ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Narcos: Mexico comes to India

    Narcos: Mexico comes to India

    MUMBAI: Michael Peña and Diego Luna, starring in the Netflix Original series ‘Narcos: Mexico’, along with showrunner Eric Newman, landed in Mumbai on Saturday night and have been busy exploring the maximum city!

    They have had a busy time with exploring the local  food pallet of the city which included coconut water in the by lanes of Matunga, meals at The Bombay Canteen and Trishna, exploring the rich Mumbai cultural explosion through the streets in the Kala Ghoda, Fort and Colaba. They visited the iconic Taj Mahal Palace to marvel at the magnanimous Gateway of India, while enjoying a piping hot glass of the famous Mumbai cutting chai.

    To welcome the stars in Mumbai, Netflix hosted them at Olive Bar and Kitchen in Bandra for an intimate Sunday evening attended by several Indian film makers including Zoya Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Vishal Bharadwaj, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Abhishek Chaubey, Anvita Dutt, Raja Menon, Anand Tiwari, Leena Yadav and Reema Kagti, and the team from Sacred Games – Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, showrunner Vikramaditya Motwane, directors Anurag Kashyap and Neeraj Ghaywan and writer Varun Grover.

  • OTT conversations to take centre stage at Vidnet 2018

    OTT conversations to take centre stage at Vidnet 2018

    MUMBAI: Indians have now warmed up to over-the-top media services making them even mainstream at times. In the last couple of years, the OTT industry has witnessed rapid growth thanks to several factors like cheaper data and affordable smartphones. Many new players are experimenting in this area leading to higher competition. From high-quality content to high-end technology, marketing OTT players are leaving no stone unturned to grab more eyeballs.

    At a time when the industry is thriving, Indiantelevision.com is again bringing together all the stalwarts in the ecosystem on the stage of Vidnet 2018 at The St.Regis, Mumbai on 16 November. The experts from platforms, production studios, advertising agencies, data analyst firms, creators, technology and investors will discuss the state of the industry, address the issues and find solutions. ZEEL’s digital venture ZEE5 is the title sponsor of Vidnet 2018 and the event is powered by Verizon.

    As the market is at the stage of development right now, there are several questions that need to be answered. The focus of the conference will be on these topics broadly – what could be the leanings from other countries like US, China and Japan; which business models will work out properly; what is the content trend in domestic and international market; how to increase user engagement; uniform data measurement metric; importance of data, AI, machine learning, cloud technology and how to combat piracy.

    Amazon Prime Video India director and country general manager Gaurav Gandhi, Balaji Telefilms group CEO Sunil Lulla, Hulu Japan chief content officer Kazufumi Nagasawa, YouTube entertainment head Satya Raghavan, ZEE5 India CEO Tarun Katial along with many other experts will speak on the compelling issues chalking out the right direction in the ecosystem.

    According to KPMG Media and Entertainment Report 2018, the industry with more than 30 players is expected to grow at a CAGR of 45 per cent to reach Rs 13,800 crore by the end of FY23. Till now advertising revenue is the dominant contributor in the market, subscription revenue is nonetheless expected to be about 33 per cent of the total revenue in the space by end of FY23.

  • Netflix has no plans to introduce cheaper offerings in India

    Netflix has no plans to introduce cheaper offerings in India

    MUMBAI: Denying market buzz about Netflix’s plan to introduce cheaper subscription plans in India, the streaming video giant’s CEO Reed Hastings said that an executive’s comments suggesting otherwise had been “misunderstood.”

    Hastings in an interview with Reuters noted that the OTT platform had three price tiers in India: Rs 500 ($6.90) for a basic plan, Rs 650 ($9.00) for a standard plan and Rs 800 ($11) for premium. Compared to the amount Netflix charges in the US, these prices are only modestly lower.

    “We see the typical mix across these three plans (in India) that we see in many other countries like the US, which would indicate that we don’t have a pricing issue. Because if it was, everyone would be on the lower price plan,” he said.

    After posting Q3 result in October, chief product officer Greg Peters said in an earnings call, “We’ll experiment with other pricing models, not only for India, but around the world that will allow us to broaden access by providing a pricing tier that sits below our current lowest tier.” This comment was widely perceived as an indication of the company’s plan to introduce lower pricing.

    “It got misunderstood as a decision that we are going to have lower prices in India, which is not something we are particularly contemplating,” Hastings said against this backdrop.

    However, Netflix boss did not deny that it’s not easy to penetrate a billion household with this subscription rate in Indian economy. Rather focusing on English-language, English-entertainment households will help to have a higher income. According to him, the high-end focus is “a practical, realistic” place to start and eventually targeting a broader audience.

