Category: Viewership

Mumbai: Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd, one of the major players in India’s media and entertainment industry with a long-standing legacy of 60 years, has teamed up with the Near Foundation, a non-profit organisation that supports funding and ecosystem development on Near Foundation, the world’s fastest-growing, open source, climate neutral blockchain.

In response to exciting new advancements in Web3.0 and the rising demand for enhanced user experiences, Shemaroo is using this partnership to establish a Web3.0 innovation cell that will concentrate on discovering the possibilities of blockchain technology and unlocking new opportunities for decentralisation, transparency, and immutability in the media & entertainment industry. In particular, Shemaroo will tap into Near Foundation’s scalable blockchain infrastructure and smart contract capabilities to develop new solutions and services for its users.

“We are excited to use Near Foundation to launch our innovation cell and explore the potential of blockchain technology to transform the entertainment industry,” said Shemaroo CEO Hiren Gada, ” As a forward-thinking business, we always seek out fresh approaches to innovate and improve our offerings to better serve our users. We believe that blockchain technology has the potential to unlock new possibilities and create new revenue streams for the industry. With Near becoming a Blockchain Operating System (BOS), it also makes it very easy for us to adopt Web3 faster and reduce time to market for projects.”

Near Foundation’s cutting-edge blockchain technology will enable Shemaroo to provide its users with enhanced security, faster transaction speeds and lower costs. The partnership will also enable Shemaroo to explore new use cases for blockchain technology in areas such as content distribution, rights management and audience engagement.

Shemaroo has a huge cumulative subscriber base and receives millions of views every day on their respective channels. With this level of audience reaches, this partnership provides significant visibility for Near in an important market, something that will help move it towards its broader vision of bringing one billion people to Web3.

“We are thrilled to partner with Shemaroo Entertainment to explore the potential of blockchain technology in the media and entertainment industry,” said Near Foundation CEO Marieke Flament, “Shemaroo has a rich history in Indian cinema and is known for its innovative approach and extensive market reach that will expose Near to a completely new audience. The brand currently has a collection of over 3700 movie titles in multiple Indian languages and offers services to customers in over 30 countries including the US, the UK, Singapore, the UAE and Australia. The company’s partners for content distribution include Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube among others, which gives Near major exposure to a mass audience.”

Flament added, “With the support of Near, Shemaroo will benefit from a robust and infinitely scalable foundation that can help India’s premier entertainment company bring Web3 innovation to life and truly enhance the user experience.”

One place where this innovation will be felt is in the creation of new forms of digital content. Shemaroo’s vast library of content across different formats combined with Near Foundation’s technology will enable Shemaroo to create innovative digital content including NFTs and metaverse experiences.

Web 3.0 head Rahul Mishra initiatives Shemaroo said, “At Shemaroo, we believe that partnerships and collaborations are the keys to unlocking new opportunities, and our association with Near Foundation is a testament to this belief. The expertise and technological prowess of Near Foundation, combined with Shemaroo’s deep understanding of the entertainment industry, will create a unique synergy that can drive innovation and transform the industry’s landscape. With the advent of blockchain technology, we see an opportunity to reimagine the way media and entertainment are consumed, distributed and monetised. This partnership is a significant step in this direction, and we are excited to embark on this journey together. As we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, we remain committed to delivering exceptional content and experiences that resonate with our audiences.”

Near Foundation MD (India, SEA & Middle East) Arpit Sharma believes the strategic partnership with Shemaroo marks a significant milestone for the media and entertainment industry. He said, “Through our collaboration, we aim to leverage our cutting-edge innovations in blockchain technology and Shemaroo’s extensive industry expertise to create new opportunities for consumers to engage with content.”

Arpit added, “Shemaroo is poised to make a significant impact in the web3 ecosystem, and this partnership comes at the right time for both companies to exponentially scale adoption and delight consumers and the industry with many new offerings. We are confident that this partnership will result in game-changing developments that will benefit both organizations and the industry as a whole.”

Mumbai: Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., one of India’s media and entertainment industries with a legacy of 60 years, has teamed up with the Near Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports funding and ecosystem development on Near Foundation, the world’s fastest-growing, open source, climate neutral blockchain.

