ITV

Category: iWorld

  • Arnab to start ‘original VR journalism’ on Republic World

    MUMBAI: For the first-ever time in India, Republic TV is all set to launch VR television next week. This was announced at Zee Melt, one of the biggest festival for disruptive marketing and communications under way at Mumbai.

    Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami said that VR will have a separate and original feed on Republic World digital platform.

    “We have got cameras, we have studios and we are shooting in VR. It will be available on all native devices and will take us to a new level — it is going to be principally journalism,” Goswami said.

    “It will come to you free of cost but you will have to use your VR gear,” he added. Republic World has tied up with American and Canadian companies on the technology front, he said.

    Virtual Reality (VR) is the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors.

    Is VR really how we will all watch TV in years to come? At an earlier media industry’s annual meet in Cannes, VR was discussed as the next mass medium that will take TV to a new level.

    Films such as The Lawnmower Man and The Matrix, as well as books such as Ready Player One presented visions of technology whereby strapping on a VR headset enabled people to explore virtual, computer-generated worlds, the Guardian had reported.

    In 2017, these cultural highs are fresh in mind for the television industry, as it tries to understand whether real-life headsets can be used to deliver new forms of documentary, drama, and storytelling.

    Several attempts to make VR a real-world success had failed. The release of a new-generation VR headsets, however, from Sony, HTC, Google, Samsung, and Facebook-owned Oculus VR has brought the technology back to prominence.

    At MIPTV industry conference in Cannes, VR was a major theme for producers, broadcasters and tech companies alike. HTC’s Rikard Steiber had said that VR, the new computing platform, was going to be the next mass medium.

    VR is however far less popular than apps. YouTube has over a billion monthly viewers and Instagram has over 600 million. VR experts however agree that only around 20 million headsets have been sold, including fewer than two million of the “tethered” devices, which require a connection to a powerful computer.

    Republic TV COO Jay Chauhan said: “Virtual Reality is the first of our initiatives to bring new content experiences to the audience. It’s a cool way of storytelling because it transports people right to where the action is – no barriers stand in the way. Besides it also opens up new monetisation opportunities for us.”

    He further added, “The VR content will be available on RepublicWorld.com, as a new stream and the company’s newly-constituted VR Cell built in collaboration with experts from across the globe will begin rolling out amazing VR content in the weeks ahead.”

  • Cricket, movies, TV shows and Amazon, according to Netflix’s Reed Hastings

    MUMBAI: Hotstar, Amazon, and Sony Pictures Networks India can heave a sigh of relief. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has stated that the global streaming powerhouse is going to continue to focus on entertainment; cricket is not on the table at all. What this means that it will be refraining from participating in the IPL cricket rights tender which will be coming up for bidding soon.

    Speaking with CNBC on Squawk Alley on 31 May from the Code Conference in California, Hastings was pretty emphatic that both, sports and news, are a no-go area for Netflix. He said: “You know, no plans on news and sports. Those are tough businesses and we’ve got a lot of room to grow in movies and TV shows. Expanding into standup comedy. Unscripted. So, we are going to really focus on that on a global basis.”

    He went on to add that Netflix could do movies about sports as the company was focused on video content that has repeat viewing. Said he: “It’s things that you don’t only want to consume once. Whereas the Warriors and the Cavaliers (two NBA teams) are going up again and people will be intense on that and then it won’t – you know, afterwards, there is no after viewing. Whereas our shows, there really is.”

    Hastings agreed that India was definitely a complicated market for a US company “But, for an Indian company, they feel fine about it,” he said. “We still have a lot to learn. Now, we’ve done awfully well in Latin America and in Europe and, of course, in North America. So, we’ve learned some things. But, we have a lot of room to grow in Asia and a lot to figure out still.”

    He is not disturbed by the explosion of OTT players rushing to grab a few cents from the consumer’s wallet. “Around the world, there’s all kinds of new options coming up that give people opportunity. It is like saying there are too many mobile phone apps. You know, there’s 100,000 but you probably only pay attention to 30. But, different people have a different set of them. So, i think it is great,” he said.

