MUMBAI: OTT platform Netflix and the video game company BioWare have announced a new animated series Dragon Age: Absolution. It will debut on Netflix this December.
Created in collaboration with BioWare (creators of the Dragon Age video game franchise), Dragon Age: Absolution is set in Tevinter.
It will feature new characters inspired by Dragon Age lore, including elves, mages, knights, Qunari, Red Templars, demons and other special surprises. Additional details will be announced in due course.
MUMBAI: OTT platform Netflix has announced that actor Ranveer Singh teams up with Bear Grylls for India’s first interactive adventure reality special produced by Banijay Asia in association with The Natural Studios. It will premiere on 8 July. Singh takes off on a date with nature, fending for himself, and learning new survival skills as he ventures into the depths of the wild to find a rare flower for his lady love in the harsh forests of Serbia – all while the viewers get to pick the course of his escapades.
Produced by Banijay Asia and The Natural Studios, ‘Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls’ gives viewers a chance to join Ranveer on his journey, choose every step in the adventure and be a part of the action. Bear Grylls and Ranveer’s dynamic pairing will bring forth the ultimate adventure reality to audiences globally.
Netflix India VP content Monika Shergill said, “We are excited to take audiences on the ultimate adventure with the high octane and unstoppable Ranveer Singh and the world’s best survival expert, Bear Grylls in ‘Ranveer vs Wild. with Bear Grylls’’. Netflix brings India’s first-ever interactive adventure special that will give audiences all over the world the controls to test Ranveer Singh, as he pushes his boundaries in this adrenaline-pumping experience of a lifetime.”
Banijay Asia founder, CEO Deepak Dhar said, “Ranveer vs Wild. with Bear Grylls is a huge step in pushing the envelope of interactive reality TV and we are elated to bring this exciting special to Netflix members across the world. While the world is familiar with Ranveer’s electrifying spirit and adventurous side, with this show, we’ll see the best of both sides coming out as he embarks on his quest for love. We are thrilled to bring this power-packed duo of Ranveer Singh and Bear Grylls together to take the adventure of a lifetime and shoot the entertainment quotient through the roof.”
Mumbai: Global advertising expenditure is expected to grow 8 per cent in 2022, according to Zenith’s latest Advertising Expenditure Forecasts report, which was released on Wednesday. This represents a minor downgrade from a little over 9 per cent growth rate provided by Zenith in December 2021.
The Winter Olympics, the mid-term US elections, and the soccer World Cup, which will be held for the first time in the most advertising-intensive period of the year, the run-up to Christmas, will all help to boost growth. Faced with this difficult comparison, the growth will slow down to 5.4 per cent in 2023, before the Summer Olympics and US presidential elections help boost it to 7.6 per cent in 2024.
Zenith’s forecasts for North America, MENA and Western Europe this year are unchanged at 12 per cent, 7 per cent and 6 per cent growth respectively. Latin America was downgraded slightly from 9 per cent to 8 per cent, but the Asia Pacific was upgraded from 6 per cent to 7 per cent, thanks to a very strong performance from India.
Severe disruption in Russia and its closest trading partners after the invasion of Ukraine will lead to a 26 per cent decline in ad spend in Central & Eastern Europe, even though most other markets in the region will continue to grow.
Ad spend has remained on track despite the macroeconomic headwinds that emerged this year. High inflation, concentrated in essentials like heating, petrol, and food, is forcing consumers to reprioritise their spending, particularly the less well-off, and has led to a drop in consumer confidence.
But for now, consumer spending continues to grow, as consumers demonstrate their strong appetite for the travel and entertainment experiences that were denied to them over the pandemic. Business confidence is generally high, corporate investment is rising, and there is little evidence of widespread cost-cutting.
India to lead growth with 21 per cent expansion this year
Global ad spend is expected to increase by $58 billion in 2022, rising to $781 billion from $723 billion in 2021. Most of the new ad dollars will come from the US, which is forecast to expand by $33 billion in 2022, driven by continued, rapid digital transformation, accounting for 57 per cent of all the money added to the ad market this year.
