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Tag: Sony LIV

  • Sony gamifies ‘Dus ka Dum’ with dedicated app

    Sony gamifies ‘Dus ka Dum’ with dedicated app

    MUMBAI: After a successful season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Sony Pictures Network is reviving Dus Ka Dum, another big reality show with superstar Salman Khan. The show is coming back on air for its third season after 2009. Since its initial airing, the entertainment landscape has changed dramatically. The show now has the opportunity to leverage the power of digital.

    Dus Ka Dum is getting its own game application on Sony Liv, the network’s digital platform that will go live from 18 March 2018. The show will launch on 4 June 2018 at the 9 pm time slot, twice a week.

    With interaction with users one of its primary goals, the app will challenge the participants’ power of observation about India and its people in separate phases like a survey leading up to the auditions and play along once the show is on air. Sony Entertainment Television SVP and head insights and programming strategy Amogh Dusad said, “As long as the audiences keep on answering the questions, the level will increase and they will earn points. The more points an individual scores, the closer they are to auditions.” Selections will be at random from amongst the top-scoring people.

    After downloading the app, users will have to answer simple questions, reflecting on their life, relationships, experiences, opinions and much more. These questions will be customised and gamified across 40 levels. The app will bring alive the show host Salman Khan via special fun video messages and give users an opportunity to record a ‘velfie’ (video selfie) with him.

    In the previous season, the channel had a difficult time in surveying because everything was done physically and the hope is that digital will take it to greater heights this time.

    The meteoric rise in smartphone usage is leading to profound changes in how consumers today engage with content across multiple screens. There are 780 million television viewers and 359 million total number of smartphone users in India at present. It remains to be seen whether Sony can really unleash the power of 10.

    Also Read :

    Salman Khan takes Sony to 3rd spot

    ‘Porus’ finds an audience in more countries

  • Sony to launch Marathi GEC

    Sony to launch Marathi GEC

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is prepping up to launch a new regional language general entertainment channel Sony Marathi. Sony’s Ajay Bhalwankar will lead the channel, according to a source at SET.

    The channel is at the development stage and the company is building the team by hiring more employees for the new channel. The launch date has not been announced yet but the channel is likely to make its debut after March, said another source.

    Sony is seeking to tap diverse regions of the country by expanding its offerings with a variety of content and by expanding its channel library. Sony Marathi will be the network’s second regional channel after Sony AATH, its regional channel.

    SET had brought Bhalwankar on board as chief creative director in April 2014 to provide creative leadership and direction for SET and lead the programming and on-air production teams. The new channel will run under Bhalwankar guidance.

    Recently, the good times have been rolling for Marathi channels as they are attracting good viewership. The Marathi GECs in the market that currently are doing well are Colors Marathi, Zee Marathi and Star Pravah. The genre has surprisingly turned out some of the most viewed channels in the television space. In week 41 in 2015, the genre had registered 242 million impressions, whereas in week 50 of 2017, the viewership was 594 million impressions, an increase of 145 per cent in the weeks compared.

    Currently, Sony Pictures Networks India has SET, Sony SAB, Sony AATH, Sony TV HD, Sony SAB HD and Sony Pal in the GEC genre.

    Also Read:

    ‘Prithvi Vallabh’ is 20% history, 80% mystery: Anirudh Pathak

    Man Jit Singh, Andy Kaplan to depart Sony Pictures following restructure

    ‘Porus’ launched as ‘Digvijaya’ in Sri Lanka

    Sports fans power 35-40% of traffic on SonyLiv

  • SonyLIV partners Fabform Mediaworks for curated comic content

    SonyLIV partners Fabform Mediaworks for curated comic content

    MUMBAI: Consumption of content on-the-go has shown an upward trend. People across the country are scouting for content which entertains as well as evokes thought. To keep up with the trend and the demands of the viewer, SonyLIV has associated with Fabform Mediaworks.

    This association gives SonyLIV users access to all the comic content curated by Fabform Mediaworks. With this, the platform will now have five more interesting shows for its viewers to consume. The shows range from Vlogs on beauty to peeks into celebrity lives, from career choices and lives of modern women to reality shows on love and relationships.

    SonyLIV EVP and head-digital business Uday Sodhi said, “Videos from Fabform Mediaworks are extremely popular among the youth due to their engaging content. Through this partnership, we are looking at exploring different genres and staying true to SonyLIV’s constant endeavour to enhance viewer experience by delivering top-notch content.”

