ITV

Tag: OTT

  • How television can increase time spent viewing with interactivity

    MUMBAI: With streaming video services like Netflix, Amazon, Disney+Hotstar, and Zee5 grabbing a majority of the headlines, and becoming the flavor of the moment, many believe that linear television in India is losing its moxie. Yes, broadcasting companies are indeed responding aggressively to Netflix and Amazon’s invasions into what was once solely their territory by acquiring, merging, and launching their own OTT platforms. Not just in the US, but almost every nation, including India.

    Yes, it’s true that India alone has around 70-80 streaming platforms – if you include those with dubious titillating content, and which are available on the google play store. Yes, it’s true that almost every trade and business publication has raised the alarm that streaming video platforms are going to steal viewers and pull the rug from under television’s feet.

    But the fact is that the reality is as far from this fear-mongering, as is mount Everest from Mumbai. Television is only on the rise in India. That is quite evident from the television data the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) reported recently. The number of Indian television households grew to 210 million by the end of 2020. Some 13 million homes were added to the TV universe since the last BARC study in 2018; of this rural India accounted for nine million. TV viewership also rose to 892 million individuals from 836 million. Add to that the fact that more than 90 million households have yet to own a TV set.

    Now if you compare those figures with the OTT universe: the biggest OTT platforms in India – Disney+Hotstar and Zee5 – have monthly active users which are around one-third of TV’s viewing population and other streamers have significantly lower numbers. Subscribers to the premium OTT services are also only in the single and double-digit million range. Revenues too are not comparable; the free ad-supported television streaming platforms are dwarfed by the ad revenues that Indian television –both pay and free to air channels are mopping up.

    Clearly, broadcast television has long legs and will continue to stride ahead of streaming services. What can help it proliferate even more is if interactivity can be built into it; with viewers being able to interact with it live from their homes. Just like it is possible with the streaming video which is delivered over internet protocol or the internet as is the case with OTT platforms. Sports fans have been fascinated by what has been playing out on their mobile phones wherein they can make comments while watching the IPL action on their smartphones on Disney+ Hotstar. They can engage with the video on their phones. Fans have also been quite taken up with being involved in Kaun Banega Crorepati with the play-along option available on their smartphones. That has probably added to SonyLiv’s stickiness.

    But today technology is available which can bring similar – if not better – interactivity to television too. One of the best products available today is MegaphoneTV which allows viewers to interact with their programmes from the comforts of their sofas in their homes. It enables them to take part in opinion polls, trivia, social interaction, quizzes, express their fan love, expound their views on what’s going with the storylines and characters of their favourite TV shows – and their responses and names are transmitted to hundreds of millions of viewers all over India simultaneously immediately with a lag of fewer than 200 milliseconds. All they need is a smartphone. Megaphone TV allows TV to transform itself from being a dead one-way device to one with which viewers can correspond, that too without any latency.

    More than 160 channels globally are using Megaphone TV – from US broadcasters ABC, CBS, NBC, Bravo TV, CNN, Sky TV in the UK, and RTL in Germany. And they have benefited immensely from this tool with response rates and engagement with TV viewers going up exponentially.  

    Channels- both entertainment and news – globally have used MegaphoneTV to build loyalty by giving out rewards to loyal participants of the interactivity, thus increasing stickiness and spiking time spent viewing by TV viewers.

    New York-based Megaphone TV founder & CEO Dan Albritton points out that integrating the tool with the channel’s backend is extremely simple, adding that all that is needed are internet connectivity, two computers – one in the playout hub of the broadcaster, and one in the hands of a junior programming executive wherever he is located. He explains: “Being a white-label service, it takes on the channel’s packaging, branding, and look with no indication of Megaphone branding anywhere. The interactivity questions, polls, and quizzes can be entered to appear on-air on a TV channel on the fly by the junior executive after strategizing with the programming team. “

    Brands can be roped in by the channels ad sales team to sponsor the interactivity. And TV commercials by brands can also be created which encourage viewer responses live, thus in the process helping build sales funnels and consumer data, to which the broadcaster’s data teams and marketers have free access. “The American TV industry has recognized the value we are offering through Megaphone TV. We have won an Emmy Award for it, and have been nominated twice for some of the interactivity around other TV programmes,” says Albritton.

