ITV

Tag: TVF

  • Regional to prevail as 2020 buzzword for OTT

    Regional to prevail as 2020 buzzword for OTT

    MUMBAI: All major streaming services in India are keeping regional markets at the heart of their expansion strategy. In the last two years, regional has persistently guided the contenders in the over-the-top (OTT) ecosystem and 2020 is not going to be an exception. Some of the major platforms have already tasted success in the regional markets while others are looking at those markets as the next growth frontier. South Indian languages are undoubtedly the ones getting higher priority but other markets like Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi are also emerging gradually.

    Since its grand entry in the crowded OTT space, ZEE5 has emphasised on three ‘Vs , one of those is vernacular. In 2019, ZEE5 had at least one original web series come out in six different languages each month on an average in regional languages including Marathi, Bengali, Telugu and Tamil. The parent company also mentioned in its third quarter result – Kaale Dhande in Marathi, God of Dharmapuri in Telugu and Karoline Kamakshi in Tamil received positive reviews.

    ZEE5 India programming head Aparna Acharekar also explained while talking about the regional strategy that it definitely differs across the markets. Factors like penetration of data or adoption of OTT services, that particular language consumer’s affinities for his language, openness to other languages, etc., influence the strategy widely.

    “I cannot have a one size fit approach for everyone. I am looking at the show that has to cut across say largely Hindi speaking audiences, then my themes will be different because they are exposed to a whole lot of that. Today other competition also, who has entered the OTT space, is largely first creating Hindi content. So whatever I create as a benchmark starts getting compared in Hindi to another benchmark created by another OTT. But we are leaders in other languages and no one has actually come closer, the smaller players have tried little, local players are there. But there is no national-level player who can say let me try to take on the regional market. So, each market has to be looked at differently,” she added.

    Moreover, ZEE5 provides an option to change the display language of the app. If a consumer is not comfortable navigating in English, he can change the display language to Hindi or other regional languages. The platform has seen an uptake in that alternative display adaptation. “In fact with every passing month, we see more uptake of this and we see the relative share of English as a display language is going down and regional language is actually going up,” Aparna said in an earlier interview.

    The young player on the block which already has created a buzz with its Hindi shows, MX Player also has “a very clear regional strategy”. MX Player chief content officer Gautam Talwar stated that a big show is coming up in Marathi including big names Swapnil Joshi, Satish Rajwade along with two other big shows in pipeline. The platform is focusing highly on south-Indian languages, as Talwar shared.

    “We have some shows in Punjabi, which are in the pipeline. And we have two interesting shows in Bhojpuri coming up. I am so sure that if these two shows are so interesting that if we dub them in other languages, we will get the extraordinary viewership in other regional languages as well. Regional is a big strategy for us moving forward,” Talwar added.

    As per a recent report unveiled by Hotstar, 63 per cent of total online entertainment consumption happens in the non-metro centres of India, and Lucknow, Pune and Patna rank above Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata in consumption of content. YouTube also reported over 95 of its users watched videos in a regional language.

    Other than home-grown players, international streaming services that are keen on Indian expansion are also looking at regional content. According to media reports, a robust content licensing both in Hindi and other regional languages is in Netflix’s pipeline. Amazon Prime Video has a robust catalogue of blockbuster movies across languages. Amazon Prime Video India content director and head Vijay Subramaniam said that the platform will ramp up its language catalogue in Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati and Punjabi while they want to take up Tamil, Telugu further a few notches. While it tasted the water with one Telugu show, he added that Tamil and Telugu shows are in development.

    Smaller players like The Viral Fever (TVF) are not ignoring the promising sector. “We are actually looking at regional shows in 2020. We are working on Marathi shows. We want to line up shows in Tamil and Telugu. In 2020, we will get into regional space and we will later expand into other languages,” TVF chief content officer Sameer Saxena commented.

  • TVF’s The Screen Patti collaborates with Likee to promote its Webseries “Awkward Conversations with Girlfriend”

    TVF’s The Screen Patti collaborates with Likee to promote its Webseries “Awkward Conversations with Girlfriend”

    New Delhi: Likee, the pioneering global short video creation platform from Singapore based BIGO Technology has collaborated with TVF's The Screen Patti (TSP) to promote newly launched web-series 'Awkward Conversations with girlfriend' by TSP. The sit-com spanning over six episodes focuses on the story of young lovers Ishaan and Ananya, who have been in a relationship for a long time but are yet to discover a lot about each other. To popularise the web-series, Likee has invited users to take part in TSP's #itsallawkward campaign.

