Tag: Subscription

Subscription economy will balloon to $1.2 trillion by 2030 as consumers drown in services

HAMPSHIRE: The subscription economy is heading for $1.2 trillion by 2030, up 67 per cent from $722 billion this year, according to Juniper Research. But consumers are growing weary of endless monthly bills, and providers face a reckoning: deliver distinctive value or watch customers bail.

Digital video services will dominate, accounting for over a third of global subscription spending by 2030. But the fastest-growing category is mobility-as-a-service, where users subscribe to access multimodal transport. That market will explode by 540 per cent between 2025 and 2030.

The growth masks a brewing crisis. Simply mixing adverts with subscription fees whilst raising prices is not a long-term solution, warns Juniper Research fintech research vice-president Nick Maynard. “As consumers grow increasingly weary of endless subscriptions, providers must deliver distinctive value to maintain growth. Simply relying on hybrid models risks alienating already fatigued customers.”

The fix, according to Juniper, is bundling and flexible management. Combining subscriptions into bundles allows users to make informed decisions with a single view. Add flexible management options and users feel more empowered—which increases satisfaction and reduces churn.

“Managing subscriptions can be a challenge for consumers, particularly as the number of subscriptions increases,” said Maynard. “We have seen many bank and fintech apps focus on subscription management as a key issue for users. Therefore, subscription providers must look at bundling and flexible management to ease the user experience, or they will lose control of subscription management to third parties.”

The warning comes as banks and fintech firms increasingly position themselves as subscription gatekeepers, offering tools that let users track, manage and cancel services from a single dashboard. If subscription providers don’t simplify the experience themselves, they risk ceding control to intermediaries.

Juniper’s study analysed over 71,500 datapoints across 61 countries over five years, making it the most comprehensive assessment of the subscription economy to date. The research includes a competitor leaderboard and examination of future market opportunities.

October 1, 2025
AIFF assigns national football tournament telecast rights to Shrachi Sports for 2024-25

MUMBAI: Football fans are going to get more soccer than they could have ever imagined. Close on the heels of JioStar signing up with the Premier League as well as presenting the Indian Super league, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) signed a commercial rights agreement for its premier competitions (I-League, I-League 2, IWL, senior national football championship for the Santosh Trophy and senior women’s national football championship for the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy) with Shrachi Sports Endeavour Pvt Ltd for producing and broadcasting 338 matches in the 2024-25 season on 2 December 2024.

The senior men and women club leagues and national championship matches will be streamed on the SSEN app (owned by Shrachi Sports Endeavor), and 110 of the 132 I-League matches will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network.

“This significant partnership will help Indian football to get necessary exposure,” said AIFF secretary general Anilkumar.

Shrachi Sports managing director Rahul Todi said that the agreement will provide “a platform for men and women players to showcase their talents to national and international audiences with high quality HD content. With this partnership, Shrachi shows its commitment towards being part of India’s growing sports ecosystem.”

The SSN streaming platform is available to football fans at three price points: Rs 20 for a single match as a pay per view option, Rs 100 for an entire tournament and Rs 600 as an annual subscription which gives access to all the matches for all the tournaments.

December 2, 2024
The monthly growth rate of subscribers is 0.37 per cent – TRAI

Mumbai: According to the recent TRAI ( Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) data release, total broadband subscribers increased in October 2023 to 1115 from 1108 operators in September 2023. The total broadband subscribers increased to 885 million in September 2023 whereas at the end of October 2023 was 888.27 million. The monthly growth rate of monthly subscribers is 0.37 per cent as per data provided by telecom services providers to TRAI.

On 30 September 2023, wired subscribers were 36.87 million which increased by 1.32 per cent in October 2023 sized around 37. 35 per cent. The mobile and dongle users category also increased by 0.33 per cent from 847 million on September 23 to 849.97 million by October 23.

In the category of fixed wireless subscribers, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, point-to-point radio & V SAT was 0.97 per cent on September 23 which decreased by 0.95 per cent. Concluding a total number of user base it increased sharply by 0.37 per cent from 885 million on September 23 to October 23 to 888.27 million.

A total of five service providers represented 98.35 per cent of market share at the end of October 23 including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, BSNL, and Atria Convergence.

Market shares represented by each company separately –

1) Reliance Jio – 462. 34 million

2) Bharti Airtel – 252.25 million

3) Vodafone Idea – 125. 68 million

4) BSNL – 25. 09 million

5) Atria Convergence – 2.21 million

Wireline subscribers also increased from 30.97 million at the end of September 23 to 31.33 million in October 2023. The net increase in the wireline subscribers base is increased with a growth rate of 1.13 per cent. Currently, BSNL, MTNL, APSFL, and three PSUs are mainstream wireline service providers. The total number of market shares held by these 3 companies is 29.02 per cent.

