Mumbai: In continuation of its expansion in Asia, Lionsgate-owned Starz on Friday announced the launch of its independent direct-to-consumer OTT app Lionsgate Play in Malaysia. The service is being introduced in association with Telekom Malaysia (Unifi TV).
“We are thrilled to launch the eagerly-anticipated Lionsgate Play app in Malaysia, delivering the finest global entertainment to captivate our audiences with bespoke content encompassing current releases and our vast premium library, all at an affordable price and at consumers’ convenience,” said Lionsgate Play MD of South Asia and networks – emerging markets Asia Rohit Jain.
“We are also pleased to launch with a great partner in Telekom Malaysia, who will give us a strong head start in the territory with their broadband reach and deep streaming offering,” Jain added.
Lionsgate Play debuted in India in 2019 and the subsequent expansion took it into Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and, most recently, the Philippines.
“This partnership will solidify our strong consumer offering with an extensive premium library. Lionsgate Play boasts iconic, bold and edgy content that is gripping and will be loved by our subscribers,” said Telekom’s content head for Unifi TV Ho Hock Doong.
Lionsgate Play Malaysia will bring blockbuster film franchises such as “The Hunger Games”, “The Twilight Saga” and “Now You See Me” as well as popular and critically acclaimed TV series “Weeds,” “Power,” “Mad Men” and “The Spanish Princess” among others, to Malaysian audiences.
Mumbai: OTT player Lionsgate Play has acquired the digital rights to the Oscar-winning film ‘The Father’ which will begin streaming on 3 September.
Besides winning the Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’, the film was recognised globally and bagged numerous awards and nominations across the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, and many more.
Directed by Florian Zeller, the film features Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell and Olivia Williams in the lead. The film led to Hopkins’ sixth Oscar nomination and second win and also had success in the box office. It is co-written by Zeller and is based on his 2012 play ‘Le Pere’ with fellow playwright Christopher Hampton.
The story revolves around Anthony (Hopkins), a mischievous 80-year-old living alone who develops dementia. Anthony is unwilling to take help from his daughter Annie (Colman), who finds it difficult to stop by daily. Unwinding the reality, he begins to doubt his loved ones and struggles to accept his condition. The lead character Anthony battles to come to terms with the truth of his mental health condition that has clouded the lines between his past, present, and future.
“This is yet another feather in the hat, as we have stayed true to our promise of delivering high-quality premium content in India,” said Lionsgate, executive vice president, Amit Dhanuka. “The Father is an empathetic tale of an elderly person losing his memory, showcasing the real struggle of a person suffering from dementia. We hope that the film’s powerful storytelling helps our audiences find moments of hope and inspiration during these challenging times.”
Mumbai: Streaming service Lionsgate Play has announced the production of its next Indian original series “Feels Like Home”.
The show is created by Sidhanta Mathur known for series like “Little Things”, “What The Folks” and “Minus One”. Directed by Sahir Raza, the series features Prit Kamani, Anshuman Malhotra, Vishnu Kaushal, and Mihir Ahuja.
Vishnu Kaushal is a popular content creator among millennial audiences; Prit Kamani featured in the hit film “Maska”; Anshuman Malhotra won accolades for his role in “Haider” and Mihir Ahuja recently featured in the mini-series “Feels Like Ishq”.
“At Lionsgate Play we are looking to create a fantastic mix of premium content from global to Indian. Our Indian original slate is well rounded with stories from an urban family to a college drama and now a sneak peek into the lives of four boys who our viewers will love,” said Lionsgate South Asia and Networks, managing director – emerging markets Asia, Rohit Jain. “We want to tell more local stories and bring them to a global audience by continuing to expand our slate of Indian Originals across languages and genres. We are proud to add our latest original series featuring cutting-edge young talent that will resonate with our audience.”
“Feels Like Home is a show revolving around four youngsters and how they deal with what life is throwing at them. We have a very talented cast on board, and we’re so happy to have the series presented exclusively on Lionsgate Play, which has become the new go-to entertainment platform for young adults,” said Writeous Studio, founder, Sidhanta Mathur.
Mumbai: Lionsgate Play has announced the India premiere of the American crime drama mini-series “Dr Death” on 20 August.
The critically-acclaimed show is based on the terrifying true story of Dr Christopher Duntsch, a young and charismatic, ostensibly brilliant doctor in the Texas medical community. Created by Patrick Macmanus, it features actors Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin in the lead roles.
With IMDb 7.7 rating, “Dr Death” has received rave reviews globally.
Mumbai: Lionsgate Play, South Asia-based platform of premium subscription service STARZ, on Friday announced its continued expansion in Southeast Asia by getting ready for launching operations in the Philippines. The media company has appointed Ma Cecilia Marino as the general manager to lead its business in the region.
With a population of 109 million, the Philippines will become the newest territory added to the STARZ global footprint which now includes 60 countries, the company said in a statement.
Lionsgate Play, MD South Asia, and networks – emerging markets Asia, Rohit Jain will continue to spearhead operations in the region. Marino will begin operations in the Philippines under the guidance of Jain, it added.
