Mumbai: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s premier communications solutions provider, today, announced that Airtel Xstream Play, India’s fastest-growing OTT aggregator service with over five million paid subscribers, will now offer aha Tamil and Telugu to its subscribers.
aha OTT, a joint venture between Allu Arvind’s Geeta Arts and My Home Group was launched in 2020 and is one of the fastest-growing regional OTT platforms in the country. aha provides a diverse array of original content, encompassing 750 plus films and 40 plus original shows besides talk shows and reality TV.
Commenting on the collaboration, Airtel Digital CEO Adarsh Nair said, “We welcome team aha on to our platform and look forward to collaborating with them and taking their content across the length and breadth of India. Over the years, we have observed regional content gain prominence and transcend the barriers of language within India. aha’s addition will not just get the best in Tamil and Telugu content to the audiences in TN, AP and Telangana but also to discerning audiences elsewhere in the country. At Airtel Xstream Play, as the largest OTT aggregator in the country, we remain committed to being a trusted partner for OTT players and helping them solve for discovery, pricing and other challenges.”
Speaking about the partnership, aha Sr VP and head-SVOD and business strategy Rakesh CK said, “We are pleased to unveil this strategic collaboration with Airtel Xstream, marking a significant stride in our ongoing mission to be in every Telugu and Tamil household. We hope that the partnership with Airtel Xstream will enhance our reach and impact, helping us tap into a broader audience. Together, we are committed to redefining the entertainment experience, ensuring that our exclusive content resonates profoundly with viewers.”
Airtel Xstream Play offers India’s largest bouquet of OTT content aggregated on a single app. Airtel subscribers can have access to premium content from partners such as Sony LIV, Lionsgate Play, Chaupal, Hoichoi, FanCode, ManoramaMax, ShemarooMe, Alt Balaji, Ultra, ErosNow, EPICon, Docubay, Playflix, etc. and can watch 40,000+ movie titles and shows from 20 content partners on the Airtel Xstream app with a minimum recharge of Rs. 148.
Mumbai: Wynk Music, India’s number one music streaming app by downloads and daily active users, has announced that Wynk Studio, India’s largest music distribution ecosystem, has won the distribution rights to Kay Kay Menon’s starrer “Love All”, a movie based on the life of badminton superstar, P Gopichand.
“Love All” is produced by Mahesh Bhatt and P Gopichand along with Anand Pandit. It will be released by M Ramesh’s Laxmi Ganpathy Film Studios on 1 September. Directed by Sudhanshu Sharma, the movie also features Swastika Mukherjee, Robin Das, Shrishwara, Atul Srivastava and Raja Bundela. The movie has five memorable tracks, which are already available on Wynk.
1. Baton Baton Mein, Singer – Jubin Nautiyal
2. Gilli Si Subah, Singer – Papon
3. Chal Uth Jhat Path, Singer – Sonu Nigam
4. Love All Bol De, Singer – Kay Kay Menon
5. Sahas Do Sahas, Singer – Anjali Gayakwad
Speaking about the distribution arrangement, Airtel digital CEO and Airtel chief product officer Adarsh Nair said, “Wynk Studio was established with the vision of offering independent artists a creative outlet which would also help them with any monetisation and discovery issues they might face. We have had great success with independent artists and have 1000 artists on our roster at present. This distribution partnership will open new vistas for producers looking to explore digital distribution and wanting to capitalise on Airtel’s inherent strengths of reach and connectivity.”
Wynk Studio has gone from strength to strength since it was established. It has recently distributed independent singles such as “Love Token” from Manj Music and Anusha Dandekar, “Billo” from Vishal Dadlani and Nikhita Gandhi’s single “Pyaar mein Pagal”, a simultaneously romantic and groovy number, about a girl madly in love.
Wynk offers music in 15 Indian languages and regional songs now account for over 30 per cent of the overall streams on the app. Songs in Oriya, Gujarati, Assamese, Marathi, Telugu and Bhojpuri have seen a growth of over 150 per cent and are popular outside their home states as well.
Mumbai: The telecom operator Bharti Airtel said its video streaming service, Airtel Xstream has achieved two million paid subscribers. Airtel Xstream offers a bouquet of OTT platforms to consumers across mobile and large screen formats.
”We are the fastest-growing OTT aggregator in India with two million paid subscribers,” Airtel Digital CEO Adarsh Nair told a news agency.
Airtel Xstream is well-positioned to solve the challenges faced by both OTT content providers and customers, he added. ”Customers face fragmented viewing experiences, multiple platforms for content, and pricing challenges, which Airtel Xstream solves.”
