ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Hungama Play begins live streaming Coppa Italia – the annual Italian football cup

    Hungama Play begins live streaming Coppa Italia – the annual Italian football cup

    MUMBAI: Hungama Play, a premier video on demand platform owned by Hungama Digital Media, has partnered with VEQTA Sports, India’s flagship sports streaming service to serve its viewers the live streaming of Coppa Italia 2019, one of the most eagerly awaited football tournaments in the world. Founded in 1922, Coppa Italia is the Italian football annual cup that witnesses intense competition between 78 football clubs from Italy. It features some of the biggest names in football including Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus F.C.), Paulo Dybala (Juventus F.C.), Douglas Costa(Juventus F.C.), MaurioIcardi (Inter Milan), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), among others.In addition to watching the matches live on Hungama Play, viewers can also catch the match highlights to watch their favourite saves and goals post the match.

    VEQTA Sports is the exclusive partner of Coppa Italia to stream their live and on-demand content to Indian sports fans. Through this partnership, VEQTA Sports’ live streams along with match highlights for Coppa Italia will now be available to all users of Hungama Play. Besides being live-streamed on Hungama Play, Coppa Italia 2019 will also be available to stream through Hungama Playon Amazon Fire TV Stick and other Android TVs.  Additionally, Hungama’s association with Xiaomi will enable consumers to watch the tournament via Hungama Play on Mi Video and Mi TV.

    Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media said, “We are delighted to partner with VEQTA Sports to bring Coppa Italia, the flagship cup tournament from Italian football to our user base in India. At Hungama, we endeavour to deliver exceptional experiences to our users and are glad to offer live streaming of the tournament on Hungama Play. We are certain that this will provide an avenue to sports enthusiasts across the country to watch the competition in sync with the rest of the world, without being bound by the restrictions of time and place.”

    Live streaming of Coppa Italia furthers Hungama Play’s mission of offering its users an enriching content bouquet ranging from English, Hindi and regional movies, short films, short format videos and live events.

    VikashSamota, Founder Multitv, VEQTA Sports said, “At VEQTA, our mission is to bring the most premium sports properties from around the globe to fans across the country. Our partnership with Coppa Italia and the recently concluded SupercoppaItaliana is one such step in that direction. While our flagship subscribers can continue to enjoy the live streams of all Coppa Italia matches along with highlights on the VEQTA mobile apps and the VEQTA.in website, we are delighted to increase our reach to all the users of Hungama Play as well.”

    VEQTA Sports recently streamed the SupercoppaItaliana match between Italian Serie A reigning champions Juventus FC and AC Milan where the only goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo secured victory for the Turin giants. The coming round of matches in Coppa Italia promises to be an absolute treat for football fans in India as AC Milan, Napoli, Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan fight it out for a place in the Semi-Finals. Here is a fixture schedule to get you excited.

  • 2019 to see growth of fibre-connected smart TV: SonyLIV’s Uday Sodhi

    2019 to see growth of fibre-connected smart TV: SonyLIV’s Uday Sodhi

    MUMBAI: SonyLIV, one of the first movers in the Indian OTT market recently completed six years. It is undeniable that affordability of smartphones and fall in data pricing as well as the availability of 4G played catalysts to the growth of both the industry and SonyLIV. However, Sony Pictures Networks India digital business head Uday Sodhi thinks 2019 will be the year of smart TVs connected with fibre.

    “What’s going to happen in 2019 is very interesting from an infrastructure perspective. While on the one end we are still seeing a large part of consumption happening on mobile android platforms, my guess is a lot of this is going to move very quickly from mobile, WiFi networks to smart TVs connected with fibre. I think that’s the real swing we will see going forward,” Sodhi commented.

    He said that non-mobile categories are starting to pick up with Xiaomi being a disruptor in the category. He also added that there are about 30-40 million television sets which are all set to become smart TVs through devices like Fire TV Stick and Chromecast. Apart from these, Sodhi also mentioned the effort by MSOs to launch hybrid set-top boxes. Hence, these all factors will leave a multiplied effect on content consumption.