    In India, TV channel executives are just about getting exposed to Megaphone TV, he points out.

    “Two channels have been licensed to use this engagement driving tool. They will be coming out with their offerings soon. Some leading media agencies have seen it in action too, and are excited about the possibilities Megaphone TV offers,” he says. “I can visualize a time in the not too distant future when Megaphone TV will become ubiquitous in the very exciting Indian television ecosystem.”

  • Amit Malhotra appointed managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia, India

    Amit Malhotra appointed managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia, India

    New Delhi: WarnerMedia on Friday announced the appointment of Amit Malhotra as managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia and India. 

    Malhotra most recently served as regional lead for Disney+ in Southeast Asia, where he was responsible for overseeing the launch and operations of Disney’s streaming services in the region, including Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar and Hotstar.

    He will join WarnerMedia later this month and report to HBO Max International head, Johannes Larcher. Malhotra will be responsible for the rollout and management of WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer platform in Southeast Asia. He will immediately assume responsibility for the management of HBO GO, WarnerMedia’s existing OTT streaming service available in eight territories across Southeast Asia. In the future, he will spearhead the introduction of HBO Max in these territories and will lead WarnerMedia’s exploration of future opportunities to launch the streaming platform in additional markets, as well as a potential future launch in India, said the company on Friday.

    At Disney, Malhotra also led the content sales and distribution division as part of The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to Consumer & International (DTCI) business in South APAC and Middle East, pivoting Disney’s linear business in the region to streaming by working closely with local telcos and MVPDs, creating localized payment strategies and developing deep content studio relationships throughout Southeast Asia. 

    Johannes Larcher said, “With our upcoming launch across Latin America on 29 June and our plans for Europe on the horizon, we turn our sights toward Asia, where we have an incredible opportunity to bring HBO Max to millions of new fans who are just as excited about streaming as our audiences in the U.S. Amit’s experience launching streaming services in both mature and emerging markets across Southeast Asia and the surrounding region make him the ideal leader to plan and oversee the rollout of HBO Max and its expanded content offering and platform experience.” 

    David Simonsen, who has played an important role in the growth of HBO GO in Southeast Asia to date, will continue to make a significant contribution to WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer efforts in the region, and will work closely with Amit as part of his executive leadership team.

    Amit Malhotra said, “I am delighted to be part of the incredible team at WarnerMedia in Asia as we look at bringing HBO Max to this region. WarnerMedia’s brands including DC Universe, HBO and Cartoon Network are extremely popular with passionate fans and audiences across this region. With a focus on consumers our goal will be to bring all of these brands and content together in an exciting new world class streaming experience as we move into the future with HBO Max.” 

    Under Malhotra’s leadership, WarnerMedia expects to launch HBO Max in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam in the future, including an expanded content offering for the entire family and a premium new platform that would be hosted on HBO Max’s tech stack, providing a more stable and consistent streaming experience than HBO GO. Malhotra will also be responsible for exploring possible opportunities to launch HBO Max in new and fast-growing Asian streaming markets such as India.

    HBO Max has witnessed significant success since launching in May last year, adding 11.1 million HBO/HBO Max subscribers in the U.S. as of the end of Q1 2021. The platform will roll out in 39 territories across Latin America and the Caribbean on 29 June, and HBO’s existing OTT services in Europe are scheduled to be upgraded to HBO Max later this year. By the end of 2021, HBO Max is expected to be available in 61 global markets, said the company.

  • RIL’s M&E biz EBITDA margin rises to 17% in FY21

    RIL’s M&E biz EBITDA margin rises to 17% in FY21

    KOLKATA: Despite all odds, Reliance Industry Limited’s (RIL) media & entertainment business has recorded profitability during the pandemic-hit financial year. According to the company’s latest annual report, Network18’s consolidated operating margins expanded to 17 per cent in FY 21, up from 11.5 per cent in FY 20, RIL’s annual report said.

    Consolidated EBITDA of the business rose 29 per cent y-o-y to Rs 796 crore despite the pandemic impact dragging revenue down by 12 per cent y-o-y. The company’s overall profitability was attributed to cost controls and concerted efforts to increase annuity-style revenue streams, including subscription and syndication.