Currently, in the era of rapid digital transformation, Wireless subscribers increased from 1150.15 million at the September 23 end. Particularly in urban areas, the subscription base increased from 630.17 million and wireless subscriptions in rural areas also increased from 519. 99 million to 520.62 million at the same time. The growth rate of urban and rural wireless subscriptions was 0.003 per cent and 0.12 per cent respectively.

Except for Uttar Pradesh, North East, J & K, Punjab, Kerala, Gujarat, Kolkata, and Himachal Pradesh, the rest Indian states showed growth in wireless subscribers. Telephone subscribers also increased from 1181.13 million on September 23 to 1182.31 million at the end of October 23. Urban telephone subscriptions have also increased from 658. 46 million to 658.99 million at the end of October 23.

The rural subscription has also increased from 532.65 million to 523. 32 million which is a 0.008 per cent increase in subscription base. As per TRAI data release Bharti Airtel has the maximum proportion of 99.16 per cent of its active wireless subscribers ( VLR) as against total wireless subscribers (HLR) in October 2023. The minimal proportion of VLR is 26.80 per cent of its HLE during the same period.

January 4, 2024
“Our focused efforts and investments in content and user experience enhancements are displaying positive results”: ZEEL MD & CEO Punit Goenka

Mumbai: Speaking in a conference call, ZEEL managing director & CEO Punit Goenka said during the company’s Q2 FY23 earnings call that he remains hopeful of a steady recovery in the advertising environment during the second half of the fiscal given some of the green shoots due to a good monsoon and the onset of the festive season.

“We are utilising this period to further strengthen the resilience and fundamentals of our business across all aspects. Our focused efforts and investments in content and user experience enhancements are displaying positive results. Going forward, we remain cautiously optimistic about the overall advertising sentiment gradually recovering through the second half of the fiscal year, which will further aid revenue growth.”

While the underlying impact of the macroeconomic headwind across the industry continued to spill over in the second quarter of the fiscal year, Goenka emphasised, “That said, we have been able to moderately grow our advertising revenues sequentially in the second quarter on the back of our network share gain and focused efforts from our ad sales team.”

He noted that the merger with Sony should be completed within this financial year. “As you would know, this is something that we are grappling with on a daily basis because the regulatory approval is required, and we can’t give you one final date. The number of days required for delisting or the company’s continued delisting, our expectation is it will be about five to six weeks.”

Talking about sports being a newer growth opportunity. Goenka mentioned, “In addition to strengthening our current offerings, we are also consistently identifying new growth opportunities for sustained value creation. We took yet another firm step in this direction by sharpening our strategic vision to build the sports business for the company. The strategic licensing agreement with Disney Star makes Zee the exclusive TV destination for all ICC events starting in 2024. Going forward, all our investment decisions to make the sports segment a compelling value proposition for the company will continue to be taken with a prudent approach. Our energies remain focused on enhancing performance across platforms through compelling content offerings and delivering a robust user experience.”

“For instance, our linear viewership share has increased QoQ, and our key markets like Hindi and Tamil are showcasing an improvement in their performance.” He explained that both in Tamil and Hindi, it is basically implementation and picking the right shows that have worked for it. “In Hindi, particularly, both fiction and non-fiction have done well for us. Tamil is still largely fiction-driven, and we are pretty confident that these will now continue to grow from here. They are stabilised at this level, and now we should see more growth coming. In Marathi, as I mentioned in previous calls to Abneesh, it was an implementation and team issue. A new team was formed about a quarter of a year ago. They are working on plans for getting the turnaround to happen in Marathi, too. I’m quite hopeful that in the next couple of quarters we’ll see something turn around there.”

When asked about the reason for the NTO 2.0 delay, Goenka stated, “I don’t know what Trai was planning to do, but as I understand it from informal sources, they were trying to build consensus amongst all the stakeholders. As you will understand, building consensus in this industry among broadcasters, cable operators, and DPOs is not easy. I think that is largely the reason for the delay.”

“My view is that they are finished with all the discussions and everything. We should see the NTO guidelines come out anytime now. As Rohit (ZEEL CFO Rohit Gupta) mentioned, the 28 of February is the deadline they have kept, but I’m quite confident that they will not miss this deadline,” he added further.

Gupta noted that in the absence of a clear path ahead for NTO 2.0, the near-term outlook for subscription growth remains uncertain and muted. “We will continue to monitor NTO 2.0 guidelines and will be prepared to implement the same for improved long-term revenue outcomes.”

