ITV

Category: Video On Demand

  • Gaurav Gandhi says PWA enhanced content consumption experience as Voot triumphs at IBC

    Gaurav Gandhi says PWA enhanced content consumption experience as Voot triumphs at IBC

    MUMBAI: Content is the king, but technology is the supreme general.

    Voot has won the coveted International Broadcasting Convention 2017 (IBC2017) Innovation Award for Content Distribution for its Progressive Web App (PWA) product – Voot Lite, in Amsterdam on 17 September.

    Viacom18’s ad-supported VoD service, Voot, was the only online video service that was shortlisted for the awards amongst 190 plus global entries.

    Voot COO Gaurav Gandhi said, “In the video streaming business, both content and technology play an equally important role. While Viacom18 is well-known for pioneering efforts and leadership in the content business, it is indeed great to have our company featured on the global technology leaderboard as well. In this business particularly, partnerships and alliances are key to achieving big milestones and we would like to thank the team at Google for providing us support in our PWA.”

    IBC has recognised Voot’s initiative in giving mobile web users an app like experience in consuming digital video. Voot was an early adopter of this technology which led to a huge jump in users and video watch time on its mobile web.

    Voot is the first video platform to have launched a PWA product and that includes offline page caching functionality, fast loading, responsive interface and push notifications. The ‘Add to Home Screen’ feature of PWA allows the user to launch the page from their home screen like a native app and a service worker decreases load times.

    Launched in 2016, Voot at present hosts over 40,000 hours of content on its streaming service and has over 25 million monthly active users.

  • Netflix: DreamWorks’ Cobb to lead kids, family content team, deal with Orange renewed

    Netflix: DreamWorks’ Cobb to lead kids, family content team, deal with Orange renewed

    MUMBAI: Two significant developments have taken place at Netflix, a leading internet entertainment service with 104 million members in over 190 countries, including India, enjoying over 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including originals.

    Orange and Netflix have inked a major agreement and Melissa Cobb will lead Netflix kids and family content team.

    Orange, one of the leading telcos with sales of 40,9 billion euros in 2016, and Netflix have renewed the agreement signed in 2014 for the distribution of Netflix for Orange TV customers in France, and have expanded their partnership to all countries in which the Orange Group is present.

    This strategic partnership will enable the Group’s subsidiaries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East to distribute Netflix in the future, bringing their customers exclusive content of this service to all their screens.

    Netflix will be offered to Orange Poland customers in the coming months as part of its TV offers. Other launches will follow in 2018.

    “We want to offer the best content,” notes Orange CEO Stéphane Richard.

    Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said, “This partnership offers the possibility for millions of our customers to enjoy the leading entertainment service seamlessly, in one place.”

    Cobb has joined Netflix as vice-president, kids and family, overseeing the creation and acquisition of series and films for children and families. Based in the Los Angeles office, Cobb reports to the chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

    In her role, Cobb leads the content team responsible for bringing kids and family titles to Netflix members with an expanded focus on high quality series and event programming across the spectrum of kids and family entertainment, including both animation and live action.

    Cobb joins Netflix from DreamWorks, where most recently she was the chief creative officer and head of studio for Oriental DreamWorks. Based in Shanghai, China, she oversaw all aspects of running the studio and U.S./China collaboration including creative oversight of all projects in development and production, business strategy, production strategy and more for a slate of high quality animated feature films targeted to a global audience.

  • India, US lead in VoD subs as global viewing increased 34 per cent

    India, US lead in VoD subs as global viewing increased 34 per cent

    MUMBAI: Millennial consumers worldwide lead the growth of online video consumption, according to a research report from Limelight Networks, a leader in digital content delivery.

    Taking a close look at consumers’ changing viewing habits, the annual report shows that the average global viewer watches online video five hours, 45 minutes each week and subscribes to one or more video on-demand (VoD) services.

    The report is based on a survey of 4,000 consumers ranging in age, gender, and education in France, Germany, India, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and the US.

    The increasing shift to online viewing video is a global trend with viewers in India, Singapore, and the US spending the most time watching online videos, averaging seven hours, seven minutes; six hours, 37 minutes; and six hours, 35 minutes per week, respectively. Germany had the lowest rate of online video viewership at four hours, 14 minutes, and nearly half of respondents watching only one to two hours per week.

