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Tag: Eros Now

  • Vidnet2018: OTT industry says innovation the need of the hour

    Vidnet2018: OTT industry says innovation the need of the hour

    MUMBAI: In the last couple of years, over-the-top platforms have emerged as mainstream entertainment source going beyond “mail-metro-millennial” phenomenon for a sizeable population in India despite television still holding its dominance.

    The beauty of the Indian market is its diversity enabling opportunities for various business models and content in several regional languages along with Hindi and English. However, with the growth of the industry, new challenges in different areas including technology and regulations are cropping up. To delve deeper into the issues, experts across the entire ecosystem came together at Vidnet 2018 hosted by Indiantelevision.com powered by Verizon which had ZEE5 as title partner. The long day summit became a perfect stage to discuss relevant issues concerning the industry as well as to gain new insights.

    At the beginning of the event, a very interesting session with Hulu Japan CCO Kazufumi Nagasawa moderated by Indiantelevision.com founder and CEO Anil Wanvari set the tone for the day. The spokesperson shared the state of Japanese OTT market which is super crowded as well. But in contrast to the Indian market, most players are focused on SVoD service in Japan. However, Hulu Japan stands with 1.8 million paying subscribers with more than 50,000 hours of content. The session was followed by Verizon Digital Media Services EMEA and India managing director Taylor Riese who also said they are listing the challenges in the market with infrastructure in India.

    The attraction of the day was definitely the power packed session with speakers from the most popular OTT services and digital video platforms in India. ZEE5 India CEO Tarun Katial, Amazon Prime Video India business director and head Gaurav Gandhi, YouTube India entertainment head Satya Raghavan, Voot head marketing and partnerships Akash Banerji, Hotstar consumer and revenue lead Prabh Simran Singh shared their key learnings.

    Gandhi debunking the myth that Indians don’t want to pay for digital content saying that if customers see value in product they won’t mind paying and Katial mentioned an important fact that content cost in OTT is not going to be same as TV. While the session was named as “lessons from battlefront”, all the experts more or less agreed that the Indian market gives best opportunities for partnerships and collaborations.

     

    In another impacting session, Green Gold Animation founder and MD Rajiv Chilaka, Pocket Aces founder Ashwin Suresh, Contiloe founder Abhimanyu Singh from, SVF Entertinment president Ravi Sharma and Goldi Behel discussed the power of local storytelling. While five of them have been a part of the experience in creating versatile content targeting a particular audience, they highlighted how the time is perfect for content creators to be in the space owing to the new digital mediums. Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair, another veteran in the production business, mentioned another important fact that content is not a commodity that someone can win with a price war, rather it has to be won with a good story.

    Other than content, topics like the need for unified video measurement for better data was discussed in presence of IPG Mediabrands India CEO Shashi Sinha, MX Player CEO Karan Bedi, BARC India COO Romil Ramgarhia and Eros Now COO Ali Hussein.  Sinha said industry stakeholders need to arrive at a consensus for unified measurement to be a reality in India. Interestingly BARC India COO commented their technology is fully equipped to measure digital video.

    Content is king but it cannot conquer customers alone if distribution is not well enough. Nowadays people watch OTT content via various devices including basics like smart TVs, smartphones. Telcos also bundle OTT apps with their services to acquire more consumers as well as make it easy for those platforms to spread out. Questions related to making better innovations in distributions were discussed by ALT Balaji COO Sunil Nair and Viu head monetisation and distribution Sameer Gogate.

    Even the confab delved deep into the creator’s brains, tech strategies as various production houses, cloud servicing companies were also present in the conference to discuss their play. Ongoing issues like how to regulate OTT platforms were also discussed by two eminent lawyers, Abhishek Malhotra and Nidhish Mehrotra. Other industry stalwarts including Eros Now COO Ridhima Lulla, Hotstar EVP and chief marketing officer Sidharth Shakdher, Facebook entertainment partnerships head Saket Jha Saurabh, Arre co-founder and CEO Ajay Chacko, ZEE5 business head Manish Aggarwal, Vertice Entertainment founder and CEO Varun Mathur also shared key insights through different sessions.

    Though the ecosystem is evolving, it will take more time to say what’s going to work or what not.

