Mumbai: California-Indian Luxury TV player, Vu Televisions is all set to launch their new range of televisions – the Vu UltraAndroid TV. The demand for Vu Televisions in the last few years has only increased and with a 30% YoY growth, this festive season, Vu Televisions is extremely bullish about their growth to double in comparison to last year.
Devita Saraf, Chairman, Vu Televisions said: “Over the years, Vu Televisions has revolutionised the video viewing experience for their consumers with a perfect mix of innovation and technology. Our consumers comprise primarily of the young, educated India whose preferences are constantly evolving. Vu Televisions caters to exactly that audience segment that is not only looking for great picture and sound quality, but new innovative experiences that are a part of their day to day lives.”
The Vu UltraAndroid TV is not just an ordinary television set, but a complete entertainment package in itself. Vu UltraAndroid TV’s exquisite clarity and immersive surround sound is an asset to the television’s features. The extraordinary resolution, impeccable connectivity and easy access to the world of Google makes the television a must-have in your living rooms.
The VU UltraAndroid television comes with a set of power packed specifications. The Vu Ultra Android TV has a Pure Prism Grade High Brightness Panel, along with exemplary Adaptive Contrast to maintain the perfect colour accuracy for pragmatic clarity. The Vu UltraAndroid TV gives an approachable access to the world of Google with an additional 8GB Storage. The ActiVoice search and personalized recommendations provide more entertainment and less hassle. The Vu UltraAndroid TV range is powered by the latest version of Google Android 9.0 and also has Hotkeys on the remote for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, YouTube and Google Play which creates an effortless experience for users while watching content. The TV set also comes with built-in Dolby and DTS Surround Sound Technologies for the best sound experience. VU Ultra Android TV has built-in Google Chrome cast feature through which one can simply casts movies, shows and photos from their Android, iOS, Mac or Windows device to your television set. It also has Built-in Bluetooth 5.0 version as well.
The range of televisions will only be available on Amazon India on 28 September 2019, exclusively for PRIME members and for non-PRIME members from 29 September 2019 onwards.
Because of the birth of Netflix, the future of television looks unpromising. The ratings of some TV shows have dropped since viewers are now able to watch their favorite shows via online streaming. That makes the future bleak for traditional TV. It’s the biggest problem? Netflix. It is the streaming goliath’s attack on the traditional programming competition. It is Netflix’s newly made-up method of distribution that has people and the TV industry unsure of its future. The distribution model of Netflix is that it puts an entire season’s episodes together and uploads it in bulk. That is because Netflix believes that it is a level-up in making the ideal experience for viewers. But then again, it may possibly mess up the structure and foundation of traditional TV beyond repair, and unintentionally take along itself down with traditional TV.
People have been doing movie marathons and spending many hours in front of a television for decades. In fact, watching television shows have been the most famous past time of almost everyone. And now, along with that, cable TV providers boom and grow well by airing marathon episodes of hit TV shows from a certain genre. In addition, purchasing DVD copies of TV shows lets fans take pleasure in watching without TV commercials. In this day and age, watchers have more freedom. They no longer have to settle for what is being shown on traditional television. Now they have the power over what to watch and when to watch.
Let’s look closely. What’s with Netflix? This new center of entertainment features and shows off catalogues of a lot of movies and TV shows. Every season – past and present – is made available with just the click of a mouse. Currently, Netflix covers one-third of all the streaming bandwidth the Internet can give. That only shows that watchers are really fascinated by it. Netflix can be likened to permissive and tolerant parents who let their children indulge. This can be a result of the “instant culture,” where people always expect instant results and instant satisfaction – instant food, instant messaging, instant streaming, instant everything!
Without a doubt, the emergence of streaming, along with how it has drastically redesigned the distribution and transfer of content to watchers, often appears to ask this question – is Netflix killing traditional TV?
Through Netflix, a tumultuous change in traditional TV triggered off. But then again, there are still individuals who prefer traditional TV watching. So if you’re one of those people, you can check out this article about the best options for satellite TV.
