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Tag: MX Player

  • MX Player announces four new regional originals

    MX Player announces four new regional originals

    MUMBAI: Staying true to its philosophy of ‘Everytainment’ and continuing its focus on the regional markets, MX Player has announced four new Originals across languages and genres. With the two Telugu and two Marathi MX Originals, the platform is bringing entertaining and relatable shows with some of the best talent in the industry.

    Foraying into the Telugu market for the first time ever, MX Player adds a new language to its multiple range of offerings with the launch of the two Telugu MX Original Series’ that went live on 13 September. ‘Beyond Breakups’ and ‘Kalaham Madhuram’ introduce you to unique love stories that hit a break and further welcome you to the world of breakups.

    Additionally, the platform continues its foray in the Marathi market after the success of Aani Kay Have and adds two new Marathi series’ to its portfolio with ‘Pandu’ and ‘Once A Year’ that went live on 20 September. Both these slice of life dramas are in the comedy space with Pandu being a fun take on the everyday life of the Mumbai Police while the other series is a rom com.

     “Regional markets are among the largest growth drivers for MX Player, and we’re focused on bringing a wider range of premium regional content on our platform. There’s also significant untapped potential for content creators to cater to the under-served audience in these markets, and with our new regional originals, we are doing our best to bring Indian audiences’ quality digital-first content in their native language,” MX Player CEO Karan Bedi said.

    About the Series’:

    ‘Beyond Breakup’ talks about how a couple, Varun (a Software Engineer) and Shanti (a baker) who are in their mid-twenties and are very much in love. However, their happy go lucky relationship takes a toll when Varun out of now where comes up with a weird concept called “The Breakup Agreement”.

    On the other hand, ‘Kalaham Madhuram’ which also means ‘a fight is sweet’ is an anthology of different breakup stories set against the backdrop of different scenarios. The five episodic series features new couples in each episode and dives into the various reasons and rationales behind breakups.

     ‘Pandu’ is directed by Anusha Nanda Kumar & Sarang Sathaye and stars Suhas Sirsat & Deepak Shirke. This funny, dramatic and witty series is based on the life of the policemen and women – the brave hearts who stand tall to keep the city safe and is sure to keep you in splits.

    Adding a twist of romance and love, the other series is titled ‘Once A Year’. Directed by Mandar Kurundar, this 6 episodic series stars Mrinmayee Goldbole & Nipun Dharmadhikari that follows the romantic journey of a couple over a course of six years. Starting from their days in college to beyond, this rom com captures the true essence of friendship, love and togetherness. Both of the Marathi series will go live on 20 September.

  • The quirky ‘#IdeaChor’ campaign turns into a digital success for MX Player

    The quirky ‘#IdeaChor’ campaign turns into a digital success for MX Player

    MUMBAI: Within 7 months of launch and with 17 Originals, MX Player is India’s leading streaming platform that caters to 75 Mn Daily Active Users. However, the brand has been the talk of town for the past few days – ever since the strange #IdeaChor started trending on social media. While both the netizens and the digital gurus are intrigued by #IdeaChor, many have also reacted asking why MX Player is openly “stealing ideas”.

    But what MX Player has stolen is the attention of the viewer with this quirky gimmick of #IdeaChor for their MX Original Series – Kiska Hoga Thinkistan Season 2. This edition of the show witnessed high octane office politics and professional rivalry that turns personal with the new boss stealing ideas and then taking credit for them.

    With #IdeaChor, MX Player has shown its appreciation for brands that have set a high benchmark on digital as it aped several posts and ideas of theirs. This was an intentional attempt to give the audiences a taste of what it feels like when your ideas are stolen or taken credit for (as seen in the show). While many users are lauding the creativity of the posts despite the outright plagiarism, this digital campaign started many conversations that route back to the show.  Popular influencers like Gabbar Singh, Sagarcasm, Akshar Pathak, Trendulkar, Bollywood Gandu and Atul Khatri amongst others were also roped in to engage fanbases across categories.