    The margins of the news business expanded all through the year, despite pandemic-linked logistics constraints and blackout of BARC ratings in the second half of the financial year, the report added. Overall news segment’s operating margins expanded to 13 per cent. The TV News operating margin expanded to 16 per cent, marking four years of continuous improvement. In addition to that, digital news broke even on a full-year basis, driven by accelerated revenue growth.

    Despite the Covid-19 impact, entertainment margins went up to 19 per cent thanks to operating leverages. TV Entertainment grew viewership share by two per cent to 10.9 per cent. One in two Indians watch Network18 television channels that reach more than 95 per cent of TV homes in India annually, as per the report.

    The entire M&E industry started on a weak note in FY21 due to the onset of the pandemic, but there was a turnaround during the second half of the year. For Network18, TV News advertising recovered by the second quarter itself growing across the year. Entertainment advertising revived fully by the third quarter, led by a full content roster. Strong viewership trends for Hindi GECs, both pay, and FTA, drove underlying ad growth into high-single digits by the fourth quarter.

    Digital media platforms witnessed an increase in content consumption. Digital advertising gained momentum from the platforms’ inherent advantages of being able to target audiences, drive personalisation, and lower costs.

    “Digital engagement continued to grow due to the volume of high-quality content and key events. Industry sources indicate a ten per cent y-o-y increase in OTT video consumption. Increased propensity to pay has been witnessed, amidst domestic OTTs increasing prices selectively, while global players create India-specific cheaper offerings. Digital subscription revenue continued to rise sharply, albeit off a low base, both from B2C (direct) and B2B (telco-driven) distribution of OTT platforms,” the company stated on Thursday. The company was also satisfied with domestic subscription revenue in the M&E segment which remained strong, despite the stress in international. Improved distribution tie-ups for TV and Digital have driven the subscription growth.

    The leading OTT platform under RIL’s M&E bouquet, Voot, garnered 12 billion minutes of watch time during FY21 and was the number two broadcaster-OTT, it said in its report. According to the company, Voot Select was the fastest to reach one million D2C subscribers, thanks to original content, digital-first TV content, and digital-only spin-offs.

  • Netflix to open its first global post-production facility in Mumbai

    Netflix to open its first global post-production facility in Mumbai

    KOLKATA: Streaming giant Netflix is all set to open its first live-action, post-production facility in Mumbai. The facility with 40 offline editing rooms for use by showrunners, directors, editors and sound designers, will become fully operational by June 2022.

    With innovation and collaboration as the focus, it will pioneer advanced media management workflows to allow a seamless partnership with India’s post-production community, said the streamer.

    “Indian audiences love high quality and diverse stories available on-demand to suit their tastes and moods. We saw this last year with an increase in viewing of stories across formats, genres, and languages. Whether it’s our favourite preschool hit series Mighty Little Bheem, International Emmy winning series Delhi Crime, or our beloved films like Guilty, Ludo, Pagglait, and Paava Kadhaigal… it’s been an incredible ride,” Netflix said in a blog post.

    The US company has invested Rs 3,000 crores in local programming over 2019 and 2020 to build a universe of Indian stories. In March, it announced a lineup of 41 titles featuring more variety and diversity – from some of the biggest films and series to gripping documentaries and ingenious comedy formats. In 2020, it launched NetFX – a platform that enables multiple Indian artists to work on VFX for titles globally.

    Moreover, the company is investing in the latest technologies and skill development through multiple certifications and training workshops in post-production, scriptwriting, and other aspects of creative production.

    “We want to continue to contribute to the Indian creative community. Our goal is to keep improving the overall experience for our talent and industry partners and equip them with the best resources to tell authentic stories most engagingly. We are in a golden age of entertainment in India – this is the best time to be a creator and consumer of great stories,” the blog post read

  • IBF ropes in Siddharth Jain as secretary general

    IBF ropes in Siddharth Jain as secretary general

    New Delhi : The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), the apex body of broadcasters, on Thursday appointed Siddharth Jain as its secretary general.

    An industry veteran, Jain’s career spans over three decades. Until 30 April, he was working with Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. as SVP and managing director – South Asia.

