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.”
KOLKATA: Premium OTT platform Epic On has tied up with Airtel Xstream to offer its users the Epic On subscription at a special price.
The partnership would allow Xstream users to access the comprehensive library of thousands of hours of titles ranging from movies, TV shows, and documentaries.
There is a constant rise in demand for OTT from not just the urban and tier-1 cities, but also within the tier-2 and tier-3 cities across India. The upsurge continued through the year 2020 as outdoor entertainment venues remained under an extended lockdown. Amid this, streaming platforms have grown phenomenally and consumers have re-calibrated their expenses from outdoor entertainment to OTT subscriptions.
IN10 Media Network managing director Aditya Pittie said, "IN10 Media Network is committed to engaging with its audience across varied geographies and demographics through its outstanding content. With handpicked TV shows, documentaries, and movies we have witnessed the franchise of Epic On grow, and Airtel’s reach and distribution will further bolster its growth.”
Epic On chief operating officer Sourjya Mohanty said, “We are elated to collaborate with Airtel Xstream and offer our content on their platform. This partnership will allow us to cater to a larger segment of entertainment seekers across India by augmenting our reach in tier II and III markets. Through the discounted subscription model on the Airtel Xstream platform, we will be able to provide our premium content to a new set of the digital audience.”
Airtel Xstream customers can now avail of the Epic On subscriptions at a discounted price. A one-month Epic On subscription will cost the Airtel Xstream customers Rs 29 whereas and annual subscriptions are available at Rs 249.
KOLKATA: ShortsTV has partnered with Airtel to launch its first video-on-demand service on Airtel Xstream that can be enjoyed on both the mobile app as well as television screens. ShortsTV is now available at a nominal subscription of Rs 99 per month and Rs 499 for a year.
ShortsTV through Airtel Xstream offers an expansive catalogue of quality short films that includes shorts which were nominated for and won at The Academy Awards, Cannes, BAFTA, and high-quality CGI animation from international independent and local Indian filmmakers. Equipped with a specially curated library of over 4,000+ titles from across the globe spanning genres such as comedies, musicals, documentaries, thrillers, dramas, and animation, the service is here to allure all the short film fans and offer a seamless binge-watching experience. The catalogue includes short films across English, foreign, and local Indian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu.
ShortsTV chief executive Carter Pilcher said, “TV and mobile phones are both integral to the Indian viewing experience—a perfect combination for ShortsTV and our ground-breaking short movie entertainment. ShortsTV is present in over 60 million TV households in India already, and our partnership with Airtel Xstream will bring us to Airtel’s 340 million subscribers. From Oscar nominated movies to travel documentaries to exciting new films from India’s hottest new directors – ShortsTV is amazing entertainment.”
“Short films are slowly making their presence felt among mainstream cinema, thus adding momentum to the growth of shorts on the Indian movie map. At ShortsTV, we always believed in providing a global platform for filmmakers to showcase their work since the audience's affinity towards the short format is growing. Understanding the rise in content consumption on the small screen, our partnership with Airtel Xstream will not only help us extend our reach into the Indian heartland but also provide an opportunity for Indian filmmakers to expand in India and beyond,” ShortsTV Asia president Tarun Sawhney said.
ShortsTV’s catalogue of short films features critically acclaimed stars such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Emilia Clarke, Jude Law, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Naseeruddin Shah, Radhika Apte, and others. Some of the unique shorts available on the platform include internationally popular Oscar winner Skin, BAFTA nominee The Voorman Problem, Cannes Jury prize winner Swimsuit 46.
The top short films from best of India and Latin America like Natkhat starring Vidya Balan, Shameless starring Sayani Gupta, Safar starring Shweta Tripathi, Soundproof starring Soha Ali Khan, Trapped starring Abhishek Banerjee, The Lillies Seller will be showcased as part of Worldwide Film Festival from 24 to 27 February. In addition to an enviable selection of short films, the service also features various segments on local film festival coverage, film school vignettes, ‘making-of’ features, interviews with directors, actors, and other leaders in the industry.
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 has partnered with Happy mcgarrybowen to design brand identity for Airtel Xstream, the digital entertainment platform by Airtel. As part of the exercise, Happy mcgarrybowen designed the brand identity and visual language for the brand.
Speaking on the engagement, Airtel CMO Shashwat Sharma said, “The vision for the Airtel Xstream brand was to carve a voice that speaks to today's young, technology ready consumer. We were building an India-first platform of digital entertainment services and this needed a disruptive and market-defining visual identity. Happy mcgarrybowen became our partner in bringing that vision to life. They helped create an identity that is current, aspirational and future-ready. It’s a great visual ethos of what Airtel Xstream promises to bring to the Indian consumer going forward.”
Happy mcgarrybowen president Samarjit Choudhry added, “Airtel is one of the most recognised brands in India. It has ushered in major changes in the way we use communication tools. With the launch of Xstream, they are once again on the cusp of changing our entertainment consumption habits. We have tried to capture the dynamic nature of the digital entertainment world, its confluence across platforms; obviously with the consumer at the centre of it.”
Happy mcgarrybowen is the creative and design agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network. Born and thrived in the modern-day chaos of brands doing the unconventional, Happy mcgarrybowen stands apart by not just being the communication partner, but the growth partner for clients. With communication design, experience design, engagement design and the very craft of design, Happy mcgarrybowen works agnostically of any medium to deliver solutions to the clients' business problems.
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.