When asked about the possibility of rethinking capital allocation towards movies given the disappointing performance of Hindi cinema, Goenka said that the company is rethinking or re-studying its movie portfolio strategy and maybe rejigging the capital allocation within that. “So, instead of spending a lot more on, let’s say, Hindi, for example, do we want to spend a little bit more on the regional languages, which are doing much better than the Hindi side, but will we completely look at reducing capital allocation to movies. No, that’s not in the thought process.”

When asked if it makes sense to buy movie rights after their theatrical release, Goenka responded that, unfortunately, the industry does not work that way because these films are sold even during production. “If we were to wait for the film to be released in theatres and then take the chance of buying the film, there is a risk to that as well. So therefore, the industry is behaving in the manner that it does. Therefore, we have to participate and play the game as per the industry, and our view is that we would also like to continue to build and buy as little as possible. At times that’s not possible, but we are working on that strategy,” he concluded.

November 21, 2022
Scale is important; has to be focused right: Fox executive chair & CEO Lachlan Murdoch

Mumbai: Addressing analysts during a conference call to announce the company’s Q1’23 results, Fox executive chair & CEO Lachlan Murdoch spoke about the importance of scale. Fox’s assets include the juggernaut Fox News. Fox posted revenue of $3.19 billion, up 5 per cent a year ago.

“Look, I think you know the scale; it has to be focused right. Scale is important, and what we’ve seen amongst our media peers over the last few years is that our peers are getting bigger through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and so I think scale lends flexibility in many ways. So, we continue to grow our business, we continue to look at M&A and be very disciplined in how we look at it, but we also do look at the importance of scale, particularly over the next couple of years when, I think, opportunities in the marketplace will emerge. They have the scale to be flexible, and how we deal with them will be important,” he said.

In terms of a potential reunion of Fox and News Corporation, Murdoch declined to take questions. “As has been made public, both Fox and News Corporation have formed separate special committees to explore a potential combination following letters received from my father, Rupert Murdoch, and the Murdoch Family Trust. For a combination transaction to proceed, it will need the approval of both special committees and a supportive vote by the majority of the minority non-affiliated shareholders of each company.”

He added, “The special committee has not made any determination at this time, and there can be no certainty that the company will engage in such a transaction. Given the importance of the work of the special committees, I’m not in a position to take any questions on the proposed transaction at this time.”

Murdoch pointed out that the company’s fiscal year is off to a good start. “The September quarter results once again highlight the strength of our leadership brands, and we are just getting started on what promises to be a banner year for Fox. We are encouraged by the operating trends across the portfolio and the early returns on our digital investments. When paired with our strong balance sheet and low leverage, the Fox story remains a differentiated one amongst its media peers. And while we continue to be mindful of how the macroeconomic environment evolves during the months ahead, Fox remains well positioned to navigate and outperform through any potential uncertainty.”

Talking about the ad scene, he said that the ad growth in the quarter was driven by strong pricing at Fox News and Fox Sports. “Record first quarter political revenues at the local stations, and in a quarter where industry-wide digital advertising revenues appear to have been under pressure, to post standout revenue growth of almost 30 per cent.”

He added, however, that the company recognises that there is a lot of commentary around advertising headwinds as the macro environment evolves. “Yes, the broader national advertising market is looking more fluid compared to the time of our last earnings call. However, the macro impact is not uniform across our verticals.”

“We have observed some softness in the linear entertainment scatter marketplace. Remember that Fox does not over-index to network entertainment. So, any impact there is, is nominal to us and has been more than offset by the digital entertainment strength delivered by Tubi,” he went on.

Murdoch said, “Additionally, despite the economic headwinds, we are seeing continued strength across our linear news and sports portfolios, led by the pharmaceutical, restaurant, and streaming categories. These dynamics underscore a flight to quality, and the importance of our focus on live content, with over two-thirds of our advertising revenue generated by live sports and news.”

Fox News, he noted, turned in another stellar performance, finishing the fiscal first quarter as the number one channel on cable and the third most viewed network in Weekday Prime in all of television, behind only NBC and CBS.

