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Tag: Eros International

  • Eros International raises $30 million for Eros Now

    Eros International raises $30 million for Eros Now

    MUMBAI: Indian Bollywood major Eros International is getting hotter on OTT. It announced this morning that two of its existing top 10 institutional shareholders have increased their holdings in the company through a private placement and are pumping in approximately $30 million. The proceeds of the allotment will be primarily used to fund the further expansion of Eros Now, its OTT platform.

    Eros International group CEO & MD Jyoti Deshpande commented: “Our vision to transform Eros from a leading film studio to a leading digital company with a global footprint is well underway with Eros Now, our OTT platform crossing one million paid subscribers as of 30 June 2016. Our ownership of content and our strong balance sheet should provide tailwinds to grow the Eros Now subscriber base from one million to ten million and eventually hundred million within the next decade.”

    Eros Now is Eros International Plc’s leading on-demand Bollywood entertainment network accessible anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Eros Now offers users across 135 countries a large library of films (Eros Now has rights to over 5,000 films), as well as premium television shows, music videos and audio tracks.

    Eros Now is also working on launching compelling original drama series for its viewers. It also has compelling product features such as offline viewing where premium subscribers can download the content and view it when not connected to the Internet make Eros Now a unique offering with focus on user experience.

    Available on Apple and Android platforms, Eros Now has integration deals with Airtel, Idea and Reliance Jio and several other operators internationally. A crucial deal was struck with Reliance Jio, the 4G player that has rolled out the most aggressive plan for digital India. In its platform-agnostic strategy, Eros has struck deals with OEMs and telecom operators such as Micromax, Airtel, Idea, LeEco, and Maxis.

    Through the Eros-Jio partnership, new and old movies including Bajirao Mastaani, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, will be available on the JioOnDemand app. With 30 HD channels, Jio is offering live streaming of over 300 TV channels 10 genres and 15 languages.

    Available on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and pre-installed in Android TV, Eros Now crossed over 50 million registered users worldwide across WAP, APP, and Web, as of 30 June 2016. It has already crossed over 1.1 million active unique paying subscribers who have paid for at least one month.

    Eros released 14 films in Q1 FY17 of which three were high, two were medium and nine were low-budget films. Sardaar Gabbar Singh (Telugu),Housefull 3 (Hindi), 24 (Tamil), Marudhu (Tamil) and Ki and Ka (Hindi) were the main revenue earning films during the quarter. Eros Now is planning to acquire 10,000 additional films to add to its strong library.

    Eros Now, in October 2015, partnered with Ortel, an MSO (multi system operator) and ISP, to offer a subscription-based movie streaming service. Eros had, in August last year, also negotiated a partnership with Airtel to offer video and movie content on Wynk. Eros Now tied up with WeChat in June 2015 so as to allow users to watch videos, listen to music, and get Bollywood gossip and news. Eros Now, in the same month, inked a content acquisition deal with Hum TV of Pakistan.

    Eros Now has a five-year worldwide target of at least 15-20 million subscribers with a blended annual ARPU of $30 internationally and $5 from India. Trinity Pictures, owned by Eros International is building its franchises with two Sino-Indian co-productions, with a scheduled FY 2018 release.

    Eros Now hopes to achieve at least two million paying subscribers by the end of FY 2017 and five million paying subscribers by the end of FY-18.

  • Trinity Pictures to ‘Sniff’ out success in kids’ domain

    Trinity Pictures to ‘Sniff’ out success in kids’ domain

    MUMBAI: Eros International’s Trinity Pictures has rolled out its first feature film, Sniff, a big-scale kid’s live action-adventure film this month. A fresh new genre introduced in Indian cinema, the film went on floor on September 5, the day marking the commencement of Ganesh Chaturthi and will be shot across various locations in Mumbai.