    Hastings disclosed that Netflix is more about being consumed on the mobile phone in Asia – as compared to the US where consumers are spending more time on it on traditional widescreen TVs. “About two-thirds of the viewing is on large screen televisions, either from your Xbox or Playstation or directly with the smart TV. When you get used to watching on a mobile phone, you watch all kinds of content and sports on a phone. You adapt to that,” he explained.

    “We are just doing great content and it is available on any screen. You paid $1,000 for a new television, you are going to use it. You look for the shows and the images. With that and with HDR, which has a color intensity. It makes the TV just pop. 4k transforms the in-home experience. That’s one of the big drivers and with mobile on the low end.”

    Hastings said that cord-cutting is not really being driven by the rise of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. “Very few people have cut the cord. We are about 50 million in the US, and we have seen maybe two million or three million of 50 (million) cut the cord,” he elucidated.

    “Don’t think of it as a big overlap that we are driving cord cutting that is probably mostly from pricing. In general, if you look at cord cutting, it is like two to three per cent per year, like broadcast ratings over the last 30 years. It will take a very long, slow, secular decline no big calamity and then they will adjust the economics.”

    According to him, the rapid expansion of Amazon is what is alarming. He said: “Well, they are so scary. I mean, everything Amazon does is just so amazing. I mean, how are they doing so many different business areas so well? It’s like they are trying to repeal the basic laws of business of limited capability. So, we are continuing to watch them and be impressed with them. And they are helping to grow the industry because they are investing in the content.”

    However, he was clear that Netflix is not going to go head to head with the giant. He explained: “If we try to out-amazon Amazon, then that’s a losing battle. So, what we have to do is be the specialty play. We are trying to be Starbucks and they are trying to be Walmart. So, we have to have brand-intense love and focus. And, what they do is incredible at their breadth. So no, we wouldn’t focus on those things. We would focus on how do we be, really, the embodiment of entertainment, and joy, and movies and TV shows.”

    He maintained that Netflix’s content budgets are only going to grow. Its content purse for 2017 has around $6 billion in it, but that is not going to be enough going forward.

    “As we grow the membership base, we want to grow the content budget. There are so many great shows on Netflix but there are so many great shows we don’t yet have. We are going to continue as we grow the membership base to try to get more shows and more movies. (All this has) Been great for talent and writers for everyone. There is so much competition now between all the new players plus the existing players, like HBO, are beginning to grow. It is this new age of television. Nobody is sure where it is going, except for the quality of movies and TV shows is continuing to decline.”

  • Arre Outdoors to bring more travel fiction after ‘Real High’ made by Nimbu Mirchi

    MUMBAI: Arré has launched Arré Outdoors, a new vertical, focused on travel, adventure, and more. Arré Outdoors, like Arré, is a multi-media, multi-genre platform with content ranging from videos to text to audio to doodles and more.

    The first property from the Arré Outdoors stable is a first-of-its-kind travel-and-adventure reality series – The Real High, in partnership with Arunachal Pradesh Tourism, Nissan Terrano, Woodland and O’cean Active. It was made at a cost of a crore rupees by the production house ‘Nimbu Mirchi Media Solutions, sources said. Arre Outdoors is planning to launch more fiction shows on travel.

    Arré Outdoors is a call to city slickers to get out of their automated city lives and comfort zones, and get real and raw in nature. Arré Outdoors will take viewers and readers on a series of interactive digital journeys to undiscovered places and experiences in their purest form, starting with Arunachal Pradesh.

    The show is an eight-part series where leading youth icon Rannvijay Singha takes six ultra-urban city dwellers on an incredible journey to the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, to experience life without beds, baths, and phones. The participants are given a once-in-a-lifetime experience to rethink their life and choices, and to discover “The Real High”

    Arré, the digital destination for award-winning original content, launches a new vertical – “Arré Outdoors” – focused on travel, adventure, and more. This would be Arré’s second expansion after the launch of its food vertical – Arré Grub.