    “While we will see growth in consumers and that consumer’s growth will double in the next 3-4 years, the amount of consumption and time spent is probably going to grow faster than the consumer adoption,” he added.

    The video-on-demand platform has also unveiled a State of Digital Entertainment 2018 report on the occasion of its six year anniversary. According to the report, the platform has witnessed a rise of seven times in total time spent on the platform. The OTT player grew by three times in terms of MAUs (monthly active users) in 2018 compared to the previous year. The report also added that the platform recorded higher growth from non-metro areas.

    FIFA World Cup, India’s cricket tour of Australia and India’s cricket tour of England were the top three successful sports events of the year for the platform by attracting 70 million, 50 million and 30 million viewers respectively.

  • Why the OTT market needs a new content ecosystem

    Why the OTT market needs a new content ecosystem

    While it’s a given that video consumption is going through the roof, many of the OTT platforms are still tweaking their content strategy in order to get their act right. The primary target audience now being in the 18-30 age group, concepts that use to work for general entertainment TV channels have become passé.

    A system which is over dependent on the ‘so called’ commercially successful directors who might have churned out crass blockbusters or scriptwriters who have penned some of the most regressive television serials, might give you some marketing brownie points, but they may not survive in the long run. It’s time to build a content ecosystem that will support new talents and produce compelling content. The race is on to experiment with formats and scripts that will grab the millennial’s attention. 

    This is one of the reasons why I would like to position my company ‘Studio Mojo’, not just as another production house, but as a content network whose primary objective is to discover and work with new talents—and they are in abundance.

    You can take a leaf out of the Malayalam movie industry, which undoubtedly produces some of the best movies in the country. Many of the critically acclaimed movies made in the past few years can be credited to a few debutant directors and scriptwriters. The movies in question—Ee Ma Yau, Angamaly Diaries, Maheshinte Prathikaram, and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum created by directors like Lijo Pellissery and Dileesh Pothan. On a similar tangent, take the case of Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy.  And in Tamil, we have debutant director Prem Kumar’s 96, which was a runaway hit.

    While Sacred Games stole a lot of limelight last year, Little Things penned by a young and talented team created waves on YouTube and made a huge fan following.

    It is quite evident that when it comes to creating great programmes, script is the king. Our effort is to consistently discover new regional digital stars. Every single day, Studio Mojo's creative team works with upcoming talent, screening scores of new scripts, meeting aspiring scriptwriters and directors to produce the next big thing in the regional space.

    We started off with Rinosh George who became an overnight digital sensation with his I'm a Mallu song (which later became the ‘Mallu Anthem’). Today he is a budding actor, whose debut Malayalam movie recently hit the screens. For our first web series Utsaha Ithihasam we teamed up with a young director Krishand and the series went on to receive a lot of acclaim at the Seoul WebFest. Our next project will be directed by Praveen Nair (who was Goutham Menon's chief assistant) for the Zee5 channel and is claimed to be one of the biggest web series coming out in Malayalam. 

    But the digital space is not just centred around new talent. Since going back to television feels like a retrograde step for many directors and scriptwriters, digital is something they are excited about—they can talk to a younger audience and select subjects which may not have had too many takers in the mainstream cinema. While we continue with our efforts to spot new talent, we are equally excited about working with established names. We have already kick-started a project in Malayalam, where we are bringing together 10 established directors to work out a ‘Love Anthology’ series. Many of them are also keen to play a mentor role to the first time directors of a few of our other projects.

    We are also onboarding technicians and production executives from the regional movie industries who have been struggling to find regular work. They could become a critical cog in the ecosystem we are trying to build. 

    So, yes, the future looks exciting. We hope to play a not so insignificant role in creating a new order, where a bunch of new talents will rub shoulders with the established ones. We owe it to our audience to unearth the Lijos’ and Sandeep Reddys’ of the digital world.