    Helmed by the acclaimed director, Amole Gupte, of Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba fame, the man behind several acclaimed children-centric films, reputed to spot talent in children and introduce fresh new faces in Indian film industry (Darsheel Safari in Taare Zameen Par, his son Partho in Stanley Ka Dabba, etc.), is all set to launch his next discovery Khushmeet Gill, an 8-year-old ‘wonder’ boy who plays the lead character in this family entertainer that revolves around a young Sikh boy, who is a spy in the making along with his curious gang of extraordinary cohorts.

    Gupte commenced the shoot with his young star in Mumbai with a Ganesh Aarti sung by Shankar Mahadevan. Music in the film has been composed by Mujtaba Aziz Naza, son of the famous Qawwali singer Aziz Naza.

  • Trinity Pictures to ‘Sniff’ out success in kids’ domain

    Trinity Pictures to ‘Sniff’ out success in kids’ domain

    MUMBAI: Eros International’s Trinity Pictures has rolled out its first feature film, Sniff, a big-scale kid’s live action-adventure film this month. A fresh new genre introduced in Indian cinema, the film went on floor on September 5, the day marking the commencement of Ganesh Chaturthi and will be shot across various locations in Mumbai.

    Helmed by the acclaimed director, Amole Gupte, of Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba fame, the man behind several acclaimed children-centric films, reputed to spot talent in children and introduce fresh new faces in Indian film industry (Darsheel Safari in Taare Zameen Par, his son Partho in Stanley Ka Dabba, etc.), is all set to launch his next discovery Khushmeet Gill, an 8-year-old ‘wonder’ boy who plays the lead character in this family entertainer that revolves around a young Sikh boy, who is a spy in the making along with his curious gang of extraordinary cohorts.

    Gupte commenced the shoot with his young star in Mumbai with a Ganesh Aarti sung by Shankar Mahadevan. Music in the film has been composed by Mujtaba Aziz Naza, son of the famous Qawwali singer Aziz Naza.

  • Eros International and Soham Rockstar Entertainment to produce sequel of ‘Nayak’

    Eros International and Soham Rockstar Entertainment to produce sequel of ‘Nayak’

    MUMBAI: Eros International, India’s leading global company in the Indian film industry, today announced the sequel to the 2001 hit political thriller, Anil Kapoor starrer Nayak, in association with Deepak Mukut’s Soham Rockstar Entertainment. Produced by Eros International and Deepak Mukut, the film will be scripted by noted script writer, K V Vijayendra Prasad who has written blockbusters like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Baahubali.

    Continuing from the earlier film, the sequel will be a political satire with romance as the backdrop. The sequel will also introduce fresh characters while retaining some of the old characters including the lead character, Shivaji Rao fromNayak.

    Commenting on the development, Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd. says, “Nayak created ripples on its release and was one of the most successful political satires of its time. It’s the apt time to plan the sequel in the current political milieu. And we can expect only the finest writing with Vijayendra Prasad ji on board who has given two of Bollywood’s biggest releases last year – Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan”.

    Producer Deepak Mukut of Soham Rockstar Entertainment, adds, “We are partnering with Eros International to jointly produce the sequel of Nayak. This was a very popular film and continues to be widely watched on television. We have bought the rights of the film and the action promises to be even bigger and better. We will soon begin the casting process and are very excited about the project.”

  • Eros International and Soham Rockstar Entertainment to produce sequel of ‘Nayak’

    Eros International and Soham Rockstar Entertainment to produce sequel of ‘Nayak’

    MUMBAI: Eros International, India’s leading global company in the Indian film industry, today announced the sequel to the 2001 hit political thriller, Anil Kapoor starrer Nayak, in association with Deepak Mukut’s Soham Rockstar Entertainment. Produced by Eros International and Deepak Mukut, the film will be scripted by noted script writer, K V Vijayendra Prasad who has written blockbusters like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Baahubali.

    Continuing from the earlier film, the sequel will be a political satire with romance as the backdrop. The sequel will also introduce fresh characters while retaining some of the old characters including the lead character, Shivaji Rao fromNayak.