    To participate, Likeers need to create funny videos using the audio file of the famous dialogue from the first episode of the series and share with friends with #itsallawkward. So far, the videos generated with the hashtag have garnered millions of views. The users are contributing creative videos with astounding facial expressions to the dialogue, making it one of the most famous campaigns on Likee. As the web-series progresses, Likee's filter library will be updated with more popular dialogues from the series for Likeers to create funny videos. As a part of the collaboration, the actors of the web-series will also launch their official Likee account to engage with their fans on the platform.

    The Screen Patti, a.k.a TSP is a sister concern of the popular YouTube channel TVF, The Viral Fever and is renowned among online users for presenting spoofs of popular shows such as Kaun Banega Crorepati, Khatron Ke Khiladi, Bigg Boss, and others. The channel also creates its original web-series such as 'Awkward Conversations girlfriend.' The series is written by Harish Peddinti, is Directed by Abhinav Anand and Ritvik Sahore, Rashmi Agdekar, Abhishake Jha are the lead actors. The channel already has over 4.5 million subscribers.

    Likee is available in different Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam and Punjabi. Recently, Likee has also won the Guinness World Record for creating the 'Largest online video album of people waving a flag in India' during its 'No matter where I am, #IAMINDIAN' campaign. The campaign saw more than 1 lac Indians participating in celebrating India's 73rd Independence Day. Gift your brand an audience across Kerala and your friend a surprise this Christmas

  • TVF eyes regional content and new genres in 2020

    TVF eyes regional content and new genres in 2020

    MUMBAI: After a year of “phenomenal growth”, The Viral Fever (TVF) is looking at 2020 to be more exciting and hectic. While TVF will continue to work with OTT platforms it collaborated with in 2019, it is also open to uploading content on its own app TVFPlay. The premium and one of the early digital content creators of India will also look at regional shows in this year.

    “In that way, we are very unique. We are one of the leading content creators. At TVF what we want to be known as the guys who give the best stories, best shows in the country. Where we do it, that’s something we are open to. We are open to collaborating with other OTTs, we are open to putting it on our own app,” TVF Originals chief content officer and head Sameer Saxena said talking about how they want to build TVF’s identity going forward.

    “We are actually looking at regional shows in 2020. We are working on Marathi shows. We want to line up shows in Tamil and Telugu too. In 2020, we will get into regional space and we will later expand into other languages,” Saxena commented.

    In 2019, the platform has produced shows for major OTT platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, SonyLIV, MX Player, etc. According to Saxena, the deals have worked in favour of brand TVF. He said the alliances have helped them to increase reach because all these platforms have their own set of audience. Hence, working with them opens up the opportunity to reach them. The platform is also looking at expanding these numbers.

    The company produced Immature on MX Player, Tripling season 2 and Gullak for SonyLIV. Kota Factory was another hit from the creator which went on TVFPlay and YouTube. Saxena noted that they want to continue short-form content and branded content pieces for TVFPlay. They are concentrating on short form for TVFPlay which they are not doing for any other OTT platform.  

    “We will continue to work with brands; we will do short-form content. These channels can be a learning stage for new writers,” he added on TVFPlay.

    “Overall content strategy for TVF would be to make more shows, make shows in different genres, languages. We are exploring supernatural and horror amongst others,” he commented.

    Talking about noticeable changes in the OTT ecosystem, Saxena said that more players have come in and different types of stories are being told across platforms. He also added that new types of stories are getting accepted too. Saxena perceives it as a great sign as going forward TVF also wants to tell different stories.

  • Amazon Prime Video to launch Amazon Original Series ‘Hostel Daze’ on 13 Dec

    Amazon Prime Video to launch Amazon Original Series ‘Hostel Daze’ on 13 Dec

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video has announced the launch of its latest Amazon Original Series Hostel Daze, created by The Viral Fever (TVF). Marking the first association with Indian youth's much loved content provider, TVF, the five-part comedy-drama brings to life the adventures of four hostel wing-mates, Ankit, Chirag, Jaat and Jhaatu as they embark on an adventurous journey full of challenges, adventures and friendships they will forever cherish. Starring budding talent, Nikhil Vijay, Luv, Shubham Gaur and Adarsh Gaurav, the series launches on 13th December, 2019 across 200 countries and territories on Prime Video.

