Tag: Arre

  • Moe’s Art gets a reel deal as Shantanu Anam joins as creative director

    Moe’s Art gets a reel deal as Shantanu Anam joins as creative director

    MUMBAI: When storytelling meets strategy, the screen just got sharper. Moe’s Art, the creative-first communications consultancy, has appointed Shantanu Anam as its new creative director, signalling a bold push into video-led content across brand films, commercials, and original productions.

    With over a decade of experience spanning OTT content, digital media, theatre, and screenwriting, Anam rose to prominence with the viral web series Baked. He has since worn multiple hats writer, actor, director across platforms like All India Bakchod and Arre. Most recently, he served as content head at the Jio-backed media company NEWJ, where he wrote Hotstar Special’s Pariwar and produced Happy Hour. He also starred as Debu in the critically acclaimed dark comedy Dilli Dark, praised for its razor-sharp social satire.

    A Syracuse University alumnus, Anam is tasked with strengthening Moe’s Art’s video content vertical, while also expanding the consultancy’s footprint as a brand solutions partner. The focus will be on multi-format storytelling digital-first videos, on-ground activations, and original IPs such as Happily Never After and The Anti-Agency Show aimed at building deeper audience engagement and meaningful brand connections.

    Moe’s Art co-founder Vishaal Shah said, “In an increasingly cluttered world where AI often adds to the noise, it has become more important than ever for brands to truly connect with their audiences. Shantanu’s versatility across theatre, digital, and OTT brings a fresh creative edge to what Moe’s Art can offer its clients. With his leadership, we aim to craft storytelling that resonates deeply and sets new benchmarks in branded content and audience engagement.”

    Adding his perspective, Shantanu Anam said, “Storytelling is the heartbeat of meaningful communication. At Moe’s Art, I am excited to build on that belief by pushing creative boundaries to craft original, compelling content. My goal is to create work that builds a genuine connection between brands and their audiences’ stories that audiences embrace, and brands can be proud of.”

    With Anam on board, Moe’s Art is poised to turn up the volume on video-first storytelling, proving that when creativity and strategy collide, even brands get a standing ovation.

  • Arijit Basu joins Spotify as sales director – media, entertainment & finance in India

    Arijit Basu joins Spotify as sales director – media, entertainment & finance in India

    MUMBAI:  His new job is like music to his ears  like it was around 12 years ago.  Arijit Basu, a distinguished professional in sales and business development, has embarked on a new chapter in his career as the director of sales – media & entertainment and finance, India at Spotify. Basu brings nearly 20 years of experience to the world’s leading music streaming platform.

    Sharing his enthusiasm for the role, Basu announced on social media:”Am really excited to share that I will be starting a new position at Spotify as director of sales – media & entertainment & finance, India! Looking forward to collaborating and doing some stellar work.”

    Basu’s career is defined by a series of impactful roles that showcase his expertise in sales, business development, and digital marketing:

    * Vice-president – growth & strategy at BC Web Wise (Feb 2022 – Sep 2024): Championed growth initiatives, spearheaded digital marketing campaigns, and drove business development for two and a half years.
    * Head of business development at Arré (May 2018 – May 2021): Led strategic partnerships and sales..
    * Director – Head of sponsorship (west) at Viacom18 (Jan 2013 – May 2018): Played a pivotal role in driving sponsorship strategies for youth and English entertainment segments.
    * National sales lead for Sunburn Music Festival at Percept D Mark (Jan 2010 – Dec 2012): Contributed significantly to establishing Sunburn as a leading music festival in India.
    * Senior manager at Vh1 India (Apr 2006 – Sep 2009): Expanded the channel’s business footprint during his tenure.

  • Amazon miniTV’s Dillogical explores modern love in the realm of open relationships

    Amazon miniTV’s Dillogical explores modern love in the realm of open relationships

    Mumbai: Amazon miniTV, Amazon’s free video streaming service, brings to its viewers Dillogical, a romantic comedy with a modern-day take on love and friendship. Created by Arré Studio, featuring Anshuman Malhotra, Nupur Nagpal, Priyank Sharma, Chetan Dhawan, and Prasanna Bisht in pivotal roles, the service announced the series with a fun-filled trailer. Taking the viewers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, the series will be streaming exclusively on Amazon miniTV from the 14 February for free.