    “With the proliferation of online video content, viewers are moving away from traditional broadcast television viewing and have increasing expectations for broadcast-quality experiences,” said Limelight Networks senior director Michael Milligan.

    “Our research over time has shown a clear increase in expectations and decreasing patience with poor quality experiences.”

    Additional insight from the report includes:

    Millennials watch the most online video: Younger people watch the most online video, with viewers 18-25 averaging seven hours, 18 minutes per week and people 26-35 watching six hours, 53 minutes per week. Viewers 60 and older only watch three hours, 46 minutes per week.

    Growth of eSports: Although traditional sports programming was the third most watched type of online video content by men, males 18-25 watch more eSports and online video gaming than traditional sports programming.

    Consumers won’t waste time on a poor experience: Rebuffering (when a video pauses during playback to load more content) is the top frustration when viewing videos online – surpassing poor video quality and limited device access. If a video rebuffers twice, more than 61 per cent of viewers will stop watching. Only 15 per cent will continue watching after rebuffering happens for a third time.

    Smartphones gain popularity for viewing: Although computers and laptops are the primary online video viewing device globally, smartphones are the preferred device in India and South Korea. Smartphones are also the preferred device for millennials.

    Cable subs keep the cord, go further over-the-top: Despite cord-cutting concerns, the report uncovered that people subscribing to cable have twice as many over-the-top subscription services than those without cable.

    US and India lead subscriptions to online video streaming services: Consumers globally are signing on to streaming with 30 per cent of viewers noting they subscribe to two or more services. Subscription rates are highest in the U.S. and India, where 50.8 per cent and 46.8 per cent, respectively, subscribe to two or more services. In comparison, only 16.7 per cent of respondents in France subscribe to two or more services.

    Movies and TV shows lead online viewing: Globally, viewers spend more time online watching movies than any other type of content. However, viewers in South Korea and the U.K. watch TV shows most often. When viewed by gender, men prefer movies, while women prefer TV shows.

  • UFO Moviez reports increase in numbers for first quarter

    UFO Moviez reports increase in numbers for first quarter

    BENGALURU: Indian digital cinema distribution network and in-cinema advertising platform, UFO Moviez Limited (UFO) reported a 24.2 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) growth in advertising revenue for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q1-18, current quarter). The company reported advertising revenue of Rs 493 million in Q1-18 as compared to Rs 39.7 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year (Q1-17). Average advertisement minutes sold per show per screen decreased to 4.65 minutes (Q1-17 – 3.97 minutes) during Q1-18.

    The company’s consolidated operating revenues improved by 13.9 percent y-o-y in Q1-18 to Rs 1536.8 million (Q1-17 – Rs 1,349.3 million). EBIDTA increased 10 percent y-o-y in the current quarter to Rs 408.6 million (26.5 percent of Total operating income) as compared to Rs 371.5 million (27.4 percent of Total operating income). Profit for the period almost doubled to Rs 140.2 million (9.1 percent of Total operating income) as compared to Rs 70.8 million (5.2 percent of Total operating income).

    Company speak

    “We delivered healthy operating and financial performance in the first quarter of fiscal 2018,”said UFO Moviez joint managing director Kapil Agarwal. “Our advertisement revenue grew by 24 percent despite continuing impact of demonetization and roll out of GST. Our hyperlocal advertisement business – UFO Framezcontinued to witnesshealthy traction.Caravan Talkies also witnessed marked improvement during the quarter.”

    “Our advertisement network surpassed 4,000 screens with over 1,000 multiplex screens. Our performance continues to reflect the strength of this in-cinema advertising platform,” said founder and managing director Sanjay Gaikwad. “We are also excited about the future of our strategic initiatives – Caravan Talkies and UFO Framez. Going forward, we believe that there is significant headroom for growth and we remain confident that our strategic focus, strong execution and proficient team will continue to drive market leading performance.”

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by UFO Moviez

    Total Expense in Q1-18 increased 15.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,135.4 million from Rs 982.4 million in Q1-17. Ad revenue share (expense) in Q1-18 increased 24.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 151 million from Rs 120.9 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Visual Print Fees sharing expense in Q1-18 declined 24.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 138.8 million from Rs 183.9 million in Q1-17.

    The company’s expense towards purchase of digital cinema equipment and lamps in the current quarter increased 77.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 244.4 million as compared to Rs 137.7 million in Q1-17.

