ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Shemaroo launches Hindu devotional app ‘HariOm’

    Shemaroo launches Hindu devotional app ‘HariOm’

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment Limited has launched a Hindu devotional app ‘HariOm’ with a variety of features. The HariOm app is a much-needed digital alternative to connect people with their faith and engage with their community.

    Apart from access to well curated devotional music and video content, the app enables consumers to book a host of religious services. Whether it is a Ganesha pooja before the commencement of something new, Satyanarayan pooja for familial harmony or a Mahamrityunjaya Jaap, all require elaborate preparations.

    Another unique offering is that it facilitates delivery of prasad at your doorstep from temples across the length and breadth of the country. Additionally, consumers can view live telecast of aartis through the day from the most revered shrines like Mahalakshmi temple in Mumbai and Karnimata in Bikaner, get access to the discourse from top spiritual gurus like Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Shree Shree Ravi Shankar, Brahma Kumari, etc.

    Commenting on the launch, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited director Hiren Gada shared, ”Our endeavour from the past two years has been to create services and properties that reflect the passion of the emergent digital audience. HariOm as the name signifies is an app catering to the Hindu faith which promises to give an authentic devotional experience almost close to what one would experience at a temple, in the confines of your house or on the go. We at Shemaroo also own one of the largest library of devotional and spiritual content and would hence power the audio and video content on the app. However, its most compelling feature is the delivery of prasad from the most popular shrines to people’s doorsteps. This all inclusive app will not just help consumers discover religious and spiritual content of their choice but also offer a whole host of services in perfect synchrony to their needs.”

    Devotional content is one of the most popular categories of content in India and Shemaroo Entertainment is one of the biggest aggregators and distributors of it. With its rich and diverse devotional catalogue, Shemaroo is present on YouTube, key DTH channels and OTT players.

  • Eros International acquires film rights to best-selling author Ashwin Sanghi’s The Krishna Key

    Eros International acquires film rights to best-selling author Ashwin Sanghi’s The Krishna Key

    MUMBAI: Eros International, a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry has acquired the rights to adapt best-selling Indian author Ashwin Sanghi’s anthropological thriller The Krishna Key into a theatrical film and original series for their digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform, Eros Now.

    The acclaimed thriller set across timelines with its captivating plot, merging the mythological with the contemporary released in 2012. The book follows a history professor who must prove his innocence against a murder charge. Krishna Key, the third novel by Ashwin Sanghi, tries to unfold the secrets of the Mahabharata and establish Krishna as a historical character rather than a mythical character. The plot is dramatic and provocative, enthralling with its twists and turns creating a seamless opportunity to creatively showcase it in the world cinema. The series is in initial stages of development with talent to be finalised soon. Eros is planning its release in 2019.

    Commenting on the development, Eros International, Chief Content Officer, Ridhima Lulla said, “We are gearing towards enhancing the premium content offering on Eros Now, that includes the launch of its originals. We want to offer a myriad content mix on our platform and have been particularly keen on adding Indian mythological themes which remain hugely popular.  We are very excited to have acquired the rights to Ashwin’s bestselling book which delves beautifully into Indian history and mythology and at the same time blending well with the contemporary world and we anticipate it to be a perfect premise to explore for the big screen and an original series adaption”. 

    Author Ashwin Sanghi adds, “I am delighted that Eros International has acquired the rights to The Krishna Key. Eros has an incredible team that is exceedingly capable of adapting this action-packed thriller into a very interesting story for cinema. I am confident that the final product will be exciting and entertaining.”

    Ashwin Sanghi ranks among India’s highest selling English fiction authors. He is considered one of the frontrunners in historical and mythological retelling. Popularly hailed as the Indian Dan Brown for The Rozabal Line and The Krishna Key, both of which were critically acclaimed. He has written several other bestsellers including Chanakya’s Chant, The Sialkot Saga and Keepers of the Kalachakra. In 2010, he won Vodafone-Crossword Popular Choice Award for Chanakya’s Chant. Additionally, the book Private India became the best seller in the United Kingdom. He was also included in the list of celebrity 100 by Forbes.

