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Tag: OTT

  • hoichoi launches live TV with FTA channels

    hoichoi launches live TV with FTA channels

    MUMBAI: hoichoi has another innovation up its sleeve – it’s incorporating a Live TV section on the hoichoi App and website.

    As the name suggests, Live TV will have certain ‘Free-To-Air Channels’ that will simultaneously broadcast on hoichoi. However, hoichoi went up a notch to create its own segment titled ‘hoichoi Channels’ which will have carefully curated content from hoichoi’s vast library of movies and shows where the user does not have to go through discovering or searching a specific content. This segment is differentiated by genres; an initiative by hoichoi to increase engagement on the platform, to cater to audience of all ages.

    Over time, hoichoi has seen significant growth in its consumption on TV devices like Fire TV, Android TV, Mi TV, Apple TV and Roku. A major reason for this spike has been the growth in its 35+ users who have now become one of the top demographic segments for hoichoi. Most of these people prefer and enjoy the functionality of a TV channel. As such, hoichoi decided to curate some of the best content from its library to cater to these users.

    Though a few OTT platforms in India have already consolidated a Live TV section, hoichoi stands out as the first OTT platform to create its own segment of Live Content Binge Watch; the user gets the look and feel of television with various premium movies and web series, all in one app.

    The hoichoi channel sections have been divided genre-wise and is part of the current hoichoi subscription. The FTA (Free-To-Air) segment is free of any cost for customers along with the hoichoi free tab. The details given below:

    hoichoi Blockbusters 

    A channel that promises to keep you entertained with its blockbuster Bengali movies, non-stop! Get closer to your favourite Bengali actors from Prosenjit to Dev, Anirban Bhattacharya to Mimi, Abir to Parambrata, and their superhit films like Durgeshgorer Guptodhon to Amazon Obhijaan, Shah Jahan Regency to Crisscross, Chander Pahar to Baishe Srabon and the list is endless. For the first time, you have never-ending collection of Bengali Blockbusters at your fingertips, curated to your taste. 

    hoichoi Comedy 

    A channel to provide you endless laughter…enjoy a laughter riot with a bouquet of Bengali web series like Eken Babu, Japani Toy or Dupur Thakurpo and an array of films starting from classics like Sharey Chuattor, Mouchak or Bhanu Pelo Lottery, to recent hits like Bibaho Obhijaan, Roga Howar Sohoj Upay, Obhishopto Nighty, Haripada Bandwala and so on. Take a tour through this channel and let the laughing saga continue. 

    hoichoi Free 

    Non-stop entertainment and that too for Free, isn't that a stellar deal? Here's the one stop location for all genres of entertainment starting from Bengali movies, like Bidhatar Khela, Aandha Prem, Agni Juddho to Bengali Short Films, like Biulir Dal o Alo Posto, Audition and Wallet.  On top of that get a taste of their Originals like Hello, Dhanbad Blues, Charitraheen for which some the episodes are available for free consumption and so much more. 

    hoichoi Family 

    Binging on blockbusters or classics, with the whole family around – what's better than that? A one-stop destination for non-stop Bengali entertainment, perfect for your family with variety of Bengali movies like Posto, Mukherjee Dar Bou, Shubhodrishti, Prem Amar, Bibaho Diaries, Haami and the list is endless. Fix a movie date and enjoy binge watching with the youngest and the eldest member of the household. 

    hoichoi Classics 

    Take a trip down the memory lane with characters from Pather Panchali,  Sanyasi Raja, Mouchak or with the iconic duo Goopy Bagha in Hirok Rajar Deshe. Let Sata Bose from Chowringhee welcome you to a plethora of Bengali classic cinemas, anytime, anywhere. So, if you want to submerge yourself into non-stop nostalgia, this is the place. 

    hoichoi Thrillers 

    If you are in the mood to have a chill run down your spine with mind-bending thrillers, search no more! Be it the eccentricities of Byomkesh or your next door Bouma Detective, spend your day solving mysteries and busting crimes with your favourite sleuths. From the drama and thrill of Hello or Paap, from the darkness of the internet in Dark Web or Six, hoichoi has lined up a crazy list of top-notch thrillers to keep you hooked to #WatchFromHome. 

    In addition to the above, hoichoi will have several TV channels on the platform, all free to watch, for its audience. hoichoi has segregated this to 24*7 news, music and music videos and other forms of entertainment a television provides as a medium. 

    The TV channels section currently include: 

    Kolkata TV 

    One of the top Bengali news channels that not only provides news 24*7 but also entertainment with multiple interviews of Bengali artistes, events and latest blockbuster songs. 