“We are thrilled to expand into the Philippines where over a third of the population uses OTT services, a trend that has accelerated in the past two years as Filipinos become avid streaming consumers,” Jain said. “We see this as a great opportunity to reach and engage with them. As part of this process, we are building a strong leadership team beginning with the appointment of Ma Cecilia Marino to lead our growth there, taking Lionsgate Play to new heights while creating long-term value for our stakeholders,” he added.
Marino has over 25 years of experience in business strategy & development, brand marketing, and partnerships. She has worked closely with the dynamic telecommunications and fast-paced consumer industries. Most recently, she headed the integrated sales group of KidZania Manila, a global learning and entertainment brand.
“I am delighted to join the team at Lionsgate and bring my expertise and a fresh perspective to the table,” Marino said. “The Philippines is an indispensable market for the South Asian business, and I am confident that the Filipino audience will enjoy Lionsgate Play’s unique and exclusive streaming offering.”
According to a recent study by the Trade Desk, 36 million consumers stream two billion hours of OTT content per month in the Philippines, making OTT one of the fastest-growing media channels in the country. The mounting dominance of Hollywood films and soaring OTT viewership in the Philippines, coupled with only a few premium services to meet demand, creates a great market opportunity for Lionsgate Play to thrive in the country.
The premium video streaming service also recently launched its service in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, after a successful rollout in India last year.
Mumbai: In a bid to expand its presence in Asia, the US-based streaming platform STARZ has launched its direct-to-consumer (DTC) OTT app Lionsgate Play in Sri Lanka, following its launch in India and Indonesia.
The premium subscription service will bring Lionsgate Play’s vast library of Hollywood blockbusters, film franchises, and premium original series and boxsets immediately accessible to the subscribers, the platform said in a statement on Tuesday.
The service has also launched at attractive price points to Sri Lankan consumers to enjoy the best of global entertainment affordably and at their convenience, it added.
“We are thrilled to bring Lionsgate’s global brand to Sri Lanka with the launch of the Lionsgate Play app,” MD of South Asia and Networks-Emerging Markets Asia, Rohit Jain said.
“Sri Lanka is a key market for us with its promising internet penetration, rapid growth in broadband, and the recent introduction of unlimited internet packs. We want to provide the finest, never seen before content that will captivate our audiences with bespoke entertainment drawing on the most exciting current releases and our premium library. The launch of Lionsgate Play will bring premium world-class entertainment right to the pockets of the consumers. We are certain that the launch will initiate altogether a new unparalleled entertainment experience to the island nation.”
Mumbai: Dad-A son’s first hero, a daughter’s first love. They are the warm, enduring presence in one’s life who always have one’s back- even if he may not say so, in so many words. The guiding influencer, who many-a-times put our needs before their own. That’s the indefinable role fathers play in their children’s lives.
Needless to say, the intangible, most often unspoken bond that one shares with one’s father needs to be celebrated every day. But internationally, the third Sunday in June is what’s especially celebrated as Father’s Day every year-an occasion for the renewal of the love and gratitude we bear to our fathers.
This year, it falls on June 20. And as with every special day, we have brands celebrating fatherhood and raising a toast to the paternal bond with heart-tugging campaigns. So here goes for all the wonderful dads out there!
Mankind Pharma
‘This Father’s Day, the Pharma company’s Health OK strikes a chord with an emotional campaign, that shows how as we grow older, our relationship with our parents, especially with our father changes, in which so many things are left unexpressed. The film urges viewers to stop, think and help rebuild the lost bond with their fathers by communicating and expressing the unspoken words of shared love.#ExpressTheToughlove
VAIO
The laptop brand has come up with a beautiful video that depicts a father’s journey as the child grows – right from teaching a child the first school lessons to crucial business lessons. Dads are the invaluable force that pushes us to do better, live better, be better in whatever we aspire to be.
Mamypoko pants
The Diaper brand unveiled a new campaign ahead of Father’s Day titled #PapasWhoKnow, highlighting the fact that in today’s modern times, dads are trying to be equally involved in raising a child. Just as mothers are handling both work and households, fathers too contribute to the child’s overall growth and development. The short ad film, executed and conceptualised by Grapes Digital reinforces this fact by saying ‘Happy fathers day to all the papas who know as much as the mummas! ‘
CARS24
The e-commerce platform for pre-owned vehicles rolled out its latest campaign- Kyuki Papa Sab Jaante Hain- through a poetic video to show some love to the big man on Father’s Day. The video conceptualised by writer Amandeep Singh, directed by Namit Nath, and starring actor Varun Sharma talks about the underrated, unsaid bond sons share with their fathers.
In a world overwhelmed with myriad product options across categories, it has become easy to find a quick gift for someone. But a gift must symbolize how one feels about the recipient, knows and cares about them. This is what the creative by Bombay Shaving Company aims to capture. The personalised gifting shows how well you know someone, and reflects the thought you have invested in to ensure the gift is something they will love and treasure and how thoughtful gifts strengthen the relationship between a father & child.
Prega News
During these trying times, it has become more important to stay connected with each other and celebrate such special occasions- more so for Dads who are always there for us. Prega news teamed up with actor Anushka Sharma, who talks about the unique role dads play in our lives in this short video and encourages each one of us to do something special for their fathers and make the day unforgettable for them.
