ITV

Tag: Out of Love

  • BBC Studios considers shuttering Indian operations: Economic Times report

    BBC Studios considers shuttering Indian operations: Economic Times report

    MUMBAI: Is BBC Studios set to exit India?

    If a report in The Economic Times is to be believed it is strongly considering the possibility. Recently, its general manager Sameer Gogate quit the content production arm. 

    It is also considering other options like zooming in on a strategic investor who will share some of the challenges that have emerged in the severely  tested media and entertainment industry. Another option being toyed with is doing co-productions with Indian producers – something which has not been a huge hit in the Indian scenario as yet. 

    Sources indicate that consolidation and shrinking budgets from television broadcasters and OTT platforms have intensified competition for limited projects, significantly squeezing producers’ profit margins.

    Known for popular shows like Criminal Justice, The Office, Out of Love, and Nach Baliye BBC Studios, produces approximately 2,000 hours of content annually and operates in over 20 countries. It  also maintains a robust content licensing business in India, licensing British formats such as Dancing with the Stars* and Luther.

    Faced with a more selective landscape of OTT platforms and broadcasters, the pressure to maximize output under reduced budgets is prompting a re-evaluation of BBC Studios’ production strategy in India. A company spokesperson confirmed to The Economic Times that the management in the UK  is currently reviewing its  production operating model to enhance efficiency.

    The Indian M&E sector has experienced significant consolidation, with recent major mergers like the Star India and Viacom18 deal and discussions involving the acquisition of Tata Play by Bharti Airtel’s DTH arm, Airtel DTH.

    Experts suggest that BBC Studios’ production arm could be among the first casualties of this trend as margin pressures continue to mount.

    This potential shift comes as the BBC Group maintains its presence in India through various digital news platforms and joint ventures, including Sony BBC Earth and the recently launched BBC Player and BBC Kids on Prime Video.

    Additionally, BBC itself in the UK is under pressure. An audit report of the BBC  by the National Audit Office  expressed  this in no less words when it said: In 2023-24, BBC Studios’ income fell by £253 million (12 per cent) to £1,837 million and profits fell by £50 million (20 per cent ) to £202 million. This was partly due to challenging market conditions, including a reduction in spend by commissioners, including the BBC and global streamers, on the production of programmes and the ending of some high-value contracts which generated significant income in 2022-23. In addition its profits were reduced by higher costs as BBC Studios invested in its digital services such as BBC.com and BritBox International to support its future growth

    The audit report was also critical of BBC Studios and its inability to generate too many new IPs and for being dependent on BBC’s catalogue of shows before the production arm was set up in 2016. The report said: “In our 2020 report, we identified that BBC Studios had been less successful than planned in winning new commissions and generating IP.
    Since then, although generation of new IP has grown, BBC Studios has not met its targets in this area and remains reliant on the IP from BBC programmes created before it was first established in 2016. In 2023-24, of the 10 titles from its production business which provided the most profit to the BBC, only one was from new IP
    generated by BBC Studios.”

    Additionally, the Beeb is  on track to lay off close to 500 staff by March 2026 and generate savings of 200 million pounds sterling, according to reports.

  • #Retrace2021: Decoding BBC Studios’ giant OTT leap in India with Sameer Gogate

    #Retrace2021: Decoding BBC Studios’ giant OTT leap in India with Sameer Gogate

    Mumbai: Sameer Gogate has been leading BBC Studios’ production business in India as general manager since 2019. In the last two years, he has played an instrumental role in steering the internationally renowned brand to its deserved status in India.

    Smartly leveraging the OTT boom in the country, he was able to earn a reputation for BBC Studios beyond just being the producer of ‘Jhalak’. Through the pandemic years the studio produced over 11 shows for OTT including ‘Criminal Justice’ (three seasons), ‘What the Love’, ‘Out of Love’ (two seasons), ‘The Office India’ (two seasons), ‘Rudra’, ‘Guilt’ and ‘Sons of the Soil’. This year, they ventured into the regional markets with scripted formats. 

    Gogate has spent over 16 years in the Indian media and entertainment industry across the TV and film businesses. During his stint with Viacom 18, he oversaw the commercial function for the GEC Colors and managed co-productions and acquisitions for the Studio business at Viacom18 Motion pictures. He also set up the film business at Endemol. As chief development officer at Eros International, he managed their in-house productions and the regional slate of films.