  • Riding on the reach and success of Side Hero, Eros Now set to bring Season 2 of the comedy series

    Riding on the reach and success of Side Hero, Eros Now set to bring Season 2 of the comedy series

    MUMBAI: Eros Now, the cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment, recently released their first original series Side Hero directed by Rohan Sippy on September 24th. The eight-episode series received an overwhelming response from audiences prompting the OTT platform to announce the second season of Side Hero.

    Enjoying tremendous popularity with a rating of 8.6 on IMDB as well as the number one position on Top Hindi Movies and Shows section within a week of its release on IMDB over other recently released movies during the same period such as Sui Dhaaga, the self-deprecatory comedy based on the life of actor Kunaal Roy Kapur stood firm ground against competition. The trailer of the series itself, clocked more than 10 million online views within a period of a week, making it one of the most watched trailers of any Indian Original Series. Most of its assets prior to the series’ launch on Eros Now including the poster and trailer, saw the highest level of engagement as well as trended on social media.

    Interestingly, Side Hero lent to a greater contribution of viewership from larger screens with twice the amount viewership from premium subscription users as compared to basic users. The build up to the series tracked very well with viewers in 75 countries across the world sampling Side Hero episodes in the first week of launch itself. Further elaborating on the consumption pattern, Eros Now revealed the series enjoys 85% viewership in the age bracket of 18-24 (male & female) lending to an endemic viewership growth in the core target audience for the show.

    Recently, Eros Now was awarded the ‘Best Web-Series’ for Side Hero along with Kunaal Roy Kapur bagging the award for Best Actor at the Streaming Awards hosted by Digital Hash in October 2018, adding another feather to the success of Side Hero series.

    Talking about the success of the series, Ridhima Lulla, Chief Content Officer, Eros Group said, "It's overwhelming and humbling to receive such positive reactions to our very first original. This heartening response has encouraged us to consider following up the series with Season 2 as the show seems to have found its own fan base.  With series like Side Hero, we want to continue bringing interesting programming that the youth haven’t sampled before and we hope audiences remain appreciative of our content offering.”

    Director Rohan Sippy added, “We had a lot of fun creating Side Hero and partnering with Eros Now. Looking forward to unleashing Season 2 and take it to the next level, amplifying the crazy quotient. Fresh ideas have started brewing already”.

    Lead actor Kunaal Roy Kapur said, “I’m really thrilled with the response we have received for ‘Side Hero’ and excited that Eros Now has decided that we need another season of crazy stories from the belly of Bollywood. Can’t wait to start”.

    Side Hero Season 2 will reprise the same cast and will be directed by Rohan Sippy. Season 2 is slated for release in 2019. The series stars Kunaal Roy Kapur, Gauhar Khan, Arjun Kanungo and Gopal Dutt. All episodes are streaming and available for binge viewing for INR 49 and INR 99 per month on Eros Now.

  • Eros Now’s Comedy Series Side Hero bags ‘Best Web Series’ award from The Digital Hash

    Eros Now’s Comedy Series Side Hero bags ‘Best Web Series’ award from The Digital Hash

    MUMBAI: Eros Now, leading over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International Plc, a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment, wins the ‘Best Web Series’ award for their first original web series – Side Hero by The Digital Hash, a digital portal exclusively covering Web Entertainment. The comedy series added another feather to its cap with lead actor Kunaal Roy Kapur bagging the ‘Best Actor’ award for his performance in the web-series.

    The Digital Hash recognizes superlative web content every month under their property “Streaming Awards” which honours the best talent in the realm of digital entertainment. The eight episodes series that released in September garnered much praise for its humorous take on Kunaal’s life, juggling between the endeavour to get a lead role but always ending up being the ‘Side Hero’. Side Hero has enjoyed tremendous popularity with a rating of 8.6 (on IMDB) as well as the number one position on Top Hindi Movies and Shows section within a week of its release on IMDB over others like the recently released movies during the same period such as Sui Dhaaga.

    Commenting on the award for the web series, Ridhima Lulla, Chief Content Officer, Eros Group said, “It is a great honour to be recognized for our very first original web series and I am grateful to The Digital Hash and the audience for appreciating our work. Comedy is one of the most watched genres across formats and we are happy our fresh take on humour has been loved by audiences. We are now looking forward to the launch of Season 2 of the series.” 

