Category: iWorld

Mumbai: BabyG has been awarded the title of “Best Hidden Gems App of 2022” by Google Play in India. This announcement was made as a part of Google Play’s “Best Apps of 2022” annual awards to recognise the best apps and games on the Play store. Google added six apps to its winning list for 2022.

BabyG is an early development app that caters to all the parenting needs from infancy to three years of age. It is a baby development tracker that allows parents to look into their kid’s milestones and activities and show recipes, stories, and more according to their wishes. BabyG is the one-stop app for the development of your little one. The app has put together a team and advisory panel that is a mix of early development specialists, child experts, technology creators, business professionals, and parenting enthusiasts. All of whom share a passion for smart parenting. Launched last year, the app currently has 200K+ users across the world.

Speaking on the win, BabyG founder and CEO Birma Ram said, “We are incredibly humbled that Google Play chose BabyG for the “Best of 2022″ awards. BabyG was designed to promote growth and learning in babies through playful activities, aiming to provide parents with a wholesome ecosystem they can rely on to give their children the best foundation. We are fortunate to receive love from 200K+ parents across different countries in a short time. Building a universal app that can be easily adapted to other cultures is vital to our mission. We are grateful to Google Play for making it significantly easier to do this and helping us with learnings and insights to improve the app for our users.”

Mumbai: OML Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.’s latest comedy-drama series, Half Pants Full Pants, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 16 December, promises to capture the spirit of childhood in the smaller towns of India.

This eight-episode, lighthearted series is directed by V. K. Prakash and star child actors Ashwanth Ashokkumar and Kartik Vijan, along with renowned actors Ashish Vidyarthi and Sonali Kulkarni.

OML Entertainment held a private screening in Mumbai on Tuesday, which saw the cast, the creators, and many from the industry in full attendance.

Half Pants Full Pants is adapted from Anand Suspi’s eponymous book of the same title, and it is set in a small town in South India, before the age of the internet and mobiles, where the adventurous and ambitious seven-year-old boy Anand, aka Dabba, lives. He and his friend, the obedient and well-mannered Giddi, go on adventures that will warm audiences’ hearts and make them miss the good old simple days of mischief and innocence.

“We are extremely excited to associate with Prime Video for this series and bring it to audiences across the world. Half Pants Full Pants is a wholesome show that will resonate with viewers because of its universal theme of exploring childhood nostalgia in the 1980s,” said OML Entertainment creative head of OTT content Akansh Gaur.

“The joy of discovery and the fickleness of dreams told through the eyes of a seven-year-old is something that we believe will engage viewers. We are looking forward to everyone being taken back to the warmth of their childhood as they watch this show,” he added.

“Half Pants Full Pants is an experience that takes us back to a simpler time where life was untouched by technology and yet sparkling with wonder. Through the story of Dabba, his family, and friends, the series captures the magic of childhood in a period without phones or the internet—an unhurried pace of life that we often yearn for,” said director V. K. Prakash about the series.

He continued, “The cast and crew unanimously gravitated towards telling this story because of its simplicity and innocence. We cannot wait to share this with the world.”

“Half Pants Full Pants is not only a treat for audiences looking for a portal to the past, but also deeply creatively satisfying for us as OML Studios. We are grateful to VK Prakash, Anand Suspi, and Amazon Prime Video for partnering with us on this journey of exploration and collaboration, which we hold so dear at OML. OML has always believed in finding a way to tell unique stories, and none of this would have been possible without the tireless efforts of the entire team that made it possible. It truly took a village to raise this child. Please join us in enjoying the show,” said OML Entertainment CEO Gunjan Arya.

Mumbai: Tata Play Binge has announced another OTT partner integration to the platform, facilitating availability, accessibility, and affordability for OTT consumption. Tata Play Binge now offers ReelDrama, an OTT platform for bespoke Assamese content.

With its extensive partnership deals with 18 OTT apps, Tata Play Binge aims to present viewers with compelling content from all major and regional players across the country in just one click, expanding its regional offerings. The platform hosts an extensive library of movies, TV shows, web originals, and live sports all under one roof, with 18 apps under one roof.

