ITV

Category: iWorld

  • YouTube’s Top 50: T-Series tops & SET India bags 5th slot

    MUMBAI: T-Series stay put in its #1 spot on the top of the charts for the 11th week in a series. One of the India’s largest music labels and movie studio’s destination on YouTube popped up 26% to close out the week with more than 321.3 million views. Way far behind in the second place was Ryan ToysReview. The aging toddler saw his channel go up 4% in its week-over-week view count to top out at nearly 214.8 million views, TubeFilter reported.

    A total of 5,401,711,439 views were amassed by the top 50 most viewed YouTube channels worldwide this week. Tubefilter Charts is a weekly rankings column from Tubefilter with data provided by OpenSlate.

    In the #3 spot was Ed Sheeran. The international star’s new music video for “Galway Girl” is keeping him in the top list at more than 187.7 million views. Puerto Rican musician Luis Fonsi was in the fourth place with over 184.1 million views on the week.

    In the fifth position was SET India. The YouTube home of Sony Entertainment (India) jumped up 19% to end the week with almost 183.1 million views.

    The distribution of the this week’s Top 50 YouTube channels by country of origin is as follows:

    US: 22 channels in the Top 50.
    India: Seven channels
    Great Britain: Six
    Brazil: Three

    The honor of one of the Top Gainers on the chart this week goes to The Late Late Show with James Corden. CBS’ talk show generally does well on the world’s largest video sharing site when its host offers up a new iteration of Carpool Karaoke. The channel witnessed a 232% week-over-week increase in views.

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  • The shape of Indian OTT universe circa 2021 according to Rethink Tech Research

    MUMBAI: This should put OTT players on alert and gladden the hearts of linear TV distribution and programming executives. The latest numbers about how India’s video guzzlers are going to consume VoD services by the UK-based industry tracker Rethink Technology Research reveal that India will have about 14.6 million VoD subscribers by 2021. Indiantelevision.com estimates are that, comparatively, Indian DTH will account for about 75 million active subscribers and cable TV more than 100 million by then.

    Clearly, VoD will have made a marginal dent in eroding linear TV distribution platforms stranglehold on Indian viewers thanks to the lower sticker prices for cable TV and DTH, which will possibly continue to be in play even in 2021. Cord-cutting, which is becoming increasingly common in many markets, may not really make its way to Indian shores.

    Yes, the data suggests that India will be the second largest market in Asia Pacific after China which will account for 60 per cent of the Asia Pacific’s $10 billion subscription revenues and 200 million subs, by 2021. (The corresponding figures for 2016 are at $6.5 billion and 100 million respectively.)

    “Asia Pacific is made up of a multitude of contrasting individual markets, making it fragmented and complex with broadband penetration above 50%, in some regions and below 10% in others,” said a statement from Rethink Technology Research.
    There will be a hard pitched battle for subscription shares between the 30 odd OTT players in the game in India. By then probably many more OTT providers will have stomped into the terrain. And hence one wonders how many of them will be profitable.

    Both, Netflix and Amazon Prime, are just about beginning to plonk down top dollars – like India has not seen before – on original shows which should hop on to their India – and later global – offering by next year. Hotstar and Viacom18’s Voot have also been investing heavily to acquire customers. Estimates are that the two have pumped in around Rs 4000 million and Rs 1400 million, respectively, since launch. Others such as Viu, NextGTV, Spuul, ErosNow, Hooq, SonyLiv, YuppTV and Alt Balaji too are in a customer acquisition phase, having just got onto the runway.

    The good news, according to Rethink, is that pure play SVoD services in APAC (expected revenues by 2021: $6.29 billion) will dominate operator-supplied services.

    As far as APAC is concerned, the research house predicts that Indonesia and Japan will be third and fourth, with each increasing to 9.96 million and 8.1 million by 2021, respectively.

  • “We are targeting the 1.5 m Indians in mainland Europe” – bubbles Media CEO Arnold C. Kulbatzki

    Launched in August 2016, the satellite-to-OTT platform TV services of bobbles.tv is aimed at expats of Asian, Latin American and African origins based in Europe. Supported by MX1, Bobbles can also be enjoyed via OTT for online viewing, via connected TV or mobile devices. bobbles.tv is a product of Hamburg-based privately held bubbles Media GmbH, a new pay TV provider specialising in TV offerings for international target groups.