In response to exciting new advancements in Web3.0 and the rising demand for enhanced user experiences, Shemaroo is using this partnership to establish a Web3.0 innovation cell that will concentrate on discovering the possibilities of blockchain technology and unlocking new opportunities for decentralization, transparency, and immutability in the media & entertainment industry. In particular, Shemaroo will tap into Near Foundation’s scalable blockchain infrastructure and smart contract capabilities to develop new solutions and services for its users.

“We are excited to use Near Foundation to launch our innovation cell and explore the potential of blockchain technology to transform the entertainment industry,” said Shemaroo CEO Hiren Gada. ” As a forward-thinking business, we always seek out fresh approaches to innovate and improve our offerings to better serve our users. We believe that blockchain technology has the potential to unlock new possibilities and create new revenue streams for the industry. With Near becoming a Blockchain Operating System (BOS), it also makes it very easy for us to adopt Web3 faster and reduce time to market for projects.”

Near Foundation’s cutting-edge blockchain technology will enable Shemaroo to provide its users with enhanced security, faster transaction speeds and lower costs. The partnership will also enable Shemaroo to explore new use cases for blockchain technology in areas such as content distribution, rights management and audience engagement.

Shemaroo has a cumulative subscriber base and receives millions of views every day on their respective channels. With this level of audience reach, this partnership provides significant visibility for Near in an important market, something that will help move it towards its broader vision of bringing one billion people to Web3.

“We are thrilled to partner with Shemaroo Entertainment to explore the potential of blockchain technology in the media and entertainment industry,” said Near Foundation CEO Marieke Flament. “Shemaroo has a rich history in Indian cinema and is known for its innovative approach and extensive market reach that will expose Near to a completely new audience. The brand currently has a collection of over 3700 movie titles in multiple Indian languages and offers services to customers in over 30 countries including the US, the UK, Singapore, the UAE and Australia. The company’s partners for content distribution include Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube among others, which gives Near major exposure to a mass audience.”

Flament added, “With the support of Near, Shemaroo will benefit from a robust and infinitely scalable foundation that can help India’s premier entertainment company bring Web3 innovation to life and truly enhance the user experience.”

One place where this innovation will be felt is in the creation of new forms of digital content. Shemaroo’s vast library of content across different formats combined with Near Foundation’s technology will enable Shemaroo to create innovative digital content including NFTs and metaverse experiences.

Commenting on the partnership, Shemaroo head Rahul Mishra web 3.0 initiatives said, “At Shemaroo, we believe that partnerships and collaborations are the key to unlocking new opportunities, and our association with Near Foundation is a testament to this belief. The expertise and technological prowess of Near Foundation, combined with Shemaroo’s deep understanding of the entertainment industry, will create a unique synergy that can drive innovation and transform the industry’s landscape. With the advent of blockchain technology, we see an opportunity to reimagine the way media and entertainment is consumed, distributed and monetized. This partnership is a significant step in this direction, and we are excited to embark on this journey together. As we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, we remain committed to delivering exceptional content and experiences that resonate with our audiences.”

Near Foundation MD (India, SEA & Middle East) Arpit Sharma believed the strategic partnership with Shemaroo marked a significant milestone for the media and entertainment industry. He said, “Through our collaboration, we aim to leverage our cutting-edge innovations in blockchain technology and Shemaroo’s extensive industry expertise to create new opportunities for consumers to engage with content.”

Sharma added, “Shemaroo is poised to make a significant impact in the web3 ecosystem, and this partnership comes at the right time for both companies to exponentially scale adoption and delight consumers and the industry with many new offerings. We are confident that this partnership will result in game-changing developments that will benefit both organisations and the industry as a whole.”

Mumbai: Janya, a comprehensive cloud platform solution provider, has announced its partnership with Frndly TV for delivering four channels on the Frndly TV service. Frndly TV is the most affordable live TV provider in America, offering many top-rated live TV networks in the US. The partnership provides FrndlyTV access to Janya’s services to generate content and distribute live channels within the United States.

