ITV

Tag: Regional OTT platform

  • Ullu to continue making edgy content: Vibhu Agarwal

    Ullu to continue making edgy content: Vibhu Agarwal

    Mumbai: OTT platform Ullu, launched in 2018, will not move away from creating edgy adult content, said founder Vibhu Agarwal at an event held recently. Instead, Agarwal has launched a Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) ‘Atrangii’ accompanied by a catch-up OTT platform to cater to the family audience.

    “When I entered the OTT space, I sought to create content that is fresh. All OTT platforms were creating the same kind of content, whether it is a suspense or a thriller. As a businessman, I wanted to enter a white space that no one has addressed before,” said Vibhu Agarwal.

    The platform had found itself on the wrong side of public opinion after it was accused of featuring ‘edgy’ and ‘sleazy’ content to its audiences. It was reported that Agarwal was moving away from creating edgy adult content with a Ullu 2.0 strategy after the ministry of information and broadcasting introduced The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

    Agarwal said, “We have built a certain audience and subscription base, based on the kind of content that ULLU makes. The content is not wrong because there are people watching it. We’ve offered a buffet of shows including horror, suspense, thriller and brought many good actors into the ecosystem with shows like ‘Tandoor,’ ‘Peshawar,’ ‘Cyanide’ and others.”

    “That’s why we are launching our second OTT platform and entering the GEC space that’s going to bring both live and catch-up content for audiences,” he added. “The content on this platform will be separate from ULLU and will be more in line with GEC content. This will not be a ‘saas-bahu’ style GEC because again we’re looking at an unaddressed white space. Instead, the channel will feature limited series that will focus on the quality of content.”

    Agarwal said that the ministry of information and broadcasting has been open minded when it comes to the kind of content served by OTT players. “The IT Rules that came out on 24 February 2021 don’t bar OTTs from showcasing any kind of content. They have only asked for the classification of content where OTT platforms should showcase a disclaimer on the nature of content that they are showing. They have also mandated the creation of a self-regulatory body for addressing grievances when it comes to content on OTT platforms.”

    The pandemic led to an increase in content consumption on OTT platforms. Agarwal observed that the three-month release slate of OTT platforms was condensed to 15-25 days to cater to the demand for content. ULLU platform itself ensured to release a new web original at least once or twice a week. Going forward, he stated that the platform has a plan to release up to three originals per week.

    Agarwal predicts that, while regional OTT platforms are subscription-driven businesses right now, they will all switch to an advertising-led model due to the intense competition in the OTT space. “When you speak about investing in regional content, most national OTT platforms are only investing in South content because they are able to monetise it easily. I believe that regional OTT platforms that serve content in languages such as Gujarati, Punjabi, Haryanvi, Bhojpuri etc. will have to become advertising video-on-demand platforms. Only the global players with deep pockets will be able to remain subscription-driven. Most Indian owned platforms will have to shift to an AVOD model whether they cater to Hindi-speaking audiences or any other regional language.”

    “Ullu content will be distributed in international markets as well but not via the app,” stated Agarwal. “There is a large international Indian audience that would like to watch our content which is dubbed in English. The problem is to activate payment gateways in international markets. The viewership and subscription outside of India is limited because of few payment options. Also, most of our consumption occurs on mobile platforms, whereas in the US and UK mobile data is not as cheap. Audiences there watch content on devices such as Roku that are more popular. That’s why we are planning to distribute our content via local agencies.”

    Agarwal noted that 80 per cent of OTT platforms don’t pay enough attention to technology which is the biggest enabler of OTT user experience. “The app should be user friendly and every feature should work,” he said.

  • ZEE5 forays into Punjabi content with all-new lineup

    ZEE5 forays into Punjabi content with all-new lineup

    Mumbai: ZEE5 has launched an all-new Punjabi content slate under the ‘Rajj Ke Vekho’ initiative, in order to strengthen its footprint in Punjab and neighbouring areas in Northern India. The video streaming platform’s new content slate will address the demand of over three crore Punjabi native speakers in India, it said.

