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Tag: OTT platform

  • Falguni Shah named as MD of EORTV

    Falguni Shah named as MD of EORTV

    Mumbai: India’s first LGBTQ+ OTT platform EORTV has named Falguni Shah as managing director of its OTT business. 

    “Shah will be responsible for the rollout and management of EORTV’s content and revenue. She will also be handling the brand to create awareness for the Indian market,” said the platform in a statement on Monday.

    She will continue to hold her position at the EORTV’s production arm Dreamzz Images Studio as well. “Shah’s expansion of portfolio comes as EORTV continues to expand its commitment to development of the OTT marketplace,” said the statement.

    Shah brings in a decade of experience working with leading broadcast, video-on-demand, and digital companies. She has twelve years of experience in content creation, brand integrations, syndication and marketing.

    Prior to her experience in the entertainment industry, she has held plump positions in the companies like Standard Chartered Finance Ltd, HDFC Standard Life, Tata Teleservices Ltd and BPL (Loop) Mobile, post which she switched from corporate to the content industry joining Dreamzz Images Studio.

    “We have a huge responsibility to entertain our audience with relevant content. Also because LGBTQ is a sensitive topic in India, we are catering to the content demand with utmost care taking into consideration the sentiments of our audiences,” said Falguni Shah. “Content is of prime importance to us. We’ve been building an innovative OTT business which we now plan to further accelerate this year.”

  • ‘Lock Upp’ garners 15 million views in 48 hours

    ‘Lock Upp’ garners 15 million views in 48 hours

    Mumbai: MX Player and Altbalaji’s new reality show “Lock Upp” has garnered 15 million views within 48 hours of its launch, according to the streaming platform. “This made it the first digital reality show to achieve such a massive opening in its launch week,” said the statement. 

    The show which released on 27 February features Kangana Ranaut as the host and brings together 13 controversial celebrities in a jail for 72 days. 

    The celebrities include Nisha Rawal, Munawar Faruqui, Poonam Pandey, Kaaranvir Bohra, Swami Chakrapani, Siddharth Sharma, Anjali Arora, Babita Phogat, Shivam Sharma, Sara Khan, Payal Rohatgi, Tehseen Poonawalla and Saisha Shinde.

    “While television has run its course on the over hashed sentiment of unity amid differences of opinions, ‘Lock Upp’ is a reality format that is quite the opposite — it pits celebrities and influencers who are known for very strong views on various issues in a hostile environment that has bare minimum amenities. The show has attracted a huge following even amongst international viewers because of its distinct look and feel,” said the statement.

  • Case Study: When short-form video enables long-form video

    Case Study: When short-form video enables long-form video

    Mumbai: What is the most strikingly common feature between “Mirzapur: Season two,” “Bigg Boss: Season 15,” and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021? All three are big-ticket, entertaining OTT releases in the past year. But an even more compelling factor is that they have captured the attention of the audiences via multiple campaigns hosted on short-video app Josh. This is significant of a larger pattern, wherein, OTT platforms are now seeing the increasing benefit in reaching out to the audiences through homegrown short-video apps.

    Onset of Josh’s OTT saga

    India has a voracious appetite for video content. The success story of these offerings showcases the fact that both short-form and long-form videos are proactively meeting the content needs of users across the country. The video content boom, which began in the early days of the pandemic, with nearly 350 million people consuming videos online in India, will only rise upwards. As per a Bain & Company report, it is further expected to reach 600 – 650 million in 2025.  While short-form videos provide users with snackable content that is quick and easy to consume, long-form video caters to their need for in-depth content with a lengthier viewing experience.

    A new trend to have emerged in recent times is that OTT platforms are leveraging these consumption patterns in collaboration with short-video platforms to promote their own content and reach wider audiences. This is where Josh’s saga with popular OTT platforms begins. The app has crafted and curated some of the most successful campaigns using hashtags, soundboards, filters, and influencers to promote a variety of web series, movies, sports leagues, and reality shows.

    Promoting Web Series

    In a long-standing partnership with Amazon Prime Video, Josh has promoted several popular Prime productions such as “Mirzapur season 2,” “Sherni,” “Jai Bhim,” “Sarpatta” and “Malik.” The partnership boasts spectacular results with the most popular campaign gaining 170+ million video views, 5.5K UGC videos, and 15+ million hearts.

    Furthermore, Josh’s partnership with Voot has resulted in exciting campaigns for the new season of the popular reality TV show “Bigg Boss.” Two campaigns, the #BiggBoss15AsliFan and the #BiggBossOTTChallenge, were launched to promote season 15. With unique soundboards specific to different local languages, dynamic filters, and hashtags to enhance top-of-the-mind recall, they garnered a total of 654+ million video views, 30K+ UGC videos, and 51+ million hearts.