Janya Cloud Playout Solution empowers channel producers with a range of unique features such as 24×7 linear cloud playout, cloud studio, video clipping and editing, cloud news platform, publishing, distribution and monetization via its platform. Frndly TV’s vMVPD service delivers television programming at consumer-friendly prices for users, offering more than 40 live TV networks including Hallmark Channel, A&E, The History Channel, Game Show Network, INSP, Lifetime, UPtv, Curiosity Stream, The Weather Channel, and GAC Family among others. Frndly TV delivers four channels using the Janya Cloud Playout solution.

YuppTV/Janya CTO M.V.Prabhakar said, “Technology adoption across the world has provided content producers opportunities like never before. It helps to reach out to a wider audience, generating new streams of revenue with the fastest go-to-market. It brings us delight to announce our partnership with the leading OTT service provider FrndlyTV, providing our Janya-Cloud Playout services to enable them to bring new and exciting content for viewers and their families in America.”

Frndly TV VP product and CX Joey Monjure said, “By leveraging Janya’s cloud playout solution, we are able to deliver unique channels . We look forward to furthering the partnership and continuing to increase engagement by delivering additional content to our subscribers”.

Mumbai: On a bright sunny day of 25 April, Indiantelevision.com’s event, The Content Hub, which took place at The Lalit, Mumbai saw the presence of many experts in the content space.

The sixth panel was moderated by Content Engineers CCO Saurabh Varma on the topic “The Next Gen Content Creators”. The panelists were Creative Viibe founder Santosh Kher, screenplay writer Aakash Kaushik, actress & influencer Saumya Tandon and Pocket Aces head of development of Dice Media Kartik Krishnan.

The panel began with discussion on next gen content creators with Varma on the session chair. He also questioned on various topics related influencer marketing, script writing, content creation with panelists.

Kher answered regarding content creation, “For me, value is the most important thing. What value are you delivering? Or giving to the audience? If the audience doesn’t see the value in what you’re showing, you’re talking about content.”

Bhatia shared how hustling for content gave an advantage to script writing, “Honestly, whatever the last 14 years, all I’ve learned is hustling, because that is the key to the creative things I’ve already done.”

Kartik commented on the key aspects of writing a good script, “You have to kind of make sure that the audience’s attention is there. By adding value, you’re giving something to the audience. Your opening scene has to have that hook. Your cliffhanger has to be there at the end of the episode.”

Varma questioned Tandon regarding brand endorsements to which she replied, “ Suppose I have a certain number of followers and if a brand comes to me and asks me to sell non veg, I’m not the right person to do it because I’m a vegetarian. So you got to be more real, you got to be more honest because your viewers and your consumers are evolving, they are intelligent, you have to speak to them, honestly.”

Mumbai : Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India has released currency data for week 16, i.e. 15 April to 21 April 2023. As per data for the all India 2+ target group, STAR Sports 1 Hindi is the most watched channel in India with an average minute audience (AMA) of 2744.34(000). It was followed by Sun TV at 2311.49(000) AMA, STAR Maa at 2288.95(000) AMA, Star Plus at 2110.39(000) AMA, and Dangal at 1935.53(000) AMA.

The average minute audience (AMA) is defined as the number of individuals within a target audience who viewed a televised “event,” averaged across minutes. In the Hindi speaking market (HSM), STAR Sports 1 Hindi emerged as the most watched channel at 2704.2(000) AMA, followed by STAR Plus at 2053.33(000) AMA, Dangal at 1929.56(000) AMA, Goldmines at 1469.25(000) AMA and Sony Sab at 1462.17(000) AMA.

In the South market, Sun TV was the most watched channel at 2294.03(000) AMA, followed by STAR Maa at 2224.14(000) AMA, Zee Telugu at 1629.74(000) AMA, STAR Vijay at 1416.4(000) AMA and Zee Kannada at 1332.05(000) AMA.

In the Maharashtra/Goa market, Star Pravah was the most watched channel at 1301.83(000) AMA , followed by STAR Sports 1 Hindi at 764.71(000) AMA, Zee Marathi at 407.58(000) AMA, Colors Marathi at 406.54(000) AMA and SONY Sab at 389.05(000) AMA.