    Giving us a glimpse into the love lives of childhood sweethearts Saransh and Jinal, the trailer takes us through their increasingly messy relationship as Jinal proposes an open relationship much to Saransh’s surprise. Jinal is a talented and independent girl living in Vadodara, who wants to break away from her predictable life. Set up against the backdrop of a crazy, fun-filled destination wedding, the narrative follows the couple as they explore their feelings and navigate their way. The trailer ends on a cliffhanger and leaves the viewers wondering if the two find their way back to each other or not!

    Amazon miniTV Amogh Dusad, head of content said “Amazon miniTV is delighted to bring an unforgettable blend of entertainment. Dillogical is a captivating romantic series that sheds light on modern relationships. The series is packed with an array of emotions and promises a journey filled with relatable situations, dilemmas, and endearing moments.”

    Arré co-founder & creative director Sharan Saikumar shared, “‘Dillogical’ with Amazon miniTV yet again, has been an exciting ride for us at Arré Studio. Delving into the myriad complexities of modern love – from the uncharted territory of open relationships to casual hookups and situationships, the series takes us into the lives of young individuals in today’s day and age navigating love, heartbreak, and self-discovery. This show is yet another example of our creative and fresh approach to relatable content and adds to our wide range of originals across crime thrillers, comedy, drama, sci-fi, etc.”

    Talking about the series, Anshuman Malhotra, shares, “Capturing the essence of true love while tackling the modern norms of open relationship and situationship, Dillogical perfectly balances the blend of romance, comedy, and drama. My character Saransh is an old-school lover who explores his feelings while dealing with an unusual demand made by his partner Jinal. I think Dillogical will provide a fresh perspective to the audience with certain thoughts about their love life and relationship, giving them a clear picture of what they want.”

    Said Nupur Nagpal, “As a young woman of today’s times, it was interesting to essay the role of Jinal, who is unsure about all her decisions and in an attempt to reclaim some control of her future, decides to take the plunge into the world of open relationships. Look forward to seeing the audience connect and engage with her, as soon as Dillogical releases on miniTV. Watch it guys!”

    Priyank Sharma, talking about his character in Dillogical expressed, “My character in the series, Dhruv, is a dance choreographer who helps Jinal explore her feelings, unravelling the complexities of her heart and helps in leading her back to herself. With a contemporary take on relationships and love, he is open to embracing new people and dynamics in his life. I believe that the story will resonate with a wide range of audiences on many different levels and I can’t wait for its release on Amazon miniTV.”

    Dillogical will be available for streaming for free, exclusively on Amazon miniTV from February 14th. You can watch it on the Amazon shopping app, Fire TV, or download the Amazon miniTV app on Playstore.

  • OTT platforms proposing ombudsman model to the govt: Arre’s Ajay Chacko

    OTT platforms proposing ombudsman model to the govt: Arre’s Ajay Chacko

    KOLKATA: To regulate or not to regulate online content, that's the question. If yes then what should be the way forward? There has been no industry consensus on it yet. While in the earlier part of this year, Hotstar, Jio, SonyLiv and Eros formed an adjudicatory body Digital Content Complaint Council (DCCC), other platforms like Netflix, Amazon, MX Player, ZEE5, AltBalaji and Arre opposed it. Arre co-founder and CEO Ajay Chacko is strongly against DCCC model of regulation and said that they are now proposing an ombudsman model to the government.

    “We have not agreed to the DCCC model and are now proposing an ombudsman model to the government which is actually a midway path. I am hoping that works,” Chacko said in a webinar called ‘Future of OTT content and its evolution in India’ hosted by Indiantelevision.com.

    He again strongly advocated that the internet is a medium of choice and people should be allowed to decide what they want to watch or don’t. He also added that if the authority wants to get parity in regulations of all mediums then it should not bring the newest medium to the lowest common denominator of the oldest medium. According to him, the problem is not with OTT platforms not being regualted but with the way cinema and TV have been over-regulated. 