MUMBAI: Netflix comes back to the sitcom battle as it has landed the global streaming rights to Seinfeld. The streaming giant announced on Monday that all 180 episodes of the sitcom will be with Netflix after striking a deal with Sony Pictures Television.
Not only will Netflix offer Seinfeld in the US but also to its 151 million subscribers throughout the world in 2021. The move comes at a time when the company recently lost the streaming rights to shows like Friends and The Office.
“Seinfeld is a one-of-a-kind, iconic, culture-defining show,” Sony Pictures Television chairman Mike Hopkins said as quoted by Los Angeles Times. “Now, 30 years after its premiere, Seinfeld remains centre stage. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Netflix to bring this beloved series to current fans and new audiences around the globe,” he added.
Walt Disney-owned Hulu currently has the domestic streaming rights to Seinfeld for $130 million in a six-year deal that expires in 2021. After the deal with Hulu ends in June of that year, the deal with Netflix will kick in.
“Seinfeld is the television comedy that all television comedy is measured against,” Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos said as quoted in media reports. “It is as fresh and funny as ever and will be available to the world in 4K for the first time,” he added.
Mumbai: Netflix today announced a long-term partnership with Karan Johar's Dharmatic Entertainment to create a broad range of new fiction and non-fiction series and films exclusively for Netflix members.
As the director of eight major films and host of a successful talk show, Johar has a proven track record of telling stories that resonate with audiences all around the world. Netflix and Johar first worked together in 2018 on the much-loved film Lust Stories. He is also involved on two upcoming Netflix films – as a director on Ghost Stories and Guilty produced by Dharmatic Entertainment. Johar has an innate sense of what people care about – and a unique way of telling stories that are universal but also authentically reflect Indian society.
Bela Bajaria, VP, International Originals, Netflix, said, “I am incredibly excited about our partnership with Karan Johar – one of India’s greatest modern storytellers. Johar and Dharmatic Entertainment will have all the creative freedom and support they need to create pioneering dramas and unscripted series – as well as films – for our members all over the world.”
Karan Johar said, “With its unique creative freedom and instantaneous global reach, Netflix provides a fearless space for creators. I'm super excited about the projects we already have in development and the limitless possibilities ahead. To create universal stories from India that the world discovers is an incredible and unprecedented opportunity.”
Apoorva Mehta, CEO, Dharma Productions, said, “We’re excited about the immense storytelling possibilities ahead. With Netflix as the new storytelling home for Dharmatic Entertainment, I have the highest hopes for what we can do together. Our vision is to create differentiated stories across diverse genres and we can’t wait to craft and usher many more remarkable series and films into the world with Netflix.”
MUMBAI: Streaming giant Netflix has rolled out a new feature designed to alert subscribers about what’s new and coming soon on the platform. The new move will allow members to explore all the latest additions to the service and also get a sneak peek at what they’ll be watching next.
According to a Netflix blog, the new ‘Latest’ tab, located on the left side navigation bar, will break titles down into three helpful new categories: ‘New This Week,’ ‘Coming This Week,’ and ‘Coming Next Week.’ The three rows will reach across all content areas like drama, comedy, horror, docs, foreign, original, licensed and even kids’ content.
Moreover, users will now be able to click a ‘Remind me’ button on specific upcoming titles to receive a notification when they are available to stream.
The feature which was launched in August will continue to be rolled out by the company on eligible devices over the next few weeks. The ‘latest’ tab will be available on all Netflix enabled devices, including many game consoles and Roku devices while Smart TVs and others will get this upgrade in the coming months.
Wonderchef, one of India’s leading kitchenwarebrand,has partnered with Social Beat – a top digital marketing solutions company – to build a strong brand through the digital platform. As per the mandate, Social Beat will manage the digital communication, including videos, social media and more, across various product verticals of the brand in order to reach its target audience. Wonderchef wants to leverage digital marketing to present informative content around cooking and engage with consumers who want to upgrade their culinary skills.