    What is interesting is that Josh’s campaign trail is not limited to web series, but also covers other genres of entertainment such as music, movies, and sports, among others.

    Amplifying sport challenges

    Sports shows have an inbuilt tendency to attract audience frenzy. With its reach and power of amplification, Josh added to the existing thrill with some popular campaigns.

    For the Abu Dhabi T-10 League on Voot, Josh created filters, in-video transitions, and a theme song. The challenge succeeded in its mission of engagement, garnering 272+ million video views, 12+ K UGC videos, and 21+ million hearts.  To organically promote the latest season of IPL and the anthem created by Nucleya for the teams with Disney+ Hotstar, an influencer-led campaign titled #IndiaKiVibeAlagHai was created. Best of Josh’s creators were given free reign to choose the team they wanted and amplify the tournament on the app. The campaign garnered 16+ million video views, 50+ influencer videos, and 310+K hearts.

    When the Pro Kabaddi League returned to our screens for its latest edition on Star Sports, the app promoted it via a fun and engaging #LePanga challenge. Creating a sport-centric hook step, a dynamic filter, a catchy soundboard, the campaign garnered 179+ million video views, 5.9+ K UGC videos and 13.9+ million hearts.

    The power of Bharat’s short video

    As a homegrown short-video app, Josh has held an understanding of local context. Using its tact of connecting effortlessly with local audiences, it helped create a captivating campaign for Zee Bangla’s show “Uma.” With the hashtag #UmaChallenge, which is based on the show’s theme of cricket, female users were asked to balance a ball on a bat for 10 seconds. The app helped the platform reach out to a vast Bengali user base in the country creating over eight million video views, 140+ UGC videos, and 630+ K hearts.

    Summing the impact of Josh’s local reach, VerSe innovation chief revenue officer Sunil Kumar Mohapatra said, “As a homegrown short-video app, we understand the users of Bharat and their content needs. As OTT platforms increasingly meet the local language content needs of Bharat, we, at Josh, by leveraging our talented creator community and our understanding of the local context are enabling these platforms to reach out to wider and relevant audiences, as we operate at the intersection of our user preferences, creators needs, and brand propositions.”

    Indeed, short-video platforms are becoming an increasingly viable route for OTT platforms to promote their content largely because of their snackable quality. The method of promotion becomes even more effective given the rise of local language content and homegrown short-video apps that have cracked the code of engagement for such content and its audiences. 

  • Lionsgate Play’s second Indian original ‘Jugaadistan’ out 4 March

    Lionsgate Play’s second Indian original ‘Jugaadistan’ out 4 March

    Mumbai: Lionsgate Play has announced that its second Indian original “Jugaadistan” will start streaming on the platform from 4 March.

    Directed by Akarsh Khurana and Adhaar Khurana, “Jugaadistan” features Sumeet Vyas, Arjun Mathur, Parambrata Chatterjee, Rukshar Dhillon, Taaruk Raina, Gopal Datt and Ahsaas Channa.

    The show will take the audiences through the dusty by-lanes of a campus. The campus drama explores college politicians, professors who make students go weak in their knees, young people navigating their own moralities and matters of the heart, said the platform in a statement. 

    “It’s a show that we’ve put all our might behind,” said Lionsgate MD South Asia and networks – emerging markets Asia Rohit Jain. “With ‘Hiccups and Hookups’ we explored modern family dynamics; this time we took a real tour of campus life. It’s not as hunky-dory as our pop culture makes it seem with their nostalgic songs and romantic stories. We get real and explore the gritty side that has never been seen on screen before. At Lionsgate Play, the endeavour is to chase stories that are out of the ordinary and I can’t wait for the world to watch it.”

    “This series is a delightful combination of all the colours of life that we experience in college,” said Lionsgate India vice president originals Mrinalini Khanna. “Akarsh and Adhaar along with the writers and cast have managed to bring to life the innocence of growing up as well as the seriousness of making life-changing decisions at a young age, effortlessly. We’re excited to showcase a series that is not only contemporary but also timeless in many ways. I guarantee, no matter what age you’re at – you’re going to relate and reminisce with ‘Jugaadistan’.”

    “As a filmmaker and storyteller, you are always looking to push the envelope and challenge yourself,” said director Akarsh Khurana. “I wanted to do just that when this presented itself. While I have done youth-centric, college stuff before, this was like a different take on it. Like the darker side of our college years, and Delhi like we don’t see often. We delve into an array of issues – college politics, student dynamics, side incomes – all of which are significant in how people’s lives are shaped in their formative years. After all, college is the beginning of the rest of your adult life. The decisions we take then usually have far-reaching consequences. I also really enjoyed the track of investigative journalism and the quest for the truth that runs parallel to all the student shenanigans.”