    Commenting on the campaign, Abhishek Joshi, Head of Marketing and Business Partnerships, MX Player said, “Sometimes, stealing ideas turns out for the good but jokes apart, we wanted to grab the attention of the digital viewer. The campaign was conceptualized in a way to bring alive the narrative of ‘Kiska Hoga Thinkistan Season 2’. This engagement was risky, it was quirky, and it presented us with an opportunity to create conversations for a web series like never before. Be it brands, advertisers, viewers or the marketing fraternity at large – everyone has taken notice of this campaign and I am glad we caused a stir with this one.”

    A pioneering effort across categories in the OTT space, MX Player’s ‘#IdeaChor’ campaign not only received immense traction but was also deemed ‘risky yet immensely successful’.

  • MX Player becomes the only platform in India to host the most popular and longest running telenovela – ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’

    MX Player becomes the only platform in India to host the most popular and longest running telenovela – ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’

    MUMBAI: With its vast library of in-demand content, MX Player has been catering  to over 175 Mn Monthly Active Users.  Now, the world’s largest local video player and India’s leading streaming platform is stepping up efforts to serve English speaking viewers by acquiring rights to feature one of the most popular and longest running TV show in America – ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’.

    As part of its content acquisition deal with BBL Distribution, the show that is watched by around 35 million viewers in over 100 countries will now feature on MX Player, making it the only platform in India to host the show.

    Running for over 32 years, The Bold and the Beautiful has made history around the world and is now in India for audiences to binge watch at their convenience on MX Player. The show has completed over 8000 episodes and has remained relevant to its fans and viewers even today. Portraying the lives of the Forrester family and their fashion house, Forrester Creations, it delves into the life of the wealthy family and how love affairs, scandals, and betrayals affect each of the family members and their relationships with each other.

  • OTT and digital are becoming mainstream for advertisers: MXPlayer’s Abhishek Joshi

    OTT and digital are becoming mainstream for advertisers: MXPlayer’s Abhishek Joshi

    MUMBAI: With five original web-series, Times Internet-owned over-the-top (OTT) service MX Player made its grand entry in the highly contended Indian market. While the new entrant in the market has gained enough traction within six month of its launch, the platform has kept an eye on the most promising opportunity in the ecosystem, the regional belt. Since the launch, it has been taking several interesting marketing initiatives with a special focus on the marketing of Originals to create impact for the brand.

    According to a report from RedSeer, a Bangalore-based research and consulting firm, MX Player has already acquired its place in the top three list in terms of users with 176 million monthly active users. To understand its marketing strategy, interest from advertisers, key challenges of the new player, Indiantelevision.com spoke to MX Player marketing and business partnerships head Abhishek Joshi.

    Edited excerpts:

    From local video player to a streaming service – what are the marketing initiatives you are taking to change the brand image among users?

    The biggest opportunity we face lies in the question itself. The paradigm shift from offline to online and educating the user of the same is the task we were faced with. I think the biggest step we took was rebranding ourselves and creating the brand promise of “Everytainment”. This word brilliantly echoes our brand ethos and encapsulates all that we offer – which essentially is entertainment suiting your every need, want, mood, reason or season. Our approach for this messaging to reach the consumer stretches from associating with brands across demographics/categories, TV, radio and print (enabling us to reach out to those that are not present on the internet) and social + digital mediums to name a few. The marketing of our Originals is yet another avenue to create impact for the brand and we do so by bringing you innovative campaigns that appeal to varied palettes.

    How are you leveraging the strength of your own network?

    Many in the OTT market are players who are backed by large broadcasters and each uses the might of its network which is challenged by their own set of pros and cons. But having said that – it’s always an added edge that weighs in when needed.

    Are OTT platforms, in general, seeing good interest from advertisers? Has it increased this year?

    There’s no getting around the fact that OTT and corresponding advertising offerings are in hyper drive as more content and advertising inventory becomes available. The OTT and digital window is becoming mainstream to most advertisers so this definitely seems to be a trend that is here to stay.