November 3, 2022
GUEST ARTICLE: Connected TV is emerging as an opportunity for entertainment brands in India

Mumbai: Connected TV (CTV) viewing has been gaining momentum in the western part of the world and is now on an escalating curve in India with 12–14 million monthly active CTV users, according to the FICCI-EY report of March 2022. The advancing new trends in the media and entertainment (M&E) industry have led to a noticeable change in the TV viewing habits of Indian audiences, leading to connected TV making a strong appearance in India. The exponentially growing CTV, which was earlier incomparable to linear TV, has now loomed out of the shadows and is considered a potent alternative for brands to advertise on. In the current digitally evolving ecosystem, affordable prices of smart televisions, increasing data penetration, and the availability of global content have aided in the medium’s rapid growth, making it a prominent mover and shaker in the M&E space. According to the March 2022 FICCI-EY report, by 2025, this number is expected to hit 40 million, highlighting its explosive growth as a medium in the country.

A revenue stream within digital:

For many years, traditional TV was the only platform for media buying. As users move towards connected TV, the medium is creating an opportunity to grow business revenues. In today’s time, content dissemination and consumption are platform-agnostic, giving brands an opportunity to generate visibility for themselves on the big screen. With CTVs ushering in the next big revolution, the ecosystem holds the potential for greater returns. As a new revenue stream within the digital landscape, CTV has grown to become an impactful channel that provides targeting capabilities and measurability. In a digital-forward world, measurement capabilities make the medium a must for any brand to push forth its marketing strategies and capitalise on the same.

A powerful addition to the marketer’s toolbox:

Connected TV, which has recorded notable growth in the past few years, is becoming a paradise for advertisers. In today’s data-rich world, consumers are increasingly demanding brands to deliver focused and relevant messaging. With more eyes on the big screen, CTV helps brands reach out to new and hard-to-reach audiences and form deeper connections with them. It has surfaced as a successful growth opportunity for advertisers who want access to a highly engaged, affluent audience. Advertisers, globally and in India, are lapping up the connected TV opportunity as it continues to grow as an exciting medium.

With the widespread adoption of digital, CTV as a medium appears to be very promising for both consumers and advertisers. The growing adoption of streaming content through connected devices makes the medium an important and new touchpoint for advertisers. According to the IAB 2021 Video Ad Spend & 2022 Outlook report, globally, ad spending on connected TV grew 57 per cent in 2021 to $15.2 billion and will grow another 39 per cent in 2022 to $21.2 billion. In India, while CTV advertising spends are yet to fully catch up with growing smart TV subscriptions and consumers spending more time on these devices, ad spends will eventually move in a positive direction, making connected TV advertising the next big frontier.

Towards a promising future:

Presently, growing at a burgeoning pace, the connected TV market seems to have a propitious future. In our approach to reaching out to our digital audiences, CTV acts as a significant contributor. Needless to say, the medium will further prosper as a result of increasing attention from advertisers as they look to leverage the potential of digital advertising to reach their target customers in an innovative and effective manner. The overall ecosystem of connected devices, driven by technological advancements, will provide enormous headroom for growth in the future of media and entertainment. For a progressive future, it will become imperative for all stakeholders to strategically cater to this exponentially rising consumer growth trend.

The author of this article is QYOU Media India COO Krishna Menon.

September 21, 2022
There is sound commercial viability basis for the money spent on the IPL media rights: CA Atul Thakkar

Mumbai: India is on the cusp of a revolution in the sports business. A recently released report compiled by Anand Rathi Advisors (ARAL) confirms what sports pundits have been claiming for long – that India’s time as a sporting superpower has come.

According to ARAL, the sports industry is estimated to reach $100 billion by 2027; up 4x from $27 billion in 2020.

The report hypothesizes that the industry will be driven by India’s gigantic youth population (400 million people, larger than the population of the US) and rapidly improving economic conditions. Historically what has been seen is that as basic needs are met, the populace leans towards consumption that supports a healthier lifestyle and entertainment.

“We believe that the entire sports media market will grow at an unprecedented rate over the next few years,” said CA Atul Thakkar.

Thakkar joined ARAL in 2013. He joined the financial services firm in 2007 and sharpened his leadership skills at the organisation for over 15 years. Prior to this, he began his career with Kagrana & Associates Chartered Accountants.

In conversation with Indiantelevision.com, Anand Rathi Advisors director – investment banking CA Atul Thakkar shared his views on the sports media market.

Excerpts:

On the factors that will propel the sport media market in India

Viewership and engagement will drive the sports media market. The unique ability of sports to draw eyeballs from a wide set of captive audience over an extended period of time is what compels brands/advertisers to spend money on sports. With multiple sports events gaining traction with the youth (cricket, kabaddi, F1, UFC etc.), unveiling of new sporting leagues and access to sports over multiple platforms – overall viewership of sport will grow. We believe that the entire sports media market will grow at an unprecedented rate over the next few years.