China, Japan, and the UK come next, supplying 9.1 per cent, 6.2 per cent, and 5.8 per cent of new ad dollars, respectively. India is in fifth place, accounting for 4.6 per cent of the growth in ad spend this year, even though it is only the 12th largest ad market. India will be the fastest-growing market in percentage terms, expanding by 20.8 per cent, driven by election advertising and the resumption of festivals that were cancelled at the height of the pandemic.
Zenith India chief executive officer Jai Lala said, “India continues to have a robust adex growth on the back of digital and TV. Key categories continue to be led by FMCG and the new app-based clients in the area of fintech, edutech, food tech amongst others.”
Higher prices in traditional channels accelerate shift to digital alternatives
The sustained growth in demand from advertisers is pushing up media inflation, particularly in television, where the supply of audiences is falling steadily as viewers switch to alternatives. Price rises vary widely for different audiences in different countries, but the global average cost of television advertising across all audiences is expected to rise by 11 per cent-13 per cent this year.
Online video prices are expected to increase by about 7 per cent, although in this case the supply of audiences is rising. Other digital channels where supply is climbing and volumes are flexible are inflating only modestly, with three per cent average price rises forecast for social media and other digital displays.
Out-of-home and radio prices will go up about four per cent this year, while print prices will remain stable, because demand for advertising in printed publications is falling as rapidly as readership.
Brands that simply buy broad audiences to reach targets will not be able to avoid having to spend more to reach the same audiences. But brands that use first-party data to identify their most profitable customers, and combine it with third-party data to target their best prospects in the most efficient channels, will be able to mitigate much of the effect of media inflation.
The huge and growing volume of digital content consumption is making it more effective for brands to scale by aggregating digital audiences. Zenith predicts 62 per cent of ad budgets will be spent on digital media in 2022, up from 59 per cent in 2021, and that this proportion will reach 65 per cent in 2024.
Zenith Global Chief Strategy Officer Ben Lukawski said, “In a world where trading is becoming dominated by auctions, competitive advantage is achieved not by scale, but by data.”
“Inflation will hit cheap reach buyers hard, but brands that make smart use of their data will manage costs and grow their business at the same time,” he added.
Online video overtakes social media as the fastest-growing channel
Online video is now predicted to be the fastest-growing channel over the next three years: Zenith forecasts it will grow 15.4 per cent a year on average between 2021 and 2024, driven by the rapid development of connected TV, ad-funded video-on-demand, streaming and other video formats.
Connected TV is now a mainstream video platform in the US, with a higher penetration than cable TV, and is becoming established in other markets, especially in Western Europe and Asia Pacific. The introduction of cheaper ad-funded tiers by SVOD services like Netflix and Disney+ will boost growth further by providing new high-quality environments for brand communication.
Mixed video-on-demand models that combine subscriptions with advertising will also help online video audiences continue to grow across the world by recruiting consumers unwilling or unable to afford the growing roster of subscription-only services. Zenith expects online video ad spend to rise from $62 billion in 2021 to $95 billion in 2024.
Online video will overtake social media, the fastest-growing channel for the previous nine years. Social media ad spend (which includes video ads in social media feeds) is still forecast to grow at an average rate of 15.1 per cent a year between 2021 and 2024, propelled by rising competition among platforms that is driving continued innovation on formats and closer integration with commerce.
Meta’s share of social media ad spend outside China has been falling steadily since it peaked at 89 per cent in 2019, reaching 85 per cent in 2021 as TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Pinterest gained market share. Zenith forecasts social media ad spend will rise from $153 billion in 2021 to $187 billion in 2022, when it will account for 25 per cent of expenditure on advertising across all media.
Cinema and out-of-home will take third and fourth place among the fastest-growing media, averaging 11.9 per cent and 8 per cent annual growth between 2021 and 2024, respectively.
These are still recovering from the deep losses they suffered in 2020 and 2021 when cinemas were closed, and consumers were confined indoors. Cinema and out-of-home have a lot of ground to make up, however, and are taking their time to do so. Many brands that were forced to find alternatives, often digital, have found them effective, and see little need to shift their budgets back again.
Zenith expects cinema ad spend to reach $3.9 billion in 2024, well below its pre-pandemic level of $4.8 billion in 2019, while out-of-home will reach $45.0 billion in 2024, exceeding the $42.3 billion it achieved in 2019 for the first time.