And if you have your father next to you this Father’s Day, Streaming service Lionsgate Play has handpicked a few movies you can binge-watch with your old man, giving you all the more reason to spend quality time with him. Get some popcorn and cocktail ready to embark on a journey of laughter and emotions with the best of cinema curated by the platform.
Mumbai: Lionsgate Play will premier the crime thriller drama series The Pact on 11 June. Directed by Rebecca Johnson and Eric Styles, the six-episode series stars Abbie Hern, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Laura Fraser, Eiry Thomas, and Heledd Gwynn as friends with a common agenda of acrimony towards their functional team leader.
The Pact revolves around the lives of five colleagues who share similar concerns regarding their current boss. The five make common cause of their vindictive feelings, and abduct their unconscious boss, taking him into the woods. While they had planned to click his pictures in a semi undressed state to be circulated on social media and made to go viral, to leave him embarrassed, things didn’t go as per their plans.
When the friends next return to the woods to check on him, they find his cold lifeless body introducing criminal intrigue into the story plot. They make a pact on what has to be done next. The unexpected moments with twists and turns throughout the night play out for the major part of the six-part teleseries.
Magnificent locations, right from the chilling scenes in the woods to the warmth of the brewery all form a part of the unfolding drama of entanglement and secrets along with the suffering repercussions that follow.
Mumbai: Digital streaming platform Lionsgate Play has announced the digital premiere of Chaos Walking. The film had its theatrical release in March 2021, and will be available for streaming from Friday.
Chaos Walking is directed by Doug Liman, and stars Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, and Nick Jonas in lead roles. This dystopian action film is set in the backdrop of a fictional world where there are no women, and all living creatures can hear each other’s thoughts via a stream of images, words, and sounds termed as Noise. In the absence of women, Viola’s (Daisy Ridley) life gets threatened, and Todd (Tom Holland) has to protect her from danger.
Doug Liman is widely considered one of the most talented filmmakers in Hollywood known for making movies like Edge of Tomorrow, The Wall, and American Made. Chaos Walking is based on Patrick Ness’s science fiction novel The Knife of Never Letting Go.
Mumbai : Lionsgate Play, one of the fastest-growing OTT platforms in India, is now showing unmatchable content across various genres in June. Lionsgate Play has announced an impressive line up of the biggest blockbusters for the Indian audience.
Indiantelevision.com presents you with a list of six movies that audiences may watch on the OTT platform.
Cosmic Sin
Cosmic Sin is a high voltage sci-fi action thriller starring Bruce Willis and Frank Grillo in lead roles. The film is set in the year 2524, where humans have colonized other planets. At this point in time, retired general James Ford gets called back into service following a hostile alien fleet attack on soldiers located on a remote planet. The threat against mankind soon escalates into an interstellar war as Ford and his team of elite soldiers try to stop the imminent invasion before it is too late.
Directed by Edward Drake, this movie is produced by Corey Large. Apart from Willis and Grillo, the film also stars Brandon Thomas, Corey Large, Perrey Reeves, CJ Perry, and Lochlyn Munro in other prominent roles. Cosmic Sin is available on Lionsgate Play in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.
Unlocked
Another action thriller from the Lionsgate store is Unlocked. Directed by Michael Apted, this British-American film revolves around CIA agent Alice Racine who fails to apprehend the terrorist behind a Paris attack that claimed dozens of lives. She is then working under cover in London when her mentor drafts her into an operation in which she has to stop a deadly terrorist attack.
Written by Peter O’Brien, Unlocked stars Noomi Rapace, Orlando Bloom, Michael Douglas, John Malkovich, and Toni Collette in lead roles.
Warm Bodies
Warm Bodies is an American paranormal romantic film directed by Jonathan Levine. The film is based on Isaac Marion’s 2010 novel by the same name, which in turn is inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, and John Malkovich in lead roles, the film is set in the backdrop of a terrible plague that segregates the population between zombies and humans.
Liberty Stands Still
Blade hero Wesley Snipes’ 2002 movie Liberty Stands Still is a high voltage crime thriller. Directed by Kari Skogland. The movie revolves around the life of Liberty (Linda Florentino), a gun manufacturer’s wife who is held hostage by Joe (Wesley Snipes) who has lost his daughter in a high school shooting incident.
Liberty Stands Still will be available on Lionsgate Play on 25 July.
The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle is an American biographical drama directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. The movie narrates a heart-wrenching story about a dysfunctional family. The Glass Castle stars Brie Larson, Naomi Watts, and Woody Harrelson in lead roles.
The film will be available on Lionsgate Play on 18 June.
Blood Circus
Directed by Jacob Cooney, Blood Circus is an American action film that revolves around the life of a retired MMA fighter caught up in a deadly underground fight club called Blood Circus. To protect his family, the MMA fighter has to win the fights against deadly enemies. The film stars Jamie Nocher, Tom Sizemore, and Robert La Dardo in lead roles. Blood Circus will be streamed on Lionsgate Play on 11 June.