    Commenting on the development, Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd. says, “Nayak created ripples on its release and was one of the most successful political satires of its time. It’s the apt time to plan the sequel in the current political milieu. And we can expect only the finest writing with Vijayendra Prasad ji on board who has given two of Bollywood’s biggest releases last year – Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan”.

    Producer Deepak Mukut of Soham Rockstar Entertainment, adds, “We are partnering with Eros International to jointly produce the sequel of Nayak. This was a very popular film and continues to be widely watched on television. We have bought the rights of the film and the action promises to be even bigger and better. We will soon begin the casting process and are very excited about the project.”

  • Eros Now Enables ‘Watch Offline’ Feature on Android Devices

    Eros Now Enables ‘Watch Offline’ Feature on Android Devices

    MUMBAI: Eros International, announced today that Eros Now, its digital over-the-top distribution service for Indian language entertainment, has enabled its ‘Watch Offline’ feature on all Android devices for premium Eros Now subscribers at no additional charge. The service shall soon be available across all iOS devices as well.

    Eros Now’s Watch Offline capability introduces another feature to satisfy the on-the-go lifestyle of our Eros Now subscribers across 135 countries. The new feature allows Eros Now subscribers to watch films when they have limited internet connectivity or low bandwidth while using the entertainment service. As part of the Premium subscription service, subscribers can now download movies from the service to their device for immediate viewing offline for as little as Rs.99 ($1.49) per month in India or $7.99 for international subscribers. To ensure the Watch Offline experience meets the demands of users, a choice of quality formats is available to expedite downloads and maintain the storage used for movies downloaded.

    Commenting on the feature update, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital said, “As consumers lifestyles evolve, they are constantly looking to access and consume entertainment on-the-go. Eros Now believes in exactly this concept – providing endless entertainment at consumer’s finger tips, anytime, anywhere. With Watch Offline, we have made our films more accessible to our subscribers who no longer require an ongoing internet feed to enjoy the extensive catalogue of films on Eros Now. We will also soon be rolling out the feature to Apple consumers, introducing the offline feature across all iOS platforms.”

    Watch Offline features:

    • Unlimited playback of the titles downloaded to the device
    • Download quality options are High, Medium or Low Bandwidth
    • Storage management provided
    • Browse ErosNow or use other services on the device while downloading
    • My Downloads in Eros Now application displays titles available for offline playback
    • No internet connection required to watch titles in My Downloads
    • “Only download on wi-fi” option available in My Downloads
    • Manage downloads stored on device

    The offline viewing feature is the latest product enhancement attracting users and subscribers to Eros Now. Additional in-app features include regular updates of the latest Hindi, Tamil and other Indian language titles; the ability to customize content by creating personal watch lists; video progression, allowing users to continue watching content from where they previously left off and multi-language subtitles. All features are available to users across the globe accessing the app via any device.

  • Eros Now Enables ‘Watch Offline’ Feature on Android Devices

    Eros Now Enables ‘Watch Offline’ Feature on Android Devices

    MUMBAI: Eros International, announced today that Eros Now, its digital over-the-top distribution service for Indian language entertainment, has enabled its ‘Watch Offline’ feature on all Android devices for premium Eros Now subscribers at no additional charge. The service shall soon be available across all iOS devices as well.

    Eros Now’s Watch Offline capability introduces another feature to satisfy the on-the-go lifestyle of our Eros Now subscribers across 135 countries. The new feature allows Eros Now subscribers to watch films when they have limited internet connectivity or low bandwidth while using the entertainment service. As part of the Premium subscription service, subscribers can now download movies from the service to their device for immediate viewing offline for as little as Rs.99 ($1.49) per month in India or $7.99 for international subscribers. To ensure the Watch Offline experience meets the demands of users, a choice of quality formats is available to expedite downloads and maintain the storage used for movies downloaded.

    Commenting on the feature update, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital said, “As consumers lifestyles evolve, they are constantly looking to access and consume entertainment on-the-go. Eros Now believes in exactly this concept – providing endless entertainment at consumer’s finger tips, anytime, anywhere. With Watch Offline, we have made our films more accessible to our subscribers who no longer require an ongoing internet feed to enjoy the extensive catalogue of films on Eros Now. We will also soon be rolling out the feature to Apple consumers, introducing the offline feature across all iOS platforms.”