    A lot of campaigns are going digital-first. The way advertising is targeted to the user changes when you have a mobile in your hand. It’s the only entertainment device you carry with you 24*7. Advertisers see OTT as a compelling proposition: a high quality, brand-safe environment allowing for targeted ads along with a means for even better audience segmentation.

    We, in fact, encourage branded content as an option as well which leads to great brand visibility. For example, our association with Too Yumm! for our show Love OK Please has seen great results for us as well as the brand.

    What are the key challenges MX Player is facing in terms of marketing?

    There has been a rise in the number of platforms and hence in the number of shows which presents marketers with an opportunity to make a mark with impactful campaigns. With everyone trying to bite into the same pie, the only edge one has is to be relevant to viewers, position the brand in a way that is simple to understand and yet compels them to be engaged which I believe is the biggest challenge for any marketer today.

    Are you doing targeted advertising while attracting new consumers? Which are the key demographics you are attracting?

    Big pivots are happening. From a marketing perspective, it’s really how you engage your viewers, use your data to target and make sure your messaging is reaching the right customer at the right time. As MX Player’s TG is digitally driven, we incorporate the digital and social mediums in all our marketing strategies and tactics.

    Our approach is always dependent on the story and the narrative of what the series consists of. Based on that, we decide the route, medium and strategy to use for a particular show.

    Our app caters to not just the top 8 cities but also a lot of tier II and tier III markets. The regional belt is an area that we are actively trying to nurture and build.

    Which are the brands showing more interest in your content? Which are the new brands coming on-board?

    These are announcements that we will make alongside the launch of the respective series. But currently, the platform sees a lot of  ad traction coming in categories like FMCG, ecommerce, technology, telecommunication, banking and automobile with brands like OnePlus, Vivo, P&G, KFC, Reckitt and LIC amongst others.

  • MX Player’s first integrated content partnership proves to be a success

    MX Player’s first integrated content partnership proves to be a success

    MUMBAI: Carving a niche for themselves in the OTT market, MX Player – India’s largest entertainment platform, believes in curating content that provides ‘Everytainment’ to its viewers. The app which integrates the local media player with a wide library of online content and music on the same platform has won the hearts of its viewers with its MX Original Series’ as well.

    MX Original Series – ‘Love Ok Please’, powered by Too Yumm! hosted by Karan Wahi is a 12-episode travel reality show that explores the possibility of love on the road. Too Yumm! came on board as the powered by sponsor for the series that fit the bill as a seamless product integration as all of us do give into binging and indulging in snacks while travelling. What more can you ask for if they come in multiple flavors and are healthy too.

     “Too Yumm! has a stated purpose of liberating the Indian youth of unhealthy snacks. The brand is a new age snacks brands where all products are ‘baked not fried, high on taste and available in more than 25 different flavours!  So you will always have something new and exciting to keep you company. During travel and exploration, we usually prefer being accompanied with bingeing snacks and Too Yumm! would be your best travel buddy! The audience for Love OK Please matches our consumer profile hence, it is the perfect fit” said Anupam Bokey, CMO RP Sanjiv Goenka Group FMCG

    The integrations for the brand saw prominent presence within the show as well as seamless product placements in the tasks. Moreover, the brand name (Too Yumm!’) and associations of ‘Baked & Not Fried’ were integrated well and reinforced through tastefully created Brand Experiences and Exposures.

    The efficacy of the branded content association was measured in association with Kantar, with results proving to be effective in creating Brand Impact and delivering significant uplifts across the Awareness and Persuasion measures

    Detailing about the study, Kavita Chand – Associate Vice President at Kantar said “Kantar partnered with MX Player to measure the impact of the association of the Brand, ‘Too Yumm!’ with their original web series, ‘Love OK Please’. In that context, Kantar conducted a Brand Lift Insights’ survey among the viewers and non-viewers of the show, and probed on specific brand parameters shared by Too Yumm. The research outcomes showcased the effectiveness of the ‘Too Yumm’ content integration in delivering a significant impact on the Brand, across the funnel. Even in comparison to our normative database of India-studies, the campaign has performed very well.”