    In this exclusive interview with Indiantelevision.com, Sameer Gogate talks about his two years journey with the brand, the ‘BBC Studios advantage’ which made British formats such as ‘Criminal Justice’, ‘The Office India’, ‘Out of Love’, and ‘Luther’ runaway success in the India market, and upcoming plans for 2022.

    Edited Excerpts:

    On looking back at 2021, and how it was for BBC Studios

    BBC Studios has come a long way from being known just as a producer that made ‘Jhalak Dikhla Jaa’. In that same time period, we have picked up ten commissions in the OTT space. I think we are largely OTT-skewed today, and that’s because of our premium dramas like ‘Criminal Justice’, ‘Out of Love’, ‘Guilt’, and ‘Rudra’. The demand for scripted content in the market is high, and by virtue of our quality formats and the British talent that’s associated with them, it’s easier for us to work with certain clients in the OTT space.

    On the “BBC advantage”, and the kind of content being created

    We have got great and relatable stories to tell at BBC Studios, and our biggest advantage is the ‘premium-ness’ of BBC Dramas that has two reasons for it. First is the synergy with British formats which have themes that are easily adaptable for the Indian market. This ensures a quicker turnaround (right from the development to the execution stage) due to the already established success of the show.

    The second advantage is the quality of dramas that are coming out of the UK, all associated with top British writers. To have access to these dramas that have been through numerous stages of development, checks, and balances, and discussions, just make it easier and quicker for us to adapt them for the Indian audience while maintaining the ‘premium-ness’ i.e. the high quality of writing and the higher production value that BBC is associated with. By virtue of this ‘premium-ness’, we have further been able to attract quality talent, whether it’s the directors, writers, or actors.

    On the genres most in-demand in 2021

    In principle, crime and thrillers always do well. But at the same time, we were also able to produce a ‘Sons of the Soil’ for Amazon which is a factual content piece. Going forward, you will see more factual content from us in India. We are currently working on another docu-piece which is likely to be announced by the middle of next year and our first scripted original. Apart from that, there is demand for premium dramas (non-crime genre), and I see that going up as we move ahead. Streaming services also want more regional and local content today.

    On the economics of producing content for OTTs, including films

    At BBC Studios we are not saying ‘no’ to movies, but the focus has been on scripted dramas.  Regarding OTT economics, I’d say it’s important to be flexible and yet not compromise on the ‘premium-ness’ of the content. The cost consideration for us is two-fold; one is the price in terms of the time required to produce these premium drams, and the second is the actual cost of making them. We want to remain adaptable on both fronts to win the trust of our clients.

    On the production and other challenges that spilled over from 2020

    There are two parts of our business; production and development. The production part did suffer because teams were working from home during covid, there were far too many challenges on-ground especially during the second wave.  But the last one-and-a-half years have taught us a lot on how to be flexible, nimble, and yet not compromise on our quality. Even though India witnessed a very bad second wave and it did affect things on-ground we used the time effectively for developing our content slate, and are now looking forward to 2022 with a strong pipeline.

    On OTT content growing as a full-fledged ‘industry’ in India

    We are at that point if we haven’t crossed it already. India is a unique market that has the same audience watching ‘Anupama’ and ‘Out of Love’ on the same platform. So, clearly, TV and OTT are going to coexist, even as more and more people consume media on OTT even after the pandemic. 

    On looking ahead to 2022, and plans for BBC Studios India

    2022 will see new genres come to the fore. There will be a lot more factual entertainment and new formats in the unscripted reality content space as well. On the scripted side, India is almost there in terms of our quality but the ‘premium-ness’ of dramas can only go a notch higher from here. This being another Covid year we could deliver only two shows, ‘Guilt’ and ‘Luther’ (Rudra), but the pipeline for next year, including regional, is almost three times this.

  • Star India’s Gaurav Banerjee on Hotstar’s content diversity, SVOD uptake & nurturing talent

    Star India’s Gaurav Banerjee on Hotstar’s content diversity, SVOD uptake & nurturing talent

    Hotstar has consistently outperformed some of the global over the top (OTT) platforms in India with the help of a mix of TV show content, sports and the recently-added originals. After Criminal Justice, the next original to launch under the Hotstar umbrella will be Out of Love. Launching 22 November, the series is based on BBC’s award-winning series Doctor Foster.

    Star India Hindi entertainment president and head Gaurav Banerjee attributes the platform’s success to its content mix. Compared to traditional TV, the digital space provides flexibility to creators to play with content narratives, style and direction.