    (The author is CEO and founder, Studio Mojo. The views expressed here are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them)  

  • ZEE5 SIGNS KUNAL KEMMU FOR UPCOMING ORIGINAL ‘ABHAY’

    ZEE5 SIGNS KUNAL KEMMU FOR UPCOMING ORIGINAL ‘ABHAY’

    Mumbai: ZEE5 is known to create and present great content across genres and with the launch of Abhay, it announces one of the first procedural format crime thrillers; a genre not explored in the OTT space yet. Produced by B.P. Singh’s (popularly known for the famous crime TV series CID) Fiction Factory Productions, the series marks the digital debut of popular actor Kunal Kemmu who essays the role of SP Abhay Pratap Singh. The eight-episode crime thriller premieres 7th February, with two episodes unfolding each month, disrupting the traditional binge viewing habit of content on OTT platforms.

    Based on real crime stories, Abhay is a crime thriller that follows the inverted detective format of storytelling. In his digital debut, Kunal Khemu plays an investigative officer who solves bone chilling murder cases while dealing with his own personal demons.

    Speaking on his digital debut, Kunal Kemmu said, “It’s exciting to explore new formats and push your boundaries as an actor, and Abhay had it all. I am an avid consumer of long format web series like everyone else, and hence I know that a series such as Abhay has all the ingredients that the OTT viewer is looking for. Very excited to partner with ZEE5, given the content that they have produced and are planning to do in the coming months and I look forward to reach out to the audience with this action-packed concept.”

    With over 3500 films, 500+ TV shows, 4000+ music videos, 35+ theatre plays and 90+ LIVE TV Channels across 12 languages, ZEE5 truly presents a blend of unrivalled content offering for its viewers across the nation and worldwide. With ZEE5, the global content of Zindagi as a brand, which was widely appreciated across the country, has also been brought back for its loyal viewers.

    Availability: The ZEE5 App can be downloaded from Google Play Store http://bit.ly/zee5 and iOS App Store http://bit.ly/zee5ios. Also available at www.zee5.com, as a Progressive Web App (PWA), and on Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick. ZEE5 also supports Chromecast.

    Pricing: Freemium pricing model with both free and paid premium content (including Originals) to cater to a mix of audiences. Viewers who subscribe to the ZEE5 subscription pack will get access to the entire library of content using the limited period special subscription offer – 99/- for 2 months and 499/- for a year. Offer valid till 31st October.

  • Punit Goenka on ZEE5’s content play, TRAI tariff order and ZEEL’s search for a strategic partner

    Punit Goenka on ZEE5’s content play, TRAI tariff order and ZEEL’s search for a strategic partner

    MUMBAI: The Subhash Chandra-owned media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) reported robust growth in the third quarter of FY 19, beating analysts’ expectations. Apart from the stellar growth in both domestic and international advertising revenue, ZEEL’s over-the-top (OTT) platform ZEE5 maintained its forward march posting healthy monthly active subscriber numbers. Buoyed by the response to the streamer, ZEEL now intends to increase its investment in ZEE5.

    The company’s growth was up 21.7 per cent and 23.3 per cent y-o-y in  terms of advertisement and subscription revenues respectively. The reported ad revenue for Q3 2019 stood at Rs 1,462.57 crore as compared to Rs 1,202.02 crore in Q2 2018. Subscription revenue for the period under review was Rs 618.48 crore as compared to Rs 501.69 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    Satisfied with his organisation’s performance, ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka, during an earnings call, covered a wide range of subjects including the content strategy for ZEE5, the much-debated TRAI tariff order, and the broadcaster’s foray into regional language markets.

    Ambitious plans for ZEE5

    Within one year of its launch, ZEE5 has quickly climbed up the ladder, competing with the best in the business. Outlining the content strategy for the OTT, Goenka said ZEE5 would target 72 shows for the upcoming fiscal year. The plan is to release six web-series each month in the six languages. The platform will be focusing on more tentpole shows rather than releasing one every quarter. Besides original content, ZEE5 will ramp up content sourcing from Hollywood and other segments of the international market.

    Goenka stated that the company made course corrections based on learnings from consumptions trends by dropping some shows that were under process. Having set out to produce 90 shows combining multiple formats by March 2019 (and delivering 31 until 31 December), ZEE5 has now repositioned its content play.