    Commenting on the appointment, IBF president, K. Madhavan said, “Siddharth has demonstrated great competency in nurturing efficient, talented cross border teams of industry experts and is highly adept in driving innovation to turn adversities into opportunities. Given his remarkable expertise in leadership and advocacy, business strategy, corporate governance and compliance, we are confident in his ability to steer the IBF on a path that helps realize the sector’s value chain to the optimum. I, along with the rest of the IBF members, welcome Siddharth and wish him the very best for his new role.”

    Jain is an accomplished enterprise business leader known for expertise in business strategy, revenue/profitability/EBITA growth, financial management, sales & marketing, business development, international brand launches & development, account management, strategic alliances & partnership development, relationship management, and corporate governance and compliance stated IBF in a release.

    Meanwhile, IBF is being renamed as Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF), as it expands its purview to cover digital platforms to bring all digital (OTT) players under one roof. IBF is also in the process of setting up a separate subsidiary to facilitate the entry of OTT players.

    The subsidiary will be carrying out various activities for its member OTT players including handling the day-to-day activities of the industry-led Level-II appellate Self-Regulatory Body (SRB) called Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC) for non-news digital OTT platforms, similar to Broadcast Content Complaint Council (BCCC).

  • Eros Now expands existing partnership with Xfinite’s Mzaalo

    Eros Now expands existing partnership with Xfinite’s Mzaalo

    Mumbai: South Asian OTT platform Eros Now owned by Eros STX Global Corporation announced details of its amended partnership with Mzaalo, a gamified video streaming service owned by Xfinite Global Plc (“Xfinite”).

    Aimed at bolstering Eros Now’s footprint in the emerging segment of advertising video-on-demand (AVOD), the partnership will allow Eros Now to continue building its core subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service. The agreement also provides ErosSTX with positive optionality on the potential growth in digital assets and blockchain technology, said the company on Wednesday.

    One of the company’s strategic imperatives is to fully monetize the Eros Now platform and expand into ad-supported streaming and this partnership with Mzaalo does just that, highlighted Eros Now, CEO Ali Hussein.

    “We have an opportunity to monetize more the 224 million Eros Now registered users who are fans of our content offering but are also price-conscious. Mzaalo joins our already-substantial ecosystem of Eros Now distribution partners, including Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Tata Sky, Apple, Amazon and Roku. The Mzaalo agreement is purposefully structured to provide ErosSTX with an appropriate mix of fixed and guaranteed cash payments and variable revenue participation as Mzaalo scales,” he elaborated.

    ErosSTX is licensing majority of the existing Eros Now content library to Xfinite on an exclusive basis for global AVOD monetization. However, this agreement does not preclude Eros Now from launching its planned English-language service, Eros Now Prime, or from licensing content to other SVOD services.

    The AVOD platform is also expected to play a key role in Eros Now’s future content strategy and facilitate innovative windowing options. The current plans are to offer premium original titles and movies in the first window to Eros Now paying subscribers.

    Under the amended and restated agreement with Mzaalo, ErosSTX is entitled to a minimum guaranteed cash payment of $42 million over the remaining four-year license term, ending December 2024. ErosSTX has already received $18 million in minimum guaranteed payments under the original contract that started in 2018. 

    Additionally, ErosSTX will receive a 50 per cent share of any Mzaalo revenue generated above the minimum guarantee. Lastly, ErosSTX will receive 400 million XET Digital Tokens in exchange for access to Eros Now’s database of registered users,which totalled 224.0 million as of 31 March, 2021.

    Mzaalo, Xfinite’s first entertainment application, provides consumers with free access to premium content including films, original series, short-form content from Eros Now, and other media platforms, as well as a range of interactive features.

  • Non-metro cities drive 60% of consumption on Discovery+ : Megha Tata

    Non-metro cities drive 60% of consumption on Discovery+ : Megha Tata

    KOLKATA: The leading infotainment network Discovery entered the cluttered streaming space in India last year with the launch of Discovery+. Taking note of the consumer needs, the platform has expanded its portfolio after operating in the market for more than a year, aiming to position itself as a platform that caters to every member of the family, Discovery Inc South Asia managing director Megha Tata said on Wednesday.