    Amazon Prime Video India  director and head content Vijay Subramaniam said, “Amazon Prime Video continues to reiterate its promise of creating entertaining content for customers across all ages and genres of entertainment. The Viral Fever is known for their engaging content especially in the young adult space and Hostel Daze is a perfect example of that. It’s a highly entertaining series, and we are confident that it will resonate really well with today’s youth. Mark your calendars, for a fun, breezy and entertaining binge-watch, starting 13th December, 2019.”

    TVF Originals chief content officer and head Sameer Saxena said, "This is an exciting time for Indian content players, as the entertainment industry is witnessing a seismic change with the ever-growing demand for homegrown content. Amazon Prime Video has set its mark as a diversified content provider across the world and we are excited about collaborating with them. Hostel Daze is a light-hearted series underlined with emotions that brings to fore the journey of Indian students, as they learn to survive & thrive the ‘hostel life’. We’re optimistic that the show will bring back memories for the ones who’ve lived in hostels, relate to the ones who currently are and set expectations for the ones who’re preparing to start their hostel life.”

    Hostel Daze depicts the life of students living or we should say surviving in a Hostel through the adventures of four wing-mates -Ankit, Chirag, Jaat and Jhaatu. As they embark on this journey, facing a variety of challenges and overcoming most of them through new learnings; they develop strong bonds that they shall cherish forever. While navigating through this new phase in life and feelings of vulnerability and nervous excitement that surround the four boys, they find their true identities. In the process, they create a home away from their homes with their own set of random rules. They argue, jostle, hustle but sometimes unite to survive the first semester.

    Hostel Daze is poised to strike the right chord with the booming young adult audience. Catering to the needs of this segment, Amazon has made its Prime membership even more affordable with a “youth offer” of 50% cashback on its Annual Prime membership of INR 999. Customers in the age bracket of 18-24 years can avail this exciting offer by signing up for Prime and verifying their age on the Amazon app.

  • TVF launches new series ‘Cubicles’ in association with DSP Mutual Fund

    TVF launches new series ‘Cubicles’ in association with DSP Mutual Fund

    MUMBAI: Walking its talk to launch new innovative shows, pioneers in digital content and entertainment, The Viral Fever along with leading asset management company, DSP Investment Managers Private Limited is all set to add a new original to its repertoire with the release of TVF Originals ‘Cubicles’. Set in a modern day context, Cubicles is a fresh take on the life of millennials who are ready to dive into the corporate world and their experiences of the many firsts during this journey. The 5-episode series will release on weekly on TVFPlay and TVF’s YouTube Channel starting 10th December.

    Cubicles is an episodic series centred around the life of Piyush, a fresh entrant into the corporate world. The show depicts this work life and moments including his very first salary, working over weekends, failures and successes that are a part of anyone’s corporate journey. Simultaneously, the series seamlessly integrates fundamental concepts on investing and mutual funds through the story. Created by Amit Golani and Directed by Chaitanya Kumbhakonum the series stars Abhishek Chauhan, Nidhi Bisht, Arnav Bhasin, Shivankit Singh Parihar, Badri Chavan among others.

    Further elaborating the association, TVF Originals Chief Content Officer and Head Sameer Saxena said, “On being one of India’s foremost storyteller in the digital domain, at TVF, we have always used creativity and our reach for stories that our audiences can garner value from. Cubicles in association with DSP Mutual Fund, once again has given the opportunity to connect with millennials and educate them about the need and importance of early investing as well as about Mutual Funds as a concept. Having understood the perceptions associated with Mutual Funds in general amongst millennials, through a story telling format, Cubicles sheds light on good investing principles such as investing early & regularly for the long term, diversifying appropriately, the importance of remaining rational, how to get good investment advice etc.  Being one of India’s leading Mutual Fund companies, it was only apt that TVF partners with DSP Mutual Fund for this series.  We are certain that millennials will not only enjoy the series but will also benefit from it.”

    Speaking on the association with The Viral Fever, DSP Investment Managers consumer marketing head Abhik Sanyal said, ‘Investing seems fun and easy when you get the results in your favour- after all, who doesn’t want to