    Hastings said Netflix could still thrive although Netflix has competitors in India including YouTube, Hotstar, Amazon who offer cheaper options for the audience. As YouTube is free, and Amazon is cheaper and cable is extremely inexpensive, that creates a consumer expectation. But Netflix boss added that the cost of Netflix in India was “like going to the movie theatre 2-3 tickets a month, but you get to watch a lot more.”

    While Netflix currently has more than 130 million subscribers worldwide, Hastings has said the India market could deliver the next 100 million subscribers.

  • Shruti Haasan Debuts as Chat Show Host on Viu’s “Viu Hello Sago”

    Shruti Haasan Debuts as Chat Show Host on Viu’s “Viu Hello Sago”

    MUMBAI: Leading OTT video service Viu is set to entertain its Tamil audience with the launch of another celebrity chat show, this one titled “Viu Hello Sago” with talented actress Shruti Haasan. In collaboration with Motion Content Group, the show will regale viewers with stories and trivia about Kollywood’s biggest stars and their “Sago,” meaning “friends” in slang.

    Fans can anticipate A-listers speaking with the ever-exuberant Shruti Haasan in this interactive Tamil chat show. Guests will also partake in revealing all of their Sago’s secrets out in the open.

    Speaking about her debut as a chat-show host, Shruti Haasan said, “Working in the entertainment industry often does not allow public figures to be themselves. With the launch of ‘Viu Hello Sago’, I am positive that viewers will witness a never-seen-before side of celebrities and their beautiful journeys through honest candid conversations. I am delighted to be a part of this show on Viu.”

    Commenting on the launch, Vishal Kumar Maheshwari, Country Head, Viu India said, “Our philosophy is to continue to invest in local markets with stories and formats that resonate with our audiences. Our chat show format of ‘No. 1 Yaari’ with renowned celebrities across the Telugu, Kannada and Marathi regions has been very successful and with Tamil Nadu being one of our newest markets, we are excited to bring this latest show here. Shruti Hassan is a perfect fit as she engages the various celebrity guests in conversation and gives our audiences a peek into a never before seen side of their lives.”

    Ashwin Padmanabhan, Head – Motion Content Group, India , India said, “At Motion Content Group, our objective is to help create and support editorially and commercially vibrant premium content for the benefit of our content partners and advertisers. We will achieve this by continuing to invest in the content industry and leading the development of new models, commercial content structures and partnerships with media networks, platforms, talent, producers, and distributors.”

    With 13 episodes, this Viu Original is simulcast on Viu App and Sun TV since 28th October 2018, every Sunday at 8.30 PM.

  • ZEE5 partners Paytm to offer 50% cashback on subscription

    ZEE5 partners Paytm to offer 50% cashback on subscription

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd's (ZEEL) digital venture ZEE5 is attracting consumers with its latest tie-up with Paytm for a cashback deal on subscription.

    As a result of the partnership, customers who will subscribe ZEE5 through the Paytm app will get a flat 50 per cent cashback of the subscription amount. From 1 November, the offer has gone live already and will be valid for 6 months for customers to avail. The cashback is valid for one-month subscription of Rs 99, six-month subscription of Rs 599 and annual subscription of Rs 999.

    “ZEE5 has consistently been at the forefront in offering a seamless experience and value to its consumers. Digital payment is evolving at a fast pace and Paytm has played a major role, being at the forefront of that change. With our association which is an attractive flat 50 per cent cashback offer, it reinforces our commitment to provide an entertaining yet affordable deal for the consumer,” ZEE5 India business head Manish Aggarwal commented on the partnership.

  • Netflix Announces Eight New Original Films And One New Original Series From India

    Netflix Announces Eight New Original Films And One New Original Series From India

    MUMBAI: Netflix concluded its inaugural content event in Asia, “See What’s Next: Asia” with a celebration of the company’s rapidly growing diverse content slate in India. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and chief content officer Ted Sarandos joined performers and creators from India to announce eight original films and a new original series. The showcase also included updates on four Indian original series that were previously announced.

    “We celebrate India today with an incredible line-up of original films and series that are right now filming across India. This line-up cuts across genres from horror to fantasy and in locations from Leh to Mumbai. The breadth of stories with its local settings and complex characters is incredible and we can’t wait for people to discover and fall in love with them,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix.

    The “Celebrating India” session at the event saw media and influencers from 11 countries across Asia witness the breadth and depth of Netflix Indian Originals. The updates on four original series include:

    · A trailer for Rajma Chawal, a humorous family drama set in Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, which is set to release globally on Netflix on November 30, 2018. Rishi Kapoor, Amyra Dastur, Aparshakti Khurana and Anirudh Tanwar act in the film, directed by Leena Yadav. [Link to trailer here]
    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/rajmachawal in your coverage.