    In the second quarter, ZEE5 struck deals with telcos, the most notable being an exclusive three-year tie-up with the Gopal Vittal-led Airtel. According to Goenka, the platform has already begun booking revenues through these deals. It must be noted that ZEE5 contributed to the 21 per cent domestic advertising revenue growth.

    While ZEE5 works on a freemium model, its subscription service was launched back in July. When asked about the pricing strategy, Goenka argued that it is too early to evaluate.

    “I think it is too early for me to start questioning whether it is the right price point or not. The feedback from consumers helped us in launching this regional pack strategy and that also is aiding the growth of subscription take-up in the market. So we will track it for another two quarters before coming to that discussion, internally also,” he remarked.

     While subscription revenue has started trickling in, Goenka believes substantial traction needs to be delivered on that front over the next few years.

    “I think there is a long way to go for us to drive that to a significant number for the company over the next three to five years that I have guided for. But having said that, we will be investing back all of the revenues as well as more cash flows behind the ZEE5 content and marketing,” he added.

    The media conglomerate has big plans for ZEE5 globally as well. After a soft international launch, the OTT’s first commercial foray will take place within the fourth quarter in the Asia Pacific region. Post that, the streaming service will enter other markets, except the US, in Q1 of FY 20.

    According to Goenka, a combination of subscription and advertising revenue will lead to profitability of OTT platforms. With digital not matching the reach of television anytime soon, it isn’t possible to build an OTT on the back of advertising revenue, he opined.

    Optimistic about new regulatory framework

    In stark contrast to the approach of several broadcasters, who expressed reservations about the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) new tariff order, ZEEL has been an early backer of the regulator and its new framework. Commenting on ZEEL’s readiness to adapt to the new norms, Goenka said the broadcaster is closely working with all the distribution platform operators (DPOs). He agreed with the industry experts’ view about there being some hiccups for the next three to six months due to the radical change. However, he was quick to point out that cable and DTH operators have accelerated their efforts to put together channels bouquets and packs.

    When several stakeholders losing sleep over how the migration to a new framework will play out, Goenka is of the view that the real picture will only emerge on 31 January midnight or 1 February morning. He recalled how consumers had swung into action only after the blackout of channels during the DAS implementation. There could be a repeat in that pattern of consumer behaviour, he said.

    “I do expect that large conversion to happen only post switch-off, and that's in-line with our DAS strategy also that we had gone with,” Goenka highlighted.

    The veteran executive, however, is optimistic about ARPU growth due to the new regime.

    ZEEL’s potential strategic partner

    In November 2018, the promoter group of ZEEL announced the decision to sell or divest up to 50 per cent of its equity stake in the company to a strategic partner, aiming for a stronger global media-tech play. According to Goenka, the negotiations for the deal are being conducted with a few players and not a large set. In line with the earlier announcement, Goenka is confident that a concrete arrangement would be arrived at by March- April.

    “We do have significant production capabilities within the ecosystem. And while we do leverage it on our own platform, but it will be available, even for the strategic partner if they wanted us to create content for them, which necessarily does not go on our platform, it goes on their platform. We will be happy to do it for them,” he pointed out.

  • Amazon Prime Video launches the music album of Prime Original Series, Four More Shots Please!, with music by Mikey McCleary

    Amazon Prime Video launches the music album of Prime Original Series, Four More Shots Please!, with music by Mikey McCleary

    MUMBAI: Following the launch of two stand-out tracks from Prime Original Series Four More Shots Please!, Amazon Prime Video released the show’s original soundtrack album available exclusively on Prime Music. Composed by Mikey McCleary, the album is an eclectic mix of energetic party numbers, ballads, romantic and soulful tracks that celebrate the perfect friendship of the four imperfect girls in the show, the many moods of the characters and their journey. The album, as much as it is an intrinsic part of the story, can also be enjoyed independently as there’s something for everyone to relate to. The Four More Shots Please! album is exclusively available on Amazon Prime Music till 27th January and will subsequently be available on other music streaming services.