    Sangeet Bangla 

    The no. 1 Bengali music channel – serves as a suitable platform for the film and music industry of Bengal, acting as a perfect media partner to reach the target viewership. It is an endeavour to showcase the resplendent Bengali culture through its music and movies, which is unique and typically a characteristic of the land. 

    Bangla Talkies 

    Good packaging, high production standards and quality content have positioned the channel as one of the most preferred choice of the Bengali music loving audience. From break-free compilations to karaoke and retro to romantic, BT offers a variety of shows showcasing different genre of music and moods serving an audience of all age groups. 

    DD Bangla 

    The classic Doordarshan in Bengali language. The network’s programming consists of a library of serials, infotainment series, cartoons, news and current affairs, social programs and even films. the network's programming consists of soap operas. 

    Aamar Cinema 

    A 24-hour Bengali Movie Channel for the mass! It is a mirror of daily life, happiness and sorrow, struggle and enjoyment, relations and deviation. All kinds of flavours are explored in this channel – “Bangliana” will be reflected like a spectrum through this kaleidoscope. 

    Sadhna News 

    Catering to the contemporary and the traditional viewers, this Hindi 24*7 news channel focusses on News and Entertainment. 

  • How OTT players re-calibrate OOH advertising during social distancing

    How OTT players re-calibrate OOH advertising during social distancing

    MUMBAI: The world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented crisis in living memory that has almost crippled our everyday lives and left the whole country deserted. And the reality has been unpalatable to the media and entertainment industry, especially the outdoor advertising segment, which is bearing the brunt of the stay-at-home/social distancing stipulations.

    The out-of-home (OOH) medium has been one of the go-to points for OTT services in India so much so that leading streaming platforms had started outdoing even retail brands in OOH advertising. Now, with that option totally shut, streaming services are looking at ways to re-calibrate their ad spends. 

    In this new series, we explore how the OTT industry is coping with its communication strategies amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We start off with the OOH industry. 

    As people have suddenly been forced to shift to seek entertainment online, digital advertising has gained traction. However, none of the platforms denies the importance of OOH in the media mix.

    ALTBalaji marketing, analytics & direct revenue SVP Divya Dixit says that the platform has been at the forefront of executing creative and innovative OOH formats for its varied shows. However, she mentions that their strategies have always been a mix of varied tools, and in times such as these, they seek to explore the rest of them with innovation and uniqueness. 

    "For marketers, with OOH advertisement being suspended, it does create a dent in the overall marketing outreach. As all of us exercise the mandatory stay-at-home-stay-safe measure during the lockdown, audiences across the country are now consuming content digitally every part of the day. In such a situation, digital marketing, buoyed by social media, influencer marketing, meme marketing, OBD calls, SMS and email blasts etc., can prove to be the best bet for brands right now. Especially for a digital-first platform like ours, it promises to play a crucial role in the overall marketing mix, seeing 50 per cent of the allotted marketing budget," she adds.

    Hungama Digital Media COO Siddhartha Roy comments that the stay-at-home measure has enabled the TV and digital media to find captive audiences while the audience for OOH and other forms of outdoor and experiential marketing has decreased dramatically. "As a platform, we realised a long time ago that our audience is present on the digital medium; hence, our marketing strategy, even in the past, has been heavily skewed towards digital and social platforms," he says.

    Broadcaster-led platforms, like VOOT, ZEE5, etc., whose traditional business has also been bullish on OOH, accept it as a key component of the media mix. Voot Select and Viacom18 youth, music and English entertainment head Ferzad Palia says that outdoor is very important when a new service is launching, especially in markets like Mumbai. But he also adds that they have never been over-indexed on outdoor; hence, cutting back on this area is not a huge change. While having an outdoor option could have been an advantage, he mentions the OOH spends are being shifted to a mix of TV and digital ads.

    ZEE5 India SVOD marketing head Reilly Rebello also echoes Palia's thoughts. While terming OOH as a key component of its advertising mix, he does not forget to mention that there are a lot of other mediums that have been used regularly. Rebello also says that they are focusing a lot on digital and TV. ZEE5 India is doing heavy targetted advertising on the ZEE5 app while focusing on other digital mediums. A major part of ZEE5's OOH cost has moved to the digital medium.

    However, TheSmallBigIdea CEO and co-founder Harikrishnan Pillai has a different take. He is of the view that outdoor was never a pivot platform for OTT. According to Pillai, while OOH builds perception and is a great reminder medium, it is seldom the core medium. "What outdoor helped OTT do is place itself alongside broadcast television in terms of scale. Over the years, TV has built a perception on the back of the outdoors. So for OTT, which is digital-first, absence of outdoor doesn't matter much in these times, since TV, too, isn't making much use of it," he says.