On the IPL rights being split between two broadcasters

Given the unique position that digital has come to occupy in today’s times, from BCCI’s (Board of Control for Cricket in India) perspective it makes commercial sense to split the rights between television and digital. It is a function of changing consumption patterns that has driven this decision. Media consumption is shifting towards digital with consumers spending +50 per cent time on digital as compared to television and this will increase manifold over time. We would not be surprised if the next media rights auction sees digital rights base prices exceed that of television.

On whether Disney Star and Viacom18 will make money

There is a sound commercial viability basis for the money spent on the rights. India is a large market, we have 400 million people in the age group of 15-45, which is larger than the population of the US, presenting an opportunity to grow sports viewership exponentially provided it is packaged as a mix of entertainment and sporting prowess – which the IPL is. Viewership has further potential to grow as the IPL expands into new geographies globally. We expect that the first two years will remain the investment period dedicated towards increasing the viewer base while the returns start coming in post that.

On the IPL ratings falling on TV

Covid-19 was a setback for IPL, in which the matches were postponed, the venues were changed. This created a break in the excitement of the game. However, the latest IPL season with two new teams was a success. The reason for falling television viewership is that people are shifting to OTT platforms and prefer to watch the game online. IPL is a valuable property and the only major sporting event in the country, we expect viewership to continue to rise with a change in the OTT and television mix.

On the rights value growth potential for other cricket properties like ICC

Cricket’s base in India and the South Asia region in general, combined with BCCI’s monetary heft, made IPL a massive success. The T20 format of the IPL is short, packed with action and easy to consume. We do not see any other cricket property having the wherewithal or the market to create a league of similar scale and fan following as the IPL.

On whether other sports are gaining traction in terms of viewership and rights value

Cricket has clearly dominated India in terms of viewership i.e. nine million, however, other sports leagues like PKL are growing, the viewer share of PKL has grown from 31 per cent to 39 per cent in five years. ISL again, has gained global recognition and has become the fifth largest football league in terms of viewership. The properties other than IPL, though currently smaller, have the potential to grow with the right investments.

Also Read:Indian sports media market to touch $13.4 bn by 2027: Report

On the role that digital is playing in disrupting and growing rights value

India will have 900 million internet users in the next five years, underscoring the potential of digital rights. While TV was the main source of entertainment in Indian middle-class homes, the past few years have seen a rapid pivot toward online streaming due to affordable internet and smart devices.

The pandemic accelerated the digital media growth in India. For instance, the premium paid for the media rights in the IPL, 1.7x for digital and 1.3x for television, shows the potential that corporates see in digital rights and their willingness to pay for it.

On the progress that local leagues like ISL, PKL are making

ISL and PKL have been the underdogs as compared to the IPL as they do not come with the money power that IPL has. Sports is entertainment, which PKL has managed to deliver with its format while ISL still has to improve its viewer engagement. ISL for one has always been popular with a consistent viewership from a core base. Investments in making the games more engaging – better camera angles capturing the action, for instance, will catapult ISL substantially.

Both leagues have started small and have seen viewership traction with numbers that would be considered a success in most developed nations. The increase in viewership will see sponsorship pick up for these two leagues. They do have a very long way to go as compared to IPL, but without doubt they have been successful.

On the potential impact of inflation in the sports media rights market in the coming five years

Inflation is a transitory economic phenomenon. We do not see it having a significant impact over the next five years.

On advertising and subscription being important

Advertising is the larger chunk of revenues, however the rates itself are determined based on viewership and subscriber base. Subscription revenue provides a base to build on in periods where there aren’t any major events, shows or movies.

On whether the startup funding slowdown will impact the ad market for sports

Start-ups account for a minor portion of Sports Sector advertising. The start-ups that do spend the big bucks – like Dream11, Byju’s and Unacademy – are the leaders in their space and are well funded. A brand aims to reach the largest set of viewers, sports invariably provide this opportunity – with millions of people tuning in for 90 uninterrupted minutes.

In the current context, we expect brands to rationalise spends and skew it towards mega events that draw eyeballs – such as sports. There will continue to be multiple bids for sponsorship and we do not think the slowdown in the funding will have any significant impact on the ad market for sports.

On trends being seen in gaming, e-sports in terms of investments and fan following.

The gaming and esports sector is very differentiated. Each platform has a different strategy which doesn’t lend itself to straight analysis. You will see behemoths in each segment, but the differentiated experience in each platform will allow for them to co-exist and thrive.

On the way forward for India to follow other sports more

Our thoughts on the way to expand sports is to create several commercial leagues – in the US for instance, a country with a population a third of India’s – there are over a 100 functioning leagues. Competitive leagues will make sports a viable career option, ensuring wider participation.

