Category: Video On Demand

Health & beauty YouTube’s fastest growing vertical in 2017 for India

MUMBAI: YouTube remains the top video entertainment hub – with over 225 million Indian smartphone users, using the app every month. India also reached not one, but two major YouTube milestone this year, with 200 channels now crossing the one million subscriber mark and three channels achieving 10 million (ZEE, T-Series and ChuChu TV), earning themselves the coveted Diamond Button this year. This year, the content on YouTube is more diverse than ever before. While music, comedy, food/recipes, education and learning continue to grow, health & beauty emerged as the fastest growing vertical of 2017 with many new subcategories growing, including dance, women lifestyle, village-food, web-series, among others.

During the year 2017, the biggest achievements were that 80 independent creators have crossed the one million subscriber mark. This year, 145 of 200 channels received the gold play button which requires a count of a million. Beauty & health that has been represented by six out of the top 10 rising creators, emerged as the fastest growing vertical. Regional content grew exponentially, with Jimikki Kammal and Zinggat becoming national hits.

We fell in love with a 106-year-old super chef, laughed at the raw humour of our new comedy kings, relived the golden era of Bollywood music through remixes, took the best selfie, learnt the trendiest beauty hacks, watched the most sought-after movie trailers and grooved to Punjabi beats.

2017 also saw some major new records being broken in overall views for movie trailers in India, with Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion, getting over 58 million views, followed by Padmavati with 27 million and Judwa 2 with 23 million. Bollywood music remains the king of the hill, with Badrinath Ki Dulhania bagging the top two spots for its title track with 132 million views and remix of the popular Tamma Tamma Again with 78 million views. Guru Randhawa’s High Rated Gabru is a close third on the most trending music list, with 75 million.

Topping the list of creators in 2017, is comedy superstar BB Ki Vines, with over five million subscribers, followed by Technical Guruji with almost 3.9 million subscribers and Vidya Vox with 3.7 million subscribers. Gaining over 2.5 million subscribers each in 2017 alone, the channels have registered a remarkable growth. Support for local creators continued, with three of this year’s top 10 trending videos (non-music) going to YouTube-specific content creators – BB Ki Vines for Group Study, Amit Bhadana for That Dumb Friend in Every Group and Zakir Khan for Life Main Chahiye Izzat.

Shaping the iconic pop-culture moments of 2017

From the fidget spinner gaining worldwide popularity to Despacito breaking every record; seeing the other side of Irrfan Khan through memes by AIB, to getting the country to dance on Shape of You, which emerged as the most choreographed song in 2017; getting the funny-bone tickled by Angry Baba’s Chacha Ke Patake, to making Jimikki Kammal and Zinggat a national sensation, YouTube has been part of some of the most iconic pop-culture moments of 2017.

This robust growth reflects the dynamic nature of the Indian creator community, with incredible talent surfacing from across India and especially among the regional language creators.

Top 10 Rising Creators of 2017

Top 10 Creators of 2017

YouTube Rewind brings together the biggest music, trends, memes, and characters from the past twelve months featuring today’s biggest YouTube stars and mainstream personalities. Close to 300 creators globally recreate the best of 2017’s online video moments in this rewind video.

Top Trending Videos of 2017

1. BB Ki Vines – Group Study

2. Jimikki Kammal – Dance Perfomance by Indian School of Commerce

3. ED SHEERAN – Shape Of You | Kyle Hanagami Choreography

4. Make Joke Of – Chacha Ke Patake

5. That Dumb Friend In Every Group – Amit Bhadana

6. Unique Rangoli Design using Chalni

7. Kangana Ranaut in Aap Ki Adalat (Full Interview)

8. Cheez Badi DANCE COVER | Machine | Mustafa & Kiara Advani | @JeyaRaveendran Choreography

9. Step by Step Latest Mehndi Design For Hand 2017 # 1000+

10. Zakir Khan – Life Mein Chahiye Izzat!

Biggest Personalities of 2017 (in no particular order)