    "Given the stay-at-home, stay-safe mandate, a lot of outdoor media has had to be removed from the marketing media mix, but at MX Player, we firmly believe that all else can wait, but your daily dose of entertainment must go on. We've gone live with eight shows just in the month of March and the first week of April," MX Player marketing and business partnerships head Abhishek Joshi states.

    While OOH hoardings stay barren for now, the hope is that the industry will be back on track after this crisis passes us.

  • Disney+Hotstar boasts of 8 mn paid subscribers

    Disney+Hotstar boasts of 8 mn paid subscribers

    MUMBAI: Disney+ is making noise in the market even after its launch as it has surpassed the 50 million subscriber mark globally. The new streaming service from the mouse house has been racing ahead of all its guidance numbers and has reached the magnificent number within five months of its launch. Disney+ became available last week in India, where it is offered in conjunction with the existing Hotstar service, and already accounts for approximately eight million subscribers.

    “We’re truly humbled that Disney+ is resonating with millions around the globe, and believe this bodes well for our continued expansion throughout western Europe and into Japan and all of Latin America later this year,” Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International chairman Kevin Mayer said.

    The number has almost doubled in two months as it reported 28.6 million Disney+ paid subscribers as of 3 February. In the past two weeks, Disney+ rolled out in eight western European countries including the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. 

    “Great storytelling inspires and uplifts, and we are in the fortunate position of being able to deliver a vast array of great entertainment rooted in joy and optimism on Disney+,” Mayer added. 

    These few weeks have been a bonanza for OTT services. Due to countrywide lockdown, more viewers are consuming online video content and signing up to more services. In India, the time spent on smartphones, the primary device to consume OTT content,  has also gone up.

  • Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi OTT makes quiet India launch

    Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi OTT makes quiet India launch

    MUMBAI: Almost silently, without any hoopla or noise, the $1.75 billion-funded, Jeffrey Katzenberg-promoted short video streaming service Quibi made its debut in India on 6 April. Launched in the thick of the CoVid-2019 pandemic, Quibi, which is short for Quick bites, has a price point of Rs 699 a month for the ad-free service and is available for consumption only on smartphones.

    Interested viewers can download it from the Google Play stores and the Apple store and try it free for 90 days before they have to cough up the monthly fee. (The US version has two services ad-loaded at $4.99, and ad-free at $7.99 a month.)

    The app’s promise is that it has no long-form catalogue movies or shows; every piece of content on it is 10 minutes or less and almost every one of them is an original.

    The app launched with 50 shows, but the idea is to launch fresh content every week to take the catalogue up to 175. The slate covers everything from drama to comedy to documentaries to news to sports. On its launch day, Quibi saw over 300,000 downloads.

    The big plus of Quibi is its turnstile feature which allows viewers to seamlessly switch between landscape and vertical portrait views without affecting the viewing experience. In fact, each show is edited keeping these two views in mind and two streams are delivered.

    Former eBay boss Meg Whitman, who is the CEO of Quibi, stated at CES in Las Vegas in January that as compared to YouTube and platforms where shows were being made at $200 or $5,000 a minute, the spends on her service were $100,000 for a minute of content, speaking highly about its quality and the makers.

    In a LinkedIn post, Whitman said, “Quibi was created to entertain, inform, and inspire by reimagining the way mobile users consume premium video content on their phones. The world is a very different place today than it was even two weeks ago. It is our hope that Quibi will provide a small moment of laughter, inspiration, or information during this unprecedented moment in our lives. I am so proud of the hard work of the entire Quibi team who have poured their hearts into building this new technology platform from the ground up. And, thank you to everyone who has made this possible, from our incredible content creators to our outstanding brand partners.”

    Among the top-notch creators who have been signed on for the service include: Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Torro, Lena Waithe and Catherine Hardwick. This apart, there are special news shows being readied for it by NBC, BBC and Entertainment Weekly. Some of the shows which were trending on Quibi at the time of writing included: Most Dangerous Game, punk’d, Chrissy’s Court, The Report by NBC News, Fierce Queens, Shape of Pasta, Survive, Flipped, Thanks a Million, When the Streetlights Go on, etc.

    During CES, Katzenberg and Whitman had stated that the service was for consumption on the go, during metro commutes, lunch or tea breaks or when someone had 10 minutes or less to spend on entertainment. With most consumers at home in many nations courtesy the COVID-2019 lockdown, the duo can be sure that viewers during the trial period will probably consume way beyond that.

  • OTT: The new kid in town for brands to reach their TG

    OTT: The new kid in town for brands to reach their TG

    MUMBAI: OTT consumption has been on a steep upward curve in India for the last three years. Now, after the country has entered a lockdown phase, taking social life out of lives, the media and entertainment industry is suddenly abuzz with a new wave of growth. More people are maintaining social-distance and staying at home, tasting new content and exploring new platforms in this unprecedented crisis. While the staggering change in the M&E landscape is already underway, the sudden lifestyle change is truly a bonanza for OTT platforms. 