    The first show that premieres on the platform is House of Connections. This show is a reality show about finding that one special connection with whom the celebrity contestant can strike a chord instantly. This show will bring to screen faces like Pearl Puri, Pooja Banerjee and Pooja Mishra.

  • OTT trumps TV by 44 min among youth: Chrome DM

    OTT trumps TV by 44 min among youth: Chrome DM

    BENGALURU: Online was larger of the two platforms for consumption of content by youngsters who consumed content only on television or only online in India, a Chrome Data Analytics and Media (Chrome) “OTT Consumption” study has revealed.

    The average daily time spent on content consumption online was 44 minutes higher than the average daily time spent on content consumption on television. Chrome’s survey included 2,505 respondents of which 28 per cent were aged between 15 and 24 years and 72 per cent were in the age group of 25 to 34. 49 per cent of the respondents were male and 51 per cent were female.

    Television versus online

    According to the study, 16 per cent of the respondents consumed content only on online devices, while only two per cent said that they consumed content on television alone. 81 per cent of the respondents said that they consumed content on both the platforms.

    Consumption patterns by respondents who used both platforms for content consumption

    2,054 respondents consumed content both on television and online.

    Genres consumption

    A mobile phone was the preferred device for music consumption among respondents who used both platforms. Eighty three per cent of the 2,054 respondents said that they consumed music on mobile phones as compared to 34 per cent that said that they also consumed music on television and 17 per cent who said that they also used a desktop/laptop for listening to music.

    In the case of movies, television was the preferred device with 66 per cent saying that they watched movies on television as compared to 39 per cent who watched movies on mobile phones and 29 per cent who watched movies on a desktop/laptop.

    Television was also the preferred device for news consumption, with 64 per cent watching it on television and 29 per cent who also watched it on a mobile phone and 9 per cent who also consumed news on a desktop/laptop.

    Seventy four per cent of the respondents consumed sports content on television. 21 per cent and 14 per cent also consumed it on mobile phone and desktop/laptop respectively.

    Sixty nine per cent consumed GEC content on television, and 17 and 6 per cent watched it on mobile phone and desktop/laptop respectively.

    Daily time spent on the mediums

    The average daily time spent online by the 2,054 respondents who consumed content on both television and online was 1 hour 37 minutes on television and 2 hours and 21 minutes online.

    Twenty nine per cent spent less that 30 minutes viewing television, 39 per cent spent between 1 and 2 hours viewing television daily; 26 per cent spent between 2 and 3 hours daily watching television, 3 per cent spent 3 to 5 hours viewing television daily and 3 per cent spent more than 5 hours on daily television viewing.

    Comparative numbers for online consumption of content were: 23 per cent spent each less than 30 minutes daily and between 1 and 2 hours daily; 29 per cent spent between 2 and 3 hours daily; 9 per cent spent between 3 and 5 hours and 17 per cent spent more than five hours on online content consumption daily.

    Frequency

    Seventy four per cent of were daily watchers of television and 26 per cent had no fixed routine for watching television. 77 per cent watched content online daily; 14 per cent watched content online during weekends and 9 per cent had no fixed routines.

    Apps

    YouTube was the preferred app for consumption of all types and genres of content. Other apps/websites such as hotstar, JioTV, Eros Now, Voot, gaana, saavn, Wynk Music, Sony Liv, TOI and NDTV were used for different content genres.

    Top three apps for music consumption

    The top three apps for Hindi music consumption were YouTube, Hungama and gaana , while for English music consumption they were YouTube, Wynk Music and gaana. In the case of Regional Music, the top three apps were YouTube, saavn and JioTV

    Top three Movie apps

    The top three apps for Hindi content consumption were YouTube, hotstar and Eros Now, for both English and Regional content they were YouTube, hotstar and JioTV.

    Top three GEC apps

    The top three apps for Hindi GEC content were YouTube, hotstar and Voot, while for English and Regional content they were YouTube, hotstar and JioTV.

    Top 3 sports apps.

    The top 3 sports apps were YouTube, hotstar and Sony Liv

    Top 3 News apps/websites

    The top 3 News apps/websites were YouTube, NDTV and TOI

    Top 3 apps for Online exclusive content

    The top 3 apps for online exclusive content were YouTube, Hotstar and Voot

  • Is VoD biz making money or it’s still investing?

    MUMBAI: Beyond the hype, what are the ground realities of earning revenue? Or, is it still all about investing in content and infrastructure? When’s the likely inflection point when businesses could start to look at break-even?