For instance, the IPL has given a platform for talented sportsmen, who although have not made it to the national team, have found a way to make a meaningful career in the sport. Presence of leagues will have a trickle down effect with children wanting and parents willing to allow their wards to play sport competitively, creating demand for related infrastructure, products and services, which enterprising individuals will fill.

The ultimate aim as a society should be to make every individual play sport competitively, there are a host of character traits and health benefits that sports bring that can have significant societal impact which will help the nation in the long term.

June 29, 2022
Amazon Prime & AMC Networks to launch AMC+ and Acorn TV on Prime Video Channels in India

Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video & AMC Networks on Friday announced the launch of AMC+ and Acorn TV on Prime Video Channels in India.

AMC+ is a premium subscription program that provides prime members access to a variety of ad-free, exclusive series and movies from the US and around the world, as well as high-quality scripted dramas, fan favourites, and franchises. Acorn TV, which offers dramas and mysteries from Britain and other countries without advertisements, will also be fully accessible to Prime customers as part of their AMC+ membership. For the convenience of prime members, premier original programming will be available with subtitles in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

To lock in a one-year membership to AMC+ for Rs 349 via Prime Video Channels, Prime members can now take advantage of a special 50 per cent limited-period promotional offer. With this, consumers can watch content from both AMC+ and Acorn TV on primevideo.com, the Prime Video app on iOS and Android smartphones, smart TVs, connected STBs, and Fire TV sticks.

After the initial discount, the subscription will cost Rs 699 per year. For an introductory annual cost of INR 249, Prime customers may also purchase an add-on subscription to Acorn TV alone. Customers who want to solely subscribe to Acorn TV after the introductory offer can do so for Rs 499 per year.

AMC+ features exclusive new original series (all commercial-free) with new programming premiering each month, including The Walking Dead: Origins (premiering today); western noir Dark Winds (premiering 7 July) executive produced by Emmy-winner George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and Oscar-winner Robert Redford; sci-fi thriller Moonhaven (premiering 4 August) starring Dominic Monaghan (Lost) and Joe Manganiello (True Blood); the acclaimed epic western That Dirty Black Bag starring Dominic Cooper (Preacher); gritty crime drama 61st Street starring Emmy-winner Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story); and high-octane vampire thriller Firebite, among many others.

Audiences in India will also enjoy a host of new series from AMC Networks’ biggest franchises, including highly anticipated new dramas from The Walking Dead Universe. Tales of the Walking Dead is a new anthology series with an all-star cast premiering later this summer. Isle of the Dead will follow the popular Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) characters from The Walking Dead into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, coming exclusively to AMC+ in 2023. AMC+ will also launch a new franchise based on Anne Rice’s best-selling novels from ‘The Vampire Chronicles Series’ and ‘The Lives of the Mayfair Witches Series’. Premiering later this year, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is an epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality. Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches will follow and focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches.

“As the destination for the latest, acclaimed and popular international content, at Amazon Prime Video, we believe in super-serving our customers with choice, access and convenience. Since launch last year, prime video channels has expanded the choice of English and international content available to customers further by giving them access to a wide range of exclusive, high-quality programming from multiple streaming services, while offering them the convenience of enjoying their favourite shows and movies at a single destination, with all their favourite prime video features,” said Amazon Prime Video India head of Prime Video Channels & Sports Chaitanya Divan. “We are delighted to partner with AMC Networks and offer our viewers an even wider selection of popular and blockbuster English content. Prime members have loved our extensive selection of premium international content, available as add-on subscriptions, and we are committed to satisfying their diverse entertainment needs.”

AMC+ general manager Courtney Thomasma commented, “AMC+ offers viewers thousands of hours of celebrated and award-winning series, including our critically-acclaimed dramas from The Son to 61st Street as well as the next generation of fan-driven franchises including The Walking Dead Universe and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. With our upcoming slate of AMC+ Originals like Dark Winds and Moonhaven along with access to Acorn TV’s beloved international mysteries and dramas, AMC+ combines thought-provoking stories and iconic characters in one subscription. We are excited to partner with Prime Video Channels to bring our slate of original programming to audiences in India and look forward to delivering many exclusive premieres in the months ahead.”