Linear television advertising will grow by 1.1 per cent a year on average between 2021 and 2024, from $173.6 billion to $179.2 billion, as price rises continue to compensate for loss of audiences. This ongoing decline in reach and efficiency will drive brands to digital channels, however, including online video. Television’s share of total ad spend is forecast to fall from 24.6 per cent in 2021 to 20.8 per cent in 2024, while online video’s share increases from 8.8 per cent to 11.1 per cent.
“Online video is growing by creating new opportunities for building brand awareness, complemented by social media’s capacity for cost-effective targeting with low barriers to entry,” said Zenith Head of Forecasting Jonathan Barnard. “Online video is steadily narrowing the spending gap with television, and will be half as large as television by 2024.”
Mumbai: The number of original and exclusive titles in Netflix’s US catalogue accounted for more than 50 per cent of all available content for the first time in the company’s history in March 2022, according to a report.
Ampere’s Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) tracking data indicates that there are now over 3,700 original-branded (i.e. original and exclusive) movies and TV seasons in the Netflix US library, which has consistently offered around 7,000 titles over the last three years.
Among the major SVoD platforms, Netflix is second only to the much smaller Apple TV+ in its focus on original-branded content. It’s far ahead of fellow longstanding streaming incumbents Amazon Prime Video (9 per cent) and Hulu (4 per cent).
Netflix’s original content investment reached $6.2 billion in 2021. Originals have been a major focus of Netflix’s content strategy. In September 2016, when originals and exclusives accounted for only 5 per cent of its US catalogue, the then CFO David Wells set a target of a 50/50 split between original and licensed titles within the next few years. This transition to the majority of original titles is a product of Netflix’s market-leading spending.
Content data shows that the group has outspent every other SVoD company on original content each year since 2013 and has consistently increased its yearly investment. Netflix’s original content spend peaked at $6.2 billion in 2021, more than double the next highest spender, Disney+, with $2.8 billion.
Netflix owns some of the most-watched SVoD content, including Bridgerton. Such investment has helped make Netflix a prominent distributor of popular content. Ampere’s proprietary Popularity score indicates that across Q1 2022, Netflix originals and exclusives accounted, on average, for 12 per cent of the 100 most popular titles available on SVoD in the US, the highest share of any SVoD platform.
Notable titles include the final season of crime series Ozark and the second season of period drama Bridgerton, which recently became the most-watched English-language TV series on Netflix.
Ampere Analysis analyst Joe Hall said, “Netflix’s increasing content self-sufficiency is necessary for today’s streaming market. The rise of studio-led direct-to-consumer platforms has led to a shrinking pool of licensable content as studios prefer to keep productions in-house. Original content also allows platforms to offer exclusive titles internationally without additional licensing costs. This is particularly important as Netflix sets its sight on acquiring more international subscribers to compensate for maturity in developed markets.”
75 percent of titles on Netflix will be original or exclusive by the end of 2024. Under current growth rates, Ampere estimates that 75 per cent of the movies and TV seasons available on Netflix will be either originals or exclusives by the end of 2024.
Mumbai: Netflix is ramping up its original series slate for 2022. Its upcoming original shows include Scoop helmed by Hansal Mehta about the Jyotirmay Dey (J Dey) murder case, Guns and Gulaabs led by the duo Raj and Dk, CAT starring Randeep Hooda and directed by Balwinder Singh Janjua and Heeramandi led by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. “The Indian content market is maturing with every story,” Netflix India series head Tanya Bami tells Indiantelevision.com. “Creators, writers and directors are bringing forward their best work on OTT.”
The OTT platform has ordered the second seasons of Jamtara, Masaba Masaba, The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives. It has recently released shows such as The Fame Game starring Madhuri Dixit, Mai: A Mother’s Rage featuring Sakshi Tanwar, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein and Kapil Sharma’s comedy special I’m Not Done Yet. “We’ve built out a really dynamic content slate title by title over the last four months, says Bami. “The last four months have seen eight shows launched by Netflix. The intensity at which we’re putting out content is fairly unmatched in the Indian landscape. Netflix is going to double the excitement over the next two years.”