The accelerated growth is also due to the ability to meet the needs of Indian consumers for compelling regional content. ”In addition to our existing partnership with 15 OTTs such as ErosNow, SonyLiv, Lionsgate, Hoichoi, ManoramaMax, Shemaroo, Ultra, Hungama Play, Ultra, EPICon, Docubay, DivoTV, etc, we have recently partnered with Chaupal TV and Kanncha Lanka, two of the most promising regional platforms with a dedicated viewership base across India, and we will now be able to extend our services to Punjabi, Bhojpuri, and Odia speaking audiences as well,” Nair said.
Consumers are recognizing the value proposition of good content being accessible without the hassles of multiple subscriptions. Airtel Xstream brings multiple OTTs under one login, one experience, and a single subscription price, he observed.
Announcing it has crossed the two million paid subscriber milestone, Airtel Xstream said significant user interest through repeat recharges/ subscriptions was seen in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
The average viewing time on Airtel XStream is about 150 minutes which is increasing consistently and highlights customer stickiness.
”SonyLiv, Hungama, Eros Now, and Lions Gate play are the most searched for content partners on the platform. Multiple content properties from Sony occupy a position in the trending top 10 list,” the company said.
Airtel is looking to achieve the 20 million paid subscriptions mark for Airtel Xstream. The addition of Chaupal TV and Kanncha Lanka will increase the platform’s appeal to the audiences in Punjab and Odisha and the diaspora based elsewhere in the country.
Airtel has also brought onboard Social Swag, an influencer commerce platform backed by celebrities such as Akshay Kumar, Rana Daggubati, and Mahesh Bhupathi.
”Our accelerated growth is due to our ability to meet the needs of the Indian consumer for great regional content. We will be doubling down on our regional strategy with our existing partners and will continue to onboard new partners with stellar regional content catalogues,” Nair said.
Mobile subscribers can select one OTT provider from the bouquet with a minimum recharge of Rs 148.
The large screen format, launched earlier this year as Xstream Premium is also available at Rs 149 and enables access to over 10,500 movie titles and shows along with Live TV from Airtel’s OTT content partners such as Sony LIV, Eros Now, Lionsgate Play, Hoichoi, ManoramaMax, Shemaroo, Ultra, HungamaPlay, EPICon, Docubay, DivoTV among others.
The Indian OTT sector is one of the most competitive emerging markets, with over 40 players in the ecosystem.
The market is growing rapidly and expected to reach $2 billion by 2025, Nair said, adding that Airtel Xstream is “enthused” by the accelerated growth and hopes to maintain the momentum.
Mumbai: OTT platform ShemarooMe has entered into a partnership with Bharti Airtel’s video streaming service Airtel Xstream Premium to strengthen its presence by tapping into the telecom giant’s over 300 million customer base across India.
With this partnership, users will get access to ShemarooMe’s content library along with 14 other Indian and global OTTs with a single access login on Airtel Xstream Premium app, available on mobile and large screens (TV, tablet and PC) at Rs 149/month and Rs 1499/year, said the statement.
“We are delighted to partner with Airtel Xstream and expand our reach across the country,” said Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada. “The partnership with Airtel will not just enable us to reach out to a wider audience but also allow the users of Airtel Xstream to get access to ShemarooMe’s varied content repository. With this association, we have strengthened our longstanding relationship with Airtel and look forward to more such collaborations.”
ShemarooMe has a network of over 50 partners across platforms such as e-commerce, banking & payment app, telecom, OEMs, media, and ISPs/broadband.
“Through this partnership, Airtel customers will get access to ShemarooMe’s entire content library in addition to other OTTs, unlocking the exciting world of video entertainment for India’s growing tribe of digitally connected audiences,” remarked Airtel Digital CEO Adarsh Nair.
Mumbai: Bharti Airtel on Thursday announced that it has acquired a strategic stake in blockchain-as-a-service company Aqilliz under the Airtel Startup Accelerator Programme. The deal is subject to applicable statutory approvals.
Singapore-based Aqilliz has developed a patented hybrid blockchain platform Atom, that integrates differential privacy and federated learning on a distributed digital ledger. This allows brands to create secure and consent-based solutions to engage with customers in a rapidly evolving digital economy that’s becoming increasingly decentralised.
Airtel aims to deploy Aqilliz’s advanced blockchain technologies at scale across its fast-growing ad-tech (Airtel Ads), digital entertainment (Wynk Music and Airtel Xstream) and digital marketplace (Airtel Thanks App) offerings.