    With diverse experience in the media and telecom sectors spread over 20 years, Arnold C. Kulbatzki is the founding partner and CEO of bubbles Media GmbH. Prior to establishing bubbles media GmbH in January 2016, he was the CEO of a2b media (2004-2015), a management consulting firm with extensive expertise in customer experience management, digital transformation, paid content and OTT audio-video services. In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Kulbatzki spells out his company’s plans and explains why the services offered are unique. Excerpts from the interview:

    Can you please tell us about Bobbles TV?

    Bobbles delivers multiple packages of TV channels from around the globe. We aim to reach the 15 million people originating from Asia, Latin America and Africa, but currently living and working in Europe. The service can be received throughout Europe via satellite and online. Bobbles went live in August 2016 initially with programming offers for Chinese, Indonesian, Indian and Korean communities. Our most recent launch was our new package of India’s best and most popular TV channels.

    Why did you  launch a service for expats in Europe?

    I’ve travelled a lot during my career and I’m familiar with the feeling of being abroad, but wanting to know what’s going on at home. Moreover, my personal circle of friends includes many expats who’ve chosen to relocate to Europe. They’ve come from India, Korea, China and elsewhere. One thing they have in common is their desire to retain links with home, even to watch their favourite TV channels from their native countries.

    My Bobbles media partners and I imagined there must be a way to create a business built around delivering multiple packages of programming to the many people from all around the world who have chosen to call Europe home. When our research revealed there are over 15 million people originally from Asia, Latin America and Africa but living in Europe, we knew that these volumes meant such a service would truly delight a huge number of people. We also knew we had a great business opportunity.

    Can you please tell us about your new Indian package?

    We launched our bobbles.tv India package in early 2017 with 15 channels of entertainment in Hindi and English, including Bollywood blockbuster-packed B4U Movies, B4U Music, StarGOLD, Sony MAX and ZOOM. Viewers can also watch India’s most popular news services like NDTV 24×7, Times Now and Aaj Tak. Viacom18’s Colors, StarPlus, NDTV Good Times, NDTV Spice, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Sony SAB, Life OK and  Rishtey Europe show general entertainment, comedy, drama, lifestyle, reality TV and made-for-TV movies.

    With 13 channels, Bobbles is Europe’s largest and lowest-priced satellite TV package. It‘s avaialble via ASTRA satellite for pan-European viewing. Additionally, 14 popular channels in Hindi and English can be received via OTT, available live and via seven-day catch-up with more channels on the way. No other broadcaster awywhere offers DTH and OTT services this way. Also, for many of our broadcaster patners, this is their first foray in Europe. So we know we are offering something truly unique to viewers.

    What’s the pricing for the packages?

    Subscribing is easy and affordable – this really sets us apart from competitors. It’s simply a flat monthly fee of €23.95 (1 USD= 0.90 Euro) on satellite and €12.95 online. What’s more, our viewers do not need a contract. With a potential audience of 1.5 million Indian expats living in mainland Europe, we are excited to deliver this pioneering and low-priced new service to this community.

    How many subscribers are you aiming to attract in year one?

    We haven’t set any specific subscriber or revenue targets. This is because we are launching the package of services in a roadmap of well-planned launches. It will take a certain amount of time. Only after a critical mass is reached for active and live services, we will be able to assess the overall figures for the business. Additionally, we don‘t critically need to set year-one targets, thanks to our operational efficiency and, in particular, the efficiency of our satellite-and-OTT distribution strategy.

    Are you well-funded? Who’s investing in the venture?

    We are privately-funded.

    What is your revenue model? Will it be purely subscription-based or are you also looking at advertising revenue?

    In addition to subscription revenue from consumers, there are additional monetisation opportunities going forward, including video-on-demand and B2B offerings for businesses for the worldwide hospitality sector, for example. As soon as our subscriber base reaches a critical mass, we can offer a great and a unique business opportunity for advertisers.