    Adding a new feather to its cap, the campaign won big at the coveted ScreenXX Summit Awards which recognises excellence in digital video content and seeks to felicitate initiatives that are innovative, creative and effective. MX Player took home the Gold Award in the ‘Best Integration of Branded Content in a Hindi Web Original’ category for the Too Yumm integration in MX Original Series Love Ok Please.

    Elaborating on the same, Viraj Jit Singh – Head of Revenue at MX Player said, “Branded content represents a new approach to advertising; it’s exciting and entertaining, customers seek it out and share it with practically no prompting at all. We, at MX Player, are constantly looking at integrations that suit the content offerings we have which is relevant for all; us, the brand and our audience. The Too Yumm! Association for Love Ok Please made for a great fit conceptually.  Our strategy was to promote the brand through in-show branding, in-stream video mid-rolls as well as an eminent brand logo presence that would meet the objective of promoting a healthier indulgence in snacking as per the brand mandate. This study proves that the association has delivered significant uplifts across the awareness and persuasion measures for the brand, translating into a success story for us.”

    The survey results further showed that the inclusion of both the audio-visual elements, integration of the brand attributes into the theme, and the presence and prominence of the ‘Too Yumm!’ branding were effective in generating the desired impact. The brand favourability amongst men and women across the age group of 15-35 increased by 17% and purchase intent increased by 21%.

    Deeming this association as the first branded content success for MX Player, the brand is now set to achieve newer and higher benchmarks with its brand integration strategies.

  • Breaking the Digital Code at the 2nd Edition of The Advertising Club’s D-CODE

    Breaking the Digital Code at the 2nd Edition of The Advertising Club’s D-CODE

    Mumbai : India’s digital ecosystem has over the last few years taken significant growth strides by playing a decisive role in scripting success stories for many brands. An evening dedicated to showcasing and deliberating on these inspiring stories saw the best media, marketing and advertising brands come together at the value-driven, learning event – The Advertising Club’s D-CODE presented by MX Player and powered by Tik Tok Ads. A curated panel of 13 industry though leaders inspired and stirred conversations by sharing an example of their own best work, one work they admire and 3 learnings they would want to share with the audience.

    Addressing the forum were Amarjit Singh Batra, Managing Director, Spotify; Jogesh Lulla, COO, Corner Stone Sport and Entertainment; versatile Standup Comedian, Musician & Filmmaker, Kenny Sabastian; Karan Bedi, CEO, MX Player; Mustafa Ghouse, Chief Operating Officer, JSW Sports Pvt Ltd; Nirmal Pulickal, Head – Facebook Creative Shop, Facebook; Partha Sinha, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, McCann Worldgroup; Rashi Goel, VP- Consumer Communication Media, CRM & NHW, Nestle; Sachin Sharma, Director – Sales & Partnerships;  Bytedance (Tik Tok); Sidharth Rao, CEO & Co-Founder, Dentsu Webchutney; Srivats TS, VP Marketing, Swiggy; Sumeet Narang, Vice-President – Marketing, Bajaj Auto and Vikas Agnihotri, Country Director, Google.

    Vikram Sakhuja, President, The Advertising Club, opened the evening saying: “With D-Code we aim to break the definitive code of digital marketing. Today, most marketers are exploring various formats, forms and platforms to bring business value using digital marketing and the insights of our speakers today will go a long way in paving the best success stories for the industry in the coming years.”

    Aditya Swamy – Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club said: “The goal of D-Code is to inspire and be inspired. With a range of speakers from across the eco system showing work by brands, platforms and talent, I hope we were able to raise the bar and give marketers thought starters to crack the Massive digital opportunity.”

    Punitha Arumugam – Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club said: "26 case studies and 39 tips on digital in one evening was time well spent. We had great feedback from the audience with inputs on how to make D-CODE even larger and better in 2020."