“We, at Airtel, are deeply researching new technologies that drive the future of a digitally connected India,” said Airtel Digital CEO Adarsh Nair. “This relentless focus on innovation is also enabling us to unlock new growth engines within Airtel. Blockchain technology is maturing and we see its application across areas such as adtech, creator economy, and loyalty programs. We are thrilled to have Aqilliz join our Startup Accelerator Program and be part of Airtel’s digital innovation factory.”
“We are extremely excited to be a part of Airtel’s digital innovation play and bring this first of its kind blockchain technology to India,” said Aqilliz founding CEO Gowthaman Ragothaman. “Legacy customer engagement, ad tech and marketing technologies are built for centralised databases. The future of the digital economy is already pivoting to managing value exchanges between brands, platforms and the consumer. Aqilliz’s patented technology will enable Airtel to capture and carry this value exchange in the form of consent and provenance across the digital supply chain. We look forward to working closely with the team at Airtel.”
Airtel Startup Accelerator Programme invests in early-stage start-ups working on technologies that have adjacencies to Airtel’s business offerings.
Mumbai: Eros Now, an over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros STX Global Corp on Wednesday announced the extension of its partnership with Airtel. The alliance will bring Eros Now’s content library to Airtel Xstream Premium, a newly launched aggregation-oriented video streaming service by Airtel.
The partnership is in line with Eros Now’s strategy to focus on direct-to-consumer relationships while strengthening and expanding key distribution partnerships. As part of this collaboration, Eros Now will also be available across new bundled offerings to customers on Airtel Xstream Android set-top-boxes and Airtel Xstream Fiber.
“Airtel users will get access to Eros Now’s content of over 12,000 films, originals, music, and short-form content across languages and genres. All this will be accessible through a simplified search, customised recommendations and single access login on the Airtel Xstream Premium app on mobile and large screens (TV, tablet and PC),” said the statement.
“Video-on-demand has emerged as the key driver of data consumption on telecom networks making content and its delivery channel equally important and Airtel has been a market leader in video and 4G penetration,” said Eros Now CEO Ali Hussein. “This partnership allows for a symbiotic play wherein both entities can analyse the customer data and precisely target subscribers with the content of their choice. The collaboration also entitles Eros Now to be a part of Airtel’s preferred channel network and further strengthens our leading position in the Hindi-speaking markets.”
As per a Redseer report, Hindi and other Indian languages dominated the comprehensive streaming growth. Hindi language content accounted for more than 50 per cent of the overall streaming in April-July 2020. This also indicates that video experience is becoming increasingly important to Indian consumers, hence any operator who provides greater video experience has an edge. As per the latest OpenSignal’s Mobile Network India Report, Airtel won the best video experience category nationally for the fifth time in a row.
“We are witnessing a huge surge in video consumption amongst our customers. And this growth is not limited to big cities but is also coming from smaller cities and towns,” stated Airtel Digital CEO Adarsh Nair. “This strategic partnership with Eros Now enables us to provide the most sought-after content to consumers in the true heartland of India in their preferred language. It also allows us to enhance our offering and enrich our customer’s digital experience.”
Mumbai: Communication solutions provider Bharti Airtel (Airtel) on Tuesday announced the launch of its video platform as a service (CPaaS) ‘Airtel IQ Video’ that will allow businesses to build world-class video streaming products for large and small screens with minimal investment in infrastructure and technology. The solution has been developed by Airtel’s in-house engineering teams.
Airtel IQ Video is an end-to-end managed solution that brings convenience along with cost benefits. It encompasses a variety of features ranging from app development, content hosting, curation, and lifecycle management to search and discovery, analytics, and monetisation models (advertising, subscriptions, transactions).
“Airtel IQ Video brings an easy-to-use platform that can enable anyone to quickly build and scale their business in video streaming. This will encourage enterprises to focus on content while Airtel IQ Video anchors the end-to-end technology ensuring a great viewing experience for customers,” stated Bharti Airtel – chief product officer Adarsh Nair. “With Airtel IQ Video, we expect to see more content startups and traditional content companies coming online and directly engaging with consumers digitally.”
Airtel IQ Video is a cloud-based omni-channel communications platform that enables brands to deepen engagement with customers through timely and secure communication. It eliminates the need for multiple communication platforms for different channels while allowing businesses to embed communication services such as voice, SMS, IVR, and video in their applications and digital properties across desktop and mobile, all through a unified platform, said the statement.
