ITV

Category: Video On Demand

  • Hungama Play partners UK’ ITV Studios, to foray into original content

    MUMBAI: Video-on-demand (VOD) player Hungama Play has partnered with ITV Studios, a commercial production company in the United Kingdom. With this association, subscribers can now stream popular titles like Jekyll and Hyde, Mr Selfridge, Jericho, Agatha Christie’s Poirot as well as Beowulf to name a few on Hungama Play.

    Hungama.com CEO Siddhartha Roy said, “This content acquisition is in line with the overall consumption on our platform and we are getting in more and more premium content to our users in order to driven joyable experiences.”

    Catering to genres like action, drama, comedy and mystery, this association will provide Hungama Play users across the Indian subcontinent access to the best of ITV Studio’s rich and vast international content range.

    ITV Studios Global Entertainment Asia SVP Hyeonza Hong added, “ITV Studios has a long and rich history producing world class content with a wide appeal.”

    Hungama Play aims to enhance consumer experiences with over 23000 hours of video content along with exciting features such as download manager, Gamification, gesture controlling and download scheduler among others.

    Besides the vast movie library of over 8000 titles, Hungama Play has also launched content categories including television, music videos, kids, short films as well as live events across genres and languages, with over 45000 video pieces to choose from. It will soon foray into original content with the addition of four new series.

  • Amazon & Netflix bag maiden Academy Awards

    MUMBAI: From wrongly naming the winner for the best film to presenters handling wrong cue cards, this year’s 89 Academy Awards did make news but, for several odds. Not only was La La Land named as the winner of for the best film instead of Moonlight but, reportedly presenters were given the wrong cue cards and though the mistake was corrected by the Academy. Video-on-demand streaming service Amazon won its first-ever Academy Awards on Sunday night, taking home three Oscar statues.

    The service won awards for Manchester by the Sea taking home best original screenplay and best picture honors and Iran’s The Salesman. The wins for Amazon drew the praise of company founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, who was in attendance at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood and tweeting his congratulations to the winners.

    Its rival platform, Netflix also won an Oscar for best documentary short, which went to The White Helmets, which the streaming service produced and distributed.

    Amazon Studios released its first awards-hopeful movie at the end of 2015 with Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq and over the past year has spent aggressively to become a serious player in the indie film world.

  • Conjuring 2, Fleabag & ‘Rock-On 2’ digital premiere on Amazon Prime

    MUMBAI: Are you looking for some adventure filled with comedy and drama? Then, Amazon Prime Video is your place to be! Get ready to relive the ‘magik’ of music with the digital premiere of ‘Rock on 2’. 

    Sharing his excitement on Rock On 2 premiering on Amazon Prime Video, Farhan Akhtar said, “The choice to watch exclusive content on mobiles, net or multiple other devices at any given time is hugely exciting. I am thrilled that Rock On 2 is now available on Amazon Prime Video and quite certain that the digital premiere of the movie will weave ‘Magik’. Streaming video provides customers a choice to watch new-age content and I can reach a whole new audience who have the power to choose what they want to watch when.”

    In addition to this musical drama, for some light hearted moments the viewers can come along on a journey with Fleabag, Season 1 – An Amazon Original. And, close those curtains and lock those doors, because you in for some horror with The Conjuring 2. For real movie buffs – catch some of the chartbusters – Keanu, Zoolander 2 and Anomalisa. 

    Rock On 2

    Rock On 2 is an Indian musical drama film, directed by Shujaat Saudagar, produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, and with music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The sequel to the 2008 film, Rock On!!, it stars Shraddha Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Shashank Arora, and Prachi Desai in lead roles.  Watch it exclusively on Amazon Prime Video now!

    Fleabag (Amazon Original)

    Fleabag is a hilarious and poignant window into the mind of a dry-witted, sexual, angry, grief-riddled woman, as she hurls herself at modern living in London. Award-winning playwright Phoebe Waller-Bridge writes and stars as Fleabag, an unfiltered woman trying to heal, while rejecting anyone who tries to help her and keeping up her bravado all along.

    The Conjuring 2

    In 1977, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to London, England, where single mother Peggy Hodgson believes that something evil is in her home. When Peggy’s youngest daughter starts showing signs of demonic possession, Ed and Lorraine attempt to help the besieged girl, only to find themselves targeted by the malicious spirits.