To keep up with the going-on-a-binge trend of TV shows and food consumption, Wonderchef has been focusing on putting various products from their line that help with healthy living. One of them is Wonderchef’s line of Air Fryers that help keep your binge-eating at bay. By posting relatable content on their social media pages, including one that joins in on the excitement over the return of Netflix’s TV show ‘Sacred Games’, these social posts have been a huge hit among all youngsters, garnering high engagement among their target audience.
Commenting on this partnership and digital initiatives for Wonderchef, Panisa Shah, Social Beat’s Creative Head said, “With an icon such as chef Sanjeev Kapoor spearheading Wonderchef, which is revolutionizing the way we look at cookware and kitchen appliances, we are excited to partner with them in their digital journey. We have vibrant plans to build a healthy cookware brand digitally through creatively curated social content and engaging video formats, which will be instrumental in positioning the brand as the go-to cooking expert that makes cooking simple, tastier and convenient for everyone.”
MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel (Airtel), India’s largest integrated telecommunications services provider, today announced the launch of its converged digital entertainment play: Airtel Xstream.
Airtel Xstream is part of Airtel’s vision of building a world-class digital entertainment ecosystem for Digital India and make it accessible to customers through innovative devices and exciting applications. Over the coming months, Airtel plans to roll out a range of exciting solutions to cater to the entertainment needs of every customer segment of India that is getting transformed through rapid adoption of high speed data services.
All the content on one platform, delivered across screens: Airtel Xstream brings one of the widest entertainment catalogues – hundreds of satellite TV channels, tens of thousands of movies and shows in English, Hindi and multiple Indian languages, millions of songs, plus access to all the popular OTT entertainment apps on one platform. It enables customers to access all this content across the screen of their choice – TV, PC, and Smartphone with a unified User Interface.
Future Ready platform for connected Homes: Airtel Xstream devices will come with capabilities beyond world-class entertainment and will be the IoT gateway for enabling a range of solutions for connected homes.
Exclusive benefits for Airtel Thanks customers: Airtel Thanks customers will enjoy exclusive benefits on Airtel Xstream, including free access to premium content from Airtel’s content catalogue plus offers on a range of other services.
Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel chief product officer Adarsh Nair said, “Airtel is on an exciting mission to provide a broad array of digital services and platforms that can form the foundation for a rising India. As part of our digital entertainment play, our vision is to truly massify digital entertainment and make it accessible to more and more customers through innovative platforms.
“Today, we are announcing India’s first converged entertainment platform Airtel Xstream that brings together your favorite content including Live TV, video, music, news, and sports across an OTT smart stick, internet enabled set top box and handheld devices. Digital India is transforming the way content is being consumed over internet connected devices. Airtel Xstream will cater to needs of a new generation of consumers who are looking for seamless and converged entertainment across multiple screens at home and on the go.”
With the launch of Airtel Xstream, Airtel has become the first company in India to enable a seamless digital entertainment experience, with a unified user interface across all screens. Airtel has rolled out a new range of Airtel Xstream connected devices that will make any TV a smart TV and will be available to customers starting today. Airtel Xstream devices offer blazing-fast performance and slick viewing experience through solid product engineering, deep design excellence coupled with strong device specifications.
Airtel Xstream Stick
An Android 8.0 based OTT stick designed for plug & play experience on any TV screen, the Airtel Xstream Stick comes with a single subscription plan that provides access to all digital entertainment at a one-stop destination with over 10,000 movies and shows from top OTT content partners like ZEE5, Hooq, Hoi Choi, Eros Now, HungamaPlay, ShemarooMe, Ultra and Curiosity Stream, in addition to over 6 million songs from Wynk Music’s library. The Airtel Xstream Stick will also provide access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other Google Playstore applications to enable users to download any app of their choice.
The Airtel Xstream Stick with built-in Chromecast is powered by best-in-class 1.6 Ghz processor. The stick remote comes with voice enabled search feature and Bluetooth 4.2 makes it faster and more energy efficient.