    The original soundtrack has been composed by songwriter, composer, performer and producer Mike McCleary, with powerful vocals by singers including Naquita D'Souza, Sharvi Yadav, Saachi Rajadhyaksha, Rachel Varghese, Abbey Fizardo, Medha Sahi and many more.  The album also features a ballad on friendship composed and sung by Darshan Raval called Yaara Teri Yaari.

    “This album has a wide variety of moods and genres as the songs highlight the ups and downs of the characters and their individual journeys and friendships. Regardless of the situation, each song portraits real women with all their strengths and weaknesses, not clichés or stereotypes. The album features several new indie singers, voices that are unique and add depth to the songs and the characters. I am thrilled to collaborate with Prime Video and Pritish Nandy Communication, to create a full-length album for a long-format series, marking a first for the digital video streaming industry,” – Mikey McCleary, Music Composer, Four More Shots Please!

  • Hungama Play announces a stellar line-up of the latest Hollywood blockbusters

    Hungama Play announces a stellar line-up of the latest Hollywood blockbusters

    Hungama Play, a premium video on demand platform owned by Hungama Digital Media, premiered a slew of the latest Hollywood blockbusters. Beginning with the latest and darkest chapter of The Conjuring Universe, The Nun was premiered on 21st January Hungama Play. It will also premier the critically acclaimed, Golden Globe Awards nominee and winner, Bradley Cooper – Lady Gaga starrer A Star is Born on 4th February. This will be followed by the release of the Michael B Jordan and Sylvester Stallone starrer – Creed II, and the global smash hit – Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in March.

    The Nun, which premiered on Monday, brings back the malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized the audiences in The Conjuring 2 (also available on Hungama Play). Starring Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Bonnie Aarons, Ingrid Bisu and Charlotte Hope, The Nun received immense praise for its performances, from critics and viewers alike. Written by Gary Dauberman and James Wan, the film is directed by Corin Hardy.

    The most talked about film of the season, A Star is Born, premieres on Hungama Play on 4th February 2019. Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut was nominated for 5 Golden Globe Awards (winning in the Best Original Song category), 9 Critics Choice Movie Awards (with Lady Gaga winning the Best Actress trophy) and is the front runner at the upcoming Academy Awards too. It explores the relationship between a seasoned musician, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) and a struggling artist, Ally (Lady Gaga). Even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga along with Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, Sam Elliott, Anthony Ramos, Rafi Gavron, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and is written by Bradley Cooper, Eric Roth and Will Fetters.

    Premiering in March on Hungama Play, Creed II stars Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, and Russell Hornsby among other actors and is a sequel to the 2015 film, Creed. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., the movie leads upto an ultimate showdown between the ruling boxing champion, Adonis Creed – the son of former champion, Apollo Creed who was killed in 1985 by Russian boxer, Ivan Drogo, in a tragic match, and Drago’s son – another dangerous fighter. Under guidance from Rocky, Adonis trains for the showdown of his life – a date with destiny that soon becomes his obsession.

    From the imagination of Wizarding World creator J.K. Rowling comes the Fantastic Beasts film series, magical adventures set before the time of Harry Potter. At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. Directed by David Yates, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Carmen Ejogo, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Brontis Jodorowsky, Kevin Guthrie, Jude Law and Johnny Depp, and will premiere on Hungama Play in March.

    All the above movies will be available to stream across all Hungama Play destinations. This includes the apps on Google Playstore and Apple Store, web interface, along with Hungama Play on Vodafone Play, Amazon Fire TV Stick and Android TVs. Hungama’s strategic association with Xiaomi will also enableconsumers to enjoy the movies via Hungama Play on Mi Video and Mi TV.

  • Trailer launch of Prime Original series, American Gods S2

    Trailer launch of Prime Original series, American Gods S2

    MUMBAI: We are excited to share with you the trailer for the next season of the Prime Original series, American Gods, which will be coming back to Prime Video on March 11, 2019. The eight episode season will be available exclusively for Prime members in more than 200 countries and territories, excluding the U.S, with new episodes release weekly.

    The YouTube link to the trailer here.

