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Tag: Sony LIV

  • Sports only OTT service Veqta to launch in June

    Sports only OTT service Veqta to launch in June

    MUMBAI: With the aim of expanding its portfolio, Veqta, a digital broadcast network dedicated to sports is all geared up to launch its OTT service in June 2016. With the launch of the platform, the venture will also roll-out its application followed by content in various regional languages.

    Through this platform, sports fans across India can engage into various other categories of sports content that they have not yet explored. Breaking apart from the other content providers, Veqta plans to provide content via on-demand videos and live streaming.

    “Veqta will follow a very friendly content format. There is very little sports content for the viewers. We will be a destination for sports fans to enjoy high quality content coming from the biggest names in the business”, asserts Veqta ‎co-founder and director Varun Mathur.

    It has raised $500,000 (Rs 3.4 cr) in seed funding from Chatsworth Management and sports management company ITW Consulting Pvt. Ltd. The firm had earlier received initial-stage backing from ITW.

    “What will make us different form the rest is our packaging, our different formats of short form and live streaming content as well as feeds in various regional languages which everyone can understand,” says Mathur.

    The platform will follow the freemium model wherein the users will have some content available for free while there will be a pay wall for some premium content. Its offerings will include licensed content and flagship studio content across various ‘underpunctuated’ categories like cricket, football, motorsports, basketball, tennis, badminton and a range of Olympic sports.

    The venture has signed deals with various international partners from the field of sports.  The venture has not locked deals with any advertisers as of yet and are just focused at expanding its consumer reach, building team and strengthening its product development.

    Taking a hint from this, it will be interesting to see whether the other OTT players like HotStar, Spuul, Hooq, Eros Now, Sony Liv, Ditto TV, VOOT, etc, might also look at mushrooming their target niche audiences.

  • Sony Liv adds Hollywood blockbusters for subscribers

    Sony Liv adds Hollywood blockbusters for subscribers

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks’ (SPN) VOD service Sony LIV has announced the launch of a cinematic extravaganza for all movie fans with its Hollywood library. Besides a wide range of TV shows, sports properties, Bollywood flicks, songs and original web content, cinema aficionados can now enjoy instant access to internationally celebrated movies anytime and anywhere.

    Sony Liv is going the extra mile to enhance the entertainment experiences for its viewers wherein the biggest upcoming Hollywood blockbusters will premiere on the platform before their television airing.

    Sony Liv EVP and head for digital business Uday Sodhi said, “At Sony Liv, we are committed to continuously enhance the entertainment experience of our viewers. After receiving an overwhelming response for our Bollywood library, we are now extending our catalogue to allow English movie buffs to catch up with their Hollywood dose of entertainment- right from award-winning favourites to unseen gems. Our endeavour is to make an entire bouquet of eclectic yet engaging cinematic properties accessible at ease since Sony Liv is a complete digital entertainment destination that consumers can turn to for riveting content of every kind.”  

    The library gives viewers a chance to access a wide selection of hugely popular American movies on their own preferred digital devices. The platform claims to offer comprehensive and attractive for its discerning digital audience through its Hollywood library.

    Liv already offers an extensive Bollywood library with over 1,000 films from across genres. It already has a portfolio of critically acclaimed films like The Pursuit of Happyness, Django Unchained, The Da Vinci Code, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Angels and Demons and the Spiderman series, etc.

    The platform also rolled out a web-series for the online platform called #LoveBytes. It has also rolled out a digital film entitled Chhoti Khushito support a social media campaign, #LIVThisDiwali.

  • Sony Liv adds Hollywood blockbusters for subscribers

    Sony Liv adds Hollywood blockbusters for subscribers

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks’ (SPN) VOD service Sony LIV has announced the launch of a cinematic extravaganza for all movie fans with its Hollywood library. Besides a wide range of TV shows, sports properties, Bollywood flicks, songs and original web content, cinema aficionados can now enjoy instant access to internationally celebrated movies anytime and anywhere.

    Sony Liv is going the extra mile to enhance the entertainment experiences for its viewers wherein the biggest upcoming Hollywood blockbusters will premiere on the platform before their television airing.

    Sony Liv EVP and head for digital business Uday Sodhi said, “At Sony Liv, we are committed to continuously enhance the entertainment experience of our viewers. After receiving an overwhelming response for our Bollywood library, we are now extending our catalogue to allow English movie buffs to catch up with their Hollywood dose of entertainment- right from award-winning favourites to unseen gems. Our endeavour is to make an entire bouquet of eclectic yet engaging cinematic properties accessible at ease since Sony Liv is a complete digital entertainment destination that consumers can turn to for riveting content of every kind.”  