1. BB Ki Vines

2. Technical Guruji

3. Ashish Chanchlani

4. 106 yr old YouTube sensation – Mastanamma

5. Dhinchak Pooja

6. Kabita’s Kitchen

7. Harsh Beniwal

8. Sejal Kumar

9. Mahathalli

10. Tanmay Bhat

Top Trending Music Videos – India

1. Badri Ki Dulhania (Title Track)

2. Tamma Tamma Again

3. Guru Randhawa: High Rated Gabru Official Song

4. Ding Dang – Munna Michael

5. Mere Rashke Qamar – Baadshaho

6 Ed Sheeran – Shape of You [Official Video]

7. Luis Fonsi – Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee

8. Jagga Jasoos: Galti Se Mistake

9. Cheez Badi Full Video | Machine

10. Baarish | Half Girlfriend

Top Trending Movie Trailers

1. Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion | Official Trailer (Hindi)

2. Padmavati | Official Trailer

3. Judwaa 2 Official Trailer

4. Toilet Ek Prem Katha Official Trailer

5. Half Girlfriend Official Trailer

6. Begum Jaan | Official Trailer

7. Golmaal Again

8. Badrinath Ki Dulhania – Official Trailer

9. Sachin A Billion Dreams | Official Trailer

10. Tubelight | Official Trailer

December 12, 2017
Focus shifts to online streaming for Eros

Mumbai: Production and distribution company Eros International no longer wants to be a film studio but a digital content company.

Listed on the BSE as well as the NYSE, Eros is reducing its dependence on box office and is focussing on its online video streaming platform Eros Now instead. “Over the last two and a half years, Eros Now has tripled in growth. About 25% of our overall revenue comes from digital platform and in three years, digital will be three quarters of our revenue. We are moving on from being a film studio to a digital company,” said Jyoti Deshpande, group chief executive officer at Eros, which aims $260-270 million revenue this financial year.

Launched in 2014, Eros Now has 3.7 million paying subscribers, which the company expects to touch 6-8 million by March. Eros Now charges Rs 50 a month for streaming content and Rs 100 a month for downloading and watching the content offline. The company has commissioned six films which will be released directly on Eros Now.

As part of its strategy, Eros, which produced movies such as comedy drama Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Rajkumar Rao-starrer Newton and Amole Gupte-directed Sniff in 2017, is now only investing in films which are low cost, have a high return on investment and are suitable for digital platforms.

Although the platform is film-heavy with Eros’s library, the company is working on launching one or two digital series every month. “We are doing a series on human trafficking starring Radhika Apte. We are also working on a comedy one,” said Deshpande.

Revenue from domestic theatrical releases saw a 1.6% decline in 2016 to Rs9,980 crore, down from Rs10,140 crore in 2015, according to the Indian Media and Entertainment Report 2017 released by lobby group Ficci and consulting firm KPMG, in March. The number of movies that were able to record a positive return on investment also declined from 27 in 2014 to 18 in 2016.

“On an industry level, the charm of big budget films with star cast appeal is going away as no such project is making money. Even the films which have been declared hit, there is nothing in the profit and loss accounts, when you actually look there. We were one of the first companies to call the trend,” added Deshpande.

Earlier this year, Eros suffered a brief liquidity crisis ahead of the maturing of its $85 million revolving credit facility (RCF) on 31 March. Standard and Poor’s (S&P) had lowered its long-term corporate credit rating on Eros International to “B-” from “B+” and placed it on credit watch with negative implications. The company, however, won a last-minute reprieve from creditors by executing documentation to extend the maturity of the RCF by six months.

December 11, 2017
Screen Patti launches fresh branded video series Bonnet Pe Charcha with Total Oil India

MUMBAI: Cricket or Football? Android or Apple? There are some discussions which are never ending. One of India’s biggest new age comedy channel Screen Patti brings an exciting video series in association with Total Oil called Bonnet Pe Charcha, as a refreshingly hilarious take on such debates. After the famous Chai Pe Charcha and Daaru Pe Charcha, the fresh new series will see intense ‘charcha’ sessions between two young guys over a car bonnet.