    Starring Ricky Whittle (The 100, Nappily Ever After) as Shadow Moon and Ian McShane (“Deadwood”, John Wick) as Mr. Wednesday, American Gods is a one-hour drama adapted from Neil Gaiman’s best-selling novel about a war brewing between Old Gods and New Gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs.

    We were forged in God’s image, but the Gods are also made in ours — and in Season Two the battle moves inexorably toward crisis point as the destinies of gods and men collide. While Mr. World plots revenge for the attack against him in Season One, Shadow throws in his lot with Wednesday’s attempt to convince the Old Gods of the case for full-out war, with Laura and Mad Sweeney in tow. A council at the House on the Rock explodes into chaos, sending deities both Old and New on quests across America that will converge on Cairo, Illinois: forcing Shadow to carve out a place as a believer in this strange new world of living gods — a dark world where change demands commitment, and faith requires terrible sacrifice.

    American Gods also stars Emily Browning (Sucker Punch, The Affair) as Laura Moon, Pablo Schreiber (First Man, Orange is the New Black) as Mad Sweeney, Crispin Glover (Back to the Future, Alice In Wonderland) as Mr. World, Orlando Jones (Madiba, Sleepy Hollow) as Mr. Nancy, Yetide Badaki (Aquarius, This Is Us) as Bilquis, Bruce Langley (Deadly Waters) as Tech Boy, Mousa Kraish (Superbad, Transparent) as The Jinn, Omid Abtahi (Damien, Legends) as Salim and Demore Barnes (12 Monkeys, Waco) as Mr. Ibis. Guest stars include Cloris Leachman (Malcom in The Middle, Raising Hope) as Zorya Vechernyaya, Peter Stormare (Fargo, Prison Break) as Czernobog, and joining Season Two are Sakina Jaffrey (House of Cards, The Blacklist) as Mama-Ji’, Dean Winters (Divorce, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) as Mr. Town, Devery Jacobs (Cardinal, The Order) as Sam Black Crow and Kahyun Kim (Adam Ruins Everything, Shameless) as New Media.

     Written by Neil Gaiman in 2001, American Gods has been translated into over 30 languages and earned numerous accolades including Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker Awards for Best Novel.  

    American Gods will be available for Prime members to stream or download and enjoy anytime, anywhere at no additional cost to a Prime or Prime Video membership in more than 200 countries and territories. Members can watch via the Prime Video app on Fire TV stick, compatible Android and iOS phones and tablets, popular LG and Samsung Smart TVs, Android TV by Sony, Sony PlayStation 3 and 4, Xbox One, Apple TV 3 or 4, or online at PrimeVideo.com.

    American Gods is produced by Fremantle. Jesse Alexander, Neil Gaiman, Craig Cegielski, Scott Hornbacher, Ian McShane, Stefanie Berk, Christopher J. Byrne and Padraic McKinley serve as executive producers.

  • Q brings eccentricity and oddity to hoichoi with Taranath Tantrik

    Q brings eccentricity and oddity to hoichoi with Taranath Tantrik

    MUMBAI: It’s time to relive the legend through the eyes of a cult director – Q – who is famous for his aesthetically treated content. hoichoi is bringing Q’s take on the famous character created by legendary Bengali author, Bibhutibhushon Bandopadhyay, Taranath Tantrik on screen as a web series. 

    The series is based on various short stories written by Bibhutibhushon Bandopadhyay and his son, Taradas Bandopadhyay. Bibhutibhushon was a renowned scholar, a civil servant, a nature lover and a prolific writer. Despite being a rationalist, he was deeply interested by the pagan practices. Having spent much of his life in such spaces where the old practices were still active, he has written extensively about the paranormal in everyday life. He wrote only two short stories about the character. Much of Taranath’s life is displayed prominently through these two stories. The writer himself always tells the stories. He is a regular visitor at Taranath’s old house. Sometimes with a friend, sometimes alone. Every time, Taranath tells a story. After Bibhutibhushon’s death, his son began writing more stories about Taranath Tantrik. These fascinating stories make for the narrative of the series. 