  • ALTBalaji to launch its first Tamil show ‘Maya Thirrai’

    MUMBAI: ALTBalaji has announced the release of its first Tamil show- Maya Thirrai, with its 16 episodes available on ALTBalaji platform. To mark ALTBalaji’s entry into Tamil regional entertainment space, Ekta Kapoor brought together distinguished team of director Kaushik Narasimhan and producer Kutty Padmini.

    Maya Thirrai, which means illusions, is a mysterious tale of a woman named Sandhya, tangled in her own reality. Despite having everything, she always felt a void and finally after years of waiting, she bumps into the handsome Prakash, who comes with a promise of all she ever wanted, but her picture-perfect marriage was nothing but just an illusion.

    Alt Balaji CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “With the expansion of internet and smartphones, the way audience consumes entertainment has changed drastically. ALTBalaji is targeting urban masses in over 60 cities, reaching out to about 75 million people via our app. The online entertainment option available to this section is either to watch non-Indian English or Hindi shows. There is definitely a gap here and a huge potential which could be tapped with our exclusive regional shows. ALTBalaji aims to penetrate into deeper pockets of Indian market through regional shows hence, 25% of our shows will be in non- Hindi languages including Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi etc. Maya Thirrai is our first step in this direction and we are confident that the audience will be thoroughly entertained by it.”

    Producer Kutty Padmini adds, “I am glad to bring Maya Thirrai to the Tamil audience, it is gripping and has great surprise elements. Digital shows are future of entertainment, hence the show is very special and marks an important move for us. Collaborating with Ekta Kapoor has been a great experience, it’s gratifying to see how our vision has transformed so beautifully on the canvas. I am hopeful that our audience will love the show.”

    On his digital debut and association with Ekta Kapoor, Kaushik Narasimhan said, “Digital is the core focus of the entertainment industry today and I am glad to be venturing into this space with, who better than ALTBalaji. As a director, I am always on the lookout for fresh and creative storyline and Maya Thirrai is such addition. The plot is very exciting and each episode will surely get the audience stunned and looking for more.”

  • Eros profit grows despite lesser releases, demonetization

    BENGALURU: The Sunil Lulla led Eros International Media Limited (Eros) reported 7.9 percent growth of consolidated profit after tax attributable (PAT) to Eros shareholders for the year ended 31 March 2017 (FY-17, current year, fiscal) despite releasing lesser films and demonetisation as compared to the previous year. Eros consolidated (PAT) for FY-17 was Rs 2,432.9 million (18.4 percent of Income from Operations) and Rs 2,386.7 million (15.1 percent of Income from Operations) for FY-16.The company’s Income from Operations in FY-17 dropped 11.6 percent to Rs 13,997 million from Rs15,826.8 million in FY-16.

    The company released a total of 44 films including 5 high budget, 10 medium budget and 29 low budget films in FY-17 as compared to a total of 63 films including 6 high budget, 16 medium budget and 41 low budget films during the FY-16. In its investor presentation for FY-17, the company says Theatrical Revenues contributed – 42.5 percent, Overseas Revenues – 26.4 percent and Television & Others – 31.1 percent as a percentage of Income from Operations.

    Eros reveals that Theatrical revenues in FY-17 included releases of ‘Housefull 3’, ‘Ki & Ka’, Baar Baar Dekho, Banjo, ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’, ‘Rock On 2’, ‘Nil Battey Sannata’, Kahaani 2 (overseas), Dishoom and regional films include Sardaar Gabbar Singh (Telugu), 24 (Tamil), Janatha Garage (Telugu), C/O. Saira Banu (Malayalam), Engitta Modhathe (Tamil), Bibaho Diaries (Bengali),

    Singham 3 (Tamil), ‘Baghtos Kay Mujra Kar’, Chaar Sahibzaade2 (Punjabi) etc.

    Total Income reduced 11.1 percent to Rs 14,452.8 million in FY-17 from Rs 16,257 million in the previous year. EBIT (Earnings before interest and taxes) increased 6.1 percent to Rs 3,767.5 million (26.9 percent of Income from Operations) in FY-17 from Rs 3,549.3 million (15.1 percent of Income from Operations).