Cursoring through Netflix India originals on Wikipedia, the company has put out an impressive range of content. It has intriguing docu-series such as Bad Boy Billionaires: India and House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths, it offers riveting drama series like Delhi Crime and Call My Agent: Bollywood, it has fun unscripted series such as Indian Matchmaking and The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives and ambitious original films such as Minnal Murali and Jagame Thandhiram. It has yet to build any lasting franchises yet the OTT giant continues its bold approach to creating content.
“What’s unique about us is that we tell very distinct stories with a lot of passion,” says Bami. “The ideas and concepts stick with us members. When you remember a story after watching it, I think that’s the true victory of the storyteller. There’s also a cinematic quality that we bring that is akin to the big screen experience in your living room. We offer a variety of genres, moods, creators and there’s a different creative experience with every title.”
Netflix launched 28 India originals in 2021 including 15 films, eight series, five non-fiction titles, 11 genres, seven languages and eight formats. Moreover, it has worked with more than 70 different production houses till date with 70 per cent of them working on more than two projects for Netflix. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently at the Economic Times Global Business Summit said that “India is a land of a billion stories. The opportunity is so large and the storytelling appetite is so big. As we get the storytelling right, the rest will fall into place.”
Global streamers have been criticised for playing the volume game in local markets and missing out on the essential ingredient that is quality, especially, compared to western shows. Many believe this is why Indian original shows have not traversed the world much like a Money Heist, Squid Game or Dark.
“To not recognise the contribution made by our creators at a global level and at an India level would be a little bit unfair as there are such amazing stories coming out whether it is one Netflix or any competing platform,” says Bami. “The world is recognising India’s content. Delhi Crime has won an International Emmy award. Our series like The Fame Game and Sacred Games are watched across 15-20 countries outside India. It’s time to be proud of Indian content,” she added.
Elaborating on Netflix India’s content strategy, Bami states, “The idea is to capture a diverse audience segment because we feel everybody wants to watch something different. Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein is about the gender dynamic being subverted in the hinterlands (where we assume men have the power), Aranyak delves into Indian folklore, the moment when Kapil Sharma speaks about his father in his stand-up special, I’m Not Done Yet was memorable for audiences.
Adding further, she says, “Like Ted (Sarandos) said recently, ‘India is a land of a billion stories’, a billion stories that are untold. We want to be a part of the zeitgeist and capture the imagination of audiences and that comes by working very closely with dynamic minds who’ve had varied experiences of this culture. They have experienced this country which they put into their stories that they create for us.”
Netflix is largely perceived as a metro brand due to its high concept shows and anthology series. It is ready to shed that brand image and dive deeper into the Indian market. “Our show Mai: A Mother’s Rage is set in Lucknow and features actor Saakshi Tanwar who is popular with the broader TV audience. That is our way to open up a backdrop and milieu and unlock that audience segment for Netflix,” explains Bami.
“We’re also excited to work with South creators and content which is actively under development as we look to penetrate the south market,” notes Bami. “We’ve had early successes with shows like Navrasa, Paava Kadhaigal, Minnal Murali and have so much more lined-up.”
“Nothing is more important to us than to succeed in India and we realise that we have to go deeper within. We must reach out to a more diverse audience set,” concludes Bami.
Mumbai: Bharti Airtel on Monday announced the launch of new bundled plans for its home broadband customers. The highest tier plan at Rs 1,599 includes subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar. All the plans include subscriptions to 14 OTT (over-the-top) platforms and 350 TV channels and speeds up to 300 mbps.
The new Airtel Xstream fiber broadband plans include single-login access to the OTT platforms SonyLIV, Eros Now, Lionsgate Play, Hoichoi, ManoramaMax, ShemarooMe, Ultra, Hungama Play, EpicOn, DivoTV, Klikk, Nammaflix, Dollywood and Shorts TV for customers who purchase the Airtel 4K Hybrid TV Box.
The home broadband market has grown by 2X while the number of OTT has jumped from 9 in 2012 to 40+ in 2021. Bharti Airtel has launched the new bundle plans keeping in mind the entertainment needs of connected TV homes.