    Shot in the breathtaking mountains, rivers, and forests of Arunachal Pradesh, the show is a visual delight blended with the fun experiences and wild adventures of the six participants along with Rannvijay, as they pitch their own tent, build their own raft, cook their own food, mingle with the locals, and experience life in a way unknown to any of them. Episode 1 of the series will be out on arre.co.in, the Arré app, and its partner platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, SonyLIV, Yupp TV, Jio Cinema, and Ola Prime Play on June 10.

    Arré B founder B. Saikumar said, “Travel is no longer just a passion point pursued by some, but is increasingly becoming a way of life, as places and people get closer in the digital age. We travel the world in 80 minutes or even 80 seconds through pictures, 360-degree videos, interactive maps, and every other technology at our disposal.

    Arré Outdoors is a fresh take on travel through stories and formats that will take our viewers and readers to places and nudge them to get out of their homes and journey these experiences themselves, one trip at a time. ‘The Real High’ is our first property from the Arré Outdoors stable and we are very thrilled to be partnering with Arunachal Pradesh Tourism, Nissan Terrano, Woodland, and O’cean Active to create this special show for our viewers”.

    Arunachal Pradesh parliamentary secretary – tourism P. D. Sona commented, “We expect the number of tourist arrivals to grow exponentially this year, through many projects that engage with the youth. We are very delighted to partner with Arré on such an interesting initiative.”

    Nissan India Motor VP – marketing Sanjay Gupta said, “Our association with ‘The Real High’ offers us a platform to demonstrate the smarter and bolder presence of the New Nissan Terrano. The incredible journey undertaken by these six youngsters is high on aspiration and resonates with our target audience.”

    Singha said, “It will be interesting for viewers to see how the participants adapt to life outside the city and without taken-for-granted comforts, apart from the breathtaking sights of Arunachal Pradesh. We had a lot of fun shooting the show and I hope the audience enjoys it as much.”

  • Arre ready to stream interactive travel & adventure content: The Real High

    MUMBAI: Arre, a new-age digital infotainment platform for stories using fiction, non-fiction, documentaries, social experiments and podcasts, on Wednesday, plans to launch a new show — The Real High.

    At Taj Land’s End in Bandra (Mumbai), actor-model Rannvijay Singha will launch the show that was shot in the pristine valleys of Arunchal Pradesh.

    “With this show, we begin a journey of interactive travel and adventure content with our new vertical — Arre Outdoors,” an Arre statement said. 

    Arunachal Pradesh Parliamentary secretary (tourism) PD Sona is scheduled to grace the occasion along with the show host and adventure enthusiast Singha, Arre founder B Saikumar, and Nissan India VP – marketing Sanjay Gupta.

    Earlier, indiantelevision.com reported that Arré’s first web series A.I.SHA | My Virtual Girlfriend won five awards at the LA Web Festival for Best Series, Best Editing, Best Direction, Best Actress and Best Overall Premise within the Drama Category, from among a selected shortlist of 35 webseries across the world. The series was also nominated for Best Sound Design, Visual Effects, Outstanding Score, Cinematography, Supporting Actor, Best Actor and Writing. 

    This is the third set of international awards for A.I.SHA after winning Best Overall Web Series and Best Suspense/Thriller at the South Florida Web Festival held in Miami and for Exceptional Merit at the WRPN.TV Global Webisode competition. 

    Arré’s Official Chukyagiri was also named an Official Honoree in the Film and Video Long Form or Series Category at the 21st Annual Webby Awards 2017. 

    A.I.SHA, Artificial Intelligence Simulated Humanoid Assistant (A.I.SHA) is India’s first AI-based digital series. The story pivots around the widely debated and chilling premise of what happens when artificial intelligence develops feelings and consciousness?  Sam, the show’s protagonist, creates A.I.SHA, without realising the consequences, and thus begins a series of events that rapidly spirals out of control. Catch the full series here.