    The library gives viewers a chance to access a wide selection of hugely popular American movies on their own preferred digital devices. The platform claims to offer comprehensive and attractive for its discerning digital audience through its Hollywood library.

    Liv already offers an extensive Bollywood library with over 1,000 films from across genres. It already has a portfolio of critically acclaimed films like The Pursuit of Happyness, Django Unchained, The Da Vinci Code, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Angels and Demons and the Spiderman series, etc.

    The platform also rolled out a web-series for the online platform called #LoveBytes. It has also rolled out a digital film entitled Chhoti Khushito support a social media campaign, #LIVThisDiwali.

  • Sony LIV to premiere ‘Dilwale’ before TV, sets a subscription fee

    Sony LIV to premiere ‘Dilwale’ before TV, sets a subscription fee

    MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol blockbuster Dilwale which garnered box office collection of approximately Rs 187 cr in India.

     

    Earlier this year Khan’s Red Chilies signed a deal with Sony Pictures Networks and Dilwale marks the beginning of the strategic alliance between the duo.

     

    Sony Pictures Network’s over the top (OTT) platform Sony LIV is going to showcase the much talked movie on the digital platform before putting it on television. The subscribers will have to pay a minimum amount of Rs 100 to get access to the movie. The platform is enjoying raves of good feedback from its subscribers and also plans to premiere such exclusive movies in the future.

    Talking about the exclusive premier, Sony LIV EVP and head digital business Uday Sodhi says, “Movie premieres have been a very important facet of the Sony LIV offering. Whether you missed the film on the silver screen or you’d like to relive its magical moments and applause-worthy dialogues all over again, you can catch up on all of it with Sony LIV.”

     

    He further adds, “Dilwale was truly the most exciting release of 2015 for Hindi film buffs. Premiering it on Sony LIV before television is one of the most significant entertainment offerings we can make to our users at the onset of the New Year. Through the premiere, we are underlining the fact that in 2016, too, we will continue our promise of bringing the biggest and best properties from across the globe to the digital devices of Indian netizens.”

     

    Launched back in 2013, the platform is house to a rich movie library with a strong lineup of events across all major categories.

  • Sony LIV to premiere ‘Dilwale’ before TV, sets a subscription fee

    Sony LIV to premiere ‘Dilwale’ before TV, sets a subscription fee

    MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol blockbuster Dilwale which garnered box office collection of approximately Rs 187 cr in India.

     

    Earlier this year Khan’s Red Chilies signed a deal with Sony Pictures Networks and Dilwale marks the beginning of the strategic alliance between the duo.

     

    Sony Pictures Network’s over the top (OTT) platform Sony LIV is going to showcase the much talked movie on the digital platform before putting it on television. The subscribers will have to pay a minimum amount of Rs 100 to get access to the movie. The platform is enjoying raves of good feedback from its subscribers and also plans to premiere such exclusive movies in the future.

    Talking about the exclusive premier, Sony LIV EVP and head digital business Uday Sodhi says, “Movie premieres have been a very important facet of the Sony LIV offering. Whether you missed the film on the silver screen or you’d like to relive its magical moments and applause-worthy dialogues all over again, you can catch up on all of it with Sony LIV.”

     

    He further adds, “Dilwale was truly the most exciting release of 2015 for Hindi film buffs. Premiering it on Sony LIV before television is one of the most significant entertainment offerings we can make to our users at the onset of the New Year. Through the premiere, we are underlining the fact that in 2016, too, we will continue our promise of bringing the biggest and best properties from across the globe to the digital devices of Indian netizens.”

     

    Launched back in 2013, the platform is house to a rich movie library with a strong lineup of events across all major categories.

  • Sony Liv bags Australian Open’s digital rights; to livestream for free

    Sony Liv bags Australian Open’s digital rights; to livestream for free

    MUMBAI: Sony Liv has pocketed the exclusive digital rights to the Australian Open for its web and mobile platform. The tournament will be live streamed on Sony Liv for free.

     

    It may be recalled that the satellite rights of the Australian Open vest with Sony Pictures Networks India and ESPN’s joint venture channel – Sony ESPN, which is all set to beam from 17 January.

     

    From 18 – 31 January, the live matches will be available for viewing on the Sony Liv Android and iOS Mobile app as well as on www.sonyliv.com.

     

    For those who miss the match, video on demand capturing key highlights and special moments of every match along with interviews and press conferences will be available on the very same day.

     

    SPN India EVP and head – digital business Uday Sodhi said, “Sony Liv has established itself as the destination of choice for the Indian viewers looking for digital entertainment solutions on the go. As a category, sports are very significant for Sony Liv audiences and hence, we have been increasing our content portfolio to include major sporting events. The Australian Open will be live streamed on Sony Liv since we have the digital rights for the event for its mobile and web platforms.”