Bonnet Pe Charcha will feature YouTube sensation Harsh Beniwal who has massive following across social media platforms with more than one million subscribers on YouTube and Instagram. With a promising brand integration, Bonnet Pe Charcha will showcase a comic take on modern topics of discussion like Cricket vs. Football, Solo Trip vs. Group trip and Gym vs. Yoga through a series of three webisodes. With a successful run of Chai Pe Charcha and Daaru Pe Charcha, the new video series is all set to take viewers on an entertaining journey of discussions, debates and comedy.

Speaking about the integrated campaign, Total Oil India VP (marketing & corporate communications, CSR) Gayatri Ojha said, “We needed more strategic and innovative minds to work with us as partners to grow the brand and hence our association with TVF is part of the brand’s content marketing strategy. The integrated campaign is aimed at young first time car owners to create conversations around a product, belonging to a low-involvement category. The digital branded content –“Bonnet Pe Charcha” curated by TVF, is an eclectic mix of three webisodes to engage the viewers and to provide them the brand insights subtly, while addressing contemporary issues. The aim is to create a top of mind recall amongst car users about the brand “Total Quartz” Engine Oil & its core promise – “Keep your Engine younger for Longer”. Webisodes will also be promoted on radio in the form of “Radiosodes”. The content on Radio will focus on topics that often remain undiscussed but are deeply penetrated in our society. Each Radiosode will have a smartly integrated brand communication strategy behind it. We believe the strengths of TVF is very admiring to our thinking & approach and together we can do some very interesting work in the future.”

Thrilled about the launch of new branded video series, head brand partnerships Vijay Koshy commented, “Our partnership with Total Oil India has been right in TVF’s strength zone where they wanted to create brand recall through content based on strong Indian insights. We understood brand’s promise of keeping the engine ‘Younger for Longer’ and married it with a relatable audience insight of Bonnet’s of cars being a place for informal conversations by youth . This allowed us to correlate the brand promise in content as well as create brand recall around an important and relevant piece of infrastructure in a car. Keeping in mind brand’s focus of reaching male audiences we launched it on our channel ‘The Screen Patti’ which has over 90% male viewership. The 3-episode web series has been received very well by the audiences both in terms of views as well as engagement and can be an ongoing series and Total has smartly extended this partnership onto Radio also.”

December 1, 2017
Apple commits $4.2 bn for original content

MUMBAI: Apple can’t get enough of taking more bites. The Cupertino-based company is reportedly spending a whopping $4.2 billion a year on coming up with original content by 2022.

According to a report in Variety, this amount is much higher than the original commitment of $1 billion in 2018. Despite the effort, Apple will still lag the budgets set by video on demand giants Amazon and Netflix. Amazon’s pocket will turn up $8.3 billion for original video content, the highest for any tech giant. This will also shadow Netflix’s $6.8 billion margin.

Much of Apple’s current programming has been music-based but the company is looking at looking eye-to-eye with contemporaries – Amazon, Netflix and Hulu. This will involve beating them where are best – shows and movies. Apple Music will be rebranded in the next 2-3 years which will also give it a headstart with its 30 million subscriber base. They will get video content access at just $10 a month.

The idea behind focussing on a new territory is to give a boost to its services vertical, which is expected to make up 14 per cent of the revenue in 2017.

For now the company has planned two offerings, Amazing Stories reboot from Steven Spielberg and a news-business comedy with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

November 30, 2017
Amazon acquires rights for digital premiere of 2.0

MUMBAI: Amazon announced an exclusive content deal with Lyca Productions for the digital premiere of 2.0, the Rajnikanth and Akshay Kumar-starrer mega-budget blockbuster. Prime members will have access to watch the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions of the much-awaited film on Prime Video. One of the most opulent projects in Indian cinema, with a reported budget of almost $ 90 million, 2.0 also marks the debut of Kumar in South Indian cinema and as the antagonist.