  • SonyLIV adds 7 new channels from SPI

    SonyLIV adds 7 new channels from SPI

    MUMBAI: SonyLIV will be adding seven channels from SPI’s bouquet by the end of February. The distribution deal will include international movie channel Filmbox Art House, 24-hour martial arts channel Fightbox, and sports and lifestyle channel Fast&Funbox. In addition, Docubox will present documentary films while clothing design and trends are the focus of Fashionbox. Independent international music videos are showcased on 360TuneBox, and millennials will be catered to with gaming and eSports channel Gametoon.

    Sony Pictures Network India EVP and head digital business Uday Sodhi said that this association will bring to the audiences content from different genres. It will add to the existing channels like Sony SET HD, Sony MAX HD, Sony SAB HD, Sony BBC Earth, Sony MIX etc. He said, “SonyLIV premium users can now enjoy non-stop entertainment around sports, fashion, lifestyle, interactive gaming, music, movies and more.”

    SPI’s head of distribution for MENA, Turkey, APAC, Russia, CIS, Baltics, Bulgaria and Ex-Yugo – Murat Muratoglu said, “As SPI is committed to expanding its distribution footprint in Asia we are excited to deliver top quality television programming to viewers in India thanks to the recent launch of our worldwide channels on SonyLIV.”

    SonyLIV content is available to stream online, on Android and iOS mobile devices, on web and m-web.

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  • YouTube’s premium ad-free service Red to hit 100 new countries

    YouTube’s premium ad-free service Red to hit 100 new countries

    MUMBAI: YouTube is all set to expand its premium subscription service YouTube Red to as many as 100 countries, according to YouTube chief executive Susan Wojcicki. The target countries haven’t yet been decided.

    While never specifically mentioning the merger of Google Play Music with YouTube Red, she hinted that YouTube Red is a music-first product.

    Speaking at the Code Media conference in California, Wojcicki said, “I think our goal is to continue to increase what we’re doing. We are building that muscle of creating content; we’ll continue to do more and more and we’ll see what’s successful, we’ll see what our users respond to, what’s driving subscriptions, what’s being watched. I think one of the really amazing things about YouTube is the platform and the data that we have.”

    Google’s YouTube Red is a rival to Spotify, Netflix, Apple Music, and Amazon Video – and it’s going global in 2018.

    She referred to YouTube Red as “really a music service,” which suggests that YouTube, and not Google Play Music, will be the forward-facing image of the upcoming product. She said, “YouTube Red is a service that is really a music service. We have an amazing collection of music. We have all these music videos. And then on top of that it has the ability to watch all of YouTube ads free, with the background and offline services. And on top of that we’ve actually been doing a number of YouTube Originals.”

    In July 2017, Google announced that its music service, Google Play Music would merge with its premium YouTube service, YouTube Red. News on the merger was quiet until December 2017, when Bloomberg reported that Google would be releasing the combined service, internally referred to as “Remix,” by March 2018.

    YouTube Red launched in the US in October 2015 but although a swift global rollout was predicted, it has since only launched in Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, and South Korea. The platform offers ad-free viewing and access to original content exclusive to the platform.

    Also Read:

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    YouTube, FB to corner major ad spend globally over 5 years

    TiVo’s new deal with Google includes YouTube TV

  • Ace filmmaker Subhash Kapoor signed by ALTBalaji for its next #ALTBalajiOriginal

    Ace filmmaker Subhash Kapoor signed by ALTBalaji for its next #ALTBalajiOriginal

    Since its launch in April, ALTBalaji has more than 15 million mobile downloads. The ad free, subscription-based platform is available in over 90 countries and offers original content in various Indian regional languages, making it India’s largest repository for original and exclusive digital content.

    ALTBalaji has made some big announcements in the last few weeks. Recently, the digital platform announced its association with the highly acclaimed writer-director Habib Faisal and now ALTBalaji has signed up ace filmmaker Subhash Kapoor for its next #ALTBalajiOriginal based on the infamous 1959 Nanavati Case – making yet another big announcement in just one week!