  • Eros Now’s bittersweet drama ‘A Monsoon Date’ by Tanuja Chandra to premiere at MAMI

    Eros Now’s bittersweet drama ‘A Monsoon Date’ by Tanuja Chandra to premiere at MAMI

    MUMBAI: JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is known for bringing the best of world cinema to the city. After presenting a remarkable line-up of movies at the festival this year, the Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star will be premiering 'A Monsoon Date' presented by Eros Now, a premium over-the-top

    (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform by Eros International PLC and directed by critically acclaimed Tanuja Chandra under the category 'Anthology Of Shorts'.

    'A Monsoon Date' written by Gazal Dhaliwal and produced by Rakesh Singh is about an eventful, rainy evening when a young woman is on her way to see a young man she is dating. Along the way, she experiences bittersweet moments with a series of strangers, even as a storm brews inside her. Today, she has decided to reveal to the young man a heart-breaking truth about her past.

    This truth, she knows, is not possible for anybody to understand. And yet, she hopes that he would. With her heart pounding like the torrential rain around her, she holds on to this unreasonable hope.

    The short film will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Ritam Bhatnagar, Head of Indian Film Project with panelists Tanuja Chandra, Konkona Sen Sharma, Gazal Dhaliwal and Ridhima Lulla, Chief Content Officer, Eros Group.

  • Eros Now’s Smoke MIPCOM screening gets packed house

    Eros Now’s Smoke MIPCOM screening gets packed house

    CANNES: A packed house turned up to watch Eros Now’s premier of its original Smoke at the Verriere Californie in the famed Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France on 15 October 2018 during the world's largest content confab and market MIPCOM.

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    The shortened  20 minute version of the 45 minutes per episode had you gripped right from the first frame which showed the ailing Tom Alter essaying the role of a Russian drug  mafioso  lord. It revealed the dark underbelly of Goa – a vaction spot for both Indians and foreigners alike. But behind the façade of sandy sun kissed beaches lies the cruel world of the drug  cartels – the Israeli, the Russian, the Konkani – which fight bullet for bullet to control the flow of cocaine, marijuna, speed, in to the land of beaches.

    The digital series stars  Jim Sarbh (Neerja), Kalki Koechlin (Margarita, with a Straw), and Mandira Bedi (Vodka Diaries).  Directed by Neel Guha (That Girl in Yellow Boots),  with music from Karsh Kale (Karthik Calling Karthik), Smoke also stars Gulshan Devaiah (Hunterrr), Amit Sial (Inside Edge), Satyadeep Mishra, Neal Bhoopalam, and Prakash Belawadi.
    Eros Now chief content officer Ridhima Lulla was pleased with the response Smoke received at the screening. “It is a serious initiative targeted at showcasing Goa like it has never been before,” she says. “The story will take you to deeper into the gang wars that only locals in Goa know about. Our teams worked closely with then to get closer to what really happens in the drug trade. You can safely say that the series is inspired by real events.”

    Present at the screening was Rishika Lulla, Eros Now COO Ali Hussein, apart from a string of distributors and producers from all over the world. 
     

  • Eros Now Partners with Celcom; Consolidates Distribution in Malaysia

    Eros Now Partners with Celcom; Consolidates Distribution in Malaysia

    MUMBAI: Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, announced today that Eros Now, its digital over-the-top distribution service, has extended its presence in the Malaysian market by partnering with a leading Malaysian telecom player, Celcom Axiata Berhad, for their subscribed data plan – Video Walla.

    Eros Now and Celcom’s partnership will further enhance the entertainment experience by providing Malaysian customers access to Eros Now’s vast library of 11,000 plus movies, original shows, music videos and more. Celcom customers can enjoy Eros Now’s extensive content offering under the subscribed data plan, Video Walla, and users can access Eros Now premium content by paying a retail fee of MYR 10 ($2.41 USD)/month and MYR 100 ($24.08 USD)/year.

    Bollywood and other Indian content continue to be enjoyed by the vast Indian diaspora in Malaysia where local Malaysians are charmed by Bollywood movies. Malaysia as a location is featured prominently in several Indian films and is a popular destination for hosting Indian film award ceremonies, adding to the local connection and appeal in Indian entertainment.

    Speaking about the association, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital, said, “We remain focused on expanding our global presence by exploring opportunities and providing customized content offerings that connect with local audiences. Malaysia continues to be a relevant region with its South Asian content-friendly audience and we are happy to cater to this growing community by integrating with a leading local partner such as Celcom.”