    Trying to answer these questions at the CASBAA OTT Summit 2017 were — AltDigital CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya, SonyLiv EVP and digital head Uday Sodhi and GroupM South Asia chief growth officer Lakshmi Narasimhan.

    Evaluating the OTT space and enumerating on the best business model, the moderator for the evening — Provocateur Advisory principal Paritosh Joshi — asked the head of the recently launched (soft) AltBalaji app about the mantra to grab maximum eyeballs in the OTT space.

    Answering the doubt, Pantvaidya said, “India is a large market and the idea with AltBalaji is to connect with the 50-70 million people which correspond to e-commerce or functional 3G. There is also a market outside India of approximately 70 million people who want content. I think it is a library game. For SVoD to take off, content and habit formation among the people is crucial — our platform has content ranging from sublime to ridiculous. As Sameer (Nair, Balaji Telefims CEO) said, we are here to capture the market space between Narcos and Naagin.”

    Taking cue from Pantvaidya’s point, Sodhi added, “The consumer is sorted in its head about what he wants. There is a clear habit formation. They are consuming on the go. There is a difference in the watch-time and they are coming back to watch linearly same shows. Habit formation is happening.”

    India’s online video space will predominantly be an advertising led video-on-demand (AVOD) market even though subscription led VoD shows higher growth on a low base. If the digital eco-system becomes a SVoD dominated market, will that mean no business or loss for the advertising agencies? “There has been a pricing mistake in the last three years. The platforms come with a point of view that it will surpass television. The consumers think of these platforms as channels providing content. The players have to price it that way. In the US, OTT outstrips payTV in terms of subscribers but its annual revenues are lower,” added Narasimhan.

    Pantvaidya added, “There is lack of development in the appreciable distribution system. It can survive when there is subscription. You can share profits with them if you are a SVoD. With free content comes carriage fees.

    Further, Sodhi believes that its early days for everyone and there is no model which has been cast and stoned yet. He segregated the entire process into three phases. The phase one is when you throw content. In the second phase, people start coming to your platform and your focus is o retain them. Money making only comes in the third level. Citing examples of the three existing models in the world, YouTube, which is 100 per cent advertising, Netflix, SVoD based platform and Apple which is transnational pay-per-view platform. “All these platforms are fairly growing, and have reached this point after 15 years. They have come out of their strengths to build a model,” said Sodhi.

    Narasimhan opined that the AVoD services in the OTT space have not been explored yet. He also said that data from servers indicate that kids,youth and top-end consumers are moving to digital from TV which clearly shows that the eco-system is evolving in India.

    Joshi posted a question at the panelists asking whether they are underestimating the willingness of the consumers to pay for content. Pantvaidya agreed to his point, and said, “Scale and volume is necessary for spending. One should have faith in their content for it to sell.”

    Sodhi added, “There is room for so many things. Everything is falling into its right place. The run-away is getting shorter before the take-off.”

    OTT services are exploding in India and the business is more likely to be advertising-led in the short term. The OTT sector has clearly become a space to watch out for as the infrastructure continues to improve, devices get smarter and data prices fall. Let’s see what the future holds for these players.

  • Sony’s ‘We Liv to Entertain’ gets 10 million views in a week

    Sony’s ‘We Liv to Entertain’ gets 10 million views in a week

    MUMBAI: When it comes to delivering unparalleled experiences to viewers, SonyLiv, the complete digital entertainment platform with content for audiences across genres has never ceased to surprise and delight its users. Its recently-released brand film,‘We Liv to Entertain’­­­­ – the renewed brand ethos has struck a chord with viewers and is receiving widespread appreciation for its perfect positioning. SonyLiv aired the brand film across its network and digital platforms on 12 December, 2016.

    Within a period of a week, the brand film has set up a mark for itself by delivering 10 million+ views across platforms. The one-of-its-kind brand film is being highly appreciated for its unique approach and narrative technique. The renewed positioning ‘We Liv to Entertain’ has appealed to a lot of viewers and has enhanced their loyalty and affinity towards brand SonyLiv.

    “The idea of the brand film was to support our refreshed identity as the theatre of emotions which has the ability to amplify every feeling and thought. We are delighted that viewers are enjoying this film and are being able to relate to it and to the core idea it drives home. The tremendous response that we have received underlines our status as the premium and widely preferred entertainment destination in India. We will be looking forward to building on this impressive user response by churning out more engaging and appealing content that delights all our viewers to be true to our core brand promise- We LIV to Entertain,” said SonyLiv EVP and head digital business Uday Sodhi.