  • News9 Plus will deliver news to ‘GenFlix’ in their language, idiom & format: Barun Das

    News9 Plus will deliver news to ‘GenFlix’ in their language, idiom & format: Barun Das

    Mumbai: TV9 has launched an English video news magazine in an OTT format called News9 Plus, as previously reported by Indiantelevision.com. The platform is slated for a beta launch this month, followed by a full-scale take-off in March.

    News9 Plus continues the legacy of News9 the network’s erstwhile English news channel out of Bengaluru. The digital platform will be a subscription-driven on-demand news product. “It will showcase news, narratives, and debates with the depth and gravitas of news magazines and the production qualities and story-telling techniques of OTT platforms,” said the statement.

    TV9 Network to launch new digital video magazine platform 

    The channel will break away from 24-hour live news commentary. Rather, a sizeable number of special videos that will have a longer shelf life and cater to diverse audience preferences will define its market standing, the statement added.

    News9 Plus will host a variety of ‘rail tracks’ that will cater to the news of the day for the purpose of providing context to the extensive programming that will define the app. It will showcase editorially rich, long shelf-life content that has relevance beyond the immediate.

    “Historically, the Indian news genre has undermined itself with a huge self-created handicap,” said TV9 Network CEO Barun Das. “It has never leveraged India’s core strength – its large consumer base. Newspapers have always subsidised the reader and TV news channels are mostly free to air. Hence, we have lived with tremendous pressure on ad revenue. On the other hand, consumers have just about started paying for digital news. However, this propensity to pay for digital news will depend on how effectively digital news platforms can serve the consumer ‘what they want, when they want.’

    “The English news television space has shrunk dramatically over the past few years in viewership and revenue. So, it seemed obvious to us that this English-speaking audience – often the early adapters – are waiting for an OTT news service,” Das said. “To my mind, linear news television will make way for OTT news service in the near future. Hindi and regional language markets may continue in the current linear TV mode for some more time, but it is certainly time for a cutting-edge OTT news offering in English that marries the best UI/UX that technology can offer with incisive, in-depth, intelligent and engaging content. News9 Plus will strive to be that exact amalgam.”

    He further said, “News is no more about breaking it as it happens every nano-second on social media. It must now adapt to the new, exacting content standards which the ‘GenFlix,’ or Generation Netflix, has become accustomed to. News9 Plus will fill the void created by the diminishing footprint of news magazines in the digital era. And it will do it in the only medium the digital native cares about: video.”

    Das also sounded a cautionary note for the news industry. He said, “We are proud to be the first OTT news service, not only in India but possibly in the world. I sincerely hope that when the OTT news service pans out in India, it will not repeat the blunders of the past in creating its own death trap by setting off subscription price wars and rendering the business unviable. I am certain this new model will be an SVOD (subscription-based video on demand) model and advertising revenue, if any, will make only a minuscule contribution.”

    “At TV9 Network, it is clear to us where the discerning English news viewer is going and why,” observed TV9 Network group editor BV Rao. “The ‘GenFlix’ English news viewers are not running away from news. They are running away from the cacophony that television news has come to represent. Exposed as they are to the best of the best global content on OTT, these discerning news viewers do not relate to the ‘you bite me, I bite you’ journalism that has struck deep roots on television. ‘GenFlix’ has no appetite for such content.   So, the future news business battles will have to be fought in the OTT environment.  For us, that future is now. And we call it News9 Plus.”

    Subscribers will find unique series, seasons, and episodes on News9 Plus, just like OTT platforms offer. But the differentiator here will be the editorial nuance and the rigour of journalism that makes the content factually grounded, credibly narrated and engagingly produced. News9 Plus hopes to create an experience that audiences spoilt for a plethora of non-news choices in the OTT era would choose to watch.

    “Subscribers will find unique series, seasons, and episodes on News9 Plus, just like OTT platforms offer. But the differentiator here will be the editorial nuance and the rigour of journalism that makes the content factually grounded, credibly narrated and engagingly produced,” said the statement.

  • Dish TV’s Watcho registers 45 million users in India

    Dish TV’s Watcho registers 45 million users in India

    Mumbai: Dish TV’s India’s OTT platform Watcho has achieved a 45 million cumulative user base in India, the company said in a statement. Launched in 2019 with the brand proposition of ‘Fun Fatafat,’ Watcho brings original and on-the-go snackable video content across genres and formats (including live TV) to its viewers.