    Company Speak

    Eros executive vice chairman and managing director Lulla said: “It is a matter of satisfaction that we have ended the fiscal year on a steady note despite the impact of demonetization on theatrical revenues in H2 of FY-17. This performance has been enabled by Eros’ consistent pre‐sales strategy which helps us de‐risk our business, effective monetization of our 2000 plus films library and a strong regional film strategy during the year.

    The Indian film sector has attracted a lot of interest from international majors to build their film libraries in the recent past and as a result has driven up value of the Indian content. Eros’ key asset – a market leading content library is a major beneficiary of this trend which is only likely to become stronger. At the same time, in order to effectively manage the cost of our future content,

    the company has taken active steps to develop its own intellectual properties over the past 2 years. The launch of Trinity Pictures, our film label for franchise films, investments in our joint venture Colour Yellow Productions and identifying the right films to sequel from our film library are concrete steps taken in this direction. We are excited about these developments and are

    looking forward to FY-18 which will see the fruition of this strategy in a significant manner.

    We are proud to have established a company with leadership position in a market that continues to witness strong growth and are confident that with our new initiatives, we will continue to enhance our market position.”

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Eros

    Simple EBIDTA including other income in FY-17 increased by 6.1 percent to Rs 3,863.3 million (27.6 percent margin of Income from Operations) from Rs 3644 million (23 percent of Income from Operations).

    Consolidated Net Finance cost in the current year increased 61 percent to Rs 545.2 million from Rs 338.6 million in the previous year.

    Total Expenditure in FY-17 declined 13.9 percent to Rs 11,230.5 million (80.2 percent of Income from Operations) from Rs 13,046.3 million (82.4 percent of Income from Operations) in FY-16. The company’s Films rights costs including amortisation costs in FY-17 declined 12.5 percent to Rs 7,848.4 million (56.1 percent of Income from Operations) from Rs 8,964.8 million (56.6 percent of Income from Operations) in FY-16.

    Employee Benefit Expense in the current year increased 25.5 percent to Rs 705.3 million (5 percent of Income from Operations) from Rs 561.9 million (3.6 percent of Income from Operations) in FY-16. Other expenses in FY-17 increased by 14.6 percent to Rs 2006.3 million (14.3 percent of Income from Operations) from Rs 1,751.2 million (11.1 percent of Income from Operations) in the corresponding of the previous year.

  • Telcos can’t discriminate tariffs in same category

    MUMBAI: Telecom regulator TRAI has directed telecom operators to stop providing discriminatory tariffs to the subscribers of the same category and report all plans to the sector watchdog within seven days of their launch.

    The decision, signed by KaushaI Kishore, advisor (F&EA), comes soon after Reliance Jio’s complaint against other players, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular.

    Jio had filed complaint against Bharti Airtel in April saying the telecom major contravened tariff rules by releasing misleading offers and arbitrarily discriminating among its own consumers subscribing to the same plan. Bharti Airtel spokesperson had denied the allegations saying the company was fully complying with all regulatory guidelines, including tariff orders.

    TRAI has now said that all the tariffs offered to the consumers shall be in accordance with the provisions of Telecommunication Tariff Order, 1999 and shall not be discriminatory between the subscribers of the same class and to ensure that every tariff that is offered to a customer is invariably reported to the Authority.

    TRAI said it has the duty to notify in the Official Gazette the rates at which the telecommunication services within India and outside India shall be provided under the TRAI Act, 1997. The Authority may notify different rates for different persons or class of persons for similar telecommunication services and where different rates are flxed.

    The Authority, while adopting the forbearance regime in tariff, has made it mandatory for all the service providers to file their tariffs with TRAI within seven working days from the date of implementation of the said tariff;

    No exception/exemption has been granted for tariff reporting except for bulk customers and, in that case too, it is compulsory for all service providers to provide details about the number of plans and the bulk customers availing them along with a certification, for information and record of the Authority.

  • ALT Balaji & the Balaji Telefilms story, courtesy Sameer Nair

    MUMBAI: The ALT key on computer keyboards is quite a crucial one. As is recently launched OTT/SVOD service ALT Balaji for content producer Balaji Telefilms Ltd (BTL). CEO and broadcast veteran Sameer Nair is quite sanguine that the app is well on course to hit breakeven point as planned, but admits that  its TV content business will continue to be the “cash cow.”