    Based in turn of the century Bengal, Taranath Tantrik (played by Indian American film and theatre actor, Jayant Kripalani) is a collection of fascinating stories providing an insight into the period narrated by a renowned tantric. These are stories of dark arts, mystery and magic. The stories all begin with a young writer, and his friend Kishori buying a packet of Passing Show cigarettes visiting Taranath. In lieu of the gift of cigarettes, Taranath, who lives with his pretty but strange daughter, Chari, will tell them a story from his rich repertoire. He has had an eventful life as an itinerant student and practitioner of Tantra. The writer and friend, being rationalists, have doubts about the authenticity of the stories. However, Taranath is a master storyteller, and takes them on a whirlwind trip of insane adventure every time. All episodes of Taranath Tantrik are streaming now. 

  • The premiere edition of the Exhibit Auto Tech Awards is finally here!

    The premiere edition of the Exhibit Auto Tech Awards is finally here!

    MUMBAI: Exhibit Magazine, India’s leading supplement on technology, fashion and lifestyle announces the first-ever edition of its much awaited Exhibit Auto Tech Awards. Slated to be held on 31st January, 2019 at Sofitel BKC in the financial capital, the awards will recognise and felicitate the crème de la crème in the automotive technology space. Hosted in association with partners thetechy.com and thewheelz.com, the evening will also witness the presence of industry stalwarts and veterans who will be a part of the ceremonious occasion.

    The premiere edition of the Exhibit Auto Awards will recognize 26 winners across distinct categories in the automotive industry for the year ended December 2018. Brands will be adjudged first by a general voting process, that went live from January 1st 2019 and is open to readers of the title and consumers, followed by a final shortlist by an eminent jury. To vote for your favourites please log on to or register on http://www.thewheelz.com/awards/nominations/. Voting closes on January 25th, 2019. 

    The winner categories for the highly anticipated awards include ‘Design Of The Year’, ‘Compact Hatchback Of The Year’, ‘Premium Hatchback Of The Year’, ‘Compact Sedan Of The Year’, ‘Executive Sedan Of The Year’, ‘Premium Sedan Of The Year’, ‘Luxury Sedan Of The Year’, ‘MVP Of The Year’, ‘Compact SUV Of The Year’, ‘Premium SUV Of The Year’, ‘Luxury SUV Of The Year’, ‘Performance/ Sports Car Of The Year’, ‘Super Car Of The Year’, ‘Car Manufacturer Of The Year’, ‘Auto Campaign Of The Year’, ‘Car Of The Year’, ‘Much Awaited Car/ SUV Of The Year (Below 30 Lakhs)’, ‘Much Awaited Car/ SUV Of The Year (Above 30 Lakhs)’, ‘Bike Of The Year (125 cc)’, ‘Bike Of The Year (160 cc)’, ‘Bike Of The Year (250 cc)’, ‘Bike Of The Year (350 cc)’, ‘Bike Of The Year (1000 cc)’, ‘Scooter Of The Year’, ‘Naked Sports Bike Of The Year’, and lastly ‘Cruiser Of The Year’. 

    The stellar jury appointed for the launch edition of the awards include the likes of actor and producer Abhay Deol; Founder and CEO of VU Technologies, Devita Saraf; Editor – Tech & Auto, Exhibit Magazine & thewheelz.com, Prithvi Radhakrishna; Veteran Journalist Ranojoy Mukherjee; CEO & Editor-in-Chief at Exhibit Group, Ramesh Somani and Consulting Editor for Technology & Automobiles at Dainik Jagran, Siddhartha Sharma. 

    Commenting on the prestigious launch CEO & Editor-in-Chief at Exhibit Group, Ramesh Somani, said, “Evolving times have seen a drastic change in the evolution of technology and innovation in the automotive sector. The need of the hour today is thus, to recognize path-breaking trends and creations in the automotive technology space. With the Exhibit Auto Tech Awards, we aim at lauding industry leaders in their journey to make powerful and meaningful creations for the consumers of today.”

    Adding to this actor Abhay Deol on being appointed jury member said, “It feels great to be part of a team that identifies with the dynamic automobile space. An auto enthusiast myself, I’m thrilled to be a part of the very first edition of the awards. May the best brand win, fingers crossed! ”