    Subhash Kapoor who is known for directing satirical hits like Phas Gaye Re Obama, Jolly LLB and Jolly LLB 2 to name a few would be making his digital debut with ALTBalaji. 

    The show is in its pre-production stage and the cast is yet to be finalized.

  • RevStart launches #SheStarts@RevStart, highlighting its commitment to women entrepreneurship

    RevStart launches #SheStarts@RevStart, highlighting its commitment to women entrepreneurship

    NEW DELHI: To help aspiring women entrepreneurs navigate the world of start-ups, RevStart, a leading co-working and incubation centre, has launched #SheStarts@RevStart, a series of mentorship events where entrepreneurs have the opportunity of one-on-one sessions with leading women evangelists. The first event, held on February 8, 2018, at the RevStart office in Noida, saw Ms. Anisha Singh, Founder and CEO of MyDala.com, interact with aspiring entrepreneurs and share some valuable insights from her own entrepreneurial journey. The initiative is supported by leading organisations like TiE Delhi NCR & SHEROES. It is part of RevStart’s commitment to provide safe and supportive working ecosystem for women. The next event in this series, ‘Writing an effective business plan’ is going to be held in March 2018.

    Sharing her insights on entrepreneurship, MyDala.com, Founder and CEO, Ms. Anisha Singh said, “Thank you for inviting me to the first #SheStarts session and giving me the opportunity to interact with phenomenal women (and a few men too!). I love that we’re seeing a rising tide of entrepreneurship. What is needed is mentorship and guidance and I was happy to participate in RevStart’s program and  hold one-on-one mentor sessions. Women need to look out for each other and support each other’s efforts and we need more such forums. To anyone aspiring to be an entrepreneur – now is the right time, so please don’t overthink. To women in particular, I’m rooting for you!”

    Anisha Singh is among India’s leading digital entrepreneurs and the founder of one of MyDala.com, which is India’s largest local services marketing platform present in over 200 cities. Her focus, now, is towards building a future where women’s success stories are accepted as the norm and not the exception. 

    Commenting on the event, RevStart, Founder & CEO, Mr. Ishan Singh said, “It is important for budding women entrepreneurs to have the right environment to thrive and achieve extraordinary things. Entrepreneurs like Anisha are a great example for others who prove that anytime is a good time to start if you have a great idea and a good business plan. At RevStart, we want to nurture successful women entrepreneurs and are confident that this novel initiative will help in giving aspiring female entrepreneurs the platform they need to achieve professional success.”

    Since its inception, RevStart has been committed to creating a nurturing and supportive ecosystem for emerging ventures by providing them with high quality and cost-effective co-working, incubation, and acceleration services. RevStart supports women entrepreneurs and workforce by facilities like evening metro drop off, premier location near a creche & providing discounted pricing for women employees and women entrepreneurs.

    RevStart is founded and led by Mr. Ishan Singh, a serial entrepreneur, mentor, and investor. His investments include women centric businesses like PeeBuddy and Register My Marriage as well as women led businesses like BookEventz, Baby Chakra, Parvata Foods and Little Black Book (LBB).

  • Diverse language content the pivot for ZEE5’s growth

    Diverse language content the pivot for ZEE5’s growth

    MUMBAI: The Zee Group’s much anticipated new digital platform ZEE5 (Z5) has finally launched, a few months down the brand refresh that was given to media behemoth’s entertainment channels. Offering everything from Indian and international original content, movies, TV shows, music, live TV and health and lifestyle content, Z5 gives viewers the opportunity to pick their entertainment from 11 browsing (and content) languages—English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabi.

    During the launch event, Zee International and Z5 global CEO Amit Goenka said, “As a global content company, our biggest strength is how well we understand our consumers and translate this into content they love. Every aspect of Z5 is based on our deep understanding of our consumers and their local ecosystem. It is both local and global at the same time and we know it is going to change the way you watch content.”

