through immersive segments that encourage reading, story-telling, quizzes, etc.”

    He further added “Kids love stories and the addition of junior fiction titles from Oxford on VOOT Kids are sure to add significant diversity and value to our vast content slate”

    Commenting on the recently signed content licensing agreement with Viacom18 Media, Giuseppe Trapani, Senior Business Development Manager, Oxford University Press, said, “We are delighted to partner with VOOT Kids, and support its users’ learning through reading for pleasure. We commend VOOT Kids in its mission to bridge the gap between learning, knowledge and entertainment, and this collaboration with VOOT Kids will allow Oxford University Press to introduce even more readers to many of its most-loved books for children.”

    With over 5000+ hours of content consisting of children’s all-time favourite Indian and International shows like Dora the Explorer, Oswald, Motu Patlu, Peppa Pig, Chhota Bheem, Ben10, Barbie Dreamtopia ,  diverse  book titles , immersive  audio books and fun learning games, VOOT Kids is  all set to offer a dynamic and inclusive experience of fun, learning and entertainment.