    According to the latest BARC-Nielsen report, the time spent per user on video streaming apps excluding YouTube grew by 11 per cent in the second week of lockdown. Original series has driven the growth, followed by movies. The statistics only reaffirms that the new-age viewers don’t let go of any opportunity to binge, be it a lockdown, a vacation or even commute time during a busy day. 

    Therefore, it’s not surprising that advertisers and agencies, who have been riding the AVoD bus, rolling out campaigns or getting into branded integration deals with the streamers, will take more OTT platforms into consideration for media planning. That is good news for India's media and entertainment companies like Star, Zee, Sony and Viacom18. Their linear television business model has been hit by economic static, especially as production has stopped and advertising revenue will see a bump.  

    Despite the huge reach of linear TV, the new-age urban audience have already been considering streaming services as its source of entertainment. IPSOS Predictions 2020 also state that 72 per cent of urban Indians watch more TV from streaming services opposed to cable TV. This shift to OTT is now being accelerated by the stay-at-home direction, especially as theatres have been shut down and leading GECs are unable to churn out fresh content.

    Even before this sudden surge in viewership, brands are looking at OTT platforms primarily because of these factors for the last couple of years to reach out to end consumers. They also look for brand safety, integration opportunities, full video views, and indeed, the ability to sharply target a specific set of consumers/cohorts. Home-grown players like ZEE5, Hotstar, VOOT, MX Player and SonyLIV are gradually taking space in the media mix of brands. Moreover, now that live events and big sporting tournaments are getting cancelled, coupled with the absence of new content on TV, advertisers can potentially shift ad spend to digital despite scaling back on the expense. The platforms can increase ad-inventory based on an increase in viewing hours as well as revenue per user. 

    ZEE5 has seen a staggering 22 per cent increase in MAU and a 15 per cent increase in DAU compared to last month. The platform has witnessed the upsurge in viewership across all geographies. Because viewers have plenty of free time, the streaming service has seen the highest increase in binge-watching with double-digit growth in long-form content consumption. Moreover, the platform has revealed its content lineup for April with a mix of popular old shows, Korean shows, and digital original films.  

    "In the era of social distancing and limiting exposure to the external world, consumers and viewers are turning to forms of digital entertainment and Eros Now is playing its part. We have seen an increase of 200 per cent in paid subscribers on a daily basis and App Annie shows a 78 per cent increase in daily traffic on the platform,” Eros Now CEO Ali Hussein said.

    The platforms are experimenting with the pattern of content offering, too. ZEE5 has made some of its premium and new original content available for free, breaking down the paywall, the first player in the industry to do so. Amazon Prime Video has also rolled out a similar strategy making a selection of kids and family content available free to watch for all Amazon customers. Eros Now consumers can access two months of free Eros Now subscription if they subscribed prior to 31 March.

    While a social cause is undoubtedly driving such decisions, OTT platforms are going to see a jump in users even after the crisis is over. As more audiences are getting to taste the premium content, many of them will later opt for subscriptions. Other than that, if this lockdown continues for more than a month, a significant chunk of ad spend will also start moving towards OTT from TV as the latter will be bereft of fresh content for a long time. As brand-building activity has suddenly stopped, many brands will look at OTTs to reinitiate the spending given the recent boost in viewership. However, we will see more clarity in the space in due course of time.

    According to the FICCI-EY 2020 report, digital advertising grew to Rs 191.5 billion in 2019, 24 per cent higher than in 2018. Ad growth was driven by increased digital media consumption across social media, news, gaming, sports and entertainment, leading to a growth in sellable inventory.

    GCPL media services head Subha Sreenivasan Iyer said that the ability to target a specific set of consumers/cohorts is what makes sense for brands while choosing OTT platforms. She also added that there's a wide variety of content, multiple types of readily-available audience, enabling sharper targeting across OTTs.

    Loreal media head Neel Pandya pointed out the factors which drive brands to OTT platforms: brand safety, ability to drive full video views, content associations and partnerships that can go beyond advertising and more creative and out-of-the-box thinking.

    He added that apart from conventional video buying options, there are opportunities in OTT platforms that can be used to influence consumers across the journey. The key factors include building salience through associations and integrations, building advocacy by creating content and leveraging celebs that also have massive social media following. He added that OTTs help drive consumers to the brand's online shop through innovative formats designed to drive traffic.