    On the sidelines of the Out of Love launch, Banerjee spoke about Hotstar’s upcoming content strategy, feedback to Hotstar Specials, viewership ratio, online content regulation along with other topics in a freewheeling chat with Indiantelevision.com.Edited excerpts:

    Hotstar Specials entered the market at the beginning of this year when one of the main goals was to turn AVOD consumers into SVOD base. How has been the initial response? How has it helped to increase the SVOD base till now?

    It has been an incredibly good journey. We are very excited about the response we got. People have liked the shows. Our attempt at creating different types of content has been noticed. Sports documentary, a big edgy legal kind of drama, thriller, comedy and now a female-centered drama – we have it all. We have been overwhelmed by some of the responses we got from viewers and critics for shows like Criminal Justice. Obviously, we are doing this to power up Hotstar VIP and that strategy is playing out well.

    This is just a start. Everything takes time, consistency, effort and a series of quality content. For all digital content in our country, this is day zero. We have a lot to learn.

    What does your inside data say about viewership demography?

    Hotstar as a platform skews twoard the younger Indians. We have a great opportunity with all these types of content which are edgier and varied. The second opportunity from the creative point of view is very interesting; we can play with season length and episode length. In television, over a period of time, the format gets settled. Whereas here it can be led by the kind of stories we have such as the right point to finish a particular episode. This allows for a lot of flexibility for creative people.

    You have worked with renowned production houses or studios for Hotstar Specials. Are you considering giving a chance to young producers like you did for television business? 

    Yes we do and thank you for noticing that about Star India and that's something we are deeply proud of that we are that platform where new voices can come in and tell big stories. But we are just starting out. This is like a startup and there is a lot of content with new filmmaking, stories and talent. Hopefully, there will be a lot to talk about in the coming weeks and months.

    Now many of the platforms are launching a number of originals to build a loyal subscriber base. When do you see SVOD monetisation actually turning easier?

    Brands, including Hotstar VIP, are already attempting this. This will happen as the per capita and GDP grows and people will want to be discerning about the choices they want to make. They would want to watch higher quality and they will be willing to pay for it.

    Cinema prices have gone up but viewers are willing to pay. As a content creator platform, we have to create the experience that people really like, whether it is the technology experience, marketing, talent or stories. All of that has to combine to create something which you say that you like and makes you agree to pay more for it.

    Do you see a model emerging in the future where viewers can go for a bundled model in OTT like cable TV?

    It’s hard to tell. But I think that having an incredible content asset should be any company’s priority. Even with so many OTT platforms, viewers have a lot more choices today. So, people can decide where they want to spend. Essentially everyone is competing for time.

    What is your content strategy for 2020?

    Our first goal is variety. We want different stories and keep expanding them. This year we did a sports documentary, thriller and a social drama. A lot of OTT drama has been male-oriented. Out of Love is breaking that. It’s female-centric, emotional and about marriage. We want to keep experimenting and attract the best talent in the country. We want to work with the best actors, directors, showrunners all the time and we will do everything we can to create the right culture and figure the right scale of ambition so that Hotstar will be their target destination to work.

    Lately, online content regulation has been the talk of the town. What is your take on this?

    My team and I, across TV and digital, believe that we don’t want to do anything irresponsible. We won’t do edgy content just for the sake for it. That’s an ethical choice we all need to make. We need to figure out a method so that people don’t think of this as a chaotic classroom where there are just unruly kids and they need a class monitor or a strict supervisor. That’s the maturity needed from the creative community, platforms and the entire ecosystem and I feel if we do that we are all going to be fine.

  • Hotstar Specials’ unveils first look of new show based on infidelity: Out of Love

    Hotstar Specials’ unveils first look of new show based on infidelity: Out of Love

    MUMBAI: Meet Dr. Meera Kapoor – a doting wife, a loving mother and a trusted doctor. Everything about her life was seemingly perfect; until the fateful day when she found out her husband was having an affair. Hotstar Specials has just released the first look of its latest show – Out of Love, a gripping portrait of a marriage that’s poisoned by infidelity and heartbreak. And raises the key question – when faced with infidelity, would you Forgive, Forget or Fight?

    Starring Rasika Dugal as Dr. Meera Kapoor and Purab Kohli as her husband Akarsh Kapoor, the show is an official adaptation of the award winning BBC series, Doctor Foster. Produced by BBC Studios and Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and Aijaz Khan, Out of Love depicts the emotional and psychological dilemma that erupts from complex relationships.