    The five key learnings that the advertising, digital and marketing fraternity can take back from D-CODE 2019 are:

    1) It’s not the output but the outcome that matters in the digital world.

    2) Same customer consumes differently hence platforms matter.

    3) Connect customer data across touch points for a holistic view of the market.

    4) Plan ahead so you can be relevant and always answer ‘what’s in it for me’ for the customer.

    5) Learn to create before you sell as technology changes, but people don’t.

    With a galaxy of the who’s who of the media, advertising and digital industries in attendance, the second edition of D-CODE established once again established that knowledge sharing is the way to success for all.

  • Its time tonight to break the digital code with 13 industry stalwarts at the Advertising Club’s India Digital Review – “D-CODE” presented by MX Player

    Its time tonight to break the digital code with 13 industry stalwarts at the Advertising Club’s India Digital Review – “D-CODE” presented by MX Player

    7th August 2019: After the phenomenal success of the first edition addressing the drivers of the tectonically shifting brand ecosystem, The Advertising Club is all set for the 2nd edition of D-CODE presented by MX Player and powered by Tik Tok Ads to be held tonight in Mumbai.  

    The last edition saw the best minds in digital, media and marketing come together to share insights and learning from the evolving digital ecosystems. The upcoming edition to be held on 7th August, 2019, 6.30 pm onwards @ Taj Lands End, Mumbai will continue to drive idea exchange with 13 Industry game changers showcasing best in class digital campaigns by their own brands and celebrating other inspiring digital campaigns, all in just 10 -minutes each. Each speaker showcase will include:

    One best work of theirs
    One best work by another brand
    3 tips to crack the digital code

    The first round of stalwarts confirmed to speak at D-CODE include
    Bajaj Auto: Sumeet Narang, Vice-President, Marketing
    Bytedance (Tik Tok): Sachin Sharma, Director, Sales & Partnerships
    Corner Stone Sport and Entertainment: Jogesh Lulla, COO
    Dentsu Webchutney: Sidharth Rao, CEO & Co-Founder
    Facebook: Nirmal Pulickal, Head – Facebook Creative Shop
    Google: Vikas Agnihotri, Country Director
    JSW Sports Pvt Ltd: Mustafa Ghouse, Chief Operating Officer
    MX Player: Karan Bedi, CEO
    McCann Worldgroup: Partha Sinha, Vice Chairman and Managing Director
    Nestle: Rashi Goel, VP- Consumer Communication Media, CRM & NHW
    Spotify: Amarjit Singh Batra, Managing Director
    Swiggy: Srivats TS, VP Marketing
    Kenny Sabastian:  Standup Comedian, Musician & Filmmaker

    D-CODE, the Digital Review 2019 will reflect on the work presented by brands across digital platforms from April 2018-June 2019. The Review is slated to be tonight on 7th August, 2019, 6.30pm onwards @ Taj Lands’ End, Mumbai

  • MX Player amps up its regional slate with 3 new language love stories

    MX Player amps up its regional slate with 3 new language love stories

    MUMBAI: Recognising the under-served audiences in Tier II/ Tier III cities and their need for differentiated content – MX Player amps up its regional slate with 3 exciting language web series’. These 3 MX Exclusive Series & Mirchi Play Originals bring viewers endearing love stories in Marathi, Tamil and Gujarati that feature some of the best talent in the industry.

    Relive your magical firsts in the 6 episodic Marathi web series – Aani Kay Hava that is directed by Varun Narvekar of Muramba fame and stars real life couple Priya Bapat and Umesh Kamat in the lead. It went live on 16 July and has been receiving a great response from audiences for the sweet narrative and the duo’s chemistry. 

    With Tamil web series ‘Kalyanam Conditions Apply 2.0’ – the much loved Mirchi Senthil and his wife Sreeja bring you the 6-episode version of what marriage actually entails because even holy matrimony, like all other important life decisions come with that little asterisk that says conditions apply. Watch their love, everyday banter and camaraderie unfold in relatable situations which every couple goes though. The series has been streaming on the platform since 22July.