    “We had an amazing response from our customers, consumers, and partners since launch. It was a pre-crowded market when we launched, with most players fighting the fiction game. We brought about that differentiation in Discovery+ that worked well for us,” Tata said.

    However, they soon realised that the platform’s offering was more in the world of infotainment. So, they decided to add more genres to offer a wholesome family viewing experience. The platform has also diversified its content library focusing on fun, facts, and family. A large portion of its content will address those aspects going forward. “We tend to make it more entertaining, interactive and we believe that these two are symbiotic. We are prioritising the kind of content the audience loves watching,” Tata said.

    The platform is expanding its library with the acquisition of titles from the A+E Networks’. It is enriching kids’ content portfolio with shows like Mr. Bean, Little Singham, Kids Baking Championship, My Little Pony, Hanuman, Mister Maker. Discovery+ also plans to attract eyeballs of sports buffs by introducing the likes of FIM MotoGP World Championship. These are the three key buckets of enhancing Discovery Plus’ content offering. Apart from acquiring titles, it has also decided not to shift focus from original titles as well.

    In the course of realigning the content library, the platform has considered audience feedback through available data addressing the content needs. One of the things the platform observed was that it had certain gaps in content offerings when it comes to kids and family specifically. For instance, it had limited content in store for women but the female viewership jumped immediately after adding Star VS Food.

    “One of the surprises was that our content was getting an encouraging response in tier II, tier III markets, because of our language strategy. We got seven languages on the platform, which has brought in engagement from tier-II, tier III cities as well. In fact, nearly 60 per cent of the consumption on our platform is outside of the eight cities and it is increasing quarter by quarter. There is an audience need for content like ours which is being seen in our number as well. Our viewership is a combination of metro cities, tier II, tier III cities,” Tata shared.

    Discovery Plus’ audience cuts across age groups, from six to sixty. The platform has rich content created over the years, a library of 3000 hours of content. A lot of this content has not seen the light of the day in India due to the limitation of slots on linear TV. But, Discovery+ has come up with a solution for this.

    By adding up new content, the platform hopes to acquire new subscribers more rapidly. On the other hand, it also has an ad-based segment. “Our approach with that line is we are a content creating company and that’s our expertise. We want to bring in our expertise, experience to brands who can create their brand communication through the content we create for them,” she explained.

    To reach more viewers, Discovery+ is also striking many partnerships like other platforms and the one with Jio has benefited the platform significantly. Many more b2b2c partnerships will be unfolded in the coming months ranging from smart TV brands, telcos, hardware companies.

    In what could be a big boon for the platform in India, if HBO Max content is integrated with the platform in the coming days, the way Disney-21st Century Fox merger panned out for Hotstar. Nonetheless, it is still not clear how the merger will pan out for the platform in India.

    “It’s a great partnership. We are excited. It’s a great opportunity to bring these two media companies together and create huge possibilities. Now the business is usual for us and we will continue to focus on our priorities. The merger will bring the two companies that have shared value, complementary assets, iconic brands, franchises. This will be a great marriage which is in the works. And we are looking forward to how this unfolds in the coming months,” Tata signed off.

  • Amazon Prime Video launches #TheFamilyManJobHunt

    Amazon Prime Video launches #TheFamilyManJobHunt

    KOLKATA: As we inch closer to the release of the new season of the eagerly awaited Amazon original series – The Family Man, Amazon Prime Video has launched an innovative engagement initiative with India Inc. and startups to stir-up the excitement quotient for the series.

    Titled #TheFamilyManJobHunt, this unique influencer campaign follows Srikant Tiwari’s (Manoj Bajpayee’s character in the series) quest for a new job, with him being interviewed by business stalwarts like Ritesh Agarwal, founder & chief executive officer of OYO Hotels & Homes, Manu Kumar Jain, vice president of Xiaomi, Kabeer Biswas, chief executive officer & co-founder of Dunzo and Ankur Warikoo, co-founder of Nearbuy. The engagement initiative picks up from last season’s story-arc where Srikant faces an uphill task of finding a decent desk job for himself, having just quit TASC (a fictitious arm of the Indian intelligence agency) to spend time with his family.