    Recently during FICCI e-Frames, ministry of information and broadcasting secretary Amit Khare said the ministry is proposing to bring content being streamed on over-the-top (OTT) platforms under its purview. Prior to that, I&B minister Prakash Javadekar gave streaming services 100 days to finalise a code of conduct. 

  • Arré back with ‘Official Bhootiyagiri’, in an exclusive streaming partnership with MX Player

    Arré back with ‘Official Bhootiyagiri’, in an exclusive streaming partnership with MX Player

    MUMBAI: Dilawar Rana is back!   The endearing socially anxious CEO, essayed by Sumeet Vyas, who made his debut as a drone in Official Chukyagiri and fought corporate battles behind umbrellas in Official CEOgiri, is now ready to come out and fight his strangest enemy… his own ghosts.

    Official Bhootiyagiri, an Arré Original Series and an MX Exclusive, will be Sumeet Vyas’s third outing as the much loved Dilawar Rana aka D Sir and this season will be streaming exclusively on MX Player for free.  Season 1 was conferred an Official Honoree at the 21st Annual Webby Awards and Season 2 garnered much love and engagement from the audiences as well as expanded the loyal fan base.

    Official Bhootiyagiri takes off from the end of Season 2 which saw Dilawar Rana being sent to jail. In its third edition, the drama-comedy sees our CEO being offered a ‘get out of jail free’ card with a condition attached – he must go turn around his childhood home cum family hotel and make it profitable. The catch? The hotel seems to be haunted. Not just by his own memories of childhood trauma but by a legit bhoot. Is the haunting real or is D’s mind playing tricks on him?

    The series goes live exclusively on MX Player today.

    The show is part of a longer term collaboration between Arré and MX Player to provide audiences a range of exclusive premium originals from the Arré stable. 

    Arré has also roped in Biryani By Kilo, known for their freshly prepared authentic biryanis delivered online across cities and Adda52, India's No.1 Poker site, as associate partners to the show.

    Sharan Saikumar , creative director at Arré, said: “This is a special franchise for us and  I’m very excited for this season because it  sends our familiar and much loved characters into a whole new setting that's fun and yet eerie. I’m delighted that we have an exclusive partner in MX Player for our third season and special shout out to our advertising partners Biryani By Kilo and Adda 52 for supporting the madness..”

    Mansi Shrivastav, head, content acquisition at MX Player, said: “With new users adapting to digital entertainment whilst in lockdown, we at MX Player are striving to offer our loyal consumers fresh and engaging content, across genres in multiple categories and languages. We’re delighted to have the third edition of this popular franchise stream exclusively on our platform.”

    The show is directed by Vishwajoy Mukherjee and produced for Arré by Still and Still Moving Pictures who also produced Seasons 1 and 2. Amritpal Singh Bindra said, “We’re very excited to continue our working relationship with Arré and after the super successful first two seasons, we hope this season will set the bar higher. This season comes with a refreshing new twist in the plot and in the genre and with a great ensemble cast and we hope it will delight the audience. ”

  • Arré ropes in Vijay Koshy to lead Content & Consumer Engagement for brands

    Arré ropes in Vijay Koshy to lead Content & Consumer Engagement for brands

    MUMBAI: Vijay Koshy joins Arré as Director, Advertising and Brand Partnerships, to manage the platform’s branded content verticals across English, Hindi and regional markets.  

    In the three years since launch, Arré has grown to become one of the leading digital entertainment brands focused on creating premium original content across a variety of formats and in crafting a distinctive voice in the digital space. Arré has led the way not only in providing ‘attitudinally millennial’ audiences to brands but has also made content a compelling tool of storytelling for advertisers and partners across industries. Brands using Arré for their marketing challenges include Gillette, Palo Alto Networks, Hotstar, Dabur and Amazon. 

    Vijay has over two decades of experience across leadership positions in ad sales revenue and integrated branded content solutions and has helped in developing monetisization models in the digital media industry that are considered the benchmark today.  

    Vijay brings with him his experience with the Star Network, Sony Entertainment Television and The Viral Fever, where, in addition to being a founding member of the sales force, he managed and mentored a young team to deliver branded digital content solutions. 