  • VideoTap to unveil interactive smart video platform, to deliver dynamic, personalised VOD

    MUMBAI: VideoTap Digital, the media technology company, promoted by media veteran Dilip Venkatraman, former CEO of CNN-IBN and IBN7 and Savvy Dilip, former Group CMO of ITV Network, is all set to showcase VideoTap, the next generation video platform at 4YFN – Mobile World Congress at Barcelona. VideoTap is a highly innovative, cloud based Interactive Smart Video platform, powered by proprietary patent pending technology, that is all set to transform the way video content is delivered, viewed and monetised.

    Consumers want video on demand, but many times they want to watch only a specific segment within a video, and not the full video. They also want to watch many such specific segments one after the other, continuously, for a personalized experience. They do not want to waste time to search from many videos. Addressing this gap VideoTap offers consumers personalized real time video compilations, interactivity on videos, and direct-to-scene watching.

    Commenting on this VideoTap founder and CEO Dilip Venkatraman said: “VideoTap is an original concept and is fundamentally differentiated from existing offerings in the world. Our highly motivated and innovative in-house technology team has built this platform from scratch. We are very excited about showcasing VideoTap at a global platform.”

    VideoTap co-founder and COO Savvy Dilip adds: “Consumers want more control over their viewing experience, and we have built an entire ecosystem to deliver an unparalleled user experience. We are excited about working with video publishers, especially broadcasters and production houses, to unlock the value of their content libraries.”

    Dilip Venkatraman’s last assignment was as the Group COO of ITVNetwork, which operates news channels India News, NewsX, and Sunday Guardian. Prior to that he worked at Network18 as the CEO of CNN-IBN & IBN7. Dilip has over 23 years of corporate experience, including 3 years in USA. Prior to joining TV18, he held key positions at the India Today Group and the Zee Network. He was the Head of Brand Management at Zee News and the President of Marketing for Dish TV. Dilip is an accomplished professional, with many industry benchmark setting initiatives to his credit. In 2011 Dilipwon the prestigious “News CEO of the Year Award” at the “Exchange4media News Broadcast Awards”. He is a Graduate in Public Administration, and has completed his management Program from IIM Bangalore, and the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School, Boston.

    Savvy Dilip till recently was the Group CMO of the ITVNetwork, (India News, NewsX & Sunday Guardian), where she developed and launched the network identity. Prior to that she worked at Network18 as the VP – Marketing for CNN-IBN & IBN7. She has vast experience in product management, brand management, and brand building across media including digital media, strategic alliances, programming planning, events & experiential marketing, sales enablement and public relations. Savvy was the driving force behind some of the most popular, credible and editorial driven media awards like CNN-IBN Indian of the year, IBN7 Diamond States Awards, Real Heroes, IBN7 Super Idols, Zindagi Live Awards, India Positive Awards, Citizen Journalist Awards, Young India Leaders, Guru Sishya Awards, 4GLTE, ShauryaSanman Awards. She is a Commerce Graduate and has completed her management Program from IIM Bangalore, and the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School.

  • ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs’ on Zee TV via dittoTV

    MUMBAI: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, a singing talent hunt show, is back with a bang! Hugely popular over the last 22 years, the show is set to launch the sixth season of its sub series for kids on 25 February. Li’l Champ fans can watch the show live as it airs on their smartphones on Zee TV, available only on dittoTV.

    The latest season will witness the comeback of the musical duo – music composer-actor, Himesh Reshammiya, and the voice behind the hit songs from Jodhaa Akbar and Ghajini, Javed Ali, in the panel of judges. Also making her debut on the judges panel will be popular Indian singer, Neha Kakkar.

    Z5 India Business head of digital Archana Anand said, “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs is one of India’s most awaited television shows, with a wide fan following. The show brings together the best untapped talent from across the country and gives them a platform to launch their careers as playback singers. We are excited to bring to our subscribers the 6th season of the kid’s reality show, where participants have been shortlisted from over 60,000 entries post a set of gruelling auditions. As it is a weekend show, many people may miss out on the live airing since they may be out or may not have easy access to a television set. dittoTV now makes it possible for them to conveniently watch Li’l Champs as it airs, anywhere on any internet-enabled device, and at an extremely affordable price point”

    Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs season 6 will be aired every Saturday and Sunday, at 9 pm.