In the West Bengal market, Star Jalsha was the most watched channel with 876.32(000) AMA, followed by Zee Bangla at 827.21(000) AMA, STAR Sports 1 Hindi at 223.42(000) AMA, Colors Bangla at 133.27 (000) AMA and Sony Aath at 128.79(000) AMA.

In the megacities market, including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai, STAR Sports 1 Hindi was the most watched channel at 476.82(000) AMA followed by Sun TV at 389.01(000) AMA, STAR Plus at 323.16(000) AMA, Colors at 295.61(000) AMA and Zee Telugu at 289.06(000) AMA.

Mumbai: Warner Bros. Discovery and Viacom18 today announced a new multi-year agreement, making JioCinema India’s new streaming home of HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros. content starting next month. The partnership, which includes exclusive content rights across digital and linear, represents a significant step forward for both entities as they seek to deliver unrivalled world-class content to audiences.

Spanning thousands of hours of some of the best and most popular series and movies from around the world, the agreement sees Viacom18 offer an unmatched content slate to its users in India across linear channels and the JioCinema streaming service. HBO Original, Max Original and Warner Bros. Television series are set to premiere on JioCinema on the same day as the U.S.

The deal includes current and future seasons of HBO’s globally acclaimed series such as House of The Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession and The White Lotus, and returning seasons of True Detective: Night Country, Euphoria, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty and Perry Mason. Also featured as part of the agreement are highly anticipated HBO Original series including The Idol, White House Plumbers, The Sympathizer and The Regime. In addition, HBO’s esteemed series and documentaries, including Game of Thrones, Sex & The City, Big Little Lies, Chernobyl and Veep, will be available for users.

Max Original series including, And Just Like That…, Peacemaker, and The Flight Attendant, highly anticipated premieres such as Dune: The Sisterhood, The Batman spinoff The Penguin, and Duster, from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, as well as much-loved Warner Bros. Television series like East New York and Gotham Knights are also part of the offering.

Future Warner Bros. blockbuster movies and a vast film library including the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and DC Universe movies, as well kids’ animation titles like Dexter’s Laboratory and Tom and Jerry Kids will also be available on JioCinema.

Warner Bros. Discovery president – India, Southeast Asia, and Korea Clement Schwebig said, “Warner Bros. Discovery’s brands are incredibly popular across India, and we are pleased to partner with Viacom18 to bring our premium HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros. content to local fans. This new agreement demonstrates our commitment to South Asia as we seek to entertain audiences across more platforms, and further strengthens the scale of our regional business as a whole.”  

Viacom18 head – SVOD & international business Ferzad Palia said, “JioCinema has become the biggest platform for live sports. We are now on a mission to build the most magnetic destination for entertainment for all Indians. The strategic partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery is a big milestone in our journey to offer the best of Hollywood content to our elite consumers. We believe that Warner Bros. Discovery sets the global standards for premium content and this partnership allows us to create the best and the most comprehensive destination for our users.”

Mumbai: On a bright sunny day of 25 April, Indiantelevision.com’s event, The Content Hub, which took place at The Lalit, Mumbai saw the presence of many experts in the content space.

The first panel which was moderated by Bodhitree Multimedia managing director Mautik Tolia was on the topic – Content Creation: No More Formulas. The panelists comprised of Locomotive Global Inc. co-founder & managing partner Sunder Aaron, Sony SAB, PAL and Sony MAX Movies Cluster business head Neeraj Vyas, Phantom Studios CEO Srishti Behl Arya, Jio Studios head – content alliances Shobha Sant, Contiloe Pictures Founder & CEO Abhimanyu Singh, and Fremantle managing director Aradhana Bhola. 

The panel kicked off with a discussion about the India story being one of the most exciting when it comes to content creation. We’re the only industry where we have the OTT business growing – apparently, it is supposed to double in the next couple of years. And at the same time, the television industry is growing as well. That represents an interesting content challenge, in terms of audiences, in terms of pace, in terms of where the industry is going over the last few years. 

Tolia questioned Singh, “You have seen the entire spectrum from television to OTT, one of the biggest shows in the industry, a great edition just came out. So what I wanted to understand from you is over the last five years since the way that the OTT industry has evolved, from the time you started making and conceiving the first slot of the shows, how has the thinking changed? So where is the evolution happening from OTT content 1.0 to the next part of content 2.0 right now in terms of evolution, and how are you looking at that as a shift as a content creator?”

