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  • hoichoi to double spending on content, announces 20 new shows

    hoichoi to double spending on content, announces 20 new shows

    Mumbai: The Bengali OTT platform hoichoi has bolstered its content library with as many as 20 new shows as it marked its fifth year in the streaming space. The streaming service brand recorded 2x growth in active monthly subscribers and now planning to double its investment in content to power the next phase of growth, it shared during the virtual event #HoichoiSeason5 held on Friday.

    The go-to-market strategy will now rest on the pillars of content, tech and distribution, and expansion. “Since we only have a yearly subscription, it is very important for us to have high engagement on the platform. At (minimum) Rs 600 and Rs 900, it’s no way cheap to be on hoichoi, and hence we must continue to offer a great catalogue of films and shows on a regular basis for our premium users in order to drive subscription and engagement,” said hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta.

    hoichoi currently has over 80 originals and is eyeing to reach the target of 100 shows by the end of 2022. Going forward, the main focus will be to drive subscriptions by bolstering its content offering and expand in both Bengali and non-Bengali markets in India and globally, said the platform.

    Content – Bengali/Dubbed Regional and Branded

    Of the 12 world premiere films planned for next year, five titles will be led by noted directors such as Srijit Mukherji and Anjan Dutt, which will add to the existing catalogue of 600+ films.

    Some of the originals revealed at Friday’s event include “Srikanto,” “Byomkesh 7,” “Mahabharat Murders,” “Eken Babu 5,” “Troilokkyo,” “Mandaar,” “Rudrabinar Obhishaap,” “Montu Pilot 2,” “Khyapar Shohor,” “Gora,” “Tiktiki,” “Swapan Kumar Obolomboney Bottolar Goyenda,” “Uttaran,” “Indu,” “Boli” (Bangladesh), “Karagar” (Bangladesh), “Sabrina” (Bangladesh), “Kaiser” (Bangladesh), and “Bodh” (Bangladesh).

    The platform also announced that it has witnessed a 2X growth in its overall watch-time and monthly active streaming users as well as a 4X growth in viewership, not only in India but in Bangladesh as well. It has recorded 60 minutes of average daily watch-time among subscribers, with each user visiting the platform thrice every day on an average.

    “We are overwhelmed with the response we have received for hoichoi in both the regional and as well as national OTT space in the span of past four years,” said co-founder Mahendra Soni. “hoichoi’s relevant and dynamic content has made it possible for us to build a diverse audience base, and as we step into the fifth year, the goal is to curate more remarkable content in collaboration with the best creators and talents of the industry.”

    The platform’s monthly subscription numbers in Bangladesh have also doubled every month since last year. Buoyed by the success in the neighbouring country, it intends to produce at least seven to nine originals for the Bangladesh market in association with local talent.

    While the pandemic-induced lockdown catapulted OTT platforms into accelerated growth, co-founder Vishnu Mohta believes the OTT culture began setting in among people for a few years now, and the pandemic only amplified it. “Since the pandemic surfaced, generally, people started getting accustomed to direct-to-digital releases along with the wide array of web series presented by the platforms. Post the lockdowns, OTT platforms have hardened their space in society. Therefore, this trend is here to stay. It will continue even in the post-pandemic world,” he said while talking to Indiantelevision.com ahead of the event.

    For hoichoi, the growth was also led by its Hindi dubbed content, which has been very well-received on partner platforms, said Mohta. “In order to replicate this success across regional markets and establish a connect with Indian and global non-Bengali audience, the platform is now planning to dub its content in other languages like Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam,” he added.

    Running into its fifth year, hoichoi has also stepped up its branded content and launched a ‘Freemium’ service that allows users to watch ad-free shows without having to pay. So far, two shows have been released in collaboration with jewellery brands – Turu Love with Senco Gold & Diamonds and Subharambha with PC Chandra Jewellers. “While we stick to our strategy of offering ad-free content, we believe that branded content does not interrupt the viewing experience. Freemium section is primarily intended to cater to different brand needs while ensuring the content remains engaging and high-quality,” he added.

    Expansion, distribution, and partnership

    Running into its fifth year, one of the main focuses for hoichoi now is to drive more subscriptions on its platform through both direct subscription and subscription bundling partners. In India, besides its existing partnership with Jio Fibre for broadband subscription bundling, it has now partnered with Airtel as its preferred partner for mobility, broadband, and DTH bundling. There are other collaborations with ISP players like Alliance, Wishnet, Meghbela in India, and Link3 and Grameenphone and Sohoj in Malaysia.