     

    The Australian Open is one of the most eminent international tennis tournaments held annually over a fortnight in Melbourne, The year’s first Grand Slam will feature some of the biggest names from the international tennis circuit such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova, among others as well as Indian players Sania Mirza and Somdev Devvarman. Last season’s winners, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams will also return to the court to defend their respective titles this year.

  • ‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon Ek Jashn’ to ‘ICC World Cup’ What’s hot on the Indian OTT scene

    ‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon Ek Jashn’ to ‘ICC World Cup’ What’s hot on the Indian OTT scene

    MUMBAI: The latest buzz about town is how Netflix is all set to launch in India later this week. But even without the American Video On Demand (VOD) giant, India’s over the top (OTT) scene has kept pretty active, thanks to all the new and edgy shows that the different platforms streamed last year and some more lined up to storm digital screens later this year.

    Hotstar, #Fame, Sony Liv and Ditto TV have kept the market up and running with carefully curated content, which paves way for a promising future for web-only content in 2016. In the light of the OTT space hotting up, Indiantelevision.com compiled a list of such initiatives on digital platforms in India that made an impact in the web-only content market.

    1) Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon — Ek Jashn: No sooner did word get out that this phenomenal fiction show from Star Plus, that ruled the tele ratings chart three years back, was going to have a reboot through the network’s OTT platform, Hotstar, fans of the show were already going gaga over this mini-series. It was a clever move on Star India’s part to not only evoke nostalgia for the popular show but also turn a chiefly television audience towards its OTT platform.

    2) Love Bytes: While television is slowly only just proceeding to handle progressive and bold content, digital has been way ahead of its broadcast counterpart in this arena. Take Sony Liv’s exclusive web series Love Bytes for example. Targeted mostly at metro centric netizens, this show, which was initially launched on Zoom, was later moved to Sony Liv as India’s first-ever show exclusively for the digital platform.

    The 26-part series, which stars Kushal Punjabi and Sukhmani Sadana, portrays the ups and downs in the relationship of the lead characters Ananya and Abhishek.

    3) On Air with AIB: Think web only and YouTube in India, and the very first name that comes to your mind is All India Bakchod or simply AIB. Therefore it was no surprise when Star India roped in the four comedians for a new show On Air With AIB on Hotstar albeit with re-airings on Star World and Star Plus. This OTT first show garnered a huge response from the millennials and can be easily considered one of the breakthroughs in digital content. Inspired by factual comedy that is patented to American comedian John Oliver for his show Last Week Tonight, On Air With AIB delivered a new breed of comedy that makes fun of burning social issues and at the same time strikes a key note with the audience.

    4) ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Hotstar became a new partner for all cricket fans in India early 2015. With its epic launch with ICC Cricket World Cup played in Australia and New Zealand, the VOD platform leap-frogged to one of the most downloaded apps. The matches were played in the wee hours of the morning leaving Indian fans fuming in dismay. In came Hotstar and in a jiffy Indian fans took to the app to get a fix of their favour favourite sport.

    5) Re-Gender (Indian adaptation): The new kid on the block in the digital content scene, Arre from Ronnie Screwvala’s UDigital is also all set to take everyone by surprise with edgy content that is rumoured to set some new standards in the industry and blur other lines. For starters, the platform plans to release a provocative docu-reality show that is inspired by Israeli LGBT show Re-Gender. Distributed by Armoza Formats, the show’s format allows gives men and women a chance to experience life of the opposite sex.

    While the show’s title in India remains tentative in India, it will be interesting what comes out of the three weeks’ shooting time at Chhatarpur in Delhi.

  • Sony LIV launches movie subscription service at Rs 149 per month

    Sony LIV launches movie subscription service at Rs 149 per month

    MUMBAI: Along with having original digital content, catch-up content, sports and music, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) over the top (OTT) platform Sony LIV has now expanded its offerings portfolio with the launch of a movie subscription service.

     

    The monthly subscription service pack has been priced at Rs 149, whereas the daily subscription package has been priced at Rs 9. 

     

    Taking advantage of the fact that India is among the countries with the fastest smartphone growth in Asia, Sony LIV is seeking to bolster its foothold in the online video space. 

     

    While globally, SVOD (subscription based video on demand) is poised to become the largest revenue source in 2020, overtaking OTT advertising, in India the market is at a nascent stage with a huge growth potential in the future. With mobile video traffic in India expected to be on a growth trajectory over the next three years, Sony LIV’s new initiative will let consumers stream movies at a nominal price.