    The platform currently provides over 35 original shows, 300 exclusive plays, and 100 live channels in Hindi, Kannada and Telugu.

    So as to recognise and reward the emerging talent pool across the country, Watcho allows users to create and showcase their content on its user-generated content platform – Watcho Swag. To this end, it recently collaborated with the India Film Project (IFP) for its 11th season, becoming the exclusive platform for participants to exhibit their work

    “When we embarked on the journey of providing on-demand quality content with the launch of Watcho, we wanted to supplement our DTH user viewing experience. Today, Watcho is serving exciting exclusive content to all its users, and at the same time, it is also offering Live TV services on the go to DishTV and D2H customers,” said Dish TV India executive director and group CEO Anil Dua. “It is also fast emerging as the preferred platform for users to showcase their talent.” 

    Watcho’s content repertoire includes original shows like “Gupta Niwas,” “Jaunpur,” “Papa Ka Scooter,” “Aghaat,” “Cheaters – The Vacation,” “Sarhad,” “Mystery Dad,” “JaalSaazi,” “Dark Destinations,” “It’s My Pleasure,” “4 Thieves,” “Love Crisis,” “Ardhsatya,” “Chhoriyan,” and “Rakhta Chandana.” There are also original influencer shows like “Look I Can Cook” and “Bikhare Hain Alfaaz.”

    “Engaging and short-format content has always been an unmet need for viewers across the country, particularly amongst millennials and GenZ who are at the forefront of consumption as well as creation. Riding on these trends, Watcho continued to gain strength with a strong semi-urban presence in addition to significant tier-1 visibility,” remarked DishTV & Watcho corporate head – marketing Sukhpreet Singh. “The app has notched up more than 45 million user base so far. We are enthused with this new milestone it has achieved in a very short time, and we intend to continue to work towards making it the first choice for our users.”

  • ALTBalaji ropes in Pitchfork Partners to strengthen viewer base

    ALTBalaji ropes in Pitchfork Partners to strengthen viewer base

    Mumbai: Homegrown digital platform ALTBalaji has appointed Pitchfork Partners Strategic Consulting as its communication partner to increase awareness about the OTT platform, its shows and widen the viewer base through multi-channel outreach.

    The OTT platform currently has a library of 89+ Hindi originals across genres, which are also dubbed in regional languages like Tamil, Telugu & Malayalam, and in international languages like Arabic and Bhasa, which has helped the OTT player engage with a wide variety of consumers.  

    ALTBalaji senior VP and head marketing Divya Dixit said, “Alternative content being the core ethos of the group, ALTBalaji is focused on building a content bouquet that serves inclusive and individualistic viewing. We are delighted to have Pitchfork on board to support us in our journey and take the platform to the next level.” 

    Pitchfork Partners co-founder Jaideep Shergill said, “We’re thrilled to partner with ALTBalaji. Our diverse experience with entertainment clients will facilitate us in achieving milestones together. OTT is an ever-evolving, dynamic space and increasingly so due to the pandemic, ALTBalaji is disrupting the space by introducing content which caters to mass viewers.”  

    The OTT platform has witnessed a 15-20 per cent growth in its viewership numbers; however, the lockdown increased subscribers from the Hindi heartlands. At least 59 per cent of the total viewership is now coming from non-metros. “While cities like Lucknow, Ludhiana, and Guwahati saw an increase of 189.84 per cent, 106.50 per cent, and 108.41 per cent, respectively, Srinagar, Shimla, and Ranchi weren’t behind either, with an uprise of 103.81 per cent, 103.05 per cent, and 192.01 per cent, as compared to ALTBalaji’s viewership from these cities in 2020,” the platform said in a statement.

  • Broadpeak’s mABR solution optimises Live sports OTT delivery in Italy

    Broadpeak’s mABR solution optimises Live sports OTT delivery in Italy

    Mumbai: Broadpeak, a provider of the content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, together with Italian telco operator TIM, is optimising live sports OTT delivery with an advanced multicast ABR (mABR). Using Broadpeak’s mABR solution, TIM is delivering Live third-party sports content to subscribers with an improved quality of experience (QoE).

    “Thanks to Broadpeak’s mABR solution, which optimizes network performance for streaming services, we provide the best technology for assuring an excellent customer quality of experience,” said TIM’s head of technology and innovation Crescenzo Micheli. “As a pioneer of multicast ABR technology, Broadpeak has solid experience and a reputation for delivering superior-quality live OTT content.”