    · A teaser trailer for Selection Day, a series based on Aravind Adiga's book of the same name. Produced by Anil Kapoor Film Company and Seven Stories Ltd,  Selection Day is a coming-of-age drama about two brothers who are raised by their strict, obsessive father to be star cricket players. [Link to trailer here]
    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/selectionday in your coverage.

    · The cast of upcoming series Baahubali: Before the Beginning, with Mrunal Thakur as Sivagami, Rahul Bose as Skandadasa, Atul Kulkarni, Vaquar Shaikh, Jameel Khan, Siddharth Arora and Anup Soni.
    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/baahubali in your coverage.

    · The cast of Leila, a dystopian fiction series produced by Deepa Mehta, including Huma Qureshi in the title role and Siddharth Suryanarayan.
    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/leila in your coverage.

    Netflix rounded off these updates with the announcement of a new original series:

    Typewriter is about a haunted house and a haunted book that stir the imagination of a group of young, wannabe ghost hunters, and a dog, determined to capture the ghost that plagues the notorious home in their neighbourhood in Goa. When a new family and their captivating daughter move into the haunted home, the crew finds it difficult to balance the demands of school and chores with the renewed urgency to capture the neighbourhood ghost before it is too late.
    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/typewriter in your coverage.

    Underlining its investment in original films in India, Netflix unveiled eight new original Indian films spanning genres and involving the best of established and new Indian talent:

    Chopsticks is about an under-confident but talented girl, sidestepped at every stage of her life, who seeks out an enigmatic con to help recover her stolen car from a goat-loving, crazy Mumbai gangster. In the process, she finds her confidence and place in the sun. Along with Mithila Palkar who won hearts in Netflix series Little Things 02, Abhay Deol and Vijay Raaz will act in the film. Chopsticks is produced by Ashvini Yardi of Vineyard Productions and directed by Sachin Yardi.

    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/chopsticks in your coverage.

    Bulbul, produced by Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Sharma’s Clean Slate Films, is a period piece set in a vibrant atmosphere amidst age-old beliefs and superstitions. Satya and his brother’s child bride, Bulbul, were inseparable until he was sent to England for his education. On his return, he finds Bulbul has been abandoned by his brother and now lives a solitary existence as the enigmatic lady-of-the-palace, dedicating herself to the welfare of the people. But their ancestral village is plagued by mysterious deaths and stories of a haunting by a woman who lives in the trees. Satya must find the truth behind the lore and save his village from the evil “chudail with the inverted feet”.

    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/bulbul in your coverage.

    Upstarts is a bromance about three college graduates from small-town India, captivated by the startup mania sweeping the country. As they enter the rollercoaster startup ecosystem of big dreams, big money and bigger sharks, they are faced with a big choice – their dreams, or their friendship. Directed by Udai Singh Pawar, Upstarts is produced by Raja Menon, Janani Ravichandran and Jawahar Sharma of Bandra West Productions. This film is supported by real-life heroes from the startup world in Bengaluru.

    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/upstarts  in your coverage.

    Cobalt Blue, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, is the story of a brother and sister who fall in love with the same man, and how a traditional Marathi family is shattered by the ensuing events. This story brings out the pain and the beauty of forbidden love, and is written and directed by Sachin Kundalkar.

    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/cobaltblue  in your coverage.

    15th August, produced by Madhuri Dixit, is set in a Mumbai chawl, and follows the course of a single day as its residents prepare for the flag-hoisting ceremony. This Marathi film is about the struggles of middle-class India and in a soaring climax, it is about how love sets us free.

    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/15august  in your coverage.

    Music Teacher, directed by Sarthak Dasgupta, is a story about an emotionally troubled music teacher, essayed by Manav Kaul, who gets a chance to come to terms with his bitterness with an estranged student, now a renowned celebrity singer of Bollywood. The music teacher vows to get back everything he lost in the past risking all his achievements in the present day.

    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/musicteacher  in your coverage.

    Hotel Mumbai tells the astonishing true story of the victims and survivors of the devastating attacks on Mumbai in 2008. The film directed by Anthony Maras stars Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Anupam Kher, Jason Isaacs. This film is available on Netflix in the SAARC region only.

    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/hotelmumbai  in your coverage.