Commenting on the association with Lyca Productions, Amazon Prime Video director content Vijay Subramaniam said, “With this momentous deal, Amazon Prime Video further enhances its robust Bollywood and regional content library. We keep the customer at the centre of all that we do. Amazon Prime Video is happy to join hands with Lyca Productions for the exclusive streaming rights for this mega blockbuster film. Both, Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar are phenomenal actors with an unbelievable fan following that will soon get the chance to stream the sequel of Rajnikanth’s memorable movie on their favourite streaming device.”

“Making movies is my passion” said Lyca Group chairman Subaskaran Allirajah. “We are here to produce great movies. I hope these investments will take Tamil and Indian cinema to world-class standards.”

2.0 is helmed by the master of grandeur, Shankar, and is the sequel to the 2010 film Endhiran (Robot). It will see Rajnikanth reprise his role of Dr Vaseegaran and the robot Chitti. The movie, pegged as one of Asia’s costliest ventures, is also being filmed using 3D cameras directly to ensure that the film provides a grand visual experience.

November 29, 2017
BMS & PVR empower you to pick movies that play in theatres

MUMBAI: BookMyShow (BMS) has joined hands with PVR Pictures for Vkaao, a web-platform that enables individuals to choose the films that play in their local cinemas.

People can pick the films they like, its screening time and even a particular PVR theatre they want it to be shown. PVR will give a variety of options and BMS will use its analytical capabilities to target the right audience.

Since its inception in January 2017, Vkaao has screened hundreds of shows, including exclusive paid previews. Vkaao currently has a library of over 400 studio and independent titles and plans to grow this collection manifold over the next 12 months.

BookMyShow VP-marketing and business intelligence Marzdi Kalianiwala said, “Over the last decade, BookMyShow has redefined the access to movies for millions of its users and through Vkaao, we are excited to bring them a curated selection of niche and exclusive films. This will be coupled with Vkaao’s cinematic experience that is highly personalised, and driven by people themselves, empowering them to share it with others with similar interests. Our analytical capabilities will definitely be able to bring together a new generation of cinema lovers and create a community that shares love for such films.”

With this strategic tie-up, Vkaao will have the capability to be the turnkey theatrical distribution arm for filmmakers, providing promotional services, campaign strategy, advertising and theatre booking services. Vkaao will continue to provide its standard theatre on-demand model for films not positioned for traditional theatrical release.

PVR Pictures COO Deepak Sharma said, “Our successful association with BookMyShow spans decades and we are really excited to work with them on Vkaao. As we continue to grow the Vkaao collection of films, our mission is to enable audiences to share an endless selection of films with friends, families and local communities, and to provide for a rich and engaging experience at PVR Cinemas. This new collaboration will help create a more seamless relationship between the theatrical and the digital experience. As part of this association, Vkaao, which is currently run as an independent platform will soon be integrated with PVR’s native digital platforms and BookMyShow.”

November 16, 2017
BQ partners Nasscom, T-Hub & Karnataka Govt for startups to ‘ScaleUP’

MUMBAI: With a view to encourage startups and emerging companies, Bloomberg Quint has tied up with industry body NASSCOM, T-Hub and the government of Karnataka (GoK) to launch an initiative called ‘ScaleUP’. It will focus on startups in the fields of BFSI, healthcare, consumer retail and education.

As part of a six month schedule, the program will help participant companies showcase and promote their products, skill-up in areas required to scale further and access business opportunities and strategic advice.

Speaking on this, Bloomberg Quint CEO Anil Uniyal said, “We believe lack of ‘scale’ in strategy and execution is one of the biggest reasons young companies struggle in their growth journeys. As a program, ScaleUP has been designed to offer real, meaningful business value to companies. Whether it is highlighting their achievements or creating opportunities for business. And all of this will be spearheaded by an experienced set of partners and guides.”

The program will range from multi-format digital content to on-ground engagement with key players in the ecosystem including potential clients and venture funds. An advisory board will spearhead the vision for the program that shall include content showcases, mentoring sessions, buyer-seller meets, sectoral summits, funding pitches leading up to a grand finale for all participants.