     

    Sony LIV’s movie subscription service will be accessible to consumers through its website www.sonyliv.com or via the Sony LIV app available on Google Playstore (for Android users) and App Store for (iOS users).

     

    MSM executive vice president head – digital business Uday Sodhi said, “The movie subscription service is a convenient and affordable way for film lovers to enjoy their favorite blockbuster hits on their preferred digital devices. We have a wide assortment of cinematic treats on offer that users can access in a single click. The different subscription models ensure that they pay as per their consumption levels. The move is targeted towards making the digital platform the only destination that consumers need to turn to in order to fulfil the entire spectrum of their entertainment needs.” 

     

    With a range of movies from across genres, users can pay for the subscription through multiple e-payment options such as credit card, debit card, Internet banking and direct billing services. Within the subscription period, members can watch unlimited movies.

     

    The OTT platform is currently building on its catalogue with an aim to have a diverse range of movies for consumers. The platform is working towards delivering a comprehensive movie catalogue. “We are starting with building our Hindi movie catalogue and will later expand to English and other language movies too. The idea is to offer a range of movies for the consumers to consume in that subscription period. We are aiming to offer at least 1000 movies to our consumers,” Sodhi tells Indiantelevision.com.
     

    Talking about the voyage of the OTT platform since its inception, Sodhi informs that the main idea behind Sony LIV is to make it a complete entertainment destination. The OTT platform recently added sports to its content portfolio and is currently offering the Pro Wrestling League to its subscribers.

  • After IPKKND, five other television shows OTT can bring back!

    After IPKKND, five other television shows OTT can bring back!

    MUMBAI: Some time ago, television lovers were pleasantly surprised when Star India announced that it was bringing back one of their most loved TV shows and chart toppers,  Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon as a web series on Hotstar. The web series would not be made up of repeats. An eight episode mini-serines with brand new content titled Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon Ek Jashn was planned

    Under the ‘Entertainment Mafia’s’ banner of productions, each episode will be 10 mins long and will take the lead characters’ ‘Arnav’ and ‘Khushi’s’ story forward since the serial went off air 3 years ago..

    Read more here

    It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon is what made its leads, Sanaya Irani and Barun Sobti into the superstars that they are today. The show went off air in 2012 leaving its huge fan base in both India and abroad wanting for more. So much so that they strived hard to keep forums discussing the show alive with fanfics and self-compiled music videos. Now that the show is back, albeit for a brief period that is eight 10 minutes per episode long, fans are ecstatic over the development. Some are even hopeful that this will become a trend, so that they can reconnect with their favourite shows that went off air.

    Revisiting old shows that had built a sense of loyalty and fan base amongst viewers  is a great way to introduce traditional television watchers to their Over The Top services  like — Ditto TV for ZEEL, Sony Liv for Sony, and of course Hotstar for Star India.

    Getting a time slot during the television prime time band is difficult considering the tough competition between channels to garner more eyeballs and more so, in the Hindi GEC genre. Shows with slightly unconventional content, which didn’t strike well with all demographics at the same time often needed to be pulled off to make space for the next big thing. In fact 2015 saw many shows with very short life spans, they didn’t even make it through half the year.

    Being a more dedicated, customisable and targeted platform, OTT can be a great way to re-introduce such shows and give them another run chance to cultivate a niche audience.

    Taking a cue from Star India, Indiantelevision.com has compiled a list of popular shows that went off air, shows which can be revisited through the networks’ respective digital arms.

    1: Left Right Left [ Air time:  2006 – 2008 on Sab TV ]

    Under DJ’s Creative Unit’s production  banner, the youth centric show Left Right Left came as a daring move from Sab TV when contemporary Hindi GECs were sticking to the ‘saas bahu’ formula on the prime time slot..

    With its catchy opening song to edgy content and a powerful team of young actors including Rajeev Khandelwal as Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat, Left Right Left was a show ahead of its time when it comes to the youth genre in Indian television. Perhaps that’s why it earned itself a season two on the channel, though it wasn’t able to create the same fervour as its predecessor. None the less, fans of the show are still seen raving about it, and watching its repeats on YouTube. The show’s opening song and episodes that have been uploaded on YouTube see frequent traction as well. Relaunching the show on Sony Liv might bring a smile on the faces of these fans.

    2  Pavitra Rishta: [ June 2009 to October 2014 on Zee Tv]

    In Balaji Telefilms’  trademark mark style,  soap opera Pavitra Rishta  had a unique positioning with its audience —  it was not only appealing to the mothers and aunts in the family, but progressive ideas and dynamic actors like Sushant Singh Rajput and Ankita Lokhande, allowed several youngsters to take interest in the show. The actors’ successful careers post the show only proves how popular it was. Not to mention the show’s reel couple ended up being a couple in real life.