    Gujarati rom-com Do Not Disturb follows the conversations that flow in the bedroom of a modern couple essayed by Manasi Parekh Gohil and Malhar Thakar that is directed by Sandeep Patel of Love Ni Bhavai acclaim and penned by writers Mitai Shukla & Nehal Bakshi. The series has been streaming for free 26July onwards on MX Player.

    Elaborating on this development, Karan Bedi – CEO, MX Player said, “One of our key propositions for the year is to have a sharply segmented demographic focus so that viewers can consume entertainment in a language of their choice. I believe viewers of regional content will only continue to grow and as content creators – we must increasingly cater to this TG.”

  • MX Player now on Amazon Fire TV Stick and Android TV

    MX Player now on Amazon Fire TV Stick and Android TV

    MUMBAI: Emerging as the one-stop-shop for all things entertainment, MX Player – India’s leading streaming platform is now going beyond your mobile phones and will feature on Amazon Fire TV Stick and Android TV.  The entertainment app offers viewers an online content library with multi-genre and multilingual MX Original series’, the best in class offline video playing capabilities and audio music all on one common platform.

    Elaborating on the app being available on the bigger screen via these streaming devices, Karan Bedi – CEO, MX Player said, “With entertainment at the core of our product, our vision is to bring viewers content that can be streamed anytime, anywhere and at a screen of their choosing – be it on their handheld devices or on the large screen. Also, featuring on Amazon Fire TV Stick and Android TV helps us to both, consolidate and expand our existing consumer base.”

    With the recent boom in the sales of high definition TVs across Tier II and Tier III markets, content consumption patterns have evolved with an increased appreciation of an immersive viewing experience. More so, OTT content is poised to grow with innovative technology that will make for immersive, experiential and engaging viewing.

    Speaking about the same, Karan said, “Our Originals are curated keeping in mind production values par excellence, stories that are relevant and a talent pool which brings alive the narrative – be it the actors, directors or writers. The cinematic experience that we bring viewers for free combined with the sheer scale of our content will further be amplified on the big screen and we are glad to be present on these streaming devices.”

  • Hotstar dominates OTT reach statistics

    Hotstar dominates OTT reach statistics

    MUMBAI: Star India-led Hotstar is the chart leader of the Indian OTT market. According to a report by Data Intelligence & Management Platform KalaGato, Hotstar has the highest 'Reach by Install' of 45.88 per cent as of March 2019.

    As per the report, Hotstar leads the reach followed by newest entrant Times Internet-led  MX Player with 41.4 per cent 'Reach by Install'. Moreover, the former also leads the chart in terms of market share by install with 23.8 per cent.

    “Combined with quality content, Hotstar’s investment in cricket streaming rights has helped it garner tremendous market share,” KalaGato chief business officer Aman Kumar said. “MX Player was originally a popular video player app that Times Internet bought in early 2018 and turned into an online streaming platform. This allowed it to enter the market with a large download base that had already installed the app,” he added.

    Hotstar, which till last year relied on sports, catch-up content and films, decided to take a leap into content early this year with a new vertical called “Hotstar Specials” to offer premium shows. While it already has a strong foothold in the advertising-led business model, Hotstar Specials has been launched to scale up subscription revenue.

    Source: Data from KalaGato

    Reliance Jio’s OTT service app Jio TV has increased its reach by install gradually since last year and is now at 34.08 per cent. Both international players Amazon Prime Video and Netflix have increased their reach significantly. While the former stood with 17.06 per cent , the latter stood with 10.37 per cent. Netflix has already announced five new original series on Tuesday. Its international rival Amazon Prime Video has recently unveiled the trailer of its popular series Comicstaan along with premiering a number of titles both in Hindi and regional languages. 

    According to a report by global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), India’s video streaming industry is all set to grow at a CAGR of 21.82 per cent to reach Rs 11,977 crore by 2023. It added that the OTT video industry will record the highest growth rate among all segments and drive evolution over the next four years in the overall media and entertainment industry.