Nasscom Product Council’s serial entrepreneur, investor and vice-chairperson Dr Somdutta Singh joins the board as the chief strategic advisor of BQ ScaleUP. Speaking about the launch, he said, “Business growth is possible only through business connects and cross platform visibility. One should be able to quickly grab a new/existing opportunity and grow their business. This will be possible through Bloomberg Quint ScaleUp. We will help bridge the gap and focus on real and sustainable growth for these emerging companies. Not just promises, our goal is to deliver.”

ScaleUP will be promoted and distributed for mass consumption on the Bloomberg Quint network spanning its own digital platform its network of content partners and top social platforms. The content created shall include elements such as videos, live streaming shows, articles and infographics apart from on-ground interactions.

GoK minister of IT, BT & Tourism Priyank Kharge commented, “Business connect isn’t just an art, it’s hard work. Every contact you build makes it easier for you to compete and scale. Karnataka’s start-ups’ association with Bloomberg Quint will be an enabler to this need. Our prime focus from the government is to collaborate with platforms that will enable every dream become a goal and action is taken towards its achievement.”

T-Hub COO Srinivas Kollipara added, “Ideas are easy, implementation is hard, and scale is even harder. Business connects are critical, and can be the difference between success and failure, but they’re hard to get. An initiative like Bloomberg Quint ScaleUp will deliver these. T-Hub is on a mission to scale start-ups and this initiative aligns with it. We are excited about this collaboration.”

Nasscom President R Chandrasekhar commented, “The start-up ecosystem has witnessed steady growth over the past few years and we have unwavering faith in the young and innovative minds of India that are driving the nation’s entrepreneurially rich ecosystem. As a part of our commitment to scaling this further, we believe that our collaboration with Bloomberg Quint to co-create ‘ScaleUp’ as a platform where start-ups can share knowledge, deepen linkages, sharpen their strategy will empower them to foster innovation and drive growth. Providing promising start-ups forums to improve their products, services, strategies and grow extensively in their domains is vital for their success in the demanding and saturated global arena. We are confident that this platform will provide start-ups which are participating, an experience that will truly help transform them.”

Also Read:

Live digital video now on Bloomberg|Quint, plans cable and DTH foray

FB and BloombergQuint collaborate for live biz news service

BloombergQuint: Business reporting the cross platform way

November 14, 2017
Numero uno YouTuber takes a dig at Motu Patlu

MUMBAI: You know who Motu Patlu are but many around the world don’t. Well, large parts of the world just got to know them thanks to the antics of the world’s number one YouTuber PewDiePie (Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg). He recently uploaded a video on his YouTube channel (also called PewDiePie) calling Motu Patlu, with sarcasm, ‘a fantasticanime’, ‘one of the greatest creations of Nickelodeon since the 90s’, ‘to its very core, just a fine animation’, and ‘the greatest thing that has ever happened’ among other things.

He starts with saying that his life “changed for the better in every single way” since he discovered Motu Patlu. He then goes on to explain the character of Motu and his addiction to the Indian fast food item samosa, which he pronounces “samocha.”

The video has received 1.24 million (about 12 lakhs) views in just 15 hours. With 57 million subscribers to the channel, the numbers are only going to increase. Any publicity, however, is seen as good publicity. Due this flippant attempt to review Motu Patlu’s antics, people may start exploring Indian animated shows, which will only serve to benefit the cartoon show and movie franchise.

For the full story, visit: http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/latest-news/no-1-youtuber-pewdiepie-takes-a-jibe-at-motu-patlu

November 9, 2017
FB and BloombergQuint collaborate for live biz news service

MUMBAI: BloombergQuint has collaborated with Facebook for its live video streaming service ‘BQ Live’. It is a digital business news live streaming service that includes comprehensive programming on a daily basis from global and domestic markets coverage to views from the most influential newsmakers in business, economy and finance.

BloombergQuint had launched this service last month at the Bloomberg India Economic Forum, which featured India’s finance minister Arun Jaitley and a host of other policy makers and corporate leaders.