    Kick-starting the digital campaign, lead actor Manoj Bajpayee took to his social media to share that Srikant Tiwari has finally chosen to be an ideal Family Man and is on the lookout for a corporate job. His post triggered a round of fun and quirky conversations among fans, celebrities and social media influencers who replied to his tweets with bizarre job recommendations. Industry leaders like Ankur Warikoo (Nearbuy), Kabeer Biswas (Dunzo), Ritesh Agarwal (OYO) and Manu Kumar Jain (Xiaomi) are seen joining in the fun banter as well, proposing to interview Srikant. What follows are a series of interesting virtual interviews with these renowned business leaders that has created quite the stir in the corporate world and even amongst internet users.

    Nearbuy co-founder Ankur Warikoo said, “Srikant (Manoj Bajpayee’s character in the show) is a super talented guy. (I) would have loved for him to be part of Nearbuy. Not sure why the reference checks aspect of his interview made him get all weird. Love such talent, sad he could not join us!”

    Dunzo CEO & co-founder Kabeer Biswas said, “Working with The Family Man team has been a thrilling experience much like the show itself.  It was a natural extension for Dunzo – through the pandemic, our team has worked to keep Indian citizens safe. No mean-feat, if you think about it! Just like Srikant, we have had to balance multiple priorities. As we continue to deliver essentials across the country, we’re sure that the series will deliver on the intrigue and entertainment it did with the first season. And Srikant, the job offer is always open!” 

    Xiaomi vice president Manu Kumar Jain added, “It was an absolute delight to collaborate with the team of Amazon Prime Video for the upcoming season of The Family Man. It was great to have Srikant interview with us. He promises to be a high performing individual both on reel and in real life much like Mi TV, India’s no. 1 smart TV brand. We are confident that with the passion he has, the new season of The Family Man will continue to be one of the most popular shows amongst the audiences.”

    Amazon Prime Video India, marketing director Sushant Sreeram said, “As India’s much loved video streaming service, we have had the opportunity to build immersive worlds for our viewers with blockbuster series like The Family Man. A big part of building that on-going relationship with our viewers is to bring elements from reel life to real life and vice-versa. Srikant Tiwari (being) on a job-hunt is just that – a much loved character doing something many of us have experienced in real life. We had a ball working with leaders of some of the most exciting startups in the country right now, putting together this fun job-hunt campaign for our customers. Who is going to hire the not-so-minimum guy? Tune in to Amazon Prime Video on the 4th of June to find out!”

  • Discovery+ bolsters content portfolio, changes pricing

    Discovery+ bolsters content portfolio, changes pricing

    KOLKATA: Discovery+ on Wednesday announced its largest content portfolio expansion to make it the go-to app for viewing families. Starting from June, over 100 new shows for Kids and library content from A+E Networks (including from History TV18) will be added to its content slate.

    The platform has also changed its pricing. The old rate of Rs 299 will be available only till 8 June 2021, post which subscription will be priced at Rs 399.

    With the largest addition to its content library across sub-genres like reality, sports, kids, learning, food, travel, history et al since its inception, discovery+ will be a one stop destination for wholesome a family viewing experience across seven languages, to include English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali, the company stated.

    Covering shows from a wide array of genres, audiences across different age groups and interests will now have access to diverse exciting, informative and entertaining content. From fresh weekly episodes of key acquisitions like Hell’s Kitchen featuring  Gordon Ramsay, the chef with a cult following, live races from thrilling 2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship, to highly appreciated motoring television series, Top Gear America hosted by Dax Shepard, Rob Corddry, and Jethro Bovingdon.      

    Be it walking with migrating elephants in Walking with Elephants ft. Levison Wood, or navigating love under overbearing mothers’ eyes in I Love A Mama’s Boy, along with new episodes of the most loved franchise Undercover Billionaire: Comeback City, the discovery+ audience is assured of entertainment in more ways than one.

    The plaform will be expanding its library even further with the acquisition of global and local titles from the A+E Networks’ (including from History TV18) library. From top-rated reality TV series like Pawn Stars based on a family-owned pawn shop to America’s favourite treasure hunters, Storage Wars to OMG! Yeh Mera India, the longest-running and most successful History TV18 franchise hosted by Krushna Abhishek and Kumbh: Among The Seekers based on a famous religious festival amongst other enthralling titles, users will have world-class content available at their fingertips. 