    With close to 1500 episodes, the show has a huge fan base, as is obvious from a slew of Facebook groups and other fan clubs that regularly update their fanfics. While both the leads of the show have gone on to shine in the industry, making the idea highly unlikely, but returningPavitra Rishta on Ditto TV sounds like an awesome idea to the millions of fans of the show. ZEEL are you listening?

    3. Manmarziyan:  [ April 2015 to August 2015 on Star Plus ]

    Created by Swastik Pictures, Manmarziyan addressed the young independent women in India whose idea of a successful life isn’t marrying rich and settling down, but chasing after their dreams. The show was an experiment for both the channel as well as the production house

    With this modern approach content, the show struck a chord, but, only with a niche audience and therefore had to be pulled off air. Post which many fans of the show came with several petitions to see it back on air. As a response to them, if not on television, Manmarziyan can be brought back and continued on Hotstar.

    4. Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha [Jan 2012 to Oct 2012, 2013 on Colors TV]

     

    With a very unique storyline, Sunshine Productions’ Na Bole Tum… was yet another show that left tele lovers asking for more, so much so that the craze remains even after the second season aired on 2013 with a 12 year leap from the first season. Aakanksha Singh and Kunal Karan Kapoor emerged as powerful actors throughout the series and connected the audience to the not so conventional characters, Mohan Bhatnagar and Megha Vyas. Log on to any popular television drama fan club or group on the web and you see fan letters and petitions pouring in requesting a season three! With  the Colors TV lineup packed with new shows, fans may have to hold on to their season three plans, unless the recently announced VOD service from Viacom 18, VOOT takes up the chance and offers the show’s fans a chance  revisit to their favourite show.

    5. Geet Hui Sabse Parayee: [ April 2010 to December 2011 on Star One]

    Another gem from Star India, Geet Hui Sabse Parayi, is known for several reasons — for touching upon a serious social issue, for introducing yet another unconventional heroine, and for the sizzling chemistry and jaw breaking comic exchanges between the leads  Drashti Dhami and Gurmeet Chaudhary. Produced by Endemol, the show was well received by both youngsters and the plus 40 viewers.  The popularity of the Drashti-Gurmeet couple on screen was perhaps only next to Sanaya and Barun Sobti in Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon. In fact, for some, Geet and Maan still remain the classic bubbly girl and angry young man pair on small screen.Though the show had to be axed due to the channel undergoing a revamp, several fans maintain an active fan page for it.

    Fan made videos featuring the leads in latest romantic songs have entertained fans of the shows even now. Ask them if they wish the story continued from where they left off, you would get an emphatic and unanimous yes! So maybe after IPKKND Hostar can pick up Geet for them?

    While we have listed just five, there are several other shows that fans would love to have back in a cool new digital avatar.

  • Sony LIV rolls out digital film ‘Chhoti Khushi’ for Diwali

    Sony LIV rolls out digital film ‘Chhoti Khushi’ for Diwali

    MUMBAI: In the lead up to the festival of Diwali, Sony Pictures Networks’ (erstwhile Multi Screen Media) OTT platform Sony LIV has rolled out a digital film called Chhoti Khushi to support its social media campaign ‘LIV This Diwali.’

     

    The film features Naveen Kasturia, Suneel Sinha and Ashish Verma. The social media campaign weaved around the digital film invites participants and viewers to send Diwali Wishes to their family and friends.

     

    The story explores the complex relationship that Indian siblings share with each other, and how Diwali can become the raison d’etre for bringing together those, whom circumstances and situations often pull apart.

     

    Chhoti Khushi is about two brothers, Gaurav and Sharad, who have stopped talking to each other following an argument. However, as the momentous occasion of Diwali approaches, the brothers reminisce about each other and realise how petty their fight was.

     

    The film was meant for especially for the millennial audience, which knows how tough it is to maintain the delicate balance between education, work and commitment to friends and family over ever-increasing distances. The story takes viewers through an eventful journey that finally results in the brothers being reunited on Diwali.

     

    Sony LIV EVP and head – digital business Uday Sodhi said, “With #LoveBytes and Tanlines, we have established our pioneering status in the industry as the first digital video-on-demand (VOD) platform to introduce a show exclusively for online viewers. With the launch of Chhoti Khushi, we are looking to providing our digital viewers with a heart-touching story that is bound to take their web content entertainment experience to a new level.”

     

    The film was aired exclusively on Sony LIV’s web, app and YouTube platforms from 4 November onwards.