    GroupM change planning and transformation principal consultant Vishal Jacob noted that while all the brands are depending on TV, they don’t mind expanding their spend to online video. He noted that when it comes to online video, predominantly there are two options –YouTube and OTT.  But, he added, OTT players provide full visibility to the ads and a stronger brand safety environment. According to Jacob, OTT advertising is largely dominated by CPG players like Colgate, Unilever, GSK, Pepsi, etc.

    GroupM India partnerships and trading president Ashwin Padmanabhan stated that as OTT platforms have started engaging a huge number of consumers, significant ad spend is moving there. He added that brands like ZEE5, Hotstar, Voot, SonyLIV are investing in technology, leading to higher engagement and brands are looking at capitalising that.

    “In essence, content on OTT is quite similar to TV in its audio-visual and storytelling but with a large scope of multi-level targeting by way of multiple cohorts. So categories that choose TV are a natural fit for OTTs as well,” GCPL’s Iyer added.

    However, there are a few existing challenges. As Indiantelevision.com spoke to experts, all of them mentioned the need for a single currency to measure ROI. “A single currency is the need of the hour,” as Iyer puts. GroupM’s Jacob also added that a lot of brands are now questioning the effectiveness of OTT platforms as it has been taken largely on words till now. 

    “Duplication among OTT and other digital platforms is very high. And currently, there is no major platform where we can do unified targeting reducing this duplication and bring about efficiencies,” Loreal’s Pandya echoed the tone. However, this challenge bothers linear TV, too. 

    “Another (challenge) is the cost-effectiveness; it’s important to remember that running longer films/edits may not really be a viable option given the costs,” Iyer added. Pandya said that keeping aside tentpole properties, the platforms still lack the scale that some of the large platforms have.

    However, leaving aside the challenges, ad spends on OTT are set to grow. According to experts, advertising on OTT will see an increase between 10 to 15 per cent in 2020 (the numbers may be revised after the COVID-19 impact is taken into account). The future looks more promising as 26 per cent growth is expected by 2025.

  • Lockdown binge-watching a boon for OTT

    Lockdown binge-watching a boon for OTT

    MUMBAI: This unprecedented crisis called COVID-19 has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for OTT platforms. With people locked indoors, the only refuge has been their smartphones, giving way to, possibly, the next wave of growth for OTT companies. New-age entertainers, such as ZEE5, MX Player, Voot, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, seem to be the obvious beneficiaries as people stay cocooned in the comforts of their homes for weeks.

    Will ad and subscription revenue go up along with the viewership?

    According to the BARC-Nielsen report, the time spent on smartphones, the main device to consume online content in India, has increased by almost three hours per week in week 2 of COVID-19 disruption. Time spent on video streaming apps also grew by 11 per cent which was driven by original series and movies. Hence data has proved what experts predicted at the beginning of the crisis.

    “There will be an impact on all industries. OTT is one of the few sectors which will have a silver lining. Bandwidth for data consumption for telcos will also shoot up. A lot of reality shows and soap-operas which are on a running model have suddenly dried up for short to mid-term and TV channels have to show alternate content. However, when you are confined at home, content consumption both on TV and OTT will go up dramatically. While the supply chain has certainly been affected, content creators and media players will have to be smart enough to see how they build their business continuity plan of content and how they maximise the increased TV or OTT viewership,” says PwC India media, entertainment and sports advisory, partner and leader Raman Kalra.

    SBICap Securities institutional equity research head Rajiv Sharma reaffirms that this is a great thing for the sector. He believes the industry will see a quantum jump in OTT viewership and consumption. Sharma adds that while TV channels are running out of content, OTT platforms have a lot of content which has not yet been consumed by all viewers. According to him, some platforms like Netflix can always have more English content. He, however, reminds that if the lockdown gets prolonged to three to six months, then OTT platforms too will struggle to churn out fresh content.

    Sharma adds that movies can play a role here. Those that were slated for a theatrical release, but had to be called off due to the current situation, can be released digitally through OTT platforms. Irrfan Khan-starrer Angrezi Medium had a short run in theatres before it decided to make its digital debut on Disney+ Hotstar.

    Kalra believes that the situation could even boost subscription for OTT platforms. As more people consume content, some of them will get converted into paid subscribers, bringing in revenue to the digital medium. Sharma also believes that these new subscribers will rake in the moolah for OTT platforms once the situation stabilises.

    The next 90 days will witness growth for the space, according to Sharma. Ad spends will shift to digital, but at a lower rate than the normal. According to him, overall ad sales combining TV and digital may decline by 15-20 per cent if COVID-19 disrupts the business for more than 30 days.

    “With this surge in traffic, telecom operators are struggling to provide adequate bandwidth. When bandwidth consumption reaches the threshold, the user experience gets affected. At this point, companies wouldn’t want to show ads because that will put an extra burden. Currently, ad-dollar is down and no brands want to push them. The only ones that can break through are those that can create relevant content around COVID-19,” says DigitalKites senior vice president Amit Lall says.