    Also read:

    Arre’s ‘Virtual Girlfriend’ wins five awards at LA Web Festival 

  • BMS-OML ex-exec Talwar joins Das’s Weirdass Comedy

    MUMBAI: Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar has joined Vir Das-headed Weirdass Comedy as a promoter-director.

    Weirdass is a firm churning out long and short-form comedy content, on-ground IPs, and works extensively with brands for digital and on-ground brand solutions.

    Talwar will assume the role of a promoter-director overseeing creative and strategy verticals of the business. Talwar has a cumulative experience of over 16 years in the media and entertainment industry.

    Talwar, a lawyer by qualification and a musician by passion, is the co-founder of OML/NH7, a vice president at BookMyShow and the founding member of one of India’s most loved bands ‘Zero’.

    Talwar said, “Post OML/NH7, I was really happy with all I was able to achieve there. With BookMyShow gaining an insight into the ticketing and e-commerce space with emphasis on customer data and the kind of content consumption, was an eye opener. Now with Weirdass, content and format creation is the next phase of exploration for me.”

    Vir Das said, “We’ve been looking to work together for many years now and he will be an incredibly valuable asset in what is a major growth period for our company and comedy in general.”

  • Travellers need not use personal data to watch movies, says Abhibus CEO

    MUMBAI: Now, travellers can watch movies of their choice without internet on board a bus.

    Abhibus.com, India’s fastest growing online bus ticketing company, has launched a new product that offers onboard entertainment service to bus travellers. A unique feature of this Movies on Board product, ‘Abhimovies,’ is that bus travellers can watch movies of their choice without internet.

    ‘Abhimovies’ brings a new innovative feature which allows every passengers to watch movie of their choice on any device. Technology uses own WI-FI network without any data charges incurred by any customer watching onboard a bus. Movie content is pre-loaded on the app and updated frequently.

    “We felt passengers get limited onboard entertainment choice. Abhimovies will fill this gap. What is most exciting feature is that travellers don’t need to spend their internet data pack to watch these movies,” said Abhibus CEO and Founder Sudhakar Reddy.

    “Our pilot launch shows Abhimovies has become quite popular among bus travellers across our network, especially among people choosing long-journey,” he added.

    Bus operator can offer this product via Abhibus EDGE, the cloud-based software for operators to manage inventory, bus tracking facility and detailed reports to take greater over business control.

    Today, Abhibus achieved a milestone as the company completed its 10th anniversary. AbhiBus was founded on 29 May, 2007, on the simple idea to allow Indian bus travellers to book bus tickets at a click, from the convenience of their homes and offices.

  • Mobile broadcast app Bigo Live increases focus on India market

    MUMBAI: In a bid to capture India’s fast-increasing mobile Internet user base, Bigo Live, a mobile broadcasting app, organized its first-ever broadcasters meet-up in India recently. Bigo Live, through real-time interaction and video streaming, allows users to live broadcast their talent and connect with their fans and other talented broadcasters as well as follow interesting broadcasters. The company also announced the introduction of VLOG, a Video recording feature on its app at the India meet-up in Delhi. Bigo Live boasts of over 100 mn registered users globally.

    Bigo allows users to watch live broadcasting anytime, anywhere and engage with the audience via live sessions. The platform gives a chance to live stream the performances, broadcast what you are good at and let people enjoy based on the core values of integrity, innovation, proactiveness and openness. The company plans to build a stage for dreamers to pursue their dreams, for people to make friends at home and abroad; and to build a platform where hobbies are aligned with careers, to record and share interesting moments with friends.

    Talking on his maiden visit to India, Eric Liu, Senior Director, BIGO Technology Pte Ltd said, “We aim to build a Bigo community in the world by providing a platform for the young & fashion conscious to come together and share their interests. BIGO LIVE has attracted millions of social media-savvy millennials across the globe since its launch in March 2016. We already have strong presence in countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Middle East, Malaysia, America and we aspire to reach out to more countries in future. We are confident that our app will be able to capture the imagination of the young and trendy in India as well.”