    With this partnership, Eros Now remains the only Indian OTT platform to penetrate the growing Malaysian market. Previously, Eros Now had announced other local partnerships with telcos such as Maxis Berhad and UMobile.

  • Eros Now Partners with Leading Indian Digital Marketplace FreeCharge to Grow Customer Base

    Eros Now Partners with Leading Indian Digital Marketplace FreeCharge to Grow Customer Base

    Mumbai: Eros International PLC (NYSE:EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, announced today that Eros Now, its cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform has partnered with FreeCharge, one of India's leading digital marketplaces for financial services and products. Through this association, Eros Now will facilitate a free month of access to its vast library of 11,000 plus movies, original shows, music videos and more for FreeCharge customers recharging pre-paid packages via the FreeCharge app. Additionally, this alliance will also give FreeCharge users a 60% discount on Eros Now’s annual subscription, which is otherwise priced at INR 999 (USA $7.99/ UK £4.99 GBP). The users will be able to use this discount by selecting FreeCharge in the payment selection pane on Eros Now.

    India is a fast growing market for the digitization of services, be it entertainment, shopping or payments. The recent report by NITI Aayog found the industry is expected to become a trillion-dollar market by 2023[1], which reflects the fast pace at which the digital payment space in India is growing. There is no doubt that sooner than we would know, the digital payments system will make way to the interiors in the same capacity as it has captured the urban markets.

    Talking about the partnership, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital, said, “The adoption and growth of digital ecosystems is currently at its peak. Users are going digital across categories as its hassle free and quick. Eros Now’s partnership with FreeCharge is a seamless blend of two customer centric brands that focus on consumer preferences and expectations. By bringing an exciting offer like this to our 113 million users, we reinforce our promise of bringing the best of entertainment with the top partners.”

    Commenting on the partnership, Sangram Singh, CEO, FreeCharge said, “The Company is continuously working towards creating opportunities to build deeper engagement with the consumers by presenting them more choices through such collaborations. The association with Eros Now is in line to further strengthen our digital payment services and augment customer experience. Such partnerships are an interesting add-on to our suite of offerings and encourage consumers to increasingly adopt FreeCharge to do more than recharges and bill payments. Together we aim to deliver convenience in terms of seamless subscription for the FreeCharge users for their regular dose of entertainment.”

  • Eros Now Original ‘SMOKE’ to be Premiered at MIPCOM 2018 in Cannes under ‘Made in India Originals’

    Eros Now Original ‘SMOKE’ to be Premiered at MIPCOM 2018 in Cannes under ‘Made in India Originals’

    Mumbai, October 3, 2018: Eros International PLC (NYSE:EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, announced today that Eros Now, its cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform will premiere its original series SMOKE at the coveted annual event MIPCOM 2018, being held at Cannes in France on October 15 under the Made in India Originals category. The only Indian web series to be showcased in Cannes this year, Smoke is a crime drama that will take audiences on a thrilling and eye-opening journey set in the underbelly of Goa.

    The teaser of the show was launched today which stars an eclectic ensemble cast of Kalki Koechlin, Mandira Bedi, Jim Sarbh, Amit Sial, Gulshan Devaiah, Satyadeep Mishra, Neal Bhoopalam, Prakash Belawadi and the late Tom Alter. All episodes of Smoke will be available for binge-viewing from October 26, 2018 exclusively on Eros Now. The first look of the series will be premiered at MIPCOM with the audience combining the global entertainment fraternity including distributers, broadcasters as well as executives from the global entertainment industry.

    Commenting on Smoke’s showcase at MIPCOM, Ridhima Lulla, Chief Content Officer, Eros Group said, “It is indeed a great honour to be selected and we are thrilled to showcase the series to a global audience before it premieres on Eros Now. Smoke couldn’t be more different from our first series Side Hero where we launched our originals with a self-deprecatory comedy, a relatively untested genre. Smoke on the other hand is a gritty, dark crime drama portraying the never seen side of Goa. There’s no place in India quite like Goa and the show with its unique take on the paradise state makes for a perfect choice out of India to be launched at MIPCOM. With Eros Now originals, we want to continue investing in the brand ‘Eros Now’ to represent a culture of what the youth want to consume”.