According to RBSA Advisors, India’s video OTT market is expected to touch $12.5 billion by 2030 from the current $1.5 billion. The report also highlighted that the next wave of growth in the OTT landscape will come from tier 2, 3 and 4 cities and regional languages at the centre of this growth story. Keeping these changing trends in sight, existing regional OTTs are looking to scale their technology platforms to accommodate the rising number of users. Traditional content providers such as regional TV broadcasters are looking to digitise their content libraries through OTT applications.
During the beta phase, Airtel IQ Video has also been deployed by Eros Now and CG Telecom of Nepal. Airtel is expecting to onboard 50+ brands on the platform in the coming year as interest from the market has been high.
“We have cherished our partnership with Airtel over the years and are now excited about our technology collaboration. Their robust infrastructure and extensive network coverage have been helping us deliver blockbuster content seamlessly to the end consumers,” shared Eros Now- CEO Ali Hussein. “Airtel’s latest ‘Airtel IQ Video’ platform is an innovative offering that is built to scale and can assist Eros Now in reinforcing its value proposition to the rapidly expanding video subscriber base.”
MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest integrated telecommunications company, global content leader Lionsgate and Starzplay, the international premium subscription platform from Starz, have joined hands to bring premium content from Lionsgate Play to customers in
India.
The partnership will give Airtel customers access to a deep portfolio of critically acclaimed and beloved Lionsgate feature film content, which will be available on Airtel Xstream app and web platforms. Airtel Xstream app has a catalogue of over 10,000 movies and shows along with 400 TV channels.
By expanding the Indian market’s access to premium quality content on a leading digital platform, the collaboration is expected to be a compelling value proposition for the Indian cinephile audience. The content will be available in multiple Indian languages and spread across the horror, comedy, drama, action, thriller, documentary and other genres.
Lionsgate Play’s initial offering includes the blockbuster Hunger Games and Twilight Saga franchises, multiple Academy Award® winner La La Land, and the critically- acclaimed international breakout hit Wonder among its deep slate of box office successes.
In addition, Airtel customers will have access to recent hits like American Assassin, Robin Hood, The Spy Who Dumped Me, A Simple Favor, Saban’s Power Rangers as well as marquee library titles such as Divergent, Now You See Me 2, Gods of Egypt, Letters To Juliet and Reservoir Dogs.
Commenting on the partnership, Bharti Airtel chief product officer Adarsh Nair said, “We are thrilled to partner with Lionsgate to bring exciting content from their library to our customers as part of Airtel Thanks program. Our mission is to make Airtel Xstream the most loved digital entertainment platform in India and enable best-in-class experience across a range of connected devices and applications. We will continue to forge long-term strategic partnerships with the top content producers from around the world as part of our mission and look forward to collaborating with Lionsgate to delight customers in India.”
“The partnership with Airtel is a great opportunity to expand the Lionsgate Play premium offering with a best-in-class partner, a vast feature film library and a compelling user experience for our customers. Telcos play a huge role in increasing the availability of premium content on digital platforms, and we’re proud to join forces with a partner like Airtel that combines enormous reach, a powerful brand and unparalleled distribution expertise. This is another major step forward in bringing an exciting and unique content experience to our Indian audience,” said Lionsgate Play South Asia managing director .
MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel (Airtel), India’s largest integrated telecommunications services provider, today announced the launch of its converged digital entertainment play: Airtel Xstream.
Airtel Xstream is part of Airtel’s vision of building a world-class digital entertainment ecosystem for Digital India and make it accessible to customers through innovative devices and exciting applications. Over the coming months, Airtel plans to roll out a range of exciting solutions to cater to the entertainment needs of every customer segment of India that is getting transformed through rapid adoption of high speed data services.
All the content on one platform, delivered across screens: Airtel Xstream brings one of the widest entertainment catalogues – hundreds of satellite TV channels, tens of thousands of movies and shows in English, Hindi and multiple Indian languages, millions of songs, plus access to all the popular OTT entertainment apps on one platform. It enables customers to access all this content across the screen of their choice – TV, PC, and Smartphone with a unified User Interface.
Future Ready platform for connected Homes: Airtel Xstream devices will come with capabilities beyond world-class entertainment and will be the IoT gateway for enabling a range of solutions for connected homes.
Exclusive benefits for Airtel Thanks customers: Airtel Thanks customers will enjoy exclusive benefits on Airtel Xstream, including free access to premium content from Airtel’s content catalogue plus offers on a range of other services.
Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel chief product officer Adarsh Nair said, “Airtel is on an exciting mission to provide a broad array of digital services and platforms that can form the foundation for a rising India. As part of our digital entertainment play, our vision is to truly massify digital entertainment and make it accessible to more and more customers through innovative platforms.