AMC+ also offers full access to AMC Networks’ targeted streaming service Acorn TV at no additional cost. Acorn TV offers ad-free dramas and mysteries from Britain and beyond, including exclusive productions such as Emmy-nominated Queens of Mystery, My Life is Murder starring Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), London Kills, Under the Vines, Keeping Faith and The Madame Blanc Mysteries, fan favourites such as Line of Duty and Doc Martin, and acclaimed series Jack Irish starring Emmy-winner Guy Pearce, The Straits starring Emmy-winner Brian Cox (Succession) and The Good Karma Hospital, among others. Acorn TV’s newest exclusive series, Love Me, stars Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta) and premieres 27 June.

June 24, 2022
“FanCode is focused on delivering value to our users”: Yannick Colaco

Mumbai: India’s premier digital sports destination FanCode is initiating a slew of new offerings on its platform. FanCode deals in three major areas like live content, sports statistics, analysis and commerce.

Under the umbrella of Dream Sports, FanCode was launched to change the dynamics of sports consumption in India. The platform offers live streaming, sports data, analytics, statistics, a merchandising store, tour passes, expert analysis, opinions and the latest sports news.

The company is led by co-founders Yannick Colaco and Prasana Krishnan. Both worked together at sports broadcaster Nimbus Sports until 2013. Colaco went on to join the National Basketball Association (NBA) while Krishnan joined Sony Pictures Networks India.

Colaco was part of the international leadership team of the NBA and managing director of its India business. He spent the next six years driving the grassroots development of the basketball sport in India, setting up a full-fledged NBA Academy and building partnerships across licensing, content and marketing initiatives. He was also instrumental in bringing the first-ever NBA Games to India.

A consummate sports enthusiast, Colaco has been in the sports and media industry for two decades. In his view, avid sports fans in the country were underserviced when it came to accessibility to sports content. The consumption of sports content was fragmented across multiple platforms.

He joined forces with Krishnan in 2019 to launch their entrepreneurial venture with a commitment to give sports fans a highly personalised and unified experience of sports content.

Colaco told Indiantelevision.com that FanCode’s goal is to “redefine the way sports fans follow their favourite sports by creating a more integrated and immersive experience as well as by giving them greater access to a wide variety of sports content.”

In an in-depth conversation with journalist Ashwin Pinto, FanCode co-founder Yannick Colaco spoke about the company’s progress, challenges, trends in the sports business, acquisitions, expansion plans and more.

Edited Excerpts:

On the progress, FanCode has achieved

FanCode focuses on redefining the way sports fans follow their favourite sports by creating a more integrated and immersive experience. It gives them access to a wide variety of sports content. Our greatest ally in delivering on this is the ability to unlock the potential of digital for sports fans.

Since 2019, the company has significantly upgraded the viewer’s experience by integrating key services which are fundamental to their ability to follow their favourite sports. The services supply include live scores & commentary, live stream & video on demand, match insights & analytics, and official fan merchandise. All of this while supplying fans access to live streams of over 350 events and over 50,000 hours of live content. We are thrilled at the way sports fans have embraced our product and we now have over fifty million users on FanCode.

On the challenges faced by FanCode and its determination to be a standalone product

FanCode is focused on delivering value to its users. Every offering that this company provides has been predicated. Given the response received so far, its viewers see value in having an integrated experience, rather than having to access multiple products to follow the same match or event.

Fortunately, having an amazing team of FanCoders, including some of the best talents in the country, who have met the challenges head-on and continue to deliver amazing results, FanCode is blessed to meet all its product and technological challenges and give a seamless experience.

Indian sports fans have limited access to great sports content. An integrated solution before the launch of FanCode did not exist overseas. Some companies do provide streaming of sports content but are limited to offering news and analysis. Earlier, the experience for the viewers was broken.

On FanCode’s business model as an SVOD platform and cracking micro-transactions

Paying for content on digital platforms is still very new in India. Realising the need for paid users at a very early stage FanCode worked on a priority basis in expanding the ecosystem. As per the feedback received, the company found out that the largest constraints were not willing to pay even for the entry tickets. To address these, it took a page out of the hugely successful sachet pricing strategy of FMCGs in India and gave fans the ability to buy matches and events, instead of buying only monthly and annual packages. The company has also invested significantly in building technology around an in-house subscription service which created an exceptionally smooth and seamless purchase experience.

Results have been great with a rapidly growing number of transacting users. What’s also remarkably interesting is that many match and tour subscribers come back to buy multiple times and even upgrade to annual packages.

On offering sports fans a personalised experience

For Fancode success is about users’ seamless experience. For example, if you’re a fan of Virat Kohli, you should be able to watch him bat, watch replays of his best shots, access his stats in the current match and his career, chat with other Kohli fans, and buy his jersey; all inside the same experience with minimal friction.