    B. Saikumar, Founder, Arrésaid “We are delighted to have Vijay join us at Arré to lead consumer engagement and content solutions for brands. Vijay brings invaluable brand monetization experience and skills which will aid our next phase of expansion across content verticals and regional markets. At Arré, we are also cognizant of the fact that advertising efficacy is a huge challenge for marketers and it is our conviction that content will finally be the medium for communication.”

    Vijay Koshy said “Arré has built a great voice which has seen immense traction in a very short period of time, and I’m very excited about the upcoming content and plans. The team has an enviable mix of energy and talent and I look forward to being a part of the next journey.”

  • Arré launches marathi originals in collaboration with Reverb Productions

    Arré launches marathi originals in collaboration with Reverb Productions

    MUMBAI: After the launch of its studio business, Arré is now making its foray into the Marathi regional market with a strong slate of originals, in collaboration with Reverb productions.  

    The last few years have been a renaissance for Marathi films, television and music where creators have experimented with differentiated content and have seen exponential growth in the Marathi audience base. With consumption moving to digital platforms, there is a large viewership and monetisation opportunity to offer Marathi digital viewers premium original content.

    Reverb productions (Reverb) has been creating high quality Marathi entertainment content across web series, short films, music videos etc. including content for their rapidly growing YouTube channel Reverb Katta. Reverb brings with it a strong understanding of the Marathi idiom and viewer along with an established studio plus music production set up. 

    With this collaboration, Reverb’s regional content expertise and Arré’s unique creative sensibility,  wide distribution, and monetisation capabilities come together to lead the next wave of Marathi content. 

    The first series from this collaboration is Season 2 of Moving Out, Reverb’s successful hit series. Season 2 is set to launch on the Arré platforms and Reverb Katta’s Youtube channel on 12th February. 

    This will be followed by a slate of 4 original shows that will be exclusively produced by Reverb for Arré Marathi including Season 3 of Moving Out.  Besides, Arré is actively looking at taking its successful franchises – Official Chukyagiri/CEOgiri, A.I.SHA My Virtual Girlfriend, The Real High among others, into this market. 

    Commenting on the association, Ajay Chacko, Co-Founder and CEO, Arré said “Marathi cinema and theatre have been at the vanguard of creativity and the talent in this market is exceptional. Besides, the Marathi regional audience is emerging as a large viewer base for original content on digital and I believe this is the right time for Arré Marathi to bring in cutting edge original stories that resonate with a new generation of Marathi speaking audiences. In Reverb Productions we see a great fit to create premium original content at scale and I’m excited about partnering with Abhijit, Shilpa and their talented team at Reverb.”

    Abhijit Kolhatkar, Founder and CEO, Reverb Productions said “The Marathi speaking audience is very discerning but also willing to experiment with bold new subjects and genres.  Reverb has always focused on creating and presenting culturally rich content in a very crisp and relatable manner.  We ensure that the content appeals equally to the smartphone generation as well as traditional viewers and their sensibilities.  With our collaboration with Arré we are looking forward to greatly expanding the viewer base.  While speaking to Sai, Ajay and the rest of the Arré team we realised that our vision was so aligned that Arré seemed like our own alter ego, time warped a few years ahead.”

    Jaideep Singh, Director, Arré said “Exponential consumption of regional content has opened up a large consumer market for national and regional advertisers. Our content proposition for Arré Marathi is going to further enhance our offering of original content to our brand partners.”

  • Arré Launches Arré Studio, ropes in veteran film-maker and ad-film man Harsh Dave

    Arré Launches Arré Studio, ropes in veteran film-maker and ad-film man Harsh Dave

    MUMBAI: In a little over two years of launch, Arré has created multiple fiction and reality show franchises and properties such as the hugely popular A.I.SHA My Virtual Girlfriend, Official Chukyagiri, Official CEOgiri, The Real High, I Don’t Watch TV, The Adventures of Abbaas Mastan, Arré Ho Ja Re-gender, This Week in Food, The Farm Life, which have won accolades globally at festivals such as the Webbys, LA Web Fest and the South Florida Web Festival.

    Furthering its original content play, Arré will now see the launch of some very large-scale shows and films in partnership with OTT platforms and broadcast television, across languages and genres, in addition to its repertoire on its own platform. The Studio is putting together a team comprising of domestic and international talent to help build creative scale and collaborate with the best across the world. 