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  • Hooq to stream Hollywood, Bollywood, regional TV shows and movies on Vodafone Play

    Hooq to stream Hollywood, Bollywood, regional TV shows and movies on Vodafone Play

    MUMBAI: It’s another entertainment feature one would love to Hooq on to — on a mobile device.

    Trends indicate that Indians are fast adopting mobile phones as their first screen for entertainment. Time-spent on smartphones jumped by 16 per cent in the period Jan-March 2017 over the previous quarter largely driven by a strong demand for social media platforms, and entertainment apps.

    Ever responsive to the needs of a super-connected customer base, Vodafone India has partnered with Hooq, a video-on-demand service, to offer unlimited streaming of over thousands of hours of entertainment from Hollywood, Bollywood and local movies along with exclusive series, to customers. This basket of entertainment will be available on Vodafone Play, Vodafone’s one-stop entertainment destination to enjoy streaming of content; be it Live TV, popular shows, latest movies or trending music videos.

    Vodafone Play subscribers can now binge-watch popular American shows like The Big Bang Theory, Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, Gotham, Supergirl, Friends, The Flash and many more. Enhancing the video streaming experience on Vodafone Play is a rich list of the best of local and Hollywood hits at no extra charges.

    Vodafone India national head – VAS and content Dipankar Ghoshal said, “With mobiles becoming the preferred screen for entertainment, the average time spent on smartphones daily is significantly higher than TV, demonstrating that the engagement levels provided by smartphones remain unparalleled. We find our customers are increasingly seeking enriching and diverse content options. Through our partnership with Hooq, Vodafone has further strengthened the base of quality content on Vodafone Play.”

    Hooq India managing director Salil Kapoor said, “This collaboration further solidifies our position as the country’s biggest premium video-on-demand service. India is one of the key markets for Hooq and this strategic partnership will ensure a wider reach for us giving Vodafone customers a window to experience the best of Hollywood movies and TV Shows across genres.”

  • Hooq partners Disney to bring Marvel series to South-East Asia

    Hooq partners Disney to bring Marvel series to South-East Asia

    MUMBAI: Hooq – a Video on Demand service in South-East Asia, has now got exclusive SVOD rights to bring three of Marvel’s latest series – Marvel’s Inhumans, Marvel’s Runaways and Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger – on the same day as the US telecast on their platform for the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, via a newly inked deal with The Walt Disney Company South-East Asia.

    While the first chapter of Marvel’s Inhumans has been released last week worldwide in IMAX theatres, the following episodes will then be available on Hooq from the end of September with additional exclusive content, not seen in IMAX  theatres.  Next up will be Marvel’s Runaways which debuts on digital on November 21st, 2017.  Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger will be released later on in 2018.  All these will have all episodes screened same day as the US telecast.

    These 3 new series will join the collection of Marvel movies and series already on the Hooq platform – the recent Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, Agent Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel’s the Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Captain America – The First Avenger.

    This exclusive deal comes shortly after Hooq announced their collaboration with Disney, earlier this year to bring their latest movies onto the platform via Transactional VOD (TVOD).

    “Hooq is always looking for new ways and partnerships to bring exciting and quality content to our viewers.  This tie-up with Disney, which now allows our viewers to catch their favourite series Inhumans, Runaways and Cloak and Dagger on the same day as the US telecast is something we are very proud of and brings the world of Marvel’s superheroes closer to Asia.  Marvel’s series’ now available on Hooq is the first of many things to come with this tie-up and we will continue to push boundaries, to evolve and stay committed to delivering unique, compelling and edgy stories to millions of our customers in the region,” said Hooq CEO Peter Bithos.

    “We are excited to extend our collaboration with HOOQ in bringing these iconic Marvel shows day and date with the US telecast to digital audiences across Southeast Asia.  We are pleased to offer our Marvel fans yet another platform to enjoy their favourite TV shows” said The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia VP and GM of media networks Amit Malhotra.

    Marvel’s Inhumans is the latest series from Marvel Studios and its first chapter is shot completely in IMAX® cameras.  After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where their surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself.

    Marvel’s Runaways will be the first TV adaptation of the Marvel comic of the same name, where a group of teenagers find out not only do they have superpowers, but that their parents are supervillains.  Torn between filial piety and being heroes, they will face adversaries like never before.

    Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger, also follows the characters of the Marvel comic of the same name.  Heroes Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen share a symbiotic relationship as a crime fighting duo since they are Light and Darkness incarnate. These series are all set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  • Netflix plans to become leading producer & distributor of high-quality Indian content

    Netflix plans to become leading producer & distributor of high-quality Indian content

    MUMBAI: Online properties are gradually overtaking television in the race to become video content leaders. From mass programming, entertainment now is moving towards personalised experience curated for each individual. Netflix plans  to become a leading producer and distributor of high-quality Indian content. In 2017, it has been doubling down on Indian investment and looking to put together a good content library.

    This year, it announced partnerships with Videocon, Airtel and Vodafone — which would help Netflix go deep into the diverse Indian market, taking in up millions of users to watch Netflix on a mobile phone, TV or through a set-top box.

    Netflix, although, very expensive as compared to the monthly subscription of other OTT / VoD players in India came to the rescue of content lovers, Netflix Asia vice president of communications Jessica Lee tells Verve.

    Be it TV shows or movies, Netflix, which closed Q2 2017 with 104 million members globally, has revolutionised video watching. It offers movies such as Okja and War Machine (both 2017) to a battery of shows such as House of Cards, Narcos and The Crown. Even though Netflix India charges the steepest subscription, it remains popular owing to its content.

    A viewer earlier spent months following a TV series to conclusion, but now, Indians are finishing a series in three days (although, the global average is four days) such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Narcos, Bloodline Jessica Jones. The most-loved genre in India is sci-fi, Netflix believes.

    Netflix believes it is touching a pool of consumers in India with a great passion for diverse entertainment.  The VoD service offers global original shows from The Crown and Stranger Things to mainstream, star-driven Indian films such as Shah Rukh Khan movies, Baahubali and Dangal.

    It is also working on independent films with film-makers in India. Comedy is another popular genre in India which Netflix is thriving on with original specials from Aziz Ansari, Russell Peters, Ali Wong, Chris Tucker, Hasan Minhaj and Dave Chappelle.

    Some of the popular Netflix originals in India, one of its heaviest users of the ‘download’ feature, are Daredevil, Luke Cage, Narcos, House of Cards, The Crown, Stranger Things and Master of None. As a global platform, Netflix sees great stories travelling across regions which is a huge opportunity for Indian content creators.

    Indian content is a part of Netflix’s global plan. For 2017, its content budget is USD 6 billion for both, licensed and original content. It plans to reach over 1,000 hours of original content this year — about 400 original TV series and films including ones from India.

    On the originals front, Netflix is focused on finding great Indian stories – for the world to see, ‘Sacred Games’ being the first. It recently announced two other originals, Selection Day and Again. Another area for Netflix is top-quality local stand-up originals with, for example — Aditi Mittal and Vir Das.

    Netflix believes watching together is becoming a trend in India, with 79 per cent of couples surveyed saying that streaming is a way to spend time together. It has gathered that India is a nation of commute streamers. Indians, it says, are 82 per cent more likely to stream at 9 am, and the peak streaming time in India is 5 pm.

    An interesting habit Netflix has observed in India is that while 31 per cent of its subscribers sign up on mobiles, they move to TV around six months later. While sign-ups on television are lower (at 12 per cent), within six months that behaviour grows to about 32 per cent. Netflix concludes that consumers are taking advantage of the flexibility it allows — to watch on multiple devices.

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  • Netflix to premiere multilingual original The Eddy by Academy award-winner Chazelle

    Netflix to premiere multilingual original The Eddy by Academy award-winner Chazelle

    MUMBAI: Netflix, a leading internet entertainment network, has announced The Eddy, a new Netflix original series from Academy Award-winning director Damien Chazelle. The eight-episode series comes from IMG and will premiere exclusively to Netflix members around the world.

    Executive produced by Damien Chazelle, who will direct two of the episodes, and written by five-time BAFTA Award-winning and Olivier-winning writer Jack Thorne (National Treasure, This is England, Wonder), The Eddy is an eight-episode musical drama series that will be shot in France and feature dialogue in French, English and Arabic. Emmy-winning producer Alan Poul (Six Feet Under, The Newsroom), will also executive produce, and original music will be written by six-time Grammy Award-winner Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, Michael Jackson’s Bad). Following on the heels of other productions in Europe, including The Crown and the upcoming Dark, The Eddy continues Netflix’s investment in international and French content.

    The Eddy is a musical drama set in contemporary multi-cultural Paris revolving around a club, its owner, the house band, and the chaotic city that surrounds them.