To which Singh mentioned that in the last five years, we’ve seen largely when OTT came and when we started creating content OTT for the first time that we’ll see even content being produced. “Audiences have, I wouldn’t say changed – they have evolved. They are used to a lot more content. In the good old days, when there was only one channel, which was DD, then given one satellite, then we had VCRs so we consumed films. But now with web 2.0, when you are going digital on the internet, you have a huge amount of user-generated content as well as streaming. And I think that’s evolved the consumer. And that consumer now wants content, which is changing rapidly. And their attention spans are reducing.”

Arya added, “I think the good thing that’s happening now is with streaming the kind of access to what you want to watch without having to be necessarily mass. The scary thing that’s happening is that people come into India, especially looking for numbers. I think we just need to keep making the best version of content.”

Bhola definitely thinks that there is something to captive reality. “I think captive reality works really well in the OTT space, and you’re going to see more of that from us too in that particular genre.”

Sant mentioned about the 100 pieces plan – it’s not 100 movies, it’s 100 content pieces, which include films, shows, mini-shows, all of that. “There was a very definite plan, we have a mix of genres that cater to most audiences. The idea was that we are reaching out to the length and breadth of this country, which is very diverse. So to cater to the diversity was the challenge that we didn’t put across, so stories have been chosen according to that. But the idea was never to look at just one set of audience. So it’s what it’s all still growing, still evolving, is still learning, it’s all there.”

Aaron brings out that they are not just a format company. “I think what’s interesting is what we are going to be doing to take India to the rest of the world because we naturally get very focused on our own market as we should. And we are all evolving as the audience – Korea has had its moment. And it’s absolutely true that in the next year or two, India will also have its moment, without a doubt. And you see the capital, again, flying around the world looking for emerging market opportunities. India is going to be where that money comes to, and that capital comes – may not be this year, but it’s definitely going to be next year, or maybe 2025. And we’re going to have a huge boom here. And we have to be ready to take advantage of that.”

Vyas pointed out that fortunately, despite all the noise about cricket going digital and TV sinking, that hasn’t happened. Ratings have been very good at Star Sports. But TV is probably not growing at the speed that it used to. But it’s definitely here to stay. 

“There is very little writing talent. And even lesser acting talent. And you’re very dependent on a few people, you know, in terms of content writers, creators, actors, to be able to sustain it. It’s also a choice that we have learned to work with only a few producers, who have a commitment towards that kind of content. So I think a reorientation is something that television will need. We need to tell our stories differently. We need to make our shows look good. The way we project shows, the way we market – we need to take care of that,” he says.

Mumbai: SCORE, the IPL ad effectiveness measurement report by Synchronize India and Unomer has revealed that JioCinema’s digital streaming on mobile and connected TV has reached three times more IPL viewers than Star Sports on TV. According to the report, 73 per cent viewers stream IPL on digital platforms and only 27 per cent viewers watch IPL via cable/ DTH.

SCORE further explains that more viewers stream IPL on Smart TVs than watching over cable or DTH. With 62 per cent viewers on connected TV and 38 per cent viewers on cable/DTH, the report further establishes declining IPL viewership on TV.

The report also breaks down the audience viewing patterns. 52 per cent people watch IPL on both TV and mobile, 30 per cent watch exclusively on mobile and 18 per cent prefer to watch it only on TV. In a nutshell, one-third viewers watch IPL exclusively on JioCinema and over half are watching on mobile and TV both.

Synchronize India, a marketing and consumer insights company and Unomer, the leading digital consumer insights platform have partnered to bring ‘SCORE’ – an ad effectiveness measurement solution for brands advertising and sponsoring during Tata IPL 2023.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 has been witnessing a sharp drop in the number of advertisers on television. According to the recent BARC data, the number of advertisers on TV has fallen by 50 per cent in the first 19 matches of this season. The data shows that this year IPL has only attracted 35 advertisers on TV, while this number was 72 in the last season.

On the other hand, JioCinema has reached a record number of sponsors and advertisers during IPL’s digital streaming, with 23 sponsors on board.