    The dittoTV app is available on Android and iOS platforms, with a monthly subscription charge of INR 20.

  • Viu enters Middle East, to provide buffer-free content

    MUMBAI: Video-on-demand (VOD) service provider Vuclip has launched Viu, a direct to consumer VOD service, in the Middle East. The platform is already available in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Hong Kong and Singapore.

    In the Middle East, content will be available without charge, while premium content can be viewed without advertisements, after paying a monthly subscription fee. Users across the region now have access to tens of thousands of hours of local, regional and international premium entertainment, built on Vuclip’s patented Dynamic Adaptive Transcoding technology to offer viewers a buffer free viewing experience.

    The platform offers regional, international and local entertainment on-demand content, including Egyptian, Syrian, Khaleeji and Tunisian TV dramas.

    Users can access classic movies and recent blockbusters, as well as curated music videos for over 6,000 songs from artists such as Nicole Saba, Amr Diab, Hassan El Shafei, Nancy Ajram, Ramy Sabrya and Maya Diab. Bollywood content can also be streamed, with films, popular TV shows and music videos featuring stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone.

    The company recently sealed a deal with Indian content house Shemaroo to add more content to the Viu platform.

    Vuclip regional director for Middle East Sherif Dahan voiced that the expansion will be exciting as they plan to bring new ideas to life and offer viewers a whole new experience in entertainment.

  • YouTube FanFest returns with AIB, Abish Mathew & Vidya Vox

    MUMBAI: Shout out to all the YouTubers in town. Mumbai, the city of dreams, is all set to host the fourth YouTube FanFest on 24 March. The event will take place at JioGarden, Bandra Kurla Complex. Every year, YouTube brings together top YouTubers from around the globe for a live performance and fans get to meet their favourite YouTube stars.

    Additionally, the event will also be live-streamed on YouTube.

    This time, the festival will feature artists from different including dance, music, comedy, etc. The line-up includes Abish Mathew, AIB, Being Indian’s Sahil Khattar, Bhuvan Bam, Carryminati, Caspar Lee, Darshan Raval, Girliyapa, Kenny Sebastian, Kurt Hugo Schneider, Melvin Louis, Mumbiker Nikhil, Nazar Battu Productions, Sam Tsui, Screen Patti, Shirley Setia, Siddarth Slathia, SnG Comedy, Tanner Patrick, Vidya Vox and Zakir Khan to name a few.

    YouTube Asia Pacific director of online partner development David Powell asserted that the festival has turned out to be a marquee event to celebrate YouTube creators from India and around the world.

    More than 5,000 fans are expected to witness the show which will have the biggest YouTube stars performing live on-stage.

    The event will open with the Red Carpet session after which Meet and Greet pass holders can interact with their YouTube idols followed by the live show.

    The tickets for the YouTube FanFest 2017 will be available from 3 pm on 24 February at the official YouTube FanFest website.

  • Brazilian TV Producers rebrands as Brazilian Content as per AV trend

    MUMBAI: Brazilian TV Producers, BRAVI’s export programme, in partnership with Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), will change its name to Brazilian Content from 6 March 2017, and will showcase the new brand at Rio Content Market.

    The reason for the change is the new audiovisual market dynamics and the members’ profiles which is production of content in wide-ranging formats for several screens. “This is a worldwide trend. In times of digital content and the growth of the VOD market, mobile and games, the word TV does not cover the full scope of the operation of the companies in the project. Audiovisual production is multiplatform”, says Brazilian Content’s executive manager Rachel do Valle.

    The export program has arranged the participation of delegations of Brazilian producers to international events such as MIPCOM (Cannes), NATPE and Kidscreen (both in the USA) for 12 years. Also, it follows the main discussions of the sector at the global market. It has also joined negotiations for the attainment of cooperation agreements of Brazil and governments such as United Kingdom, Israel among others.

    BRAVI, the association in charge of carrying out Brazilian Content’s program, has also recently undergone a change in name to include other screens. Before ABPITV, it was renamed Brasil Audiovisual Independente (Brazil Independent Audiovisual), to reinforce its independent nature and not only TV screen.

    BRAVI brings together independent audiovisual content producers for television and new media, and has over 600 members in 18 units of the federation, in all of Brazil’s five regions. Brazilian Content is the Brazil Independent Audiovisual (BRAVI) international program.

  • Bruce Anderson announced as Dejero CEO

    MUMBAI: Dejero, an innovator in cloud-managed solutions that simplify the transport of live video and real-time data across remote or mobile IP networks, has announced Bruce Anderson as its new CEO, taking over from Brian Cram who has headed the company for the last five years.

    Hailing from Zimbabwe, Anderson is a veteran senior executive with a 20-year proven record of managing international businesses for multinational corporations, most recently for the global commodity producer and trader firm Glencore. Anderson has strong leadership skills and is highly goal oriented with a strong entrepreneurial flair for driving business results and maximizing profitability. He is an Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science graduate from the University of South Africa, a country where he also qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He is familiar with Dejero’s business after spending years living and working in Canada.

    “Joining Dejero at a time of accelerated growth for the company and huge change that is taking place across the entire media and entertainment sector is hugely exciting,” said Bruce Anderson. “I look forward to taking the business forward as we expand Dejero’s portfolio and increase our presence across the globe. I particularly look forward to meeting Dejero’s existing customers and partners and to working with the in-house team to drive the next phase of our growth.”

    “We are delighted to welcome Bruce Anderson to the team, as he brings in-depth global experience and expertise to our company at a time when Dejero is poised to sustainably grow not only geographically, but also into new market verticals,” said Dejero founder and CTO Bogdan Frusina.

    Anderson’s priorities as he hits the ground will be to drive the launch of new connectivity solutions later in the year, that provide fast, reliable and secure access to the public Internet and private networks. The new Dejero products and services will enable news companies and production teams to access media assets at a broadcast centre or studio, and quickly transfer very large files from their vehicle while on location or in transit, saving valuable time.

    Other priorities for the new CEO will include further expansion of the Dejero portfolio within the LATAM, EMEA and APAC markets, supported by a recent $14 million growth financing deal that was recently struck with Wellington Financial LP.

    Frusina continued, “I would like to warmly thank Brian Cram as he transitions his responsibilities to Bruce having accomplished so much in his time as CEO. Brian had always intended to pass the reigns over, it was just a matter of timing and he has now decided that the time is right. Bruce is the perfect candidate to take over from Brian in that respect.”

    Under the stewardship of Brian Cram, Dejero became a leader in remote connectivity solutions for the broadcast market and has been recognised on Deloitte’s Fast 50 and Fast 500 for the past three consecutive years. Brian Cram remains an investor in Dejero.

  • Amazon’s Michael Paul joins MLB’s video streaming service BAMTech

    MUMBAI: Amazon’s digital media executive Michael Paull has been hired to lead the $3 billion video-streaming company BAMTech. The announcement was made by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, which sold one-third of BAMTech to Walt Disney in August. Disney bought a 33 per cent stake in BAMTech for $1 billion Baseball still owns a majority of BAMTech. Disney in three years will have the option to take a controlling stake.

    Paull is due to take up his new role next month and is expected to oversee Disney-owned sports network ESPN’s upcoming subscription streaming service. He will relocate from Seattle to New York and report directly to BAMTech’s board of directors. He replaces Bob Bowman, who will remain MLB’s president of business and media. Bowman will also serve on the seven-member BAMTech board of directors, along with Rob Manfred, ESPN President John Skipper, Disney executive Kevin Mayer and commissioner of the National Hockey League Gary Bettman, which is also an investor in the company.

    “Michael will deliver on the incredible potential and promise this venture has for building powerful viewing experiences for its clients and their customers,” Manfred said in a statement.

    For the last three years, Paull has been vice president of digital video for Amazon Inc. He oversaw the introduction of Prime Video and significantly increased the production of original series and films. Prior to joining Amazon, Paull also held leadership positions at Sony Pictures, Sony Music, Fox Entertainment and Time Warner.

    BAMTech started out as the interactive media and internet company of Major League Baseball and is now jointly owned by Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM), The Walt Disney Company and the National Hockey League (NHL). It claims to have 7.5 million global paid subscribers through OTT products for sports, news and entertainment partners including HBO Now, the NHL, MLB, the PGA Tour, WWE Network, Riot Games/League of Legends, and Ice Network.

    Through a partnership with Discovery, BAMTech also jointly formed BAMTech Europe to move into this market and provide technology services to a broad set of clients across the continent, including Eurosport’s digital products.