    The promise of innovative offerings

    Eyeing opportunities, some platforms have opened up their premium content for free viewing during this period. Some others are trying to push their content to television or partnering with payment gateways. These are inorganic growth mechanisms that are being targetted.

    Amazon Prime Video has brought out a special catalogue of children and family content, available for free; and ZEE5 has also made an array of premium content available on the AVOD side. Eros Now is offering a free two-month subscription. Three of Alt Balaji's shows are being run on Zee TV.

    While media planners laud the social cause behind these moves, they also mention that this is a big opportunity for the SVoD players to get consumers to sample premium content. Media professional Lalit Agrawal says that this sampling will help consumers make an informed choice about the quality of content when they would want to subscribe in the future after the turmoil is over.

    Lall says, “For two to three months, consumers will get to taste the content and since everybody has a sizable inventory in terms of content, once viewers are habituated, they can stick. These people who are now getting into the wheel will move up to pay.”

    Indeed, this phase, caused by a sudden change in lifestyle, is scripting a new chapter for online content with more consumers adapting to streaming services and existing ones increasing the uptake and sampling more platforms. Both AVOD and SVOD platforms will try to convince new floating users with not only great content but also volume. 

  • ALTBalaji partners with PayPal

    ALTBalaji partners with PayPal

    MUMBAI: ALTBalaji, one of India’s leading homegrown OTT platforms, has joined hands with popular payment gateway PayPal, to ensure its audiences non-stop entertainment and offering them a host of convenient payment experiences.

    As a part of the association, audiences via a PayPal payment can get a minimum of Rs 10 and a maximum of Rs 300 cashback vouchers during the offer period. Valid till 30 June 2020, the offer is on the first PayPal transaction. The terms of the deal require one to make a minimum transaction of Rs 100 to utilize the offer. 

    Through this partnership, ALTBalaji adds another feather in its social awareness campaign, #StayALT, which urges the audience to practice social distancing by staying at home and be entertained by the platform’s extensive and diverse content library. Being a responsible brand, ALTBalaji has been running #StayALT by introducing exciting offers to motivate the audience to stay at home. The OTT platform earlier this week announced its association with Amazon Pay and Paytm under the same initiative. ALTBalaji’s associations with these payment gateways will help reach out to a wider set of audience and have enabled a slew of payment options to choose from. 

    Balaji Telefilms group COO and ALTBalaji CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “We have always worked in the direction of creating an ecosystem for our viewers where they not only get quality content but easy access to it. Our association with PayPal is a strategic move in this direction that improves our relationship with our audiences and provides them with multiple payment gateways to choose from. During times like this, we have been urging everyone to stay at home while we make sure that they are getting smooth access to our content library and hence keep themselves entertained.”

    ALTBalaji has built a legacy of creating iconic shows like Apharan, Mentalhood, Code M, Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain, Karle Tu Bhi Mohabbat, M-O-M: Mission Over Mars, Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala, The Verdict – State v/s Nanavati, Broken…But Beautiful, Ragini MMS Return, Test Case, Bose among others which have been lauded by the audience. The subscribers of ALTBalaji will get access to a content library of 60+ Indian originals created for the masses.

  • Sad that bigger brands not investing enough on digital: BC Web Wise’ Chaaya Baradhwaaj

    Sad that bigger brands not investing enough on digital: BC Web Wise’ Chaaya Baradhwaaj

    NEW DELHI: One of the leading independent advertising agencies, serving clients like TikTok ads, BC Web Wise recently completed two decades of its fabulous journey. On the occasion, Indiantelevision.com interacted with founder and MD Chaaya Baradhwaaj to know about the agency, its journey and her take on the current trends in digital marketing.

    About the glorious journey of the agency, Baradhwaaj said, “The best way to describe our market value is to look at our two-decade journey, a marquee client roster, an impeccable reputation. In 2017, we got a CRISIL two-star rating for MSMEs. This year we got ‘Best Places To Work Certified’. We have consistently therefore not only been doing noteworthy work as a digital marketing agency – winning awards, but also a very stable organisation with a great work-place culture.”

    Baradhwaaj is expecting that this growth will only pick up pace in the coming future, as the digital technologies and communications grow. She believes that the industry will become more dynamic, volatile, and fluid. She sees this as an opportunity for agencies like hers to double up their ability to nimble and adapt quickly.

    “It will be the biggest advertising media in about a decade or even lesser than that. It will totally change the way advertising is done today.  It will help to build and grow (as it already is) many more profitable businesses giving consumers better choices, better prices, more transparency through the marketing funnel,” she notes.