    In 2022, the brand aims to have more such subscription bundling partners across telecom, ISPs, e-commerce, and DTH services.

    In order to reach out to tier 2 and 3 towns, hoichoi has also recently entered the retail vertical to enable subscription through offline payment mode where users can simply visit a local partner store and purchase a subscription by paying in cash. Sohoj and Paynearby are some of the current retail partners. Tie-ups with over 500 retail stores in both India and Bangladesh are planned for the next six months.

    At present, at least 40 per cent of hoichoi’s direct subscription revenue is contributed by the international market. With an aim to deepen its presence among the large Bengali population in South-Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore and the middle-east, hoichoi is looking to partner with key telecom operators in the region. The launch of sachet pricing for both these markets is also on the anvil.

    Additionally, it will be launching digital gift cards offering special pricing plans for this Durga Puja across many countries like the US, UK, Australia, Singapore, and the Middle East. Mohta shares that as part of the recurring payment ecosystem that exists in most international markets, hoichoi subscription charges hover at nine dollars per month.

    Technology

    On the tech front, hoichoi will soon be available with a new interface displaying added features such as content description, trailer auto-play feature on the content details page, new and improved search layout functionality, Hamburger Menu Navigation, and new signup, streaming player, and login page.

  • It’s back to the movies in West Bengal from 1 October

    It’s back to the movies in West Bengal from 1 October

    MUMBAI: Cinema owners in west Bengal are heaving a sigh of relief. West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee today announced that cinema halls can start screening films for the public come 1 October.  In the process, it has become the first state government to give the green signal to the beleaguered cinema exhibition sector which has been shut since March 2020 and has run up huge losses.

    However, screenings will be limited to 50 participants and cinema halls will have to follow strict safety protocols such as masks, sanitisation, physical distancing and other precautionary procedures. Along with film screenings, jatras, plays, open-air theatres, and shows related to music, dance and magic shows will also open from 1 October. Banerjee said the decision was taken as another step to take living to near normalcy.

    Bengali actors, the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association and the Multiplex Association of India  (MAI) – have repeatedly beseeched the state government to  give the sector the go ahead to start operating again. The state has reported 4,700-odd Covid related deaths with 244,000 getting infected and 214,000 recovering. Around 3,200 new cases are being recorded daily.

    Producers and distributors have been releasing films direct to OTT over the past few months in order to cut their losses. It’s quite probable that some of them will start looking at the big screen again.

    Commenting on the development, SVF co-founder and director Mahendra Soni said: “We are happy and welcome Didi’s announcement. This is a huge relief for the exhibition industry. Having said that to restart the actual business the re-opening has to happen at a national level otherwise there would difficulty running the theatre operations without new film releases. I am hoping to get some kind of announcement from central government too. "

    "As far as SVF Cinemas is concerned we are waiting for detailed guidelines and safety protocols before we decide on the opening date. We will open as soon as possible once we have the official notification along-with do’s and don’ts," he added.

    With West Bengal opening up movie theatres, will other state governments follow? The MAI, for one, is hoping they will, sooner than later.  

  • Hoichoi aims to double its size and revneue

    Hoichoi aims to double its size and revneue

    KOLKATA: From the beginning of its journey, the Bengali OTT platform Hoichoi has relied on a subscription-based model to run its business. While naysayers used to say Indian audience would not pay for content, the faith on people’s will to pay for good content has paid off the streaming service. With an impressive subscriber base of 13 million, it aims to double its size and revenue for the next few years as every year the addressable market will increase.

    The platform has always talked about leveraging the diaspora audience. It appears to be a perfect strategy for it as 40 per cent of its revenue coming from international markets. Bangladesh has obviously a very big market for it but what is more interesting is it has seen many subscribers coming from Japan, Sweden, as Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta shared.

    Read more news on Hoichoi

    It is now experimenting with other business models like sachet pricing. The ‘Carrier Billing’ will make it easier to buy a weekly or monthly subscription by paying with mobile balance. While it will be launched soon in the Middle East and Bangladesh, Mohta said it would open up access to blue-collar workers. He also added that the platform is making some free content available soon.