    The one-minute film shot in Romania, which is widely known for its larger-than-life image and for being the birthplace of the circus, captures how entertainment is one such thing  that can hold on to the emotions of people. It beautifully depicts how a clown puts his heart and soul to entertain viewers constantly. It highlights the amount of effort that goes into making people laugh, cry, dance and jump out of their seats with excitement. The brand film was conceptualized as an ode to all the entertainers of SonyLiv, including those behind the camera who have dedicated their lives to entertaining viewers. It also firmly reinforces SonyLiv’s brand identity as the ultimate provider of relevant and evocative entertainment across varied genres.

    For the successful execution of the film, team SonyLiv found the right creative partner in Publicis Ambience whose team helped with compelling and strategic insights.It was awarded the creative mandate by SonyLiv as a creative AOR and the outcome of the brand film is something that has been highly appreciated.

    “We had a clear mandate from SonyLiv, to create a film that perfectly encapsulates its uplifted brand ethos and underlines its renewed focus on being the ultimate entertainer for one and all. Romania, therefore, was the perfect setting and the clown, the ideal protagonist. We are thrilled at the way the film has turned out and how it complements SonyLiv’s value proposition. The consumer response is truly heartening and speaks volumes about how well-thought-out communication strategies can go a long way in fostering consumer affinity towards the brand,” added Publicis Ambience COO Paritosh Srivastava.

    Link to the brand Film:

  • Sony’s ‘We Liv to Entertain’ gets 10 million views in a week

    Sony’s ‘We Liv to Entertain’ gets 10 million views in a week

    MUMBAI: When it comes to delivering unparalleled experiences to viewers, SonyLiv, the complete digital entertainment platform with content for audiences across genres has never ceased to surprise and delight its users. Its recently-released brand film,‘We Liv to Entertain’­­­­ – the renewed brand ethos has struck a chord with viewers and is receiving widespread appreciation for its perfect positioning. SonyLiv aired the brand film across its network and digital platforms on 12 December, 2016.

    Within a period of a week, the brand film has set up a mark for itself by delivering 10 million+ views across platforms. The one-of-its-kind brand film is being highly appreciated for its unique approach and narrative technique. The renewed positioning ‘We Liv to Entertain’ has appealed to a lot of viewers and has enhanced their loyalty and affinity towards brand SonyLiv.

    “The idea of the brand film was to support our refreshed identity as the theatre of emotions which has the ability to amplify every feeling and thought. We are delighted that viewers are enjoying this film and are being able to relate to it and to the core idea it drives home. The tremendous response that we have received underlines our status as the premium and widely preferred entertainment destination in India. We will be looking forward to building on this impressive user response by churning out more engaging and appealing content that delights all our viewers to be true to our core brand promise- We LIV to Entertain,” said SonyLiv EVP and head digital business Uday Sodhi.

    The one-minute film shot in Romania, which is widely known for its larger-than-life image and for being the birthplace of the circus, captures how entertainment is one such thing  that can hold on to the emotions of people. It beautifully depicts how a clown puts his heart and soul to entertain viewers constantly. It highlights the amount of effort that goes into making people laugh, cry, dance and jump out of their seats with excitement. The brand film was conceptualized as an ode to all the entertainers of SonyLiv, including those behind the camera who have dedicated their lives to entertaining viewers. It also firmly reinforces SonyLiv’s brand identity as the ultimate provider of relevant and evocative entertainment across varied genres.

    For the successful execution of the film, team SonyLiv found the right creative partner in Publicis Ambience whose team helped with compelling and strategic insights.It was awarded the creative mandate by SonyLiv as a creative AOR and the outcome of the brand film is something that has been highly appreciated.

    “We had a clear mandate from SonyLiv, to create a film that perfectly encapsulates its uplifted brand ethos and underlines its renewed focus on being the ultimate entertainer for one and all. Romania, therefore, was the perfect setting and the clown, the ideal protagonist. We are thrilled at the way the film has turned out and how it complements SonyLiv’s value proposition. The consumer response is truly heartening and speaks volumes about how well-thought-out communication strategies can go a long way in fostering consumer affinity towards the brand,” added Publicis Ambience COO Paritosh Srivastava.