    However, she feels that traditional brands are still not spending enough on digital mediums. “Traditional brands especially the larger ones tend to spend not more than five per cent to a maximum of 15 per cent on digital, which is going to be unfortunate in my opinion for these businesses. Unfortunately few can see the writing on the wall.”

    On being asked if the ongoing stress due to Covid-19 will further hamper the value propositions of traditional media like TV, further aiding the digital growth, she explains, “I hope Covid-19 is only going to be a short term blip. But TV, I think, is already keeling under pressure with the existing fragmentation, costs, and the rapid proliferation of OTT, plus UGC on digital, freedom to create and access content in an almost free world of digital, and the rapid adoption of digital across demographics.”  

    She adds, “Digital is huge. Big brands are not able to adapt to it, unfortunately. They are possibly too thick into traditional ways of doing things and unable to adapt. But there is a huge breed of fresh new startups from across the nation that is becoming bigger by the day by sharply focusing on digital marketing. There are many Nykaas in the making today. Meesho, a social e-commerce app, for instance, clickt2care.com, 1mg.com. There are many players across segments and they are investing big on digital already.”

  • Star Plus’ nine-month long tryst with ‘Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum’

    Star Plus’ nine-month long tryst with ‘Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum’

    MUMBAI: Production of shows across TV and OTT has halted due to the lockdown. While there is no way to predict when normal functioning will resume, GECs are filling airtime with re-runs of popular shows from the past. One show that just concluded before Covid-19 became a pandemic in India and deserves a re-run is Star Plus’ Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum (KHKT). The 9 pm primetime show, which had its last airing on 14 March, was a refreshing change from the monotonous saas-bahu drama that is a standard across channels, national or regional.

    In June 2019, KHKT replaced Krishna Chali London, which ran for a little over a year. Before Krishna Chali London, Naamkaran ran for about 463 episodes. Now KHKT has given way to a new show Anupama, an adaptation from Star Jalsha’s Sreemoyee about the struggles of a homemaker. The -pm slot has turned into an experimental one for the channel ever since it ended one of its popular shows Diya Aur Baati Hum which had a successful run from 2011 to 2016.

    However, KHKT was a track apart from all these shows. While primetime shows tend to depict traditional families, Sol Productions took bold strides with KHKT. Says Sol Productions’ founder and managing director Fazila Allana, “For KHKT, our effort was to be more reflective of today’s society. Women are becoming stronger and standing on their feet. We did show a wealthier society in the show and we got a great response for it with a huge cult audience too.”

    The premise of the show itself was novel: a love story between a TV actress and a surgeon in predominantly upper-class urban Mumbai. The other stereotype it broke was that every primetime show must make you cry or feel sad. KHKT introduced a lot of humour in its first few months, which was like a breath of fresh air.

    “My heroine wasn’t the ‘roti dhoti abla naari’. She was a confident girl. The romance was also different. They [the lead pair] spoke of things like let’s take a shower together,” says producer Sandiip Sikcand. Indeed, the show attempted to break several taboo topics whether it was sex education between the mother and daughter, the husband and wife discussing their first night together or even something as challenging as suicide.

    Even as the show focused on Sonakshi Rastogi, portrayed by Dipika Kakar Ibrahim, Allana points out the difference in KHKT’s male protagonist Rohit Sippy, played by Karan V Grover. “More than a strong woman, whom you see in multiple shows now, the biggest thing here was the man supporting the woman in having her independent identity whether it was her life, career or having a name of her own,” she says. This track was mildly attempted in Diya Aur Baati Hum where the lead Sandhya Rathi had a semi-supportive husband in her dream of becoming an IPS officer.

    There is a reason why women swooned over the character of Rohit Sippy. While crafting Rohit’s character, Sikcand says, “He is the kind of guy everyone should be like. In my shows, I like men and women to be as real people. They need to be the way I feel they should be. Every human needs to be humble and supportive. A man is not a benchmark for a woman and the woman is not the weaker sex. You are a human first and man/woman later.”

    Even as the love between Rohit and Sonakshi was blossoming from courtship into marriage, trouble seemed to be brewing not just in their marital life but also on the channel and production front. After a few months, the show had to introduce drastic dramatic changes to rake up the TRPs. “They [Star] had maintained from the start that they want to break the 2 GRP barrier for the 9 pm slot. It is a tough slot and is up against the number 1 show. We came close but we couldn’t cross it. The channel probably had their own research and decided that they want to experiment with a different kind of story. Even KHKT was an experiment and it worked up to a point,” shares Allana.

    Sikcand says that the team got the call to pack up on 14 February, Valentine’s Day. When probed about what the channel gave as a reason for winding it up within nine months, Sikcand is tight-lipped stating that the conversation between a broadcaster and a producer is like one that takes place between a husband and wife in the bedroom. “I don’t know what prompted this decision but ratings is what we [the industry] judge by,” he mentions.