ReelDrama, the most recent addition, is a homegrown Assamese OTT platform known for bringing Assamese culture to life through entertainment and education. Celebrated Assamese titles such as Rhino Express, Fisaa, Trojan, Ratnakar, Tomar Opekkhyat, and others, as well as ‘snackable entertainment’ in the form of short form videos ranging from music to poetry, stand-up comedy to cooking, devotional shows, and so on, will now be available to Tata Play Binge subscribers.

Commenting on the addition of ReelDrama, Tata Play’s chief commercial and content officer, Pallavi Puri said, “One of the ideas behind Tata Play Binge is to bring to the fore diverse content from various cultures of India into the mainstream. ReelDrama’s content slate consists of Assamese cult movies and new-age cinema from the region, which we believe will add another flavor to the entire offering of Tata Play Binge.”

ReelDrama director Kuheli Dasgupta said, “The objective of ReelDrama is to provide an alternative platform for talented Assamese filmmakers to showcase their craft to a larger section of Assamese- speaking viewers. The association with Tata Binge will aid our effort to reach out to a wider audience, not only in Assam but also in the entire country.”

ReelDrama will join the band of most popular OTT platforms on Binge like Disney+ Hotstar, ZEE5, SonyLIV, MX Player, Voot Select, Lionsgate Play, Hoichoi, Planet Marathi, NammaFlix, Chaupal, SunNxt, Hungama Play, Eros Now, ShemarooMe, Voot Kids, Curiosity Stream, EPIC ON, and DocuBay. Content from all these platforms is available to the viewers of Tata Play Binge through a single subscription and single user interface.

Mumbai: MX Player has emerged as a preferred destination for maximum entertainment, owing to its exceptional content and diverse library of shows across genres and formats. And now, the platform is preparing to enthrall its viewers with the MX Studios original Salesman of the Year.

A slice-of-life mini-series Salesman of the Year produced by MX Studios, follows the life of a 26-year-old Karthik, played by Hussain Dalal, and his Charminar to Chandni Chowk journey as this Hyderabadi salesman relocates to Delhi. Co-powered by Valvoline and ET Money, and in collaboration with TVS Raider, Salesman of the Year will premiere exclusively on MX Player on 21 December.

Salesman of the Year is a five-episode series about a Hyderabad-born and raised 26-year-old Karthik who lands a sales job in Delhi. Karthik attempts to cope with life in a city, a place that is unfamiliar and often intimidating in every way, in order to prove to his parents that a sales job is not insignificant. With hope in his heart and ambition in his veins, he begins to deal with a highly competitive workplace, a jargon-spouting boss, an overly friendly DJ as a roommate, and locals who constantly threaten him, and all he can do is ensure that things don’t go south – literally and metaphorically.

Directed by Ankita Sharma, the series is written by Rajesh Narasimhan and Ashiish V Patil and also features internet sensation Ahsaas Channa in a key role.

Talking about the show, Dalal said, “Salesman of the Year tells a story that is extremely relatable for everyone as we are all trying to belong and be accepted – be it in a new city, a new job, with new friends or our own family. I had a blast playing Karthik Reddy, as his Hyderabadi slang & swag are something viewers have not had a chance to see before. The show is a masaledaar serving of Hyderabadi biryani with Dilli ke parathe – Amma kasam majhaa ayenga!”

Channa further added saying, “This was amongst the most mature and challenging characters I’ve had a chance to play. To portray a cold, aggressive corporate woman who comes with a gripping backstory was amazing. The script and the team made the entire journey and experience much more exciting – hopefully viewers will find both Ira Saxena and the show as exciting as I did!”

 MX Player COO, Nikhil Gandhi said, “The vision behind creating MX Studios is to offer bespoke brand solutions to advertisers and marketers across categories, tailored to cater to the pulse of Indian audiences. After the successful launch of our latest quiz based series, ‘Business Baazi’, we are delighted to associate with Valvoline, ET Money and TVS Raider for the upcoming slice of life series, Salesman of the Year. Written by Patil, it is an amalgamation of compelling content and seamless brand integrations. The diverse reach and target segmentation that MX Player offers is unparalleled in the OTT ecosystem and we hope to continue delivering value and impact for our stakeholders.”