    “Alt (Balaji) started with a plan of breaking even with a target of about four million subscribers who pay us between Rs 60-Rs90 per month by 2020,” Nair told CNBC TV18 yesterday after the company announced its financials for the period ending 31 March, 2017.

    Nair pointed out that card or rack rate for Alt Balaji OTT service is Rs 90 per month, but it was launched in April 2017 with an introductory first quarter offer of Rs 25.  However, the pricing for users internationally is at Rs 399.

    Mumbai-headquartered and Bombay Stock Exchange-listed BTL  is arguably Asia’s largest TV and film content production houses delivering Hindi and Indian language content across a variety of platforms. It is promoted by Hindi film actor Jeetendra Kapoor and his family comprising his wife Shobha Kapoor, daughter Ekta Kapoor and son Tusshar Kapoor.

    Nair is quite happy with the traction that ALT Balaji had got in the first five weeks since launch with downloads going past the three million mark from over 75 countries.

    “The reason we got subscribers so early in the game is because our strategy is different from the rest of the players where they (subscribers) have one month free (service), but we give five episodes free,” the seasoned media executive explained on the business news channel.

    Nair pointed out that that the company aimed at having two million paid ALT Balaji subscribers by end March 2018, with revenues  at Rs 700 million (Rs 70 crore).

    “Alt is investing Rs. Rs100-Rs125 crore (Rs.1,000 million-Rs. 1,250 million) a year and we have also got a lot of interest from strategic investors to come and partner with us,” he added.

    The company in its investor presentation said that the net realization per hour for its TV programmes increased 17 percent to Rs 2.89 million in FY-17 as compared to Rs 2.47 million in the previous fiscal.

    Nair is  confident about the the group’s television content business and expected it to remain a robust revenue stream. He pointed out that the business would grow in the range of 20-30 percent year-on-year helping the company to better its margins and added, “ARPUs are growing, which is a good thing for us. The TV business is going to remain a cash cow in the Balaji stable.”

    Nair disclosed that BTL had gone easy on film releases in FY 2017, but has begun pretty well in Q1FY18 with its offering `Half Girlfriend’, based on banker-turned-author Chetan Bhagat’s book of the same name, attracting viewers to the box office. “We had originally planned the film in a manner where we did a lot of re-sales on satellite, digital and theatrical rights. The film will make good money for distribution (people) and as well as for the company,” he explained.

    However, BTL is reviewing its exposure to movie production business, at the same time, as resources allocated to the business vertical may not be yielding the desired results.

    “We are taking a long hard look at it (the movie business) and, at the board meeting we decided …capital allocation will be towards television and Alt Balaji. The only reason why on a consolidated basis for a full year we are negative is because of the movie leak.”

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    Balaji Telefilms net realization for programs improves

  • Amazon Prime Video to entertain kids with new shows and seasons

    MUMBAI: A summer blockbuster line up of four brand new shows and seasons named named ‘Atchoo’, ‘ Munki and Trunk’ and ‘Zak Storm’, in addition to ‘Astro Forice’ which has megastar Amitabh Bachchan in an animated superhero avatar are to commence on Amazon Prime Video this summer.

    Kids can also watch a brand new series of Baahubali: The Lost Legends every week. This commenced on 19 May. In addition to these new shows, kids can also indulge in brand new seasons of their favourite shows like Shin Chan, Ninja Hattori, Doraemon, andOggy & the Cockroaches along with Amazon Original shows like Just Add Magic, Tumble Leaf and many others.

    Family time gets even more exciting with family movies like The LEGO Movie, X-Men, The Avengers, and The Adventures of Tintin and many others.

    Amazon Video India director and country head Nitesh Kripalani said, “Amazon Prime Video in India is the home of the best of kids’ entertainment content from India and the rest of the world; the preferred entertainment choice for kids and their families in India. Our summer blockbuster lineup is geared to entertain kids this summer with characters they love and can watch anywhere, anytime in a safe and ad-free environment.”