Speaking on the collaboration, BloombergQuint managing editor Menaka Doshi said, “Being multi-platform and digital-first has been core to our DNA since inception and this partnership epitomizes that philosophy. This will help us extend the reach and engagement of BQ Live appreciably, bringing high quality business content to decision-makers, entrepreneurs and young corporate audiences.”

Facebook India head of news partnerships Varun Gupta said, “With over 200 million people using Facebook monthly, more and more people are logging in on Facebook to consume content that best informs and entertains them. We are happy to see Bloomberg|Quint use our platform to build immersive experiences for their viewers via such an engaging format as Facebook Live. With Facebook Live, BQ’s viewers will be not only able to consume news real-time but participate in the storytelling via interactive features such as comments, reactions, and questions.”

Starting with pre-market cues and news, the service provides consumers with live insights into the markets throughout the day, culminating with perspectives and analysis in the evening. The live streaming service is available on www.bloombergquint.com and top social platforms, and pending regulatory approvals, will debut on leading cable and DTH platforms.

Since going Live on facebook, BQ Live has already seen more than to 2 million video views for its top shows. The Live programming begins with Daybreak at 7 am. On weekdays, followed by power-packed markets programming through shows like Indian Open , The F&O show, Hot Money, #AskBQ, Power Lunch, Countdown and then perspective driven content through shows like Primetime and the Primetime Debate.

BloombergQuint currently reaches more than 2 million monthly users across its on-site and partner platforms. During Budget 2017, BloombergQuint delivered over 50 million in reach, including 15 million video views and more than 25k shares on social media, ahead of several legacy players in the space.

November 4, 2017
YouTube launches TV app in the US to better serve in-home viewing

MUMBAI: YouTube continues to march into traditional TV’s domain. Earlier this year, it launched its 40 channel bundle in the US for about $35 in certain markets. Along with some originals, the personalisation and recommendation has helped its content consumption skyrocket. Using Chromecast, viewers in 50 markets in the US can now watch it on their TV sets, apart from wirelessly watching it on their tablets, their phones and their computers.

But that was a thing of the past: it has just announced the launch of its own YouTube app which will first be available on the Android app store for any Android TVs and Xbox Ones, followed by releases on Apple TV, Roku and smart TVs from Samsung Sony and LG.

Why did the streaming service-turned- cloud pay TV operator have to take this route? YouTube executives state that customers insisted that they wanted it on more fixed devices, especially in US living rooms which are primarily TVs. Data showed that despite the mobile first option, living room is still the hub of entertainment.

Additionally, it is just protecting its turf. Traditional advertising on desktop browsers is sliding, and mobile ads are picking up the slack, even as viewers are continuing to consume content in living rooms on their TV sets. By launching an app for its YouTube TV, it will be able to capture some more ad dollars is the reasoning.

The YouTube TV app has an in-depth programming guide. Each channel has a page which features the top programmes, a zapper sidebar lets you scroll through channels even as a you watch a show of your own. And what’s most important is the voice enabled search which allows you to talk to your TV set.

The YouTube TV app built for actual television sets doesn’t cut any of the features you find on the mobile version, but it does add a bunch of new ones. Mobile didn’t feature an in-depth programming guide, but the living room experience has one, so you can see what’s playing a few hours in the future. There are also channel pages that show off top picks from network partners. The programming team built the app in HTML so it can easily be ported onto any device without having to recreate it for other operating systems of other smart TVs.

Recent data releases from YouTube have revealed that close to a billion hours of video are being watched every day. Mobile viewing accounts for 600 million; desktop is at 300 million hours, while TV accounts for 100 million hours. But the last is growing at a rapid 70 per cent per annum; hence the YouTube App will only see it accelerate faster.

Clearly, the battle for viewers eyeballs with traditionally delivered cable TV is only going to get more intense. When the service will arrive in India is not known. But it’s something that both India’s struggling cable TV MSOs and operators need to keep a close watch on. Google, with its billions of dollars in cash reserves, can turn on the switch in a second. And that might be too late for the low-on-cash Indian cable TV distribution system.

November 1, 2017