Valvoline marketing head Ipshita Chowdhury, further added, “Shifting a job and city both can trigger quite a bumpy ride. MX Studio’s new show Salesman of the Year tells the story of one such Hyderabadi salesman who moves to Delhi – and that’s when he finds a friend and Valvoline Bike Xpert, Rocky who runs one of Delhi’s top bike garages to help him make his life and ride, both smoother. Just like what Valvoline’s Champ 4T Engine Oil does for motorcycles. We found a great fit and a fun story to integrate the brand seamlessly and we are delighted to partner with MX Studios to present a fun new series that the viewers will enjoy.”

 ET Money chief operating officer Santosh Navlani added, “MX Player’s new show ‘Salesman of the Year’ depicts how the protagonist, Karthik, faces a challenge when investing his money and how ET Money Genius solves all his concerns and empowers him with investing intelligence. There is a strong correlation between Karthik and ET Money’s target audience, who witness the same challenge while making their investment decisions. With such a perfect narrative and story resonance, we believe our association with MX Player in this show gives us an opportunity to portray the value and power ET Money Genius can bring to an investor’s life, i.e., empowering them with investing intelligence.”

Mumbai: Offbeet Media Group is a new-age media platform company driven by content production (B2B and B2C) and distribution capabilities.

Offbeet has a thriving service business with different brands offering specialised services for the government sector, influencer marketing, OTT, broadcast sector, B2C business of media brands via 101.com, Zelador Talent Management, the USPL (US Premier League), and Offbeet Studios, which has projects lined up for theatrical release and the OTT marketplace.

The group has a robust, credible stack of services/media products with an established body of work and has taken its first steps into tech with VR, NFT/metaverse, and esports, as well as becoming a true new-age media platform company.

Indiantelevision.com caught up with Offbeet Media Group CEO & founder Jaideep Singh to find out about the company’s plans.

A management executive with 20 years of experience in media, marketing, and entertainment, Singh has specific expertise in broadcast/TV, digital & social media, film, radio, live events, and experiential large-format entertainment properties. He has an in-depth understanding of building the content and revenue sides of media businesses across platforms and an established track record of managing P&L.

An expert in strategically building scalable and sustainable media brands/IPs and businesses, Singh has engaged aggressively in the global market with exposure and understanding of the UK, US, Europe, Singapore, and the Middle East.

Edited Excerpts:

On the market gap 

Offbeet was founded with the intention of capturing the space for telling stories about India that are rooted in our diverse culture, heritage, and the new India that is emerging. With content at the heart of everything we do across all lines of business we have entered, and a belief that there is a space and a demand for a new-age media company that vows to be content at heart while efficiently delivering profitable media services and media products that are scalable across spectrums, we have launched.

On the rising Offbeet scale

We started as a small content agency, working with and servicing brands and the government sector. Today, we have evolved into a media group that has a thriving service business with different brands.

On the covid impact

We actually took it as an opportunity to evolve and deliver innovative content solutions to clients to ensure business kept ticking. We also pulled back and strategised to seize new opportunities to diversify our business into what it is today. As a result of that, in the first covid year, we had no drop in revenues, and in the second year, which is the last fiscal year, we actually did 4X the business of the previous year. The work we put in last year to diversify and strengthen our offerings has carried the momentum forward, with H1 of this year already delivering the previous year’s topline, and the team is working to ensure that the current fiscal year is 3-4X growth again.

On the USP

Well, three things. One, great mix of service and media business both running efficiently and scaling at a very fast pace. Second, our ability and agility to enter into new trends and opportunities at speed and execute to perfection. And third, our team is our soul; it’s a perfect collective of creative, marketing, design, and business minds with solid years behind it, which has actually driven our first two points to perfection.