Personalisation of experience is an extremely important part and thus the focus is exactly on where to invest significant resources over the next year. Sports fans wear their allegiance on their sleeves and are happy to talk about who they support. It is the company’s job to take this data and build technology solutions to provide a customised experience for higher engagement.

On setting new trends in sports consumption

The migration of fans from traditional modes of sports consumption like linear TV, newspapers, etc., to digital channels, has been phenomenal and this continues at a rapid pace. With this migration, the expectation of what a fan should have access to has also grown. Fans want to access scores, live matches, highlights, and stats. They want everything packaged in bite sizes and they want it at once.

On its foray into streaming sports content

There is absolutely no doubt that there is a significant growth in fandom for sports in general across India. As FanCode continues to expand the range of events and sports that are featured, a lot of growth in other sports is also observed, which were previously underserved.

There is some particularly good traction in partnership with Major League Baseball and the J League (football) as well as the remarkable thing is that every user who consumes these on this platform is authenticated and not just a blip on a rating scale. For FanCode, it becomes easy to improvise by having an amazing opportunity to build a direct relationship with consumers and get real-time feedback.

On the acquisition strategy behind FanDuniya

The acquisition of FanDuniya helped in strengthening sports statistics and analytics offering under FC stats. It helps to build one of the largest stat hubs. FanCode will continue to explore these opportunities to help create more value for the users.

On launching its merchandising store FanCode Shop

Sports merchandise has been a significantly underserved market in India. As sports fandom has grown the demand for fan gear has increased. There are other many elements to consider including ranges of fan gear, styling, name and number gear, fit, pricing, etc. and honestly, the market has been ignorant of most of these.

FanCode spent a significant amount of time with the teams and leagues it partnered with, which caters to fans across the country and now has over 30 sports brands with more than 800 products. Making fan gear, and variations of it, accessible and affordable has been an important part of growing the ecosystem.

It has partnered with several sports leagues and teams for their licensed merchandise and worked with official partners of many of the other leagues and teams which enabled it to be a comprehensive destination for fan merchandising including 10 IPL teams, NBA, Manchester City FC, Liverpool FC, FC Barcelona, Bengaluru FC, MotoGP and WWE. We also improvise our technology to innovate and deliver rapid turnaround times in both the creation and distribution of fan gear, ensuring that fans will have the latest, most topical designs of their favourite sports brands and teams.

May 27, 2022
UK SVoD growth up; people spending more time on streaming platforms: Omdia’s Research

Mumbai: According to a research report released recently at Connected TV World Summit, Omdia’s senior director Maria Rua Aguete said, “The number of people paying for video services in the UK has increased 11 per cent over the last year and quarter on quarter since April 2021.”

According to Aguete, despite the UK cost of living crisis, UK people are tending to spend more and certainly no less in streaming video services. In terms of dealing with rising costs, consumers prefer to cut other expenses than their own home entertainment in order to deal with the rising cost. As the survey reveals, cuts in other spending has allowed them to subscribe to extra services.

Currently, the average UK household has 2.6 pay subscription services at home, 2 Svod services and 0.6 Pay TV. Although the churn rate has increased significantly in the last 12 months.

Despite Netflix results showing a decline in global subscriptions (200,000 in Q1 2022), Netflix remains the UK’s favourite video service. It is also still the most popular SVOD service in the domestic market, the USA.

80 per cent of households in the UK have an online subscription. YouTube and BBC iPlayer tops the chart as most favourite online video services in the UK followed by Netflix. Netflix’s Svod service is still in the race with 15.5 million subscribers.

Other most popular services in the UK are: Amazon Prime Video with 10 million subscriptions and Disney Plus with 7.5 million subscriptions.

Churn has increased significantly in the last 12 months:

45 per cent more subscription video services were cancelled in the last 12 months, while overall there were 20 percent more consumers cancelling their services compared to last year, but counteracting this trend, the number of services cancelled and re-subscribed to in the last 12 months has grown by 84 per cent meaning that although more people are churning, more people are subsequently resubscribing with 50 per cent more re-subscribers in the UK now.

According to the reports, online video subscriptions will reach 2 billion in 2027. The biggest growth in the last six months comes from: Disney, Now TV, Netflix and Amazon Prime with 21 percent, 18 percent, 8 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.

Those with four streaming video services per home are the ones churning less than those who took more than seven SVOD services are among the highest churners.

Looking forward, Omdia expects that Netflix, currently in the lead in the streaming video race (Q1 2022), will still lead in five years’ time (2026) Aguete adds: “With the lowest churn rate across all streaming video services and highest lifetime value per customer, Netflix will continue and surpass Disney by 2026.”

May 26, 2022