    The new offering consists of Punjabi films, web series, originals and shows including straight-from-the-theatre titles from Zee Studios including “Puaada”, “Qismat 2”, “Jinne Jamme Saare Nikamme”, and “Fufad Ji”, starring popular Pollywood actors Ammy Virk, Sonam Bajwa, Sargun Mehta, Binnu Dhillon, and Gurnam Bhullar.

    ZEE5 India, chief business officer, Manish Kalra said the ‘Rajj Ke Vekho’ initiative is an attempt to bridge the gap between the TV watching audience and OTT users, bringing everybody onto a common platform. “Punjab, today, boasts of over 70 per cent internet penetration, a telecom infrastructure density that ranks third in the country, with one of the highest GDPs and per capita incomes in India. Despite this, the content offerings in the local Punjabi language are not as diverse as a crucial market like Punjab deserves. While intent among the audience is high, the availability of options is low, which is precisely what ZEE5 is here to address with the initiative,” he added.

  • As regional content explodes, Hoichoi eyes 60-80% revenue growth in FY22

    As regional content explodes, Hoichoi eyes 60-80% revenue growth in FY22

    KOLKATA: In the last couple of years, Hoichoi has been in the limelight for its bold moves in the regional over-the-top (OTT) segment. The Bengali streaming service revealed its cumulative subscriber base had breezed past the 13 million-mark on the third anniversary of its launch. To boost its user base further, the platform has recently announced a stellar content line-up for 2021, with 18 fresh stories.

    This year’s line-up is a leap from what the platform did last year, especially from a story point of view, Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta said. The streamer had the opportunity to work with a number of renowned directors, filmmakers and a lot of other marquee talents, he highlighted. Hence, the platform has doubled down on content investment as compared to before.

    Talking heads are enthused about the regional space, as reports have indicated that the share of language content will increase to around 50 per cent of overall OTT consumption, up from 30 per cent in 2019. Hence, a wider library will drive more subscribers to Hoichoi as the Bengali OTT market is still largely unpenetrated by major OTT platforms in terms of original content.

    The Bengali streaming service has set its sights on aggressive direct subscriber acquisition this year. “This year we have changed our strategy a little bit. We are not trying to syndicate our content. We were on the biggest telco players; our content was available as syndicated content. Now we have decided that our content will not be available on syndication from this year, it will only be bundled with aggregators like Jio Fiber or other big ISPs. The acquisition has to be direct,” Mohta explained.

    The rationale behind the move is that ARPU is much higher through direct subscribers who pay around Rs 500 every year. According to Mohta, the platform has put together a good line-up to excite customers to pay for original content. Currently, revenue from direct subscriptions stands around 50 per cent for Hoichoi. With greater emphasis on direct acquisition, Mohta is hopeful Hoichoi’s revenue will go up at least 60-80 per cent in FY 22.

    Acclaimed actors like Rahul Bose, Anirban Bhattacharya, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Swastika Mukherjee, Sohini Sarkar, and award-winning filmmakers such as Srijit Mukherji, Kamaleswar Mukherjee, Anjan Dutt are some of the popular faces behind this new line-up. In addition to episodic series like Byomkesh and Eken Babu, films like Tangra Blues, Golondaj, Prem Tame will premiere on Hoichoi.

    Along with building up a diverse content portfolio, the OTT player has initiated a multi-dimensional promotional strategy as well. With a follower base of five-six million, the platform is leveraging its social media communities highly to promote new shows. To get more personal feedback, it has recently started calling every single customer to get their opinion on which show or film on the platform was to their liking, Mohta detailed.

    Additionally, Hoichoi has recently introduced a refer and earn scheme for subscribers, he shared. The person who refers will get one month extension on existing subscription and the other person who joins based on the referral gets a 20 per cent discount.

    Although digital payments growth has skyrocketed in India, there are still barriers to adoption of such services among certain sections. To overcome this obstacle, Hoichoi has started reaching out to different shops which sell mobile phones, accessories, telecom recharges to enable them to sell the platform’s subscriptions. This strategy, implemented in tier-3, tier-4 towns, allows people to subscribe to the platform through cash also.