On the plans to grow USPL

We identified a gap in the US market and the need for a strong cricket league brand. Hence, we launched the USPL with a vision to deliver world-class cricket content and mix it with entertainment to get a wider audience to come and see the game on-ground, digitally, as well as on TV. We have set a good baseline in the first season with partnerships on broadcast and OTT, both on Voot and Colors Rishtey. The planning for the second season of the league is underway, and we will soon be making a big announcement for the same.

On the expansion

As of now, our aim is to focus on USPL and expand this brand in the US and into other markets as well. While remaining true to our vision, we have taken our first step into the explosive world of e-sports. With Ekalavya Bhattacharya on the team to drive the Offbeet esports business, we are developing this space in India and also making it one of our new growth drivers for the next year.

On the acquisition of 101Media

We launched the 101NFT Creators Project at Kochi as one of the first emerging from a digital publishing brand. Following which, we had a very interesting association with MG Motors and produced a series about Indian women who are warriors of change and are doing real work in the area of sustainability. 101India will soon be announcing a few flagship properties and also exploring expansion into new markets in India as well as globally.

On scaling Zelador up

In just 18 months, Zelador has produced some truly outstanding work across both macro- and nano-influencer bases. Aside from regular business, Zelador works on “moments-driven” marketing campaigns for multiple clients, has close to 100 clients, and produces content with influencers on a daily basis. The team had also collaborated with Google US as their exclusive partner in India on a mega project, where we worked with 200+ influencers and delivered close to 5,000+ pieces of content.

Zelador, which has a global presence, also provides solutions to Indian clients in markets such as the US, UK, MENA, and APAC. As we move ahead with our new business head Zerxes Wadia, who is an old friend and also a very smart influencer himself as well as a brand strategist, we are targeting a few things on a high level for scaling the talent business. One, increase our roster to 100+. Second, to expand into regional markets. Third, bring value to our influencers by making them brands. And fourth, we have a tech product coming out soon.

On what Zelador looks at before signing up talent

A&R discovery process is based a lot on the gut and feel of the team driving the acquisition, and you really can’t pin it down to anything specific. But at the top level, we look for talent that has some uniqueness to it, is hungry, hardworking, young, and understands content for the short and long term, both. Our core sectors for now are health & fitness, entertainment, music, adventure, and travel.

On the evolving influencer marketing industry

It’s no longer just about a post here and a reel there. It’s developed into a science with clear KPIs and metrics that are tracked by many tools available on the market to ensure that the brand gets the result it’s aiming for. As I see it, influencer marketing is now an integral part of most brands’ digital and social media marketing strategies, and if the category keeps moving the way it is and matures, I am sure it will inch closer to getting 10 per cent of the pie of any campaign that gets launched.

On the role of the metaverse

We are still too early to comment on this, but I believe it is critical for every business to begin exploring the world of the metaverse. We are doing our own work in this space and will soon announce Offbeet’s metaverse strategy.

On the collaboration with the Indian government

We have delivered some pathbreaking campaigns for both central and state ministries, with content at the heart of them. To give you a top-level view, we have produced top-quality regular content, coupled with impact content, by roping in A-league celebrities from India like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Puneet Rajkumar, Sachin Tendulkar, Ayushman Khurana, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Nigam, Varun Dhawan, Shreya Ghoshal, Kangana Ranaut, and many more for social message campaigns for different ministries. These campaigns are a mix of TVCs, documentaries, music anthems, web series, etc. We also work closely with top government officials on media strategies for impact and reach.

On the company’s goals for 2023

The majority of our scaled bets will reach maturity next year, with volume business expected to drive our topline and bottomline at an explosive rate. While our brand communication business across government and brands is showing a healthy growth, I see Offbeet Studios, the US Premier League, and 101 India as driving our volume deals. We have already made our initial forays into the US and MENA markets. 2023 would be the year to spread our services and offerings in these two key markets to drive the global footprint of Offbeet Media Group.

Mumbai: Global audio series platform Pocket FM released Pocket FM #Rewind2022 on Thursday, highlighting key consumption and listener community trends on the platform during the year.