The Airtel Xstream Stick is priced at Rs 3999/-. Airtel Thanks Platinum and Gold customers get complimentary access to the content subscription plan on Airtel Xstream Stick. All other customers get free access to the content for the first 30 days and will need to subscribe to a Rs 999/- annual plan to continue enjoying the exciting content catalogue.
For the launch of Airtel Xstream Stick, Airtel has partnered with Flipkart as the exclusive online partner. The stick will also be available starting today across leading Airtel retail stores, airtel.in, top electronic retail chains like Croma and Vijay Sales.
Airtel Xstream Box
Powered by Android 9.0, the Airtel Xstream 4K Hybrid Box seamlessly brings satellite TV and OTT content together onto the TV screen with the convenience of a single device, making any regular TV a smart TV.
Along with the option to choose from 500 plus TV channels, the Airtel Xstream Box comes preinstalled with Airtel Xstream app (10,000 plus movies and shows), Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Airtel Store (for advanced gaming with high end graphics).
The Airtel Xstream Box has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and built-in Chromecast. It comes with a universal remote that features Google Assistant based voice search and hot keys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
Priced at Rs 3999, the Airtel Xstream Box comes with a complimentary one year subscription (worth Rs 999) to all Airtel Xstream app content in addition to one month subscription to a HD DTH pack.
All existing Airtel Digital TV customers can upgrade to Airtel Xstream Box at a special price of Rs 2249 only.
Airtel Xstream Box is available starting today across leading Airtel retail stores, airtel.in and top e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Amazon and electronic retail chains like Croma and Vijay Sales.
Airtel Xstream App and Web access
Airtel Xstream app is a revamped version of Airtel TV app. The refreshed app has a new User Interface and much sharper content discovery and recommendation engine. Airtel Xstream app continues to have one of the widest content catalogues with over 400 LIVE TV channels and 10,000 plus movies and shows from top content providers like ZEE5, Hooq, Eros Now, HungamaPlay and much more.
MUMBAI: With the implementation of the new tariff order a few months back, the broadcasting industry has become more consumer-centric than being dependent on ad revenue for functioning as it gives the consumer the power to choose what one wants to see. The insight was shared by Entropik Tech founder and CEO Ranjan Kumar during an exclusive interaction with Indiantelevision.com, where he was talking to us about his company, which he claims to be India’s only EmotionAI startup.
Kumar added that the growth of digital technologies and OTT services has made it quite difficult for broadcasters to monetise their content as consumers now have the choice to view it on other platforms.
“That’s where technologies like EmotionAI can help the broadcasters. We help them create more consumer-centric content by bringing in deeper insight into the user behaviour and emotions in a scalable manner,” said Kumar, who is currently working with big broadcasters like Viacom18 and Star.
He shared that using tools and technologies like brain wave mapping, facial coding, and eye-tracking, Entropik Tech is able to better understand the nuances of content and support the creative process for the broadcasters.
“For example, say Netflix is launching the new season of Sacred Games, and comes to us with the promo to test how impacting it is. We will map a users brain waves and eye movements, etc, to record what part of the promo they liked, what part fell flat, and which characters drew their attention the most. They can then optimise that promo based on these inputs for creating a better impact on the audience,” Kumar elaborated.
The whole research is done on a sample group consisting of members from the target audience as defined by the client. Then they are given a chance to view the content and their cognitive behaviour is noted and studied by neuro-scientists. The creative and data team then shares inputs with the client to help them optimise the content for the right audience.
The EmotionAI technology of Entropik Tech can also help advertisers in recognising correct time slots and channels to advertise on based on rich consumer data and insight that the platform can provide. “We take the good currency to the right content, leveraging technology,” said Kumar.
Explaining more the prospects that Entropik Tech has for brands, Kumar revealed that it can help brands in designing better packaging or choose the right fragrance and colour for the products as well as using the cognitive technologies for increasing saleability.
MUMBAI: Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s special interaction with celebrity survivalist anchor, Bear Grylls is now streaming exclusively on Netflix across the world. The special edition of Man vs Wild, the global reality TV sensation hosted by Grylls has already broken Super Bowl 53s record of the most trending televised event ever by clocking over 3.6 billion social impressions.