“Today, we are announcing India’s first converged entertainment platform Airtel Xstream that brings together your favorite content including Live TV, video, music, news, and sports across an OTT smart stick, internet enabled set top box and handheld devices. Digital India is transforming the way content is being consumed over internet connected devices. Airtel Xstream will cater to needs of a new generation of consumers who are looking for seamless and converged entertainment across multiple screens at home and on the go.”
With the launch of Airtel Xstream, Airtel has become the first company in India to enable a seamless digital entertainment experience, with a unified user interface across all screens. Airtel has rolled out a new range of Airtel Xstream connected devices that will make any TV a smart TV and will be available to customers starting today. Airtel Xstream devices offer blazing-fast performance and slick viewing experience through solid product engineering, deep design excellence coupled with strong device specifications.
Airtel Xstream Stick
An Android 8.0 based OTT stick designed for plug & play experience on any TV screen, the Airtel Xstream Stick comes with a single subscription plan that provides access to all digital entertainment at a one-stop destination with over 10,000 movies and shows from top OTT content partners like ZEE5, Hooq, Hoi Choi, Eros Now, HungamaPlay, ShemarooMe, Ultra and Curiosity Stream, in addition to over 6 million songs from Wynk Music’s library. The Airtel Xstream Stick will also provide access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other Google Playstore applications to enable users to download any app of their choice.
The Airtel Xstream Stick with built-in Chromecast is powered by best-in-class 1.6 Ghz processor. The stick remote comes with voice enabled search feature and Bluetooth 4.2 makes it faster and more energy efficient.
The Airtel Xstream Stick is priced at Rs 3999/-. Airtel Thanks Platinum and Gold customers get complimentary access to the content subscription plan on Airtel Xstream Stick. All other customers get free access to the content for the first 30 days and will need to subscribe to a Rs 999/- annual plan to continue enjoying the exciting content catalogue.
For the launch of Airtel Xstream Stick, Airtel has partnered with Flipkart as the exclusive online partner. The stick will also be available starting today across leading Airtel retail stores, airtel.in, top electronic retail chains like Croma and Vijay Sales.
Airtel Xstream Box
Powered by Android 9.0, the Airtel Xstream 4K Hybrid Box seamlessly brings satellite TV and OTT content together onto the TV screen with the convenience of a single device, making any regular TV a smart TV.
Along with the option to choose from 500 plus TV channels, the Airtel Xstream Box comes preinstalled with Airtel Xstream app (10,000 plus movies and shows), Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Airtel Store (for advanced gaming with high end graphics).
The Airtel Xstream Box has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and built-in Chromecast. It comes with a universal remote that features Google Assistant based voice search and hot keys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
Priced at Rs 3999, the Airtel Xstream Box comes with a complimentary one year subscription (worth Rs 999) to all Airtel Xstream app content in addition to one month subscription to a HD DTH pack.
All existing Airtel Digital TV customers can upgrade to Airtel Xstream Box at a special price of Rs 2249 only.
Airtel Xstream Box is available starting today across leading Airtel retail stores, airtel.in and top e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Amazon and electronic retail chains like Croma and Vijay Sales.
Airtel Xstream App and Web access
Airtel Xstream app is a revamped version of Airtel TV app. The refreshed app has a new User Interface and much sharper content discovery and recommendation engine. Airtel Xstream app continues to have one of the widest content catalogues with over 400 LIVE TV channels and 10,000 plus movies and shows from top content providers like ZEE5, Hooq, Eros Now, HungamaPlay and much more.
MUMBAI: According to an Economic Times report, Adarsh Nair has been appointed as Bharti Airtel’s new chief product officer (CPO). Before this, Nair was the head, product and growth of US-based trucking start-up Convoy Inc. Now at Bharti Airtel, Nair will report to the company’s CEO Gopal Vittal.
The CPO position at Bharti Airtel has been vacant since the previous product head Anand Chandrasekharan quit to join Snapdeal three years ago.
Speaking to ET, a top company executive said that Nair will be “custodian of Bharti Airtel’s digital products and platforms” and work closely with the leadership team and partners to identify and prioritise market opportunities.
Another top executive at Airtel said that the products head position had now evolved and taken on a much more strategic role. Chiefly, since the telco decided to evolve into a digital company as part of its Airtel 3.0 vision, Airtel would be deploying new age technologies and this is where the products head would come into play.
With Airtel’s ongoing digital transformation, the CPO leadership position is reviving, said the executive.