    According to Mohta, Hoichoi’s subscribers come from both urban and rural areas. However, he mentioned that the latter holds the next big opportunity for Hoichoi. A number of new users have come to the internet for the first time during this lockdown who are now consuming free content on platforms like YouTube. He is of the belief that they will convert to premium content at some point of time and the lockdown has made that process faster.

    Read more news on OTT business in India

    Hoichoi entered the market in 2017 with very witty campaign #Hoyejak. As it has unveiled a stellar content line up on its third anniversary, it will again launch a campaign during Durga Puja. From October to March, the platform plans to launch at least three originals every month including one marquee content.

    It is not only taking its content game one step ahead but investing in technology as well. The platform has also revealed today its new UI/UX design. Mohta said they have incorporated user feedback as well as an internal assessment as technology has updated rapidly in the last three years. They are also planning to launch a windows 10 application soon.

    “We are still at a very nascent stage. We have not been able to scratch the surface of how many people we may get to pay. That market will grow organically. I think we will be able to encash that growth,” Mohta stated.

  • hoichoi presents “First Day First Show”, a new property to stream Bengali feature films; SVF produced ‘Detective’ will mark its first Direct-to-Digital release

    hoichoi presents “First Day First Show”, a new property to stream Bengali feature films; SVF produced ‘Detective’ will mark its first Direct-to-Digital release

    It is official! Anirban Bhattacharya starrer “Detective” will be heading for a Direct-to-Digital release on hoichoi. hoichoi announced a new property a day before, “First Day First Show” which will helm the direct releases of Bengali movies. It was originally slated for a theatrical release but owing to the current restrictions mandated by the government for audiences to maintain a decorum of social distancing, and movie theatres abiding the same by keeping the doors of their single screens and multiplexes closed, SVF, Eastern India’s largest entertainment house, have consciously decided to take a digital route. It is in fact, also, the first direct OTT release for SVF, their first film to be released in an OTT platform this year. hoichoi announced the grand news by doing a Multiple Poster (5 posters of each lead character) Reveal in the morning followed by the Official Trailer. 

    Directed by Joydeep Mukherjee, Detective, is based on Rabindranath Tagore’s story and the character of the “Detective” is being essayed by versatile Anirban Bhattacharya, who in the past year has impressed the audience with his choice of roles and their portrayal on screen.  

    Mahendra Soni, Co-Founder and Director, SVF said, “We are excited that the film is getting a digital release and becomes the first Bengali feature to get a World Premiere on hoichoi. Although, we had planned to have a big theatrical release, the sudden pandemic compelled us to take the digital route. This decision is motivated purely by choice and hoichoi became the go-to OTT platform – as it is known for its variety of content along with being the paramount OTT platform in the Bengali community.” 

    Vishnu Mohta, Co-Founder of hoichoi added, ”hoichoi has started many revolutionary properties which changed the face of Bengali Cinema starting with the World Digital Premiere of blockbusters and other films. This time, it’s “hoichoi Presents First Day First Show” where we are happy to exclusively premiere one of the most anticipated films of the year starring the famous Anirban Bhattacharya. We are always looking out to embrace good content and Detective, as a film, will bring all our audiences, globally, to step up and celebrate the film along with the celebration of our Independence.” 

    Slated to release on 14th August only on hoichoi, Detective stars Anirban as Mahimchandra, a police-detective, who aspires to earn fame in his profession. He craves for some complex case to come his way so that he can prove his worth. Mahimchandra’s first love is his detective books (primarily, Sherlock Holmes whom he admires) and second, is his wife Shudhamukhi portrayed by Ishaa Saha. Obsessed with finding a complicated case, Mahimchandra encounters<span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW252297204 BCX0" lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px; user-select: text; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri Light", "Calibri Light_EmbeddedFont", "Calibri Light_MSFontService", sans-serif; font-kerning:

  • This is not the time to think of loss or profit: SVF’s Mahendra Soni

    This is not the time to think of loss or profit: SVF’s Mahendra Soni

    MUMBAI: The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has thrown a spanner in the works of both large companies as well as small and medium enterprises. SVF, one of the biggest production houses in East India, is also not an exception. Although its over-the-top platform Hoichoi has fared well, its massive film and TV production business, which had seven daily soaps going on, has come to a halt. SVF co-founder and director Mahendra Soni acknowledges the crisis but he thinks it is a time to support the fraternity, rather than overdoing the loss count.