    India’s Famous and most awarded Radio Jockey Khurafati Nitin was also present at the event as the Guest of Honor for the evening. In his speech Khurafati Nitin said, “There is a lot of potential in the Bigo Live app and I foresee it to be one of the prominent emerging social networking and internet platforms in the future.” “BIGO Live is fun, entertaining and keeps me hooked. I already have few favorites on the app and am myself planning to start going live soon on Bigo Live,” he added.

    The very first meetup of Bigo Live got 100+ Broadcasters, Internet sensation and new age media’s presence at the venue. Some BIGO broadcasters travelled 10 hours to participate in the very first Bigollywood Night. Opening his heart out one of the broadcaster Mr. Vibhu, a lawyer by profession stated“Bigo Live has provided me with a platform to showcase my talent to the world and I enjoy broadcasting for more than three hours every day on Bigo Live.”

    Another broadcaster duo of siblings Gaurav and Twinkle shared, “We have been addicted to the Bigo Live app and enjoy showcasing our singing talent on this wonderful platform. Despite being from a small town in Himachal we are now able to connect and showcase our talent to the entire world.”

    Broadcasters can earn virtual gifts and bonus points that can be exchanged for rewards on the app. Bigo Live enables you to engage in Real-time Interaction via Mobile streaming with your audience and chat with your favorite broadcasters while you are watching Live broadcastings anytime and anywhere.

  • Dark tale of relationships web-film Sneh to be directed by Amit Malik

    MUMBAI: Sneh, a crime thriller web-film, inspired by true events, has been launched.

    Directed by Amit Malik, the film is an attempt to create quality content on varied genres. The mini-thriller, Sneh, is a gripping tale of a missing man, who happens to be a police officer. The plot focuses on the mystery of his disappearance and revolves around how his mother, wife and daughter deal with the situation. With this film, ScoopWhoop, a youth media network, has expanded its portfolio.

    The film is told mostly through the man’s wife Sneh’s perspective, and captures her plight of missing her husband. Broken into 5 parts, the film begins near the end of the story, and traces its steps backwards into the murky dealings of the human mind, debauchery, love, hatred and that dangerous thing called ‘desire’. Apart from an unusual approach to filmography, it’s also the film’s performance that will keep the audience at the edge of their seat.

    ScoopWhoop chief content officer Sriparna Tikekar said, “There simply isn’t one genre, or one kind of story. Our goal has always been to feed our audience with the most interesting stories. And since we have never explored the dark side of story-telling, a crime thriller had to happen. With Sneh, we have experimented with the non-linear approach of execution, ensuring that the audience are gripped till the end.”

    The web-film was the Official Selection at Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) 2016. It’s fresh, bold take on compelling storytelling in the big bad world of Content Creators, has garnered it with many praises at the prestigious film festival.

  • YuppTV pockets ICC Champions’ exclusive digital rights, Canada & Europe to enjoy it live

    MUMBAI: To the delight of cricket enthusiasts on its platform, YuppTV, the world’s largest OTT player in South-Asian content, has bagged the exclusive digital rights for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2017 for Canada and non-exclusive digital rights for Continental Europe. With the latest development, YuppTV users in Canada and Continental Europe, excluding Germany, Switzerland and Austria, will be able to catch the intense cricketing action live on YuppTV.

    YuppTV users can grab all the action, live from 1 – 18, June 2017.

    Commenting on the latest undertaking, Uday Reddy, Founder & CEO, YuppTV, said, “We are glad to bag the Digital Rights for the ICC Champions Trophy, 2017. It has been our constant endeavour to make it easier for users to access entertainment over the internet. Now, with the latest development, cricket enthusiasts will be able to catch the intense cricketing action LIVE on YuppTV. Since cricket enjoys a cult following across the globe, we look forward to receiving a positive response from our customers”

    The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is going to witness eight top-ranking teams in the world to compete for the top spot. The 18 days long event is going to commence on June 1, promises to an action-packed cricketing extravaganza.