    Broadpeak’s mABR solution includes the BkE200 transcaster server, nanoCDN™ agent, SmartLib library, BkM100 video delivery mediator, BkA100 analytics, and BkA200 video delivery monitoring. The BkE200 transcaster server pulls source ABR streams and embeds them into multicast, reducing delivery costs while also solving scalability and potential quality issues.

    “Streaming quality must be perfect in order to better enjoy OTT content, thanks to ultra-broadband connections,” said Broadpeak president and CEO Jacques Le Mancq. “TIM is leading the way for premium OTT delivery with our mABR solution, which will support live OTT delivery on smart TVs and other connected devices.”

    CVE, the prime contractor, ensured a smooth deployment, providing outstanding coordination and local support.

    “This project is significant for CVE because we’ve invested heavily in video-over-IP technology throughout the years,” said CVE’s CEO Luca Catalano. “CVE is happy to be an active part of the delivery of the mABR solution available for CDNs. This is an important milestone for the transition of the video world toward IP, and we’re proud that our IP knowledge and expertise made such a big, positive contribution to the deployment of the Broadpeak mABR solution.”

  • Hungama Artist Aloud and DeadAnt team up for stand-up comedy platform on Hungama Play

    Hungama Artist Aloud and DeadAnt team up for stand-up comedy platform on Hungama Play

    Mumbai: Hungama Artist Aloud, a platform that supports and promotes independent artists and content, has partnered with DeadAnt to curate, acquire and distribute regional stand-up comedy content on its OTT platform Hungama Play.

    The content has also been made available in the podcast format. The idea is to provide regional comedians with a platform within Hungama’s network for a wider reach, it said in a statement.  At least 10 artists will perform in five different languages — Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, and Tamil — to begin with. The roster includes Manpreet Singh, Mohit Morani, Trupti Khamkar, Mandar Bhide, Sriram Prasad, Chockalingam, Ramkumar Natarajan, Chirag Panjwani, Shravan Narayan, Subrahmanya Hegde.

    Hungama Artist Aloud senior VP Soumini Sridhara Paul said, “Regional comedy acquisition perfectly ties in with our core philosophy of creating pathways for independent artists from different backgrounds and cultures. While all these artists are popular names in the regional market, we wanted to provide them a global platform via OTT. We also wanted viewers to enjoy comedy while being in the comfort of their homes along with their friends and family, and this partnership with DeadAnt has given us the opportunity to make this happen.”

    DeadAnt founder and editor-in-chief Ravina Rawal said, “Comedy is emerging as the new voice of the youth, with the power to unite people and uplift their mood. With this partnership, we hope to harness Hungama Play’s wide network to introduce talented regional comedians to new audiences across the country, and even beyond borders.”

    The content will also be available on MX Player, Flipkart, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Tata Sky Binge, Tata Sky Binge+, DishSMRT Stick, D2H Stream, DishSMRT Hub, SITI Playtop, ISPs like Meghbela Broadband, Alliance Broadband, ACT Fibernet and Netplus, and Smart TVs like MI TV, TCL, OnePlus TV, CVTE, Toshiba and CloudWalker. 

  • Sling TV partners with Eros Now as part of South Asia expansion

    Sling TV partners with Eros Now as part of South Asia expansion

    Mumbai: The app-based streaming service Sling TV has announced plans to continue expanding its South Asian offering with the addition of video streaming platform – Eros Now.

    Following the launch, Sling’s international subscribers will have access to Eros Now’s over 1,500 titles – including top web originals and films. The Eros Now library on Sling will continue to grow over the coming months to over 6,000 film titles and will be available in Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil and other regional languages, said the statement.

    Sling TV is a provider of international and multicultural programming, with content from 27 countries in over 20 languages. “Sling TV is the leading American provider of South Asian content and continues to perfect our offering to connect consumers to the content they love,” Sling TV vice president of international Liz Riemersma. “Eros Now offers an expansive web originals and film collection for our South Asian customers, and will make a fantastic addition to our Desi Binge bundle.”

    Eros Now service will be available to customers with the ‘Desi Binge package,’ which includes other leading South Asian content like SonyLIV and Voot, as well as the Hindi pack and the Hindi mega pack at no additional cost to customers. Customers may also purchase Eros Now as a standalone service or as an add-on to another Sling TV service for $ five per month.

    “Indian content is hugely popular in North America. With Eros Now packaged and bundled on a popular service like Sling TV, the audiences will get access to the best catalogue of Indian films and original series,” said Eros Now chief executive officer Ali Hussein. “This partnership also dovetails nicely into Eros Now’s strategy of building audiences on the large screen in North America and further accentuates our strong distribution in the region.”