    In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Soni spoke on wide-ranging topics including the impact of the crisis in the Bengali market, on SVF and the way forward.

    Edited excerpts:

    What will be the overall impact of the crisis on the Bengali industry?

    If we take the financial year 2020-2021, I think there will be at least 30-40 per cent drop than the last year for sure, if it opens before May end or around that period. So, I think August will be a very important time period in the Bengali market because by that time people should start coming back to theatres and we can have a few footfalls by Durga Puja. But if we continue beyond that (May end), then it becomes difficult because the whole cycle is stuck. At this moment all I can say is that it’s not about loss or profit, it is about at least looking after the people that work there, daily wage workers, etc. Honestly, we are not also thinking beyond that.

    How does this crisis impact SVF's overall finances as well?

    No one was prepared for it. It’s not the time to be thinking about balance sheets. I am not listed on the share market so I am not worried about that. We know that we have a pool of great creative talent and whenever it opens, we will bounce back stronger. At this moment our priority is to be safe and make sure that everybody stays in their home and also reach out to everyone who can help in any way. In fact, I would like to appeal to others in the industry to be strong, support your people, stand by them and not think of losses.

    How many projects of yours are stuck and how many were in the initial stage?

    We were working on almost seven new films. Six were already shot or in the production/post-production stage. Apart from that, there are six-seven films that we were planning from April to December, all those films got stuck.

    How much impact are you seeing on TV production?

    To be honest, TV is a daily loss. As it has stopped, we are not making any money or any content. So that’s revenue-wise more impactful and the team size is also bigger there.

    Since you have a robust movie library and you have worked along with Bengali Star Jalsha, Zee Bangla, are you planning to offer some of your movies to the channels?

    So we spoke about that but almost 80 per cent of my library is already with Jalsha.  I also feel that TV broadcasters are a little reluctant to invest in new content. At least, I can say from the regional perspective because the advertising revenue has definitely gone down. I had some discussions about monetising that content with a couple of channels but I feel that also has been stuck because of their budget issues and cash flow issues because they also have to look after so many people they have already employed.

    How are you focusing on the development part of the projects currently?

    We have divided the teams into two-three groups. Everybody is working from home and we use Microsoft Teams to connect. One team speaks to directors. A lot of creative things are happening because the scenario would change a lot after this even when we come back; how people feel, how people see things, how we're going to change ourselves so that’s also going to create a lot of content that we create every day. So those discussions are happening. We are going back to also thinking what all we have done and what has gone wrong so we should not be doing those mistakes again.

    So, we do one meeting every week to figure out what they have watched and from there we would pick up at least seven-eight ideas that can be developed or looked into.

    Once things resume, how much time will it take for you to go back to normalcy for your production?

    I don’t think we will take even half a minute to go back to normalcy. We are paying our dues, we are supporting our people, we don’t see any reason for a delay of anything.

    Are you expecting any support from the government?

    Again it's not the time to ask that. It is the time to get past through it. I am sure the government also would be supportive but at this moment we should support our government to just make sure that the poor people, the homeless people, the medical fraternity should be looked after well and whatever we can do for them is more important than doing for our business.

  • Hoichoi’s Vishnu Mohta on lockdown subscriber metrics, pre-production plans and team collaboration

    Hoichoi’s Vishnu Mohta on lockdown subscriber metrics, pre-production plans and team collaboration

    MUMBAI: The OTT industry has been able to evade a large chunk of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with users thronging to streaming services for entertainment during lockdown.

    SVF-backed Bengali OTT service Hoichoi is also witnessing the sudden growth of paid subscribers, new users and engagement at a 4-5x rate. While there is a worry of churning new content as shootings have paused, Hoichoi is working to keep its story bank ready with more focus on pre-production right now to have a quick pick up after the crisis is over.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com, Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta speaks on how the situation has worked in the platform’s favour, how its content team is working and how the teams are coordinating effectively during work from home.

    Edited excerpts:

    How has the current situation unfolded for Hoichoi?

    Hoichoi is growing very fast. We have noticed a 4-5x growth in a lot of metrics overall, from the subscriber point of view, from an engagement point of view and from the number of new people coming on the platform. To be accurate, we have seen a 5X growth from paid-subscription point of view. 