    Watch Offline features:

    • Unlimited playback of the titles downloaded to the device
    • Download quality options are High, Medium or Low Bandwidth
    • Storage management provided
    • Browse ErosNow or use other services on the device while downloading
    • My Downloads in Eros Now application displays titles available for offline playback
    • No internet connection required to watch titles in My Downloads
    • “Only download on wi-fi” option available in My Downloads
    • Manage downloads stored on device

    The offline viewing feature is the latest product enhancement attracting users and subscribers to Eros Now. Additional in-app features include regular updates of the latest Hindi, Tamil and other Indian language titles; the ability to customize content by creating personal watch lists; video progression, allowing users to continue watching content from where they previously left off and multi-language subtitles. All features are available to users across the globe accessing the app via any device.

  • Eros International & makers of Belaseshe unite to release Bengali film Praktan across India

    Eros International & makers of Belaseshe unite to release Bengali film Praktan across India

    Mumbai, May 12, 2016: Following the unprecedented success of Belaseshe, Eros International, a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, joins hands with directors Shiboprasad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, the makers of Belaseshe, once again to release Bengali film Praktan (Former) starring the biggest stars of the Bengali film industry—Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta—across India on May 27. Praktan is the first Bengali film to be released nationally and internationally on same day.

    Directed by Shiboprasad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, the romantic drama that beautifully captures the importance of memories, will bring together Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta after 15 years. The film also stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Sabitri Chatterjee, Anupam Roy, Anindya Chaterjee among others. The popular singer, lyricist and music director, Anupam Roy, of Piku fame, will be debuting as an actor in this film.

    Eros anticipates a universal appeal for this film among discerning audiences across India, therefore, apart from Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Pune, the company also plans to release Praktan in newer markets across India.

    Commenting on the vast pan India release, Nandu Ahuja, Senior VP, India Theatricals, Eros International said, “We want to open up markets for Bengali films across the country, enter untapped, newer territories such as Baroda, Patna, Indore, Bhopal, Kanpur, Lucknow and Chandigarh. We are happy to unite with Shiboprasad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy once again after the tremendous success of Belaseshe. With the biggest stars in the Bengali industry, hit music and an intriguing story, I am sure Praktan will woo audiences across India.”

    Director Shiboprasad Mukherjee added, “After Belaseshe, we are associating with Eros yet again and together for the first time we will bring Praktan, a Bengali film to the national and international audience on the same day as Kolkata. We are grateful to Eros for their support for Bengali cinema.”

  • Eros International & makers of Belaseshe unite to release Bengali film Praktan across India

    Eros International & makers of Belaseshe unite to release Bengali film Praktan across India

    Mumbai, May 12, 2016: Following the unprecedented success of Belaseshe, Eros International, a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, joins hands with directors Shiboprasad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, the makers of Belaseshe, once again to release Bengali film Praktan (Former) starring the biggest stars of the Bengali film industry—Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta—across India on May 27. Praktan is the first Bengali film to be released nationally and internationally on same day.

    Directed by Shiboprasad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, the romantic drama that beautifully captures the importance of memories, will bring together Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta after 15 years. The film also stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Sabitri Chatterjee, Anupam Roy, Anindya Chaterjee among others. The popular singer, lyricist and music director, Anupam Roy, of Piku fame, will be debuting as an actor in this film.

    Eros anticipates a universal appeal for this film among discerning audiences across India, therefore, apart from Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Pune, the company also plans to release Praktan in newer markets across India.

    Commenting on the vast pan India release, Nandu Ahuja, Senior VP, India Theatricals, Eros International said, “We want to open up markets for Bengali films across the country, enter untapped, newer territories such as Baroda, Patna, Indore, Bhopal, Kanpur, Lucknow and Chandigarh. We are happy to unite with Shiboprasad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy once again after the tremendous success of Belaseshe. With the biggest stars in the Bengali industry, hit music and an intriguing story, I am sure Praktan will woo audiences across India.”