    Adding to the delight, a special curated kids content slate including exciting and appealing new shows like Mr. Bean, Little Singham, Kids Baking Championship, My Little Pony, Hanuman, Mister Maker among other fun titles are to be introduced. Children will be able to immerse into the world of fantasy and never-ending adventure while increasing their knowledge through informative titles like How Do Animals Do That, MythBusters Jr, to name a few.

    Expanding its local original production in 2021, with standout titles including Star vs. Food, Secrets of Sinauli: Discovery of the Century, Mission Frontline, Ladakh Warriors and Vande Bharat Flight IX 1344: Hope To Survival, the app has become home, to strong locally differentiated content in the real-life entertainment and learning space. 

    Discovery Inc South Asia managing director Megha Tata said: “We at discovery+, have always strived to provide world-class infotainment content to our users. Our partnership with A&E is a testament of how innovation for consumers remains core to discovery+ and reinforces our commitment to our audience by bringing to them content they like consuming under one platform. While we have our broad and engrossing portfolio for adults from varied genres, with the addition of kids we now have more content catering to the entire family. She also added, “We are confident that these additions will further strengthen our family, facts & fun premises that bring us close to our aspiration of being an aggregate platform catering to every member of the family.”

  • Tata Sky Binge app now available on smartphones

    Tata Sky Binge app now available on smartphones

    New Delhi: Leading Pay TV platform Tata Sky has extended the benefit of its pioneering OTT content aggregator service, ‘Tata Sky Binge,’ to mobile with the introduction of Tata Sky Binge Mobile app.

    The OTT aggregation app curates’ content from multiple streaming services into categories such as new releases, popular movies, Trending Now to make content discoverability easy. Content surfing using language, genre, app rails etc., makes search and recommendations faster and convenient. The tab bar at the bottom of the screen gives easy access to Home screen, Search and Watchlist. Single subscription, single payment and single sign-on to view content on one unified platform makes viewing immersive and enjoyable, said the company on Wednesday.

    The company has introduced the Tata Sky Binge Mobile app with two attractive plans. Subscribers opting for a Tata Sky Binge 299 plan will be able to access content from 10 OTT apps on one TV screen (through Amazon Fire TV Stick – Tata Sky Edition or Binge+ STB) and three mobile screens. The 149 mobile-only plan gives access to Binge services on three mobile screens with content from seven premium OTT apps. All new Binge users downloading the Mobile app enjoy a seven-day free trial, it said.

    Commenting on the launch, Tata Sky, chief content & commercial officer, Pallavi Puri said, “The launch of Tata Sky Binge Mobile app is in sync with our endeavour towards making our products available to a larger audience base. Our subscribers can now access their choice of OTT content, on large and small screens, at home or on-the-go, all with a unified interface, single subscription and sign-on.”

    She further added, “Tata Sky Binge on Amazon Fire TV Stick – Tata Sky Edition was our first step into OTT. With the next step we wanted to combine the best of both worlds on one interface, i.e. linear TV + OTT through the introduction of Android enabled smart Set top box, Tata Sky Binge+.”

    Tata Sky Binge aggregates content from as many as premium OTT apps. Single subscription and a unified user interface gives access to partner apps such as Disney+ Hotstar Premium, ZEE5, SunNxt, Hungama Play, Eros Now, ShemarooMe, Voot Select, Voot Kids, SonyLIV and CuriosityStream. Amazon Prime Video can be accessed on the large screen with an additional Prime subscription.

    Tata Sky Binge service was first launched through- Amazon Fire TV Stick – Tata Sky Edition. The next extension was the launch of Tata Sky Binge+ Android enabled smart set-top box and now the same promise is available on Mobile (Android and iOS). Tata Sky Subscribers with a Tata Sky Binge subscription on Fire TV Stick – Tata Sky Edition or Binge+ Set Top Box can login and access content on the Binge mobile app by using their Subscriber ID or Registered Mobile Number. Customers also have the option to choose a mobile-only plan.