    Z5 is seeking to addresses the entertainment demands of a young India that is increasingly digital savvy and globally connected, yet fundamentally rooted in its culture. Aggregated and original content is offered in the 11 languages as well as Odiya. “Digital will play a critical role in fuelling this growth and we wanted to ensure that we had a strong offering and presence in the space. With the launch of Z5 we see ourselves catapulting into the next phase of growth,” added Amit.

    A silent preparation of 1.5 years went into Z5 to include content and features that cannot be found on any other Indian platform. While revealing the mystery of the silence Zee Entertainment Enterprises MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “We have invested immense amount of time and energy in creating and acquiring rich and engaging content for Z5, which I am sure will be cherished by our viewers across the nation and worldwide. The launch of Z5 further strengthens us as a media and entertainment powerhouse.”

    While talking about the strategies for India, ZEE5 digital head Archana Anand said, “We see ZEE5 as filling a definite need-gap in the Indian market for strong language content and navigation experience across Indian languages. Our platform will be as relevant to the urban elite as it is to the new digital audiences experiencing Internet for the first time. India’s digital story is going to be fuelled by new language consumers and that’s exactly who ZEE5 is for. 

    Our Brand Anthem celebrates this spirited new India, globally savvy, yet happiest in the language of their comfort. We believe this market to be hugely underserved and hence, see this approach as key to driving our India win.”
    Z5 is banking on India’s rich diversity of languages to bag it the popularity. “Our brand anthem celebrates this spirited new India, globally savvy, yet happiest in the language of their comfort. We believe this market to be hugely underserved and hence, see this approach as key to driving our India win,” she added. Tie ups have been made with regional producers for language content. 

    The platform’s brand anthem has been directed by Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari, composed by Amit Trivedi and written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Keeping in mind the distinct audiences, two versions of the anthem have been created – one for the North market and one for the South, each catering to the specific market nuances for authenticity and connect.

    Z5 has a freemium pricing model with both free and paid premium content to cater to a mix of audiences. Viewers who subscribe to the subscription pack will get access to the entire library of content at a special launch offer price of Rs 99 per month instead of the actual monthly pack price of Rs 150. The advertisers will have a strong involvement in their free wall offerings. Those with Zee’s older digital platforms, i.e. Ozee will automatically upgrade to Z5, whereas Ditto TV will ask for an upgrade from the viewer. However, originals, international movies, old shows, Zee theatre and many more things will fall under its paid offerings. The live news TV offering will not only provide Zee News but also other news broadcasters’ feeds on it.

    People can watch 100 movies that have never been shown on TV with subtitles and with dubbing in their language of choice. Fresh series will be either launched together or on a weekly basis. Punit said that Z5 will focus towards the production of kids’ content in the near future. Anand also added that they will look at acquisitions in the kids’ space in regional languages. 

    Z5 is also available as a progressive web app (PWA) to address the patchy connectivity and low phone storage scenarios.

  • YuppTV to exclusively broadcast Hero Nidahas Trophy 2018

    YuppTV to exclusively broadcast Hero Nidahas Trophy 2018

    MUMBAI: Cricket aficionados can catch the fast-paced action and the nerve-wracking excitement of the upcoming tri-nation series, Hero Nidahas Trophy 2018, between Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka on YuppTV, the world’s leading OTT brand for South Asian content. The T20 matches will be held in Colombo, between March 6th and March 18th. All the matches will be exclusively available on YuppTV in the USA, Canada, Middle East and North Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, United Kingdom and Europe.

    The tri-series tournament, played in celebration of Sri Lanka’s 70th year of independence, will open with India taking on Sri Lanka in the opening match. The tournament will follow a round robin format, with all three teams playing each other twice, and the top two teams progressing to the final on March 18th.

    YuppTV, Founder & CEO, MUMBAI:  said, “Unlike other games, cricket has exemplary viewership across the globe, and T20 cricket has helped it gain more popularity than ever before. We are pleased to have exclusive rights for broadcasting the Hero Nidahas Trophy 2018 series in various geographies and look forward to offering our viewers the convenience of streaming the action-packed game, without missing a single moment of the same.”