    Director Shiboprasad Mukherjee added, “After Belaseshe, we are associating with Eros yet again and together for the first time we will bring Praktan, a Bengali film to the national and international audience on the same day as Kolkata. We are grateful to Eros for their support for Bengali cinema.”

  • Trinity Pictures ropes in five directors for films; to start production in FY 2017

    Trinity Pictures ropes in five directors for films; to start production in FY 2017

    MUMBAI: Eros International’s Trinity Pictures is now ready with its first slate of films across new and exciting genres. Also it has roped in five ace directors from the industry to produce films.  In what is said to change the way films are traditionally developed, Trinity’s first slate is all about creating character-driven franchises which will be leveraged across feature films, merchandising, digital and more.

    With a focus on creating fresh concepts in new spaces, Trinity is also one of the first Bollywood studio in India that has a dedicated in-house team of writers in the ‘Trinity Writers’ Room’ who have created over ten original franchises since the Division’s inception, out of which at least four films will go into production in fiscal year 2017.

    Trinity’s initial lineup includes a range of character-driven franchises across budgets, genres and languages – from a live action elephant film, to a kid’s action film and an Indo-China project to name a few. These will be helmed by acclaimed directors from across the country including Kabir Khan, Siddharth Anand, Amole Gupte, Telugu director Krish and popular Tamil director Prabhu Solomon.

    The first feature to roll out under Trinity Pictures will be director Amole Gupte’ s favourite genre but with a difference – a kids action film, a big scale action film with a child secret agent at the centre of the story that will go on floor in the summer vacation.

    With Trinity’s launch, the studio is looking at expanding new film markets which includes opening of one of the biggest markets in the world – China. Two projects will be co-produced with a Chinese studio, based on stories organically weaving the socio-cultural worlds of India and China.

    Additionally, the films will be shot in both languages. The first Indo-China co-production to roll will be directed by Kabir Khan with A-lister cast from India and China,  a human drama exploring the central character’s journey from India to China. Other projects in the pipeline include a film by Siddharth Anand which will explore a fresh take on the spy genre in India. This genre is a global favourite with franchise potential.

    Multiple award winning Tamil director, Prabhu Solomon’s bilingual project will be an inspiration from the quintessential super hit animal film—Haathi Mere Saathi. The shooting will take place during the monsoons across India and abroad and will be mounted on a scale with never-seen-before visual effects in this genre.

    Ace director Krish’s buddy cop film will be shot in Hindi and Tamil simultaneously, featuring popular lead actors from both the South and Bollywood. This film has been co-written by Shridhar Raghavan (mentor to Trinity writers), Dheeraj Rattan and K. Subhash.

    Commenting on Trinity plans, Eros International group CEO Jyoti Deshpande said, “With Trinity, we continue our endeavour to raise the bar in revolutionizing Indian cinema. As a leading film studio, we have peaked with three out of the top four and seven out of top fifteen films in Bollywood in 2015 being Eros films. Trinity strategy is all about conceiving breakthrough big content ideas and unlocking value from that intellectual property across various distribution platforms for a very long time. We are excited about the slate under development and hope we will have a few top ten films from Trinity”.

    Trinity Pictures  CEO Ajit Thakur added, “With Trinity, there is an effort to create something absolutely new for the Indian market, an effort in investing in creating characters that open a world of possibilities – films, digital games, comics, merchandise. We have writers for the first time creating characters first and then building scripts and projects around these characters. We are the first studio to have tied up with China for co-productions and will be creating new markets with films shot in multiple languages.  There are many firsts to Trinity and only Eros could have seen the merit in a franchise set up as this and taken the risk of making Trinity Pictures happen. We are very excited that the characters and franchises we are creating will hopefully entertain Indian audiences across platforms and well beyond the first Friday”.Tamil director Prabhu Solomon.