    But the worry is that there's not going to be enough series that are going to be ready because West Bengal was first to stop all shootings and we went into lockdown even before the national lockdown. So there has not been much shooting during March and April. So, which new shows will be launched and how will you launch them?

    Have you noticed any particular demographic consuming more content during this lockdown?

    Everyone is watching equally, but the interesting thing is that there are so many people in the 50-plus age group who are also at home and watching it on devices like Amazon Firestick. That's a very interesting demographic. So, I think, now, Hoichoi is becoming a platform for everyone. Some people want to see old movies, some people want to see new movies while some people want to see original shows. 

    We have launched something called Live TV also so that people don't have to browse on other apps and say on Hoichoi all day. We have curated the best movies that we have on Live TV and we have created different TV channels out of it.

    How is the coordination taking place between your teams?

    We are working fairly well actually. Being a digital company, most of our content, documents have always been on Microsoft Teams which is meant for remote working. We already have teams in the US and Gurgaon, etc. So it's not been too much of a big effort.

    We get on a call every alternate day for one to two hours in the morning and everybody talks about what they're up to such as challenges, dependencies, etc. So, there is a little bit of interaction, also, in that virtual conference where all the team leaders are present. And different teams get on a call every day between themselves. So it's working out good.

    I think it also helps to be away from the office because you have fewer interruptions. People are more productive and they are working to the point and trying to get the job done.

    What are the key areas you are focusing on currently?

    We are working on customer happiness a lot, technical changes and innovations like Live TV. We have added some free-to-air channels. We are trying to create as much engagement channels as possible. In fact, we had seven or eight world digital premieres during this lockdown period. We have been lucky that we had that much content available that we could premiere on Hoichoi for the first time. 

    Are you planning to push some of your premium content to TV channels as those are running out of fresh content?

    We have discussed with a few people, but it's not something that we can announce at this stage. We have had discussions with Star, Zee and all these bands, but a deal has not been signed yet. But, on our platform, we have made a lot of content, including some new ones, free.

    Are you looking at easier payment gateways as more subscribers hop on board?

    We are going to start Google Pay very shortly. We never used to support Google Pay seamlessly. You could do UPI always, but now we have enabled an ability to pay via Google Pay in a much smoother manner because you don't even have to put in your UPI ID. We are launching referral programs where a subscriber can refer Hoichoi to a friend and both will get one month extra subscription. 

    How are you scripting shows now and ideating future projects?

    It's time for us to make sure that we finish scripting faster for all the content that we want to make so that pre-production can be better than ever. And we will try to gear up as much as possible so that when it opens our shoot can start immediately when it is safe enough to do it. We have also managed to create a story bank for the next six months already. So, instead of setting two or three shoots at a time, we will start four to six. After this gap period of probably two months, it will go back to normalcy maybe and then we will activate multiple teams to do multiple jobs at one go.

    Will you be looking at cutting down budgets given that a significant part of the year has been eaten up by the crisis? Will there be lay-offs for cost-cutting?

    We don't know yet about our budget.  It is very difficult to predict at this point. We are just taking one step at a time. Right now the business is up and we are in a growth phase. Another thing we have announced is that we're going to give a percentage of our subscription revenue earned during this period to various entities like the PM CARES, CM relief fund, Bangladesh relief fund, etc. However, there will be no lay-offs at Hoichoi. 
     

  • Hoichoi taking measures to reduce internet consumption overload

    Hoichoi taking measures to reduce internet consumption overload

    MUMBAI: In the wake of COVID-19 security measures, where the government is advising the population to stay home, work from home and follow social distancing, internet consumption has risen to such an extent that the COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) has requested prominent streaming platforms to reduce their bitrates.

    In such a situation, it is essential for OTT platforms to cooperate and stream content strategically. Thus, Hoichoi is already taking significant steps to initiate the process of rolling back its bitrates. It will be complying with the COAI in limiting network congestion while its audience-base can enjoy their favourite content undisrupted with a seamless viewing experience.

    As per the requests laid out by the COAI, the measures being implemented are:

    -Hoichoi has disabled 1080p (HD – High Definition) downloads from its Offline Download feature.

    -There are no advertisements or pop-ups running on the platform, as Hoichoi is an SVOD streaming service.

    -Hoichoi is also working to limit streaming to 720p max, to be executed at the earliest.

    Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta commented, “Careful monitoring is being done in every step of the way so we can do our bit during these tough times. While we welcome the 4x spike in traffic we are gaining from users for our content, it is essential to also remember that requisite actions should be taken to not overburden our network providers and telecom partners.”

  • A Tale of a Bengali Dracula

    A Tale of a Bengali Dracula

    MUMBAI: SVF and director Debaloy Bhattacharya released the teaser of their upcoming film Dracula Sir – a much-awaited experimental genre-based drama – dealing with the popular Westernised concept of Vampires and Dracula. This is the first time a film based on the concept of Vampires has been conceptualised with a flavourof bangaliana for the Bengali audience.

    The teaser starts off with Anirban Bhattacharya voicing the famous lines written by renowned revolutionary writer Nabarun Bhattacharya that says:

    “Ei Mrityu Upattaka Amar Desh Noye” (This valley of death is not mine)

    Ei Bistirno Shoshan Amar Desh Noye (This wide graveyard is not mine)

    Thereby, hinting at a revolutionary touch to this film. This is followed by a man, a schoolteacher by his appearance (essayed by Anirban Bhattacharya) who enters a classroom in the present day, to be greeted with a blackboard that is inscribed with the words Dracula Sir, thereby introducing us to the protagonist of the film Raktim ( Anirban Bhattacharya), a simpleton with a protruding pair of canine teeth, bullied for his vampire appearance.

    But he has a story to tell from 1971 that makes his journey a tale of finding love and seeking revenge. The teaser then shows us a glimpse of the past with Manjari (played by Mimi Chakraborty) telling Amal (Anirban Bhattacharya) that their fight is for freedom and finally the teaser ends with Amal screaming in pain after his canines get brutally pulled out while he is being tortured inside a prison…r

    Director Debaloy Bhattacharya says: “The story is about a primary school teacher who has a protruding pair of canine teeth earns his nickname Dracula Sir. As destiny pushes him towards becoming the vampire he has always been referred to..This is my search for the Bangali Dracula without the castle, who is out to create his own myth. A man turns into a vampire and with that a whole lost world unleashes around him.'

    Co-founder and Director of SVF, Mahendra Soni says: “This is the first time the Bengali audience will get to experience, cherish and talk about their own vampire in the form of a simple Bangali man, through this unique film. Anirban surpasses himself as an actor and Mimi will be in a never-seen –before avatar.

    Mimi Chakraborty who makes a comeback into film after a political hiatus said: “It’s always a pleasure working with SVF and I’m happy that I’m working with them on such a unique project. My character Manjari is very different from all the characters I’ve played over the years. This is also my first film with Debaloy and second film with Anirban so I’m looking forward to the release of this film!”

    Directed by Debaloy Bhattacharya, the film also stars Rudranil Ghosh, Bidipta Chakraborty, Kanchan Mullick and Samuel Alam in pivotal roles. The film is scheduled to release on 1st May 2020.

  • SVF boss Mahendra Soni on Bengali TV biz

    SVF boss Mahendra Soni on Bengali TV biz

    MUMBAI: From film to television to digital, the Bengali entertainment industry has been one of the strong bastions in the country over the years. But it hasn’t been a hunky dory ride always. SVF, eastern India’s undeniable entertainment king, has played the role of a game changer for the entire industry. While its digital arm Hoichoi has completed its one year anniversary and the film and distribution business is creating new records, the television business still counts as highly important.
    Though the “Yashraj Films of the East” holds more fame for its film business, its television business has also fared well in the last decade. The big shot production house started its television content production in 2008. Since then it has produced many Bengali TV shows and worked with all three big broadcasters, directors and co-founders of SVF, director Mahendra Soni said in an interaction with Indiantelevision.com.
    Soni said that as TV works in a cycle, the number of shows on-air changes from time to time. While SVF started with two shows Bandhan and Durga, it reached up to eight shows at a point of time. However, the focus isn’t on quantity. Currently, they there are three shows on air, two with Star Jalsha, one with Zee Bangla.
    “We do television only when we have some exciting stories because our shows have been very different than the usual shows you would see on GECs,” Soni said. He cites the example of Potol Kumar Ganwala, one of its top shows, released a couple of years ago, which is being remade in Hindi now. Other than that, the production house has a number of shows which have crossed into other languages. Speaking about the future, he said there are five shows in the pipeline – two with Colors Bangla, one with Zee Bangla, two with Star Jalsha.
    The experienced executive of the Bengali TV industry said good stories prevail over everything and that there cannot be a particular genre which works better than others. However, he mentioned the entry of BARC into TV measurement has impacted TV content making in the last three years. Mythological shows and fantasy drama are being made in large numbers.
    “Television is very important because you can reach out to so many people at a time. It is a very different kind of storytelling and lot of pressure and competition which you love as a producer and storyteller,” Soni said.
    However, the production house is a little sceptical about reality or non-fiction shows. “Lot of great properties (in non-fiction space) have already been created by international companies. So, until and unless we get something exciting, we are not going to do non-fiction at the moment,” he commented.