    Said Chazelle, “I’ve always dreamed of shooting in Paris, so I’m doubly excited to be teaming up with Jack, Glen and Alan on this story, and thrilled that we have found a home for it at Netflix.“

    Erik Barmack, Vice President of International Originals at Netflix says, “From the intense, complex relationship between a jazz drummer and his instructor in Whiplash to his dazzling duo of lovelorn Los Angelenos in La La Land, Damien’s work is emotional and electrifying. His projects have a rhythm all their own, and we’re incredibly excited for him, Jack, Glen, Alan and the production team to bring their vision for The Eddy to Netflix. We couldn’t be happier that he will be shooting The Eddy in France and that we will bring this bold, global and multilingual series to our members around the world.”

    Chris Rice, WME | IMG Partner says, “The creative team behind ‘The Eddy’ is truly visionary, and we can’t wait to see the world that they create. This project is the definition of premium, global programming, and as one of the first projects of its kind from IMG, we couldn’t be happier to have Netflix as the home to take it to audiences around the world.”

    The series will be produced by Patrick Spence and Katie Swinden’s Fifty Fathoms. BAFTA-winning producers Spence (Guerilla, Fortitude) and Swinden (Luther, Peaky Blinders) will executive produce along with Chazelle, Thorne, Poul and Ballard.

  • Cartoon Networks with Amazon Prime Video

    Cartoon Networks with Amazon Prime Video

    MUMBAI: Turner India and Amazon Prime Video have announced a strategic tie-up that will see Cartoon Network’s popular kids shows play on Amazon Prime Video.

    This content licensing deal will see Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 (Classic), Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Ben 10 Omniverse, Grim Adventures of Billy Mandy, Johnny Bravo, Powerpuff Girls (Classic), Kumbh Karan, Roll No. 21 and Dexter’s Laboratory and many more shows that will play on Amazon Prime Video under the Kids & Family TV section.

    Kids today are consuming and engaging with their favourite content across diverse screens such as computers and mobile screens. This is increasing with the emergence of new OTT platforms and the rise in use of apps for games as an entertainment and learning activity.

    Turner, a pioneer in the kids’ entertainment space in India, has been at the forefront of providing engaging experiences to kids both on TV and beyond and the collaboration with Amazon Prime Video reaffirms Turner’s commitment to engage with its fans anytime, anywhere.

  • Hooq releases Thai original ‘Saranair Love You’ starring Mario Maurer

    Hooq releases Thai original ‘Saranair Love You’ starring Mario Maurer

    MUMBAI: Hooq, a Video on Demand service in South-East Asia, has released its first ever Thai Hooq Original movie, Saranair Love You, done in collaboration with Tech Digital Corporation, Thailand’s leading movie studio. Saranair Love You is a cinematic comedy, directed by Kiattisak Udomnak. It follows the adventures and misfortunes of two best friends, played by ‘Saranair Hen Phi’ star Willy McIntosh and ‘Sena Hoi’ Kiattisak Udomnak.

    The plot centres around Willy and Kiattisak playing best friends, Rang and Peng, who after getting caught in a diamond heist goes on a whirlwind adventure to save their marriage, family relationships and even their friendship. At the same time, they are also trying to take revenge on their enemies and steal back their lost diamond, all while being tailed closely by a comedic cop duo who is just one step behind them.

    They are joined with a great medley of stars such as Tonhom Sakuntala, Sun Prachakorn, Pong Kapol, Jack Fanchan, Yut Fedfe, Japan, Ji-Yoen and superstar heartthrob Mario Maurer.

    “Where better to launch our first cinematic comedy original than in the land of a thousand smiles. Thailand comes with amazing talent for both movies and comedies and Hooq is very excited to release our first ever original in the country, Saranair Love You. This is the first of many exciting originals to come that delivers quality entertainment to our customers and hopefully will keep you Hooq’s to your screens. We will continue to push boundaries, to evolve and stay committed to delivering unique, compelling and edgy stories to millions of our customers both in Thailand and in the region,” said Hooq CEO Peter Bithos.

    Saranair Love You is currently playing in Thai cinemas and will be available on Hooq 3 months after the last cinematic screening. This comes hot after the several other announcements of cinematic Asian originals co-produced by Hooq from Indonesia including Critical Eleven, Sweet 20 and Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, which was also recently screened at the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes.