ITV

Category: Video On Demand

  • Amazon Prime Video invests $ 1.2 billion in TV, movies and live sport in UK

    Amazon Prime Video invests $ 1.2 billion in TV, movies and live sport in UK

    MUMBAI: Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video has announced that it invested more than £1 billion ($ 1.2 billion) in TV, movies, and live sport in the UK since 2018. 

    This includes spending on UK Amazon Original series like Clarkson’s Farm; licensed series like Soho Theatre Live and investment in movies like “Paddington 2”; co-productions on flagship British series like A Very English Scandal; as well as investment in live sport.

    “It was important to bring people together at Prime Video Presents to not only showcase our brilliant upcoming shows and movies, but to demonstrate how committed we are to the U.K. in the long term,” explained Chris Bird, managing director Prime Video UK.

    “We’ve spent a long time building a service that offers customers a variety of ways to access the TV shows and movies they love–either included as part of their subscription, as an add-on channel or being able to rent or buy at a low price. We have invested more than £1 billion on TV series, movies, and live sport since 2018. But it’s just as important that we’re investing in the U.K.’s world-leading production and creative industries, with a growing number of U.K. Originals; through a £10 million commitment to training and skills schemes; and by taking a long-term lease at Shepperton Studios,” he said as quoted in an international publication.

    Prime Video also announced the creation of a new fund designed to support British women’s tennis. Prime Video will work with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to help girls and young women overcome barriers to play, with a focus on three key areas: coaching, equipment, and environment. The fund was generated from the broadcast share of last year’s US Open final. Further details will follow later in the year.

    “When we committed to reinvesting the fees generated from the US Open final, it was important for us to take the time to fully understand the existing barriers that girls and young women face when playing tennis. We need to ensure that we are helping to foster the right environment in which girls can feel empowered to play and learn the sport. Our work with the LTA has helped us take huge strides in this area and this fund will directly tackle these barriers later this year” said Prime Video Europe managing director-Live Sport Alex Green.

    Investment in new UK-produced Prime Video series

    Prime Video’s investment in UK content continues with the announcement of new UK Originals, including “Fifteen-Love”, a scripted drama from UK producers World Productions, which is a part of ITV Studios. It explores the dangerous lines where personal and professional relationships collide, set amid the glamorous cut-and-thrust world of elite tennis. The story examines themes of power, sex, and ambition, within an international sporting industry worth over $2 billion.      

    Prime Video unveiled a raft of UK Amazon Original series, including two new true-crime series. The first, The Disappearance of Patricia Hall (working title) from ITN Productions, is the chilling, real-life story of the disappearance of Patricia Hall from a small town in Yorkshire and the subsequent investigation in which her husband, Keith Hall, appeared to admit to her murder before questions were raised about the reliability of his “confession.”

    Three Mothers (working title) is a new three-part series from Scottish independent production company Firecrest Films. Set in the wild west days of the infancy of the internet, it tells the gripping real-life story of three women who all found themselves in the middle of an unbelievable series of events that captured the world’s attention. Director Alice McMahon-Major, producer Zehra Yas, and executive producers Nicole Kleeman and Vari Innes bring this powerful story, told through firsthand testimony, along with a wealth of extraordinary archive material spanning two continents and decades.

    “Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes” sees the new England cricket captain discuss the highs and lows of his record-breaking career with Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes ‘1917’ in a new UK Amazon Original documentary. Produced by Whisper, the film tells the story of Stokes’ phenomenal career, examining his World Cup triumph and heroics at the Headingley crease, as well as the lows which saw him take time away from the game and came at a huge personal cost. The film’s crew captured Ben’s most personal and challenging moments, including the final visit to see his terminally ill father and his struggles with mental health. Ben explores this journey on-screen with cricket fanatic Mendes, who also executive produces the film. “Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes” will launch worldwide exclusively on Prime Video later this year, and the official trailer is also released today.

    “We have supercharged Prime Video’s UK slate with a diverse range of high-quality, distinctive programmes across documentary, drama, comedy, entertainment, and film. It’s such a thrill seeing the slate grow in partnership with some of the UK’s most talented creatives, from first-time creators to legends of British television” said Amazon Studios head UK Originals Dan Grabiner.

  • Discovery+ launches new original ‘Gaganyaan: Bharat ki Antariksh Udaan’

    Discovery+ launches new original ‘Gaganyaan: Bharat ki Antariksh Udaan’

    Mumbai: ISRO prepares for Mission Gaganyaan, India’s voyage of this astronomical achievement that will be showcased in Discovery+’s newest original – “Gaganyaan – Bharat ki Antariksh Udaan.”

    India etches its place in the highest echelons of human history, as ISRO prepares to send Indian astronauts into space aboard the first self-manufactured space rocket. With a pedigree of featuring successful and immensely popular cosmological titles like – ‘India’s Space Odyssey,’ ‘How The Universe Works,’ ‘Morgan Freeman’s Through The Wormhole,’ ‘Space Titans: Musk, Bezos, Branson’ and many more, discovery+ will exclusively premiere the new original on 18 May.

    As the clock counts down to “Mission Gaganyaan,” the documentary will feature three eminent astronauts namely, Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to go into space, the elite record-holding woman astronaut of NASA – Sunita Williams, and Russian Cosmonaut – Oleg Kotov. Along with them, various experts namely, Dr G Madhavan Nair (former chairman, ISRO); Air Cdre (Rtd) Ravish Malhotra (former test pilot, IAF); Asif Siddiqi (space historian); Dr Brigitte Godard (flight surgeon, European astronaut centre); and other distinguished professionals will be lending their expertise on the subject.

    Produced by Miditech Studios, “Gaganyaan – Bharat ki Antariksh Udaan” charts the audacious and challenging journey of India’s human space flight programme, from developing the country’s state of the art cryogenic engine, testing of flights, rigorous astronaut training to the final preparations and anticipation before its launch in 2023. Supporting with archival footage, modern graphical representations of the complex processes and tremendous dangers of human space flight, this fascinating original will also recap the ground-breaking engineering that enabled India to successfully test the crew capsule launch & re-entry in 2014.

    Warner Bros Discover original content head- South India Sai Abishek said, “With rapid developments in space exploration, we are excited to present an inspiring documentary for our superfans of science and space programming which highlights the daunting journey undertaken by some of India’s brightest minds and space scientists. Through this special title, our objective is to celebrate and showcase the unique viewpoint to the progress India has made so far, in their endeavor of sending Indian astronauts into space and ensuring their safe return home on a made-in-India space shuttle.” He further added, “We are proud to be the first OTT platform to bring to our audience this historical journey which will put India on the world stage with other space faring nations.”

  • Amazon Prime Video’s India talent focus that’s working miracles

    Amazon Prime Video’s India talent focus that’s working miracles

    MUMBAI: At Amazon Prime Video HD, if there is one war cry that’s being heard loud and clear it is: India ahoy! There’s a reason behind it, according to a report in US publication Deadline. Head of Originals James Farrell, at an event announcing the launch of its biggest slate in Mumbai, said that one of five (or 20 per cent) of its subscribers outside of India watch content produced by Indian creators. He gave full credit for this success to the head of Indian originals Aparna Purohit and her team.

    A beaming Purohit who joined the international team on stage pointed out that she truly believes India is a land of storytellers — in every nook and cranny. “This is almost like the renaissance of Indian entertainment and amidst this multitude of stories, to find one that can connect and resonate with the audiences here and across the world is a challenge,” she added. “We just want to create a home for talent; a safe space where creators feel supported and that we’re willing to invest in them.”

    According to Farrell, that support is coming in the form of the format of shows such as One Mic Stand being remade in Germany.

    Amazon Studios president Jennifer Salke believes that what sets Prime Video apart from the other streamers is its razor sharp focus to be the home for talent. “What this means is that we have to have the best teams on the ground to cultivate the talent in the regions. Talent wants to be part of the Amazon Prime family and make incredible shows for people to enjoy not only in India but all over the world. We stand apart in that away,” she said.

    International operations vice-president Kelly Day highlighted that India is one of Amazon Prime Video’s fastest growing markets and has some of the streamer’s most engaged customers. “The future of global streaming services is about global expansion and moving much more ambitiously to serving customers in international markets and truly, India is really leading the way for us,” she said.

    Are the suits at Netflix who have relatively cooled off on India listening?

  • MIB, Netflix join hands to launch short video series on women changemakers

    MIB, Netflix join hands to launch short video series on women changemakers

    Mumbai: Minister of information and broadcasting (MIB) launched “Azadi Ki Amrit Kahaniya” – a short video series created in collaboration with OTT platform Netflix on Tuesday.

    The ministry and Netflix have collaborated to produce the first set of videos featuring seven women changemakers from across the country who share their experiences in breaking the glass ceiling. Showcasing the unique diversity of India, these two-minute short films were shot in locations across the country and are narrated by acclaimed actor, Neena Gupta.

    The seven changemakers include Poonam Nautiyal, a healthcare worker who walked miles across Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand to vaccinate everyone, Dr Tessy Thomas, the first woman scientist to head a missile project in India, Tanvi Jagadish, India’s first competitive woman stand-up paddleboarder and Aarohi Pandit, the world’s youngest and first woman pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean solo in a light-sport aircraft. Three of the videos and a trailer offering a sneak peek into the series, were released on Tuesday.

    The announcement was made as part of the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in the presence of ministry of state Dr L Murugan, ministry of information and broadcasting secretary Apurva Chandra and Netflix head of global TV Bela Bajaria.

    The I&B minister indicated that this was a long-term partnership where different themes and diverse stories will be highlighted. He said, “Netflix will be producing twenty-five videos on themes including women empowerment, environment and sustainable development and other days of significance. Netflix will produce two-minute short films for the ministry which will be shared on social media platforms and telecast on Doordarshan network.”

    Thakur elaborated that the ministry in partnership with Netflix will continue to organise training workshops and master classes to encourage film makers in India to create inspiring content on various topics under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

    “Netflix and the ministry will partner to develop a creative ecosystem by organizing training programs for post-production, VFX, animation, music production among others and will be organised on ground and virtually,” he announced.

    In his opening remarks, I&B secretary Apurva Chandra highlighted that the I&B ministry and Netflix signed a collaboration agreement and that the three videos released on Tuesday are the first set produced under the partnership. He added that a deeper collaboration featuring a long running series on our freedom struggle and the stories that need to be told to the world is in the pipeline.

    Netflix head of global TV Bela Bajaria said that India was one of the most vibrant entertainment industries in the world and India was remarkably well placed in times of internet entertainment. “Netflix is excited to be part of a time when stories from India are being exported to the world and the best Indian stories are being discovered and loved on a global stage,” said Bajaria.

    Commenting on the partnership, she added, “Netflix is proud to partner with MIB to celebrate and acknowledge the evolution of India over the past 75 years by celebrating its beautiful art, culture and storytelling”. She further added that it was “in pursuance of this partnership Netflix has created a series of short videos based on real life stories aimed to celebrate achievement of people from all corners of India.”

    “These stories are of incredible women who have fought against the odds to achieve their dreams. Netflix’s commitment to India is strong and growing and Netflix will continue to find the country’s finest stories and share them across the globe,” she remarked.

  • Amazon closes acquisition deal with movie studio MGM

    Amazon closes acquisition deal with movie studio MGM

    Mumbai: Amazon has completed its $8.45 billion acquisition of movie studio Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) recently. MGM is the studio behind franchises such as ‘James Bond’ and ‘Rocky’.

    The decision to close the deal comes after a deadline passed by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to challenge the deal. Earlier this week, the European Commission had approved the deal.

    Amazon is set to acquire 4000 film titles, 17,000 TV episodes, 180 Academy Awards and 100 Emmy Awards. It will bolster the content catalogue offered on its video streaming service Amazon Prime Video. The talent at MGM will be merged with Amazon Studios to create diverse entertainment choices for consumers.

    MGM’s catalogue includes TV shows such as “The Handmaid’s Tale”, “Fargo”, “Vikings” and films such as “12 Angry Men’, ‘Basic Instinct’, ‘Creed’, ‘Raging Bull’, ‘Silence of the Lambs’, ‘Tomb Raider’ as well as this year’s Oscar nominee ‘Licorice Pizza’.

    The MGM staff will join the organisation of Prime Video and Amazon Studios senior vice president Mike Hopkins. Amazon had announced the deal in May 2021.

  • Battlegrounds Mobile India partners with Flux@TheGlitch to elevate brand presence

    Battlegrounds Mobile India partners with Flux@TheGlitch to elevate brand presence

    Mumbai: Popular mobile video game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), developed and published by South Korean video game developer Krafton Inc has onboarded Flux@The Glitch, the content wing of The Glitch, a VMLY&R agency to create engaging video content for users.

    The partnership will focus on disruption driven and industry-first ideas to unleash the full potential of the BGMI brand in the Indian market, by bringing new players from various demographics across India, into the BGMI ecosystem. “The goal is to provide information and inspiration driven content based on awareness and engagement, that will help pull the community of both – the advanced gamers as well as the casual gamers into the game,” said the brand in a statement.

    With the increasing availability of smartphones and cheaper data plans, mobile gaming has become one of the fastest growing industries in India.

    “The gaming universe is growing exponentially in India, rallied by a majority of mobile gaming players like Battlegrounds Mobile India. As an avid gamer myself, I am super elated with an opportunity to grow the Battlegrounds community in India. The industry is yet untapped in India, and the promise is that of category first innovation and content,” said Flux creative director and the creative lead on the account Tathagata Ray.

    “More than a game, BGMI is a part of pop culture and we are more than happy to have it as part of our portfolio. We have put together a team of mobile gaming enthusiasts who’d like nothing more than to work on a brand like this,” stated Flux@The Glitch associate VP- strategy & business Varun Anchan. “What makes this even more exciting, is where we are at as a country when it comes to gaming. The Y-O-Y growth of the gaming industry as a whole and of mobile gaming, in particular, is just tremendous.”

    BGMI is a premier, free to play, multiplayer, battle royale game that aims to change the gaming landscape in the country. The mobile gaming industry in India is expected to treble in size over the next four years. Within the first week of the   launch of   Battlegrounds Mobile India in August   this year, Krafton saw nearly 40 million downloads and 16 million Daily Active Users, stated the gaming company.

  • AT&T and Discovery agree to merge media assets, form new streaming giant

    AT&T and Discovery agree to merge media assets, form new streaming giant

    KOLKATA: Paving the way for a blockbuster merger and acquisition deal, AT&T and Discovery Inc. have agreed to combine their media assets. The new company formed as part of the deal will be led by Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav. The move will create the world’s second-largest media company by revenue after Disney.

    The combination will be executed through a complex all-stock transaction called the Reverse Morris Trust, under which WarnerMedia will be spun or split off to AT&T’s shareholders via dividend or through an exchange offer or a combination of both and simultaneously combined with Discovery. According to the latest reports, the deal will close in 2022, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.

    In connection with the spin-off or split-off of WarnerMedia, AT&T will receive $43 billion (subject to adjustment) in a combination of cash, debt securities and WarnerMedia’s retention of certain debt. 

    AT&T’s shareholders will receive stock representing 71 per cent of the new company; Discovery shareholders will own 29 per cent of the new company. The new company’s Board of Directors will consist of 13 members, seven initially appointed by AT&T, including the chairperson of the board; Discovery will initially appoint six members, including CEO David Zaslav.

    Giving rise to a content powerhouse, the merged entity will bring together brands like HBO, Warner Bros., Discovery, DC Comics, CNN, Cartoon Network, HGTV, Food Network, the Turner Networks, TNT, TBS, Eurosport, Magnolia, TLC, Animal Planet, ID.

    “The new company will compete globally in the fast-growing direct-to-consumer business — bringing compelling content to DTC subscribers across its portfolio, including HBO Max and the recently launched discovery+,” an official statement read.

    More to come…

  • AVIA appoints Celeste Campbell-Pitt as a new chief policy officer

    AVIA appoints Celeste Campbell-Pitt as a new chief policy officer

    KOLKATA: The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has appointed a new chief policy officer to be based in its Singapore office, a first for the role. Celeste Campbell-Pitt will join AVIA on 3 May, and work with the current chief policy officer John Medeiros, who will retire after the transition period. 

    Medeiros, who is based in Hong Kong, and joined the Association then known as CASBAA, in 2005 as ice president of government relations and regulatory affairs, has been chief policy officer since 2013.

    AVIA’s key focus has been to represent the combined positions of its members and engage in constructive dialogue with governments so they may better understand the curated video industry. The chief policy officer spearheads this goal, developing and executing policy initiatives relevant to the video industry, in consultation with and on behalf of AVIA member companies. According to AVIA, the role has evolved over the years and  become a lot more critical as regulatory policies continue to develop alongside the sweeping changes the video industry has seen in recent years.

    “This role is critical for AVIA and we have taken a long time to find the right person.  While taking over from John who has made the role his own will be no easy task, I am delighted that we have found Celeste who has such a passion for the industry and a clear vision for how to build and develop the role,” AVIA CEO Louis Boswell said.

    Campbell-Pitt comes with over twenty years of business and legal experience in the media and entertainment industry across both Europe and Asia. Before joining AVIA, she was consulting with various global media and technology companies as well as private equity firms that were looking to expand into the Asia Pacific region.

    Campbell-Pitt was previously the vice president and head of Business Development and Advertising Sales at Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, after her stint at Endemol Shine Asia Group as the director and head of Commercial and Operations. She has also held senior legal counsel positions in international media companies including Star, Turner, and Channel Four in the UK.

  • Short video platforms rise with Bharat positioning

    Short video platforms rise with Bharat positioning

    KOLKATA: The star of user-generated content was on the rise in India due to TikTok, only to be abruptly curtailed when the government banned the Chinese-origin app. Now, nearly a year after TikTok’s exit, a number of homegrown short form video platforms have emerged to plug the gap. It seems that these apps have been able to capture the space well, as a report from RedSeer says they have retained 65-70 per cent of TikTok users.

    "Indian short form apps have been able to retain over 65-70 per cent of TikTok users, adding 30-35 per cent new users in the past year, essentially back to 97 per cent of the TikTok user base," the report said.

    The newly acquired “30-35 per cent users” have been reeled in through aggressive customer acquisition and marketing push by Indian short form video apps. The new users getting onboarded have a higher share of tier-2+ users driven by stronger focus of platforms on vernacular content and ‘Bharat’ positioning.

    A finding of the report that may give TikTok pause is that nearly 75 per cent of current short-form video users are likely to stick with these domestic apps and are unlikely to switch back to Chinese apps even if the ban was lifted.

    The short form industry has seen strong recovery with respect to both traffic and engagement. It has differentiated itself from other global social media and content through a strong ‘Bharat’ positioning and moving from the middle of the internet funnel towards the top.

    Time spent on short-form video has reached 55 per cent of June 2020, which indicates that Indian platforms are still maturing and there is a strong market opportunity, the report added. At present, daily active users spend close to 30 minutes on average on short-video apps.

    55 per cent users mention availability of regional vernacular content as the key reason for using those apps. 45 per cent users would like more professionally generated content. Live commerce and online education are prominent features in the user wish-list. However, 60 per cent users mention data privacy as the main challenge, while 50 per cent complained about streaming quality and unregulated content.

    Users and influencers are driving each other’s growth on the platforms. While influencer availability is the most important decision making factor for more than half of the users, large user base helps influencers to decide to choose the platform.

    “Moj has been a strong gainer across consumer and business metrics, as compared to the last quarter. The growth has been driven by regional language markets, especially in the southern states. On the other hand, Roposo has shown strong performance in tier-1 cities compared to the smaller ones. MX TakaTak leads in the net promoter score (NPS) in the metro cities. The platform has held challenges and hashtag events similar to TikTok, to gain market share,” the report detailed.

    Josh has fared higher on the NPS primarily on the back of increased satisfaction (47 per cent) of tier-2 users. On the other hand, Moj has performed well in the vernacular region, leading to best satisfaction (51 per cent) in tier-2+, and second best (38 per cent) in tier-1 cities.

    In metro and tier-1+ cities, MX TakaTak and Roposo are leading the pack. The former has secured the highest satisfaction (38 per cent) across the competition in metro cities and Roposo has done reasonably well in tier-1+ cities.

  • Consumer spending on video grew 9% in APAC in 2020

    Consumer spending on video grew 9% in APAC in 2020

    New Delhi: Consumer spending on video in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region grew nine per cent in 2020 to reach $58.3 billion in aggregate, according to a new analysis and research released by Media Partners Asia.

    The report projects growth to rise a further six per cent CAGR to $79.3 billion, led by the fast-expanding online SVoD sector. MPA forecasts that the online SVoD consumer spending revenue is likely to grow at 15 per cent CAGR over 2020-25 to reach $31.6 billion by 2025. This will represent a 40 per cent market share while consumer spends on pay-TV will grow at two per cent CAGR to reach $47.8 billion, representing a 60 per cent market share.

    The findings were released on the first day of MPA’s APOS Summit which was held virtually this year.

    All the markets increased spending on SVoD services with strong activity in peak pandemic periods during the first half of 2020, and robust spending in the second half of 2020 due to new launches from major players.

    China remains the largest market in APAC for consumer spending on video with $27.6 billion in revenue, led by SVoD and IPTV services. Japan comes in second with $9.2 billion with SVoD representing more than a third of consumer spend, while India is third with $6.5 billion with pay-TV contributing having greater than 90 per cent market share, it stated.

    Korea with $5.7 billion in revenue in 2020 and Australia with $2.9 billion remain formidable markets; Malaysia led southeast Asia with $962 million in revenue with pay-TV contributing more than 90 per cent of market share.

    “Consumer spending on entertainment and sports through video platforms was robust in 2020 due to growth of SVoD in a peak pandemic year along with new competition and consumer choice in many Asian markets,” said MPA executive director Vivek Couto. “

    While SVoD growth will decelerate in 2021, MPA sees "a bright future for the SVoD sector and the stacking of various services across sports, entertainment and deeply integrated local services.”

    According to Couto, China, Japan, India, and Korea will lead the way as the market for SVoD slowly deepens in the key markets across southeast Asia, led by Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Pay-TV will remain vital in Korea (led by IPTV), India, Malaysia, and the Philippines, he added.