    Allana, giving more insight, says that the show only appealed to a certain audience mindset and that is what led to the decision to end the show. “The audience that watched KHKT is more evolved and that number isn't a lot in the country. Which is why in the UK it was the top show,” she says.

    If a conservative audience is what is being catered to by Hindi GEC primetime, is there no hope then for shows like KHKT that want to take the road less travelled? “Given a chance, I’ll make the show the same way again. I will not stop experimenting. KHKT was different and maybe, different takes a little more time. I will continue saying stories which will compel the thinking to change,” says Sikcand boldly.

    On the other hand, Allana says that the change in the show type can only happen when audiences change. “Star is catering to the audience. If the audience prefers to watch drama and woman constantly being beaten up and rising like a phoenix they will be forced to create such shows,” she points out.

    Is TRP a limitation on creativity? Sikcand agrees but adds metaphorically, “You cannot go to the temple and not acknowledge the god. In TV, content isn’t king, TRP is. It’s up to you if you want to dance for that god or not. I will still dance because I need him to wake up, turn around and say don’t take me as a god.” Interestingly, the show got called off a few months after it changed tracks to cater to TRP-led viewership.

    Sikcand’s idea is not to ruffle feathers by introducing extremely off-beat thought-provoking ideas in his storylines. It is to keep introducing them little by little. In his own words, it is by adding a little baingan in your daily bhindi and keep increasing the amount of that baingan little by little.

    Ending at one episode short of 200, KHKT was unable to get a revised timeslot due to lack of vacancy while OTT was a challenge monetarily.

    While Allana feels the show might have been a little early for Indian mindsets, she hopes it still touched a lot of lives.

    For Sikcand, this is only temporary. He will continue to work with Star and is already buzzing with ideas not just for TV but also for OTT. “When you want to win the race, take a step back and sprint. Maybe this is that,” he concludes.

  • Times Prime offers complimentary ZEE5 subscription to entertain during COVID-19 social distancing

    Times Prime offers complimentary ZEE5 subscription to entertain during COVID-19 social distancing

    MUMBAI: As more and more people stay home following state-imposed lockdowns or self-quarantine due to rising cases of COVID-19, Times Prime has partnered with ZEE5 to offer digital entertainment to all those who are confined to their home during this unprecedented situation. As part of this initiative, Times Prime is offering new users complimentary access to six months of ZEE5 subscription worth Rs 599 as a part of the membership experience.

    ZEE5 offers an exhaustive array of digital content with 100+ live TV channels and 1.25 lakh+ hours of viewing across the languages of English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabis, making it one of the most comprehensive video destinations for OTT viewers. The platform is also set to host a large bouquet of blockbuster movies, new exclusives, binge-worthy ZEE5 Originals, and bespoke premium content to cater to this burgeoning new audience.

    Times Prime business head Vivek Jain said, "The world is currently fighting a battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, with hundreds of millions of Indians having to be confined to their homes to be safe. Social distancing is surely the need of the hour. We want our members to stay home, stay safe and stay entertained. To enable this we are adding many partners that can help Prime patrons workout from home, get access to nutritionists and digital diet passes and most importantly get online consultation from doctors. I am very pleased to share that ZEE5, a leading OTT platform in India, will now be available on Times Prime keeping all our users entertained 24×7 across devices.”

    ZEE5 India business development and commercial vice president Manpreet Bumrah said, “We are fully committed to undertake any preventive measures necessary to help the media ecosystem curb this unprecedented situation caused due to the COVID-19 crisis. With our partnership with Times Prime, we want to reach out to all the audiences across the country and help them enjoy responsibly by staying home whilst, catching up on their favourite shows/movies uninterrupted across 12 languages – only on ZEE5.”

    At an introductory price of Rs 999, Times Prime’s premium lifestyle membership now offers exclusive access to nine premium memberships that include Zee5 subscription worth Rs 599, Gourmet Passport by Dineout worth Rs 1499, Grofers membership worth Rs 249, Gaana+ by Gaana worth Rs 399, exclusive access to TOI+ the ad-free online version of the world’s largest circulating newspaper, ETPrime membership worth Rs 399, FitCoach membership worth Rs 999, FreshClub subscription worth Rs 399, and OYO Wizard Blue worth Rs 499. Additionally, Times Prime’s exclusive payment partnerships with HDFC Payzapp and HDFC Times Card can be used to purchase the Times Prime membership at up to 30 per cent discount. Customers can easily recover their membership fee within the first week and save up to Rs 60,000 every year, making Times Prime the most comprehensive and cost-effective premium subscription service available in India.