    New shows on Prime Video

    Baahubali: The Lost Legends

    Two young brothers competed for the throne before the war with the Kalakeya, before Katappa killed Baahubali and before the death of Sivagami. One would go on to become king, and the other would go on to become a legend. Experience the secret stories from the world of Baahubali in this all new animated series – kids can watch new episodes every week starting 19 May, available in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

    Atchoo (Season 1)

    The story of Teo, a 9 year old boy with a strange way of expressing his emotions: he turns into an animal every time he sneezes. How his transformation essentially creates troubles in his life is essentially the crux of the plot of the show, which is available in English and Hindi.

    Astra Force

    The first animated show featuring Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role as an animated mythical hero, Astra the Immortal. When two 8-year old twins accidentally awaken an ancient super-warrior from the past, they must join him in saving the world from a new wave of giant monsters and super villains determined to rule the universe. This funny, fast-paced, action-adventure, superhero series is available in English and Hindi.

    Munki and Trunk (Season 1)

    One is Crafty, the other is caring. But they are the best of friends – no matter if they are facing rolling boulders, bouncing mushrooms or grumpy hedgehogs. Munki & Trunk in English and Hindi starts from 1 June.

    Zak Storm

    From the makers of Ben 10, Big Hero 6, Zak Storm is the new leading action franchise, set in the Bermuda Triangle with Pirates, Aliens, great adventures and comedy. Zak Storm in English and Hindi commences from 1 June.

  • Axis Capital appointed as banker for ALT Digital Media

    BENGALURU: The Ekta Kapoor led Balaji Telefilms Limited (BTL) has announced Axis Capital as the banker for investments into its digital business ALTBalaji thru BTL’s wholly owned subsidiary ALT Digital Media Entertainment Limited.

    A BTL release filed with the bourses says: ‘In recognition of the continued robust prospects of Balaji Telefilms Limited (BTL) market’s leading television content production business and the strong response and growth potential its newly launched digital OTT platform (ALTBalaji), the Management of BTL has decided to concentrate a significant portion of its bandwidth and the Company’s available resources on these high potential business segments.’

    The release claims further that: ‘Several financial and strategic investors have expressed strong interest to partner with ALTBalaji and the Management is actively considering the options available and has appointed Axis Capital as bankers for the Investments.’

    BTL claims that ALT Digital Media Entertainment Limited with its stand out original content, has received great response with 2.4 million downloads. making BTL one of the first movers in the fast growing OTT market in India. Given the disruptive nature of the emerging OTT opportunity, ALTBalaji will be a game changer for BTL.

  • Dekkho makes big-screen debut with Amazon fire TV stick

    MUMBAI: The online video streaming Dekkho has partnered with Amazon to make its big-screen debut and provide its content on Amazon Fire TV Stick.

    Dekkho will be one of the featured apps on the streaming device, allowing users to access its entire content library of movies and videos across genres such as music, food, fashion, travel, lifestyle and comedy on a preferred basis. In addition, Fire TV Stick users can access content from Dekkho offline as well.

    The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a plug-and-play device that connects to the television’s HDMI port and allows users to access digital video content from a host of providers. The device can be set up in just three, simple steps — plug the device in to the HDMI port on the TV; attach the USB cord to the power source; and connect to the wi-fi.

    Dekkho will provide a range of specially curated content for Fire TV, offering a television-like experience through a smart, digital medium. Unlike other paid apps, Dekkho’s Content on Fire TV will be available on a free-to-use basis, thus enabling greater exposure for content creators through a new channel while monetising their properties. Dekkho’s attempt to bring independent online content creators on the big screen and provide them exposure through Amazon’s strong distribution model is the first by any Indian player.

    Dekkho co-founder Tanay Desai said, “Dekkho currently enjoys a unique position in the Indian OTT entertainment market. In a bid to expand our content outreach to smart TVs and similar large-screen offerings, this strategic partnership with Amazon Fire TV Stick will help us increase exposure for content creators on our platform. Moreover, it offers Dekkho an extremely promising entry into a larger online entertainment market and the chance to reach out to maximum viewers between 18 to 30 years of age. The resulting increase in reach can also be leveraged to extend our presence on more big-screen apps in the future and allow our users to stream our massive content catalogue on any digital device of their choice, conveniently and seamlessly.”