    Link to the brand Film:

  • 2017 UFC action begins on NYE, tune in SonyLiv & ESPN

    2017 UFC action begins on NYE, tune in SonyLiv & ESPN

    MUMBAI: The beginning of 2017 rings well for MMA fans as they keenly await the return of Ronda Rousey in the Octagon after over an year. The return would be marked on New Year eve, with Rousey getting a dynamic fight card. The match is set to take place at Las Vegas, Nevada on 31 December starting at 830am IST and will broadcast on Sony ESPN and its HD channel. The fight will also stream live on Sony Liv and the website. The fight has been headlined as the Batmanweight championship.

    2016 has been an extremely exciting year for MMA fans with some explosive action in the Octagon with fight cards like UFC 200 and UFC 205 amongst others. UFC 207 promises a historic end to 2016 with one of the most awaited fights since the beginning of the year. In a recent exclusive with indiantelevision.com, SPNI Sports and distribution president Rajesh Kaul had said that UFC has seen a substantial growth in 2016, adding, “Over 100 million viewers sampled UFC this year.”

    MMA fans are set to have an exciting year ahead, with a plethora of excitement already on the table. Ronda Rousey vs Amanda Nunes, Dominick Cruz vs Cody Garbrandt, TJ Dillashaw vs John Linekar and Dong Hyun Kim vs Tarec Saffiedine in other fights.

  • 2017 UFC action begins on NYE, tune in SonyLiv & ESPN

    2017 UFC action begins on NYE, tune in SonyLiv & ESPN

    MUMBAI: The beginning of 2017 rings well for MMA fans as they keenly await the return of Ronda Rousey in the Octagon after over an year. The return would be marked on New Year eve, with Rousey getting a dynamic fight card. The match is set to take place at Las Vegas, Nevada on 31 December starting at 830am IST and will broadcast on Sony ESPN and its HD channel. The fight will also stream live on Sony Liv and the website. The fight has been headlined as the Batmanweight championship.

    2016 has been an extremely exciting year for MMA fans with some explosive action in the Octagon with fight cards like UFC 200 and UFC 205 amongst others. UFC 207 promises a historic end to 2016 with one of the most awaited fights since the beginning of the year. In a recent exclusive with indiantelevision.com, SPNI Sports and distribution president Rajesh Kaul had said that UFC has seen a substantial growth in 2016, adding, “Over 100 million viewers sampled UFC this year.”

    MMA fans are set to have an exciting year ahead, with a plethora of excitement already on the table. Ronda Rousey vs Amanda Nunes, Dominick Cruz vs Cody Garbrandt, TJ Dillashaw vs John Linekar and Dong Hyun Kim vs Tarec Saffiedine in other fights.

  • Pro-wrestling: SonyLiv, Max & ESPN to beam live from 2-19 Jan

    Pro-wrestling: SonyLiv, Max & ESPN to beam live from 2-19 Jan

    MUMBAI: 2017 is set to start with a bang for Indian sports audiences. After the Aircel Chennai Open and Super Fight League already lined up, Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) is all set to broadcast the second season of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL), starting from the 02 January. The event is set to take place at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi and will be beamed live on Sony Max, Sony ESPN channels and the digital sibling, SonyLiv.

    For fans of wrestling, one of the main attractions of the second edition of PWL is the impressive line-up of home-grown talent that includes Olympic Bronze medallist, Sakshi Malik, the Phogat sisters: Geeta, Ritu Sangeeta and Babita Kumari, Bajrang Punia, as well as Sandeep Tomar to name a few. In addition to this, some of the top International wrestlers like Olympic Gold medallist Erica Wiebe, Odunayo Folasade, Sofia Mattsson, Togrul Asgarov and Vladimir Khinchegashvili will also be seen battling it out in their respective weight categories.

    This season PWL will have six teams – Jaipur Ninjas, Delhi Sultans, Mumbai Maharathi, CDR Punjab Royals, Haryana Hammers and UP Dangal, which is making its debut this season.

    With the staggering success of the recently released movie Dangal, which chronicles the journey of the Phogat sisters, this season of the PWL has already generated high levels of interest. 2017 is definitely going to begin with a bang with this high octane season of PWL as wrestling fans all over India eagerly wait for what is expected to be one of the biggest wrestling events to watch out for.

    The event is scheduled from 02 January with the final on 19 January. The first season of the league was a success in terms of viewership, and the promoters will be hoping to encash on the ever-rising popularity of the sport. The first season was won by Revanta Mumbai Garuda.