    Veteran film-maker and ad-man Harsh Dave has joined Arré for its Studio venture as Executive Producer. Harsh will strengthen Arré Studio’s development and execution capabilities in the original content space.

    Harsh has been a production veteran and has a wide body of work across television, feature film production and advertising, spanning over two decades. He has produced popular television showssuch as Uttaran, Tumhari Disha and Rakhi and has been involved inthe line production of international feature films such as The Other End of the Line, Basmati Blues, and The Man Who Knew Infinity. Harsh’s advertising work includes producing commercials for a variety of global companies such as P&G, Unilever, PepsiCo, Renault, Hero, Samsung, and Diageo. 

    The original content market in India is expected to be a multi-billion-dollar opportunity. Indian and international OTT platforms have acknowledged original programming as the driving force for growth of subscribers and viewers. Broadcast television too, is looking for new idioms in entertainment programming. Arré is aiming to be a significant player in this space.

    Sanjay Ray Chaudhuri, Co-Founder and Creative Head, Arré, said, “We’re hugely excited about our Studio projects, which I believe could be breaking new ground in the original content space in India. We’re looking to put together a varied and exceptional talent pool for the venture, and I’m delighted to have Harsh join our team.”

    Ajay Chacko, Co-Founder and CEO, Arré, said, “Harsh brings with him tremendous amounts of experience and creative energy. His repertoire is fairly diverse and spans interesting work across TV, Bollywood, Hollywood and advertising. With him on board Arré Studio, we hope to double our efforts to bring high-quality entertainment to Indian and international audiences.”

    Harsh Dave said, “Arré has been quite cutting edge with respect to its originals slate on its platform and I’m excited about the next slate of projects which are bigger and better. We aim to become the country’s foremost studio in quality original programming and I’m delighted to be part of this journey.”

  • Matched! The first digital short film collaboration between India and Pakistan, presented by Arré and Teeli, on the occasion of Independence Day

    Matched! The first digital short film collaboration between India and Pakistan, presented by Arré and Teeli, on the occasion of Independence Day

    MUMBAI: India’s leading digital platform Arré has collaborated with Pakistan’s premier digital entertainment brand Teeli to co-produce, co-write, and co-create the first digital short filmed across Delhi and Karachi, to celebrate Independence Day for India on the 15thof August and for Pakistan, on the 14th of August. 

    The collaboration is an attempt at opening up dialogue in a purely creative field, far removed from political and diplomatic relations between the two countries. The idea is an experiment to engage with shared cultural values like food, language, and social relationships, rather than the politics that has shaped the current narrative. 

    The short film explores the possibility of a personal relationship between young peoplein these two countries and tries to ask the question: What would happen if one of us got a chance to befriend someone across the border? Would the countries’ political and social history come in the way? Is the sarhad more than just a geographicalconstruct demarcating territory? 

    Matched! captures the unlikely friendship between an Indian girl from Amritsar and a Pakistani boy from Lahore, made possible through a dating app. Lahore and Amritsar are only 50 kilometres apart – and yet, are separated by more than just geography. So what happens when two people who only associate India with Bollywood and Pakistan with Coke Studio, strike a conversation? A friendship evolves, similarities are discovered, differences are cast aside, and by the end of it, you’re left wondering what makes them so different from us.

    The video will be out on the Arré and Teeli platforms simultaneously on the 13th of August. Catch the teaser here https://youtu.be/-0Ga51UUVgI

    The film was a collaboration between Arré and Teeli in every sense of the word. From script, production, and post-production, teams on either side worked on Skype over a period of two months, with the sole purpose of exploring how we can overcome barriers with digital content. The film was simultaneously shot in in Karachi and New Delhi by members of the two teams and every attempt was made to deliver a film that is not one country’s version of the other, but a joint expression of two neighbours. Even though the crew and actors on both sides never met each other, the working relationship evolved smoothly over two months for a seamless film that does not feel divided in any way. 

    Sharan Saikumar, Creative Director Arré,said “Matched! is a product of the digital age. It suggests that even though our countries and politics may falter, as people we can always be true.”  