    Cricket fans can watch all the action LIVE from R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on www.yupptv.com or via the YuppTV app on their smart TVs, smart Blu-ray players, streaming media players, gaming consoles, smartphones, and tablets.

  • SPI International (FILMBOX) launches 7 thematic channels and VOD Content – Exclusively on SonyLIV Web and App in India

    SPI International (FILMBOX) launches 7 thematic channels and VOD Content – Exclusively on SonyLIV Web and App in India

    Global media group SPI International (FILMBOX) and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) have signed a distribution agreement to launch seven thematic channels from SPI’s worldwide TV portfolio exclusively on SonyLIV. SonyLIV streams are accessible online, on mobile devices (Android and iOS), web and m-web. 

    From this month, SonyLIV’s TV line-up will include the following SPI’s channels:

    – FilmBox ART HOUSE – an international movie channel featuring classic masterpieces of world cinema by such prominent directors as Kurosawa, Fellini, Hitchcock, Antonioni, Visconti along with an impressive selection of art house titles and independent films from all over the world. The channel also presents award-winning movies from top film festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Tokyo, Hong Kong and many more.

    – FIGHTBOX – a 24X7 martial arts network with live broadcast of international MMA events and other TV programming covering more than thirty combat sport disciplines.

    – FAST&FUNBOX – a sports/lifestyle channel featuring coverage of international shows and competitions in such disciplines as car racing (Formula One), motorcross, snowboarding, sailing and many more

    – DOCUBOX – a unique documentary channel presenting documentary films and television programming devoted to nature, science, history and human civilization

    – FASHIONBOX – a worldwide TV network focusing on fashion trends, top designers and shopping

    – 360TuneBox – an independent international music video network showcasing breakthrough artists from all over the world and the best of art music video

    – GAMETOON – SPI’s brand new worldwide entertainment TV channel for millennials revolving around gaming and eSports. The Gametoon channel features highlights of popular video games, entertainment content from gaming youtubers, video game tournaments (e-sports) with million dollar prize pools and much more.

  • Amazon Prime Video premieres exclusive series die trying created by top comedian Kenny Sebastian, on Valentine’s Day

    Amazon Prime Video premieres exclusive series die trying created by top comedian Kenny Sebastian, on Valentine’s Day

    Amazon Prime Video brings to its viewers another exciting Prime Exclusive series – Die Trying. Die Trying is a 7 episode series about two struggling musicians, created by well-known comedian, Kenny Sebastian. This show is a collaboration between Amazon Prime Video and OML, who also produced other popular Amazon Prime Exclusives like Going Viral, Pushpavalli and Laakhon Mein Ek. It will release on 14th February 2018.

    Comedian and Creator, Die Trying, Kenny Sebastian said, “It’s incredible how Amazon Prime Video provides local creators like me an incredible platform to tell stories to a wide audience. My stand up special which released on Amazon Prime Video in 2017 received a lot of love from viewers across the country and the globe. ‘Die Trying’ is a snippet from my earlier days as a struggling musician and is extremely special from a story point of view as I try to explore how artists see themselves from a creative point of view since I act and even sing in the show.  I hope viewers have a great time watching it (preferably binge watch it)!”

    Die Trying is a story of two Bangalore-based musicians who want to be big music stars. They are convinced that they have what it takes to make it big in the music scene, no matter what people tell them. Armed with only mediocre music and blind confidence, they give their big music dreams a shot.  But, will they make it? Find out this 14th of February, only on Amazon Prime Video.

    Amazon Prime Video has the largest selection of latest and exclusive movies and TV shows, stand-up comedy, ad-free across Indian and Hollywood movies, US TV shows, top/popular Indian and international kids’ shows, award winning Amazon Prime Original shows along with content from top Bollywood, regional, Indian and international studios – all available in one location/service.

    To watch these and other new release Hollywood and Bollywood movies, US TV shows, kids’ programming and Amazon Prime Originals, please visit www.PrimeVideo.com or download the Amazon Prime Video app today and sign-up for a Prime membership.