Bharti Airtel CEO – homes Vir Inder Nath said, “Our new plans are built for India’s emerging entertainment needs. Through these bundle offers we plan to offer our discerning customers great value, convenience and unlock a multi-faceted digital experience.”
“Increased broadband consumption in Indian homes has given rise to the phenomena of hybrid viewing, where families are looking to consume OTT content on the TV screen along with linear TV without the hassle of managing multiple subscriptions and devices,” he said in a statement.
Mumbai: Berklee Valencia and Netflix India have joined forces to create a Music Supervisor Workshop. The workshop aims to train the next generation of music supervisors to support online content production.
Berklee and Netflix’s three-day workshop aims to help producers and music supervisors understand how to collaborate more effectively, enabling participants to have an open conversation about music workflow, and how to efficiently manage strategy, planning, and budget to maximize the production value of a title.
After the success of international series such as Money Heist (La Casa de Papel), Squid Game, and The Fame Game, Berklee and Netflix’s Grow Creative initiative partnered to develop the workshop for a group of aspiring music supervisors in India. Workshop participants had the opportunity to collaborate with composers and post-production supervisors across a range of films, series and non-fiction projects.
At the conclusion of the pilot workshop, which took place in Mumbai participants received music supervision certificates issued by Berklee Valencia and Netflix. The ceremony was attended by the renowned Indian music composer duo Ajay-Atul, who interacted with the workshop participants. Ajay-Atul have been composing music for close to two decades and have produced memorable soundtracks such as Sairat.
Speaking of this collaboration Berklee Valencia senior vice president of international learning environments and executive director María Martínez Iturriaga said “Music plays a key role in the construction of a story, and that’s why the role of a music supervisor is so critical in the success of an audio-visual creation. I can’t think of a better partner than Netflix to develop this innovative training program.”
He added, “In this workshop, participants get a global perspective of the role of the music supervisor, contextualizing it to the Indian market while acquiring a tangible series of skills that they can immediately apply to develop their careers.”
Berklee’s workshop modules focused on creative management and legal aspects of the music industry. Through a series of master classes and case study presentations, instructors shared their expertise on topics including music supervision, copyright and contract management, A&R (artists and repertoire) for creative supervision, and composer strategy and spotting.
Netflix India music creative and production team Ramprasad Sundar said “At Netflix, we are deeply invested in building the creative community with skills and knowledge to continue to add value to the entertainment industry.”
“The Music Supervisor Workshop was rolled out in partnership with Berklee Valencia, and it received an enthusiastic response from the participants. We’ll continue to strive for excellence by bringing in global best practices and workflows to build and nurture the next generation of music talent,” he added.
MUMBAI: In celebration of the upcoming return of the show Stranger Things, OTT platform Netflix did a global marketing initiative. Rifts appeared on iconic monuments around the globe. As part of this unique initiative, The Gateway of India joined the world stage alongside a special list of 15 landmarks (across 14 countries), such as the Empire State Building in New York, Duomo Square in Milan, Bondi Beach in Australia, Malecon Barranquilla in Colombia and The Wawel Castle in Krakow, amongst others to capture the love of the fans and showcase the show’s most unforgettable moments.
In anticipation of Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 which premieres today 27 May 2022, Mumbai was treated to a celebration for the fans with a one of a kind projection mapping of the city’s tourist landmark – The Gateway of India. Taking over the night skies of Mumbai, the heritage monument was lit up with a larger than life display of popular elements from the series. In a grand reveal the iconic monument turned into a massive canvas, giving us glimpses of our favourite characters including Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max and the gang, along with all the mayhem that’s in store for them in the Upside Down.
Netflix added that since the launch of its first season in 2016, Stranger Things has emerged as a pop culture phenomenon. Eleven and her friends have captured the imaginations of fans from India and the world and the rifts take them inside the story, taking them through the Upside Down and into an alternate reality. The series is enjoyed by millions of fans and is available in three Indian languages (Hindi, Tamil & Telugu).
Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and Alia Bhatt’s maiden production Eternal Sunshine’s movie “Darlings” is set to premiere on OTT platform Netflix this year. The star cast includes Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew in lead roles. This movie also brings together music composer Vishal Bharadwaj and lyricist Gulzar. The film is produced by Gauri Khan and directed by Jasmeet K Reen.