    Firebrand, directed by Aruna Raje and produced by Priyanka Chopra, Firebrand is a Marathi Film that follows a successful lawyer, a sexual assault victim played by Usha Jadhav, as she tackles difficult family cases while also dealing with intimacy issues in her own marriage. Girish Kulkarni essays the role of her husband Madhav Patkar, an architect by profession. Sachin Khedekar and Rajeshwari Sachdev play a couple in the movie which is high on drama.

    We kindly ask that you link www.netflix.com/firebrand  in your coverage.

  • Krishna Menon appointed chief revenue officer at The Q India

    Krishna Menon appointed chief revenue officer at The Q India

    MUMBAI: QYOU Media has announced that it has appointed Krishna Menon as chief revenue officer of The Q India.

    Menon comes experienced in sales and marketing in the Indian media and entertainment industry. Before joining The Q India, he served as chief marketing officer at Sakal Media Group and general manager at Network 18 Media. He will be responsible for increasing advertising sales and boosting digital, channel and mobile platform revenues by creating new opportunities for monetization. With that he will also oversee The Q’s expansion into influencer marketing initiatives.

    Sunder Aaron, general manager at The Q said, “The Q India business is growing quickly, and we’re excited to build on this momentum by bringing Krishna onto our executive management team. Krishna has a proven track record of growing media and mobile businesses in the region. He’s also someone who knows how to fashion and cultivate a brand and will serve as a key player as we further grow The Q into the leading channel and programming brand for young Indians aged 20-30 years old.”

    Krishna Menon on his new journey said, “I am thrilled to be joining The Q India team. I look forward to helping build The Q into a premier entertainment brand for young Indians and capitalizing on new opportunities to maximize revenue potential through ad sales, channel distribution and influencer campaigns with partners.”

  • ZEE5 ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST HINDI ORIGINAL FILM, TIGERS

    ZEE5 ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST HINDI ORIGINAL FILM, TIGERS

    MUMBAI: ZEE5, India’s #2 OTT player has announced its first Hindi Original film ‘TIGERS’ – Can a salesman be a hero?’starring Emraan Hashmi, by Oscar winning director DanisTanovic. TIGERS is a true story based on a Pakistani salesman Syed Aamir Raza (played by Emraan Hashmi) and his fight against unjust practices in the baby products’ industry. The movie will premiere exclusively on ZEE5 on 21stNovember.
     
    The movie shows Emraan Hashmi exposing his company for making a baby formula which is killing infants with the help of IBFAN (The International Baby Food Action Network). The film also features prominent artists like Adil Hussain, Geetanjali, Danny Huston (Wonder Woman), Khalid Abdalla (The Kite Runner),Supriya Pathak, Satyadeep Misra, Maryam d'Abo (The Living Daylights) and HeinoFerch (Run Lola Run) among others.

    Emraan Hashmi said, “This movie is very close to my heart, and I am thrilled to announce its premiere with a platform like ZEE5. We have premiered at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival and travelled around the world with the film and the story has received a heart-warming welcome across. We sincerely believe that this is a story that the people should know, and hope that the audience likes it.”

    Guneet Monga, Producer, TIGERS said, “Tigers is an important film – it is extremely relevant and topical. It is also an amazing collaboration of talent from around and has been a real labour of love.  It has been an incredible honour working with Danis and Emraan on this one. We are thrilled with Zee coming on board to distribute and release Tigers on ZEE5 as their first Hindi Original film.”  
     
    Manish Aggarwal, Business Head, ZEE5 India, said, “TIGERS is a film based on a true story that explores the power of corporates, media and ethics by DanisTanovic. Emraan’s portrayal of the protagonist will make sure the message travels far and wide. Movies such as Tigers are essential to spark a meaningful debate in popular conversation and we are proud to present it as the first Hindi Original film from ZEE5.”

    Besides Original films, ZEE5 has also been digitally premiering blockbuster and acclaimed movies for its subscriber base. FromPadman, Veere Di Wedding, Mulk, Parmanu and many more in Hindi to Faster Fene, Gulabjaam, Mercury and so on, ZEE5 continues to digitally premiere blockbuster movies across languages.

    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.
     

  • Riding on the reach and success of Side Hero, Eros Now set to bring Season 2 of the comedy series

    Riding on the reach and success of Side Hero, Eros Now set to bring Season 2 of the comedy series

    MUMBAI: Eros Now, the cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment, recently released their first original series Side Hero directed by Rohan Sippy on September 24th. The eight-episode series received an overwhelming response from audiences prompting the OTT platform to announce the second season of Side Hero.