    Gul Zaib Shakeel, Head Writer, Teeli, said “Digital content has made borders irrelevant. It’s shown and shared the thrilling, mundane and honest things that our regular lives are all about. The fact that content from either side of the border resonates with the other is testament to how truly similar we are at the core. This is what the video is about. Teeli hasn’t worked on a collaboration of this nature before. Once the introductory phone calls with Arré were done, you’re essentially working as one unit… with a lot of distance between each other. From video calls that stretched for hours to last-minute phone calls from the set to confirm minute details, the journey from scripting to production to post has been an absolute delight.”

  • Indian diaspora remains sustainable audience for OTTs

    Indian diaspora remains sustainable audience for OTTs

    MUMBAI: With the Indian diaspora spread out all over the world, media enterprises have found them to be a worthy group to target. Over-the-top (OTT) players, especially, are finding the diaspora audience a rewarding pursuit. Some platforms use Bollywood to grab their attention while others are targeting millennial audiences with original content.

    One the one hand you have players that believe in stock content. Yupp TV has been at the forefront of targeting Indian diaspora through catch-up content. Realising the scarcity of Indian entertainment content for the expat community, Uday Reddy founded the venture. While there is scepticism about whether audiences would pay for catch-up content, Yupp TV has relied on SVOD model for the diaspora and a freemium one in India.

    Another OTT platform, Spuul, which also has a large presence outside India, takes the help of popular Bollywood titles to attract them. According to its own viewership statistics, the Indian diaspora has a strong inclination to watch Bollywood movies during leisure time.

    On the other hand, a new bunch of players wants to break out of the monotony of catch-up and Bollywood content. Arre, a youth platform launched by ex-TV18 execs B Saikumar and Ajay Chacko, gets a good handful of viewers from abroad for both videos and articles.

    “Our show Aisha which is primarily a sci-fi thriller/drama is among the most consumed. It is also one of the most awarded shows from India, internationally. Our other shows like Real High (adventure travel reality), Official Chukiyagiri/ CEOgiri also see a lot of international audiences. We also get a lot of readers on our articles internationally,” Arre co-founder Chacko says.

    Chacko feels that the younger audiences want original quality programming of modern India and not the staid staples like Bollywood and catch up.

    Holding the same belief, ALTBalaji CMO Manav Sethi feels that content must be unique to get people to pay. “It is very important for today’s consumers who consume content on mobile, paying for data, to watch differentiated things,” he says.

    While it comes to market outside India, the US is definitely a promising one, followed by the Gulf countries. For Arre, the US is the largest market outside of India while for ALTBalaji both come in the list of top-five markets. Canada, with a huge number of Punjabi people, is also an attractive market. In fact, on Spuul, other than Hindi content, Punjabi is the highest consumed content.

    Depending on the dominant diaspora language in the region, platforms tweak content accordingly. For example, if Canada has more Punjabi people, there will be more Punjabi content for Canada. ALTBalaji released a Tamil show Maya Thirrai, which got traction in Singapore and the UAE, while its Bengali show Dhimaner Dinkaal received got a great response in Bangladesh. Chacko reveals that through YuppTV, Arre gets significant traction for shows, especially the ones dubbed in Telegu among the Indian American diaspora in the east and west coasts of the US.

    Two neighbouring countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, also demand Indian content. The similarity in culture, language, dialect, lifestyle and moreover, the pattern of same entertainment content paves the way for OTT players to explore the business there.

    These audiences are a good way for OTT players to also get some revenue since most of them only have SVOD or TVOD options. Players say that the diaspora is more likely to pay for content that keeps them connected to their roots. The average revenue per user is higher outside the country. They also have a huge repertoire of choices with good quality in international OTT platforms.

    Some platforms want to go beyond the diaspora communities and reach out to other global audiences as well.

    “So far, it has been a sustainable model for us, as we have been working on multiple verticals of content but, going forward, we will be paying more attention to India than last year and separate content for specific markets,” Spuul content head Girish Dwibhashyam says.

    Due to the diversity of the diaspora, there is no one formula fits all solution. Content creators have to rely on good quality original content to keep these audiences glued.

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