Netflix India and Alia Bhatt posted an announcement video on social media, giving fans fun moments. In the video, the entire cast is seen dodging the camera that’s following them from room-to-room, watching their words and fumbling all along when asked about the ‘Darlings’ release on Netflix.
Darlings is a dark-comedy which explores the lives of a mother-daughter duo trying to find their place in Mumbai, seeking courage and love in exceptional circumstances while fighting against all odds.
Red Chillies Entertainment writer & director Jasmeet K Reen said, “I couldn’t have asked for a better feature film debut—working with a pool of versatile and talented actors has been an absolute pleasure. I am delighted that Red Chillies and Eternal Sunshine are taking the film across the globe with Netflix.”
Bhatt, who marks her debut as a producer (Eternal Sunshine) said, ‘Darlings’ holds a very special place in my heart, it’s my first film as producer that too with Red Chillies. We are very proud and happy how the film has shaped up and we hope it will entertain and engage audiences world over.”
Red Chillies Entertainment producer & COO Gaurav Verma said, “A script nurtured inhouse, and later produced with the incredible Alia, and supported by a stellar cast in Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew, helmed by Jasmeet, who has lot of promise, ‘Darlings’ is very special to all of us. Gulzar Saab and Vishal Ji have given soul to the film with the songs. We couldn’t have asked for more. I cannot wait for the audience to finally see the film.”
Netflix India director, films and licensing Pratiksha Rao said, “At Netflix, we want to entertain our members with best in class films, across genres, made possible by collaborating with filmmakers who take big creative swings to tell diverse and compelling stories. With ‘Darlings’, we continue our long standing partnership with Red Chillies Entertainment and are excited to be the home for Alia Bhatt’s first production. ‘Darlings’, by debut director Jasmeet K Reen, is a must watch- a perfect storm of a riveting plot, fresh storytelling brought to life by powerful performances.”
Mumbai: According to a research report released recently at Connected TV World Summit, Omdia’s senior director Maria Rua Aguete said, “The number of people paying for video services in the UK has increased 11 per cent over the last year and quarter on quarter since April 2021.”
According to Aguete, despite the UK cost of living crisis, UK people are tending to spend more and certainly no less in streaming video services. In terms of dealing with rising costs, consumers prefer to cut other expenses than their own home entertainment in order to deal with the rising cost. As the survey reveals, cuts in other spending has allowed them to subscribe to extra services.
Currently, the average UK household has 2.6 pay subscription services at home, 2 Svod services and 0.6 Pay TV. Although the churn rate has increased significantly in the last 12 months.
Despite Netflix results showing a decline in global subscriptions (200,000 in Q1 2022), Netflix remains the UK’s favourite video service. It is also still the most popular SVOD service in the domestic market, the USA.
80 per cent of households in the UK have an online subscription. YouTube and BBC iPlayer tops the chart as most favourite online video services in the UK followed by Netflix. Netflix’s Svod service is still in the race with 15.5 million subscribers.
Other most popular services in the UK are: Amazon Prime Video with 10 million subscriptions and Disney Plus with 7.5 million subscriptions.
Churn has increased significantly in the last 12 months:
45 per cent more subscription video services were cancelled in the last 12 months, while overall there were 20 percent more consumers cancelling their services compared to last year, but counteracting this trend, the number of services cancelled and re-subscribed to in the last 12 months has grown by 84 per cent meaning that although more people are churning, more people are subsequently resubscribing with 50 per cent more re-subscribers in the UK now.
According to the reports, online video subscriptions will reach 2 billion in 2027. The biggest growth in the last six months comes from: Disney, Now TV, Netflix and Amazon Prime with 21 percent, 18 percent, 8 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.
Those with four streaming video services per home are the ones churning less than those who took more than seven SVOD services are among the highest churners.
Looking forward, Omdia expects that Netflix, currently in the lead in the streaming video race (Q1 2022), will still lead in five years’ time (2026) Aguete adds: “With the lowest churn rate across all streaming video services and highest lifetime value per customer, Netflix will continue and surpass Disney by 2026.”