    Enjoying tremendous popularity with a rating of 8.6 on IMDB as well as the number one position on Top Hindi Movies and Shows section within a week of its release on IMDB over other recently released movies during the same period such as Sui Dhaaga, the self-deprecatory comedy based on the life of actor Kunaal Roy Kapur stood firm ground against competition. The trailer of the series itself, clocked more than 10 million online views within a period of a week, making it one of the most watched trailers of any Indian Original Series. Most of its assets prior to the series’ launch on Eros Now including the poster and trailer, saw the highest level of engagement as well as trended on social media.

    Interestingly, Side Hero lent to a greater contribution of viewership from larger screens with twice the amount viewership from premium subscription users as compared to basic users. The build up to the series tracked very well with viewers in 75 countries across the world sampling Side Hero episodes in the first week of launch itself. Further elaborating on the consumption pattern, Eros Now revealed the series enjoys 85% viewership in the age bracket of 18-24 (male & female) lending to an endemic viewership growth in the core target audience for the show.

    Recently, Eros Now was awarded the ‘Best Web-Series’ for Side Hero along with Kunaal Roy Kapur bagging the award for Best Actor at the Streaming Awards hosted by Digital Hash in October 2018, adding another feather to the success of Side Hero series.

    Talking about the success of the series, Ridhima Lulla, Chief Content Officer, Eros Group said, "It's overwhelming and humbling to receive such positive reactions to our very first original. This heartening response has encouraged us to consider following up the series with Season 2 as the show seems to have found its own fan base.  With series like Side Hero, we want to continue bringing interesting programming that the youth haven’t sampled before and we hope audiences remain appreciative of our content offering.”

    Director Rohan Sippy added, “We had a lot of fun creating Side Hero and partnering with Eros Now. Looking forward to unleashing Season 2 and take it to the next level, amplifying the crazy quotient. Fresh ideas have started brewing already”.

    Lead actor Kunaal Roy Kapur said, “I’m really thrilled with the response we have received for ‘Side Hero’ and excited that Eros Now has decided that we need another season of crazy stories from the belly of Bollywood. Can’t wait to start”.

    Side Hero Season 2 will reprise the same cast and will be directed by Rohan Sippy. Season 2 is slated for release in 2019. The series stars Kunaal Roy Kapur, Gauhar Khan, Arjun Kanungo and Gopal Dutt. All episodes are streaming and available for binge viewing for INR 49 and INR 99 per month on Eros Now.

  • ZEE5 announces next Marathi Original – ‘Sex, Drugs & Theatre’ on Marathi Rangbhoomi Day

    ZEE5 announces next Marathi Original – ‘Sex, Drugs & Theatre’ on Marathi Rangbhoomi Day

    MUMBAI: Today, 5th November 2018 marks the joyous occasion of Marathi Rangbhoomi Day, in other words, the celebration of Marathi Theatre. ZEE5, India’s #2 OTT platform takes this opportunity to launch their opulent Original Marathi venture – ‘Sex, Drugs and Theatre’, that delves into and celebrates Marathi drama to its fullest. The series narrates the journey of 6 college students who are forcefully made to work on a prestigious drama competition that completely changes their life.

    Directed, produced and written by National Award-winning film-maker, SujayDahake, who is known for his ambitious filmmaking in terms of narrative and subjects. After creating diverse films like Shala (school drama), Ajoba (based on true events wildlife film) and Phuntroo (Science Fiction), Sujay is now looking forward to venture into the digital space with ZEE5’s ‘Sex, Drugs & Theatre’.

    The 10 episode series will feature a fairly new talented star cast with a script that is edgy and never been attempted before in Marathi mainstream media.

    Commenting on the same, Manish Aggarwal, Business Head, ZEE5 India said, “We at ZEE5, have worked with the most renowned talent from the Marathi industry to produce and provide cutting edge, never seen before content that the audience can consume. Having worked with names like Bhau Kadam, SaieTamhankar previously and SujayDahake now, our aim is to create content that will revolutionize the digital space for Marathi audience. ‘Sex, Drugs & Theatre’, is a cool, youthful, vibrant show, something quite different from what the audience has seen so far. It is sure to set an industry benchmark.”

    Creator, SujayDahakesaid, “I am glad to associate with ZEE5 on my first digital venture. ‘Sex, Drugs & Theatre’ is an intense college drama. College theatre & theatre competitions has always been dear to the Marathi audience. Also, sex & drugs are a huge taboo in our society. So, what happens when these worlds collide? The show will portray Marathi youth in a never seen before manner – cool, vibrant, raw, yet rooted. The show will definitely stand out because no other content has portrayed Marathi youth dynamics in a flamboyant & relatable yet aspirational manner. The star cast will be announced in the days to come.”

    Written, produced and directed by SujayDahake under his banner, Pune Film Company, Sex, Drugs & Theatre will go on floors soon.