Originally broadcast on Discovery Channel, the show features the Indian Prime Minister walking through the wilderness of the Jim Corbett National Park in the foothills of the Himalayas along with Grylls, while extolling the need for tiger and environmental conservation. The show witnesses Prime Minister Modi in a hitherto-unseen avatar, learning the tricks of survival in the wild from Grylls.
Apart from sharing space in a make-shift raft with Grylls, making a spear and partaking in a hot drink made from curry leaves, Prime Minister Modi also speaks about his time spent in the Himalayas and highlights the rich environmental heritage of India, which needs to be preserved. Prime Minister Modi is only the second world leader to feature in the iconic show, the first being former US president, Barack Obama.
MUMBAI: Ever since Flipkart announced its entry into India’s booming video streaming space, it’s been the talk of the town. The Walmart-owned e-commerce platform will open it up for Flipkart Plus loyalty program members in a fashion similar to Amazon Prime Video.
The upcoming video streaming service will enter the market in September, before the festive season of Diwali. The difference between the two is that Flipkart’s service is entirely free for Plus members while the other entails a cost of Rs 129 a month. Another difference is that Flipkart is currently licensing content while Amazon invests in its own. However, industry experts are divided on the effectiveness of the e-commerce player’s plan to enter the market with commissioned content.
“Walmart acquired Vudu in 2010 and has been trying to scale it with an ad-funded model rather than originals/subscription. For India, if they have decided to do aggregated content, I think it is because they are testing waters initially. Walmart as a new video OTT player is a good step for consumers and the industry. I think once they taste the success they will start investing in local content or originals as well. Walmart is also as deep-pocketed as Netflix or Amazon,” Eros International group chief marketing officer Manav Sethi commented on the strategy.
On the other hand, Elara Capital vice president research Karan Taurani is of the view that until and unless OTT players make an investment into original content, no massive changes can be expected since it is a very crowded space with more than 30 players. Reports say that Flipkart has not ruled out the possibility of launching originals.
Despite its different stance, experts are sure that it will definitely boost Flipkart’s business. One media analyst opined that the model is similar to Amazon Prime Video where content is one offering in Flipkart’s loyalty programme. However, instead of targetting a million subscribers, Flipkart’s aim is to get more consumers to spend money on its platform.
“The play they want to have is really similar to Amazon than Netflix. The idea is to hook the audiences to its content to study consumer behaviour for better targetting,” said another analyst from an auditing firm who wished to remain unnamed. He added that if it can get people to linger on the platform and increase the number of services provided to them, Flipkart will be in a better position to target them efficiently. But he added that the quality of content and price point will also matter.
“In the past 10 years, our vision and ethos have been to create India-specific tech solutions. What we are rolling out when it comes to addressing the needs of the next 200 million users in our country, is taking forward those founding principles of access and affordability,” Flipkart group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy commented as per media reports.
Taurani added that Flipkart can tie up with multiple OTT platforms which will help it boost its e-commerce segment. As Amazon Prime is restricted to have in-house content, this can be an advantage.
Moreover, as per Taurani, the OTT platforms or broadcasters providing content to Flipkart will also gain from the deal as this will be an additional revenue stream for them apart from their current tie-up with the telcos. Hence, it’s a win-win situation for both but it will obviously help Flipkart’s e-commerce play more.
It’s yet to be ascertained how this move will create a dent in the market. “It will increase the competition. The consumers who were having 30-plus options will have one more big option to consume. Depending on how Walmart packages and prices it, I think it should see significant consumption uptake,” Sethi added.
According to a recent report from KPMG, the digital segment of the media and entertainment industry in India contributed Rs 173 billion in revenue in FY19 with digital advertising and subscription from OTT platforms contributing significantly. The potential of the market is noticeable as the report predicts 580 million OTT consumers by FY24 will be spending more than 30 minutes on online video platforms each day.