  • Content catalogue, brand awareness major achievements of Hoichoi: Vishnu Mohta

    Content catalogue, brand awareness major achievements of Hoichoi: Vishnu Mohta

    MUMBAI: The opportunities for OTT players to flourish in the regional market may be huge. But challenges still keep players out. In the Bengali field, we have SVF-backed Hoichoi, nearing its one year anniversary.
    At the new juncture, it is strengthening its presence in other potential markets with enough Bengali speaking population. Hoichoi(http://www.indiantelevision.com/iworld/over-the-top-services/hoichoi-to-double-original-content-to-100-hours-this-year-180521) co-founder Vishnu Mohta sees its content catalogue and brand awareness as the biggest achievements in the first year.
    Bangladesh and the UAE are two markets Hoichoi is looking at for international expansion due to the Bengali speaking crowd as well as diaspora. The apps have been present there for a while but awareness is being done now.
    Mohta thinks it has not done enough local activity, local marketing and personalisation to enable people to know about the platform. To get the pulse of the market he mentions the importance of proper local teams. “We have got an office in Bangladesh and already recruited a few people over there. We plan to do the same thing in the Middle East. So a combination of our own team, the right set of partners will help Hoichoi to reach as many people as possible in that local market,” he said.
    The head of SVF’s new media section also mentions the need for on-ground activation, specific targeting, and influencer marketing in local markets. The two new markets demand different strategies. For Bangladesh, he thinks producing local content is a smart move, while for UAE they plan to work more on marketing, distribution. In UAE they want to be more precise, have local press releases, take help from biggest telcos for larger data and communication network.

    For Bangladeshi market, it has already announced Dhaka Metro, a show directed by renowned Amitabh Reza Chaudhuri. Though Mohta did not reveal too much, he indicated that it might come up with more such shows. Accepting the fact that Bengals from the two sides of the border have different taste in content, he says the uniformity in language will let the problem not be critical.
    In the one year of launch, Mohta realised the difference in Hoichoi not being available in Bengali. The lack of pay per view option was another issue. For a platform backed by SVF, having an option to watch movies on a-la-carte basis could bring huge money.
    Now Hoichoi wants to take its content to other language speakers through dubbed versions. Though the plan seems very optimistic, it’s still in the ideation stage. Dubbed versions could be available on platforms like Airtel TV. After testing the water with a selected number of people, it will take it to a larger level.
    Byomkesh, Dupur Thakurpo, Japani Toy, 6 and Holy Faak have emerged as the most popular shows in the last year which are returning for season two. Among the 30 originals, most of them will be released for binge watching while few, based on the nature of the show, will be launched in two-three episodes together.

    Last year, Hoichoi(http://www.indiantelevision.com/iworld/over-the-top-services/bengali-ott-players-prioritise-market-growth-over-competition-180705) created a buzz in the market with #Hoyejak campaign during Durga Puja. On 1 October, the platform is set to launch another campaign on the same lines to reap benefits from the festive season of Durgapuja again. The platform has a remarkable trend to create witty hashtag campaigns which go viral easily. “We are called Hoichoi(non-stop excitement) , if we don’t get Hoichoi, we are doing injustice,” Mohta says in a light mood giving credit to the in house social media team for the campaign.
    While SVF’s magnitude in terms of financial profit is unquestionable, the young digital arm of it has a long way to go break even. Mohta says it brings a new energy to the parent company.
    “SVF, the leader in this business, has been in the market for 22 years. We are still very young. It infuses that energy and newness to the overall ecosystem allowing us to constantly innovate and renew our content strategy. A film might release every month and Hoichoi has to be updated every day, every week. So that vibe transcends to SVF as a team and keeps the DNA very healthy today,” he commented.