Pocket FM has expanded its community to more than 80 million listeners and 5,00,000+ creators. With 1,00,000+ hours of content, and an addition of 1,500+ audio titles. The platform witnessed 45 billion+ minutes of entertainment, with an average listener bingeing for more than 110 minutes daily.

According to industry data, short video platforms account for 45 minutes of the average daily user’s time, while audio and video OTTs account for 65 and 70 minutes, respectively. On the contrary, average daily listener time spent is over 110 minutes on Pocket FM.

Over 90 per cent of the listeners’ spent time is attributed to audio series, a long-form serialised audio fiction category, pioneered and nurtured by Pocket FM. The platform will refresh its library with more than 1,000 audiobook titles in 2022.

Eyes are busy, ears are free!

Audio series are the new X-factor in the entertainment space. The long-form content of Pocket FM has brought binge-listening behaviour into the audio space. Audio series are now the entertainment boosters for listeners during commutes, household chores, work hours, and even during leisure hours, reiterating the strength of audio series to keep the audience engaged and entertained 24×7, irrespective of their activities.

Leisure hours account for nearly 50 per cent of the total listening time spent by consumers. Time slots between 9 a.m. -12 p.m. and 9 p.m. -12 a.m. have the maximum number of listeners tuned in, accounting for 35 per cent of the total daily time spent on Pocket FM. The listening pattern throughout the day follows similar patterns. The listener community of Pocket FM has a healthy gender ratio, with males and females having a 55 per cent and 45 per cent presence, respectively.

85 per cent of listeners are below the 35-year age bracket, though the listener demographic spreads across all age groups.

Content has no boundaries!

The content library of Pocket FM, dominated by Hindi and other Indian languages, has garnered popularity across corners of the country, the company said. This does not deter its tier-I audiences from getting entertained. Similarly, the platform’s English content is also consumed in smaller towns.

According to the government, there are eight tier-I cities in India. These eight cities contribute 15 per cent of Pocket FM’s listener community. Six of these eight cities are listed among Pocket FM’s top 10 cities.

While Delhi and Mumbai lead the top 10 cities, others like Lucknow, Indore, and Patna also fare well on the list of Pocket FM’s top listeners, including little-known Botad from Gujarat.

Audio series, the new binge factor!

The status of audio series has now surpassed that of television series. Pocket FM’s long-form serialised fictional storytelling has become the prime entertainment format for their 80 million+ listener community, contributing to over 90 per cent consumption. These audio series range between 500 to 1000 episodes. Sometimes they reach 1,500 episodes based on the script and listeners’ demand.

The top 10 audio series on Pocket FM have garnered over 1.4 billion plays, leading to more than 10 billion minutes of streaming.

People do pay for audio, definitely for great content!

Pocket FM witnessed 10X growth in content revenue, exceeding $25 million annualised revenue run-rate (ARR) in October, using micropayment-led content monetisation. Monthly transactions exceeded a million in November 2022.

Stimulated by binge-listening, the listener community applauded the introduction of the micropayment model. The pay-as-you-listen model, along with lower entry price points, created wonders for Pocket FM’s revenue growth.

Pocket FM CEO Rohan Nayak said, “With an objective to redefine the entertainment space, Pocket FM has been able to create the binge factor through its audio series. Furthermore, our audio series have managed to drive similar consumption behaviours, sometimes even better than any television content. It reflects in our listeners’ intent to pay for audio series, and increasing time-spent on the content.”

Creating audio celebrities

Pocket FM said that it is powered by their 5,00,000+ creator community, which consists of writers and voice actors. The Pocket FM creator community is provided with a stage to showcase their talents and posit the possibility of being transformed into audio celebrities.

With continued focus on the creator economy, Pocket FM has invested over $10 million to incentivise the creators for their contributions and keep them motivated on the platform. Top creators at Pocket FM earn more than $15,000 on average.

“Our creator community is an integral part of our journey, and we will continue to stay invested in building audio celebrities. This year has been a turnaround point for our growth journey, building the foundation for years to come,” added Nayak.