    This eleven-episode binge-worthy series, directed by Neel Guha is a game of smoke and mirror, shifting loyalties and brutal cover-ups all against the backdrop of Goa, a state as glamorous as it is unsuspecting of the menace that lurks underneath its surface. The sound track for the series has been composed by well-known musician Karsh Kale, who has redefined the Asian Underground genre of music. The show will be available for Streaming Globally on Eros Now starting October 26.

    Watch the teaser of SMOKE here: https://erosnow.com/movie/watch/1064690/an-eros-now-original-series/6899979/smoke—official-teaser?12

  • Eros Now Strengthens its Presence in MENA by Partnering with E-Vision for ‘eLife Triple Play’

    Eros Now Strengthens its Presence in MENA by Partnering with E-Vision for ‘eLife Triple Play’

    Mumbai, October 2, 2018 – Eros International PLC (NYSE:EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film and entertainment industry, today announced that Eros Now, its cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform has entered into a strategic partnership with E-Vision, a fully-owned subsidiary of Etisalat, for its SVOD offering ‘eLife Video Packs.’ This partnership further strengthens Eros Now’s existing presence in MENA region (Middle East and North Africa).

    With an ardent fan-base of Indian content including films, music and TV series, MENA countries have always been positively receptive towards Indian content. Bollywood content is also popular with the local Middle Eastern population in dubbed and subtitled formats – both of which are offered on Eros Now. Through this partnership, Eros Now’s rich library of over 11,000 film titles, original shows and music videos will be made available to eLife TV subscribers across the region.

    Commenting on the partnership, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital, said: “The partnership with Etisalat’s eLife Triple Play further intensifies our aim of being a globally present digital entertainment platform with the MENA region being of strategic relevance. Our objective continues to be focused on strengthening our philosophy of being platform agnostic, expanding our worldwide presence and providing the best value and experience to our customers.”

    Humaid Sahoo, CEO, E-Vision, said: “We are delighted to enhance our content offering by partnering with Eros. As a pioneer and trusted content aggregator in the region, E-Vision is constantly providing turn-key solutions for content aggregation and content management for IPTV platforms and multi-screens (OTT).”

    Previously, Eros Now had announced its mobile billing integrations with major telecom operators in UAE, Kuwait and Qatar. The integration with Etisalat reinforces Eros Now’s penetration strategy in the Middle Eastern markets.

  • Eros Now Enters into Strategic Partnership with FashionTV

    Eros Now Enters into Strategic Partnership with FashionTV

    Mumbai, September 26th, 2018 – Eros International PLC (NYSE:EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, announced today that Eros Now, its cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform, has entered into a partnership with leading fashion and lifestyle channel, FashionTV (“FTV”). With this association, Eros Now will be the first OTT player to venture into the fashion and lifestyle segment by providing consumers access to FTV’s 12+ Live TV Channels and 145+ hours of VOD content.
    FTV, a 20-year-old global satellite TV network, delivers the latest fashion trends, models, events and celebrity news. With its unmatched library of 11,000+ Bollywood and regional films, entertainment shows, music videos and originals, Eros Now’s strategic tie-up with FTV will further expand its content offering to consumers, now encompassing fashion and lifestyle as well. Further, this first-of-a-kind partnership gives subscribers a chance to delve into the lives of their favorite models, view never-seen-before interviews of fashion gurus and get an exclusive view of the modelling industry, making it an ideal hangout for fashion enthusiasts who will now have front row access to the best of fashion and lifestyle.
    Commenting on the partnership, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital said, “Recognizing very distinct consumer behavior of linear and on-demand consumption patterns, the association with FTV adds a new dimension to the Eros Now platform. Eros Now has always stayed ahead of the curve and the foray into alternative and fashion programming, in addition to our existing unrivaled entertainment content, further reiterates our promise to offer differentiated and relevant content.”

    “FashionTV is proud to be partnering with Eros Now and we are delighted to enter this new and exciting business chapter in India. The Indian market is one of the world’s largest and is of upmost importance for our company. Now, the Indian audience will be able to enjoy our multi-media OTT and VOD platform called FashionTV+, which is offering 12+ live streaming channels with 24/7 glamorous entertainment and a review of the latest fashion trends,” said Alex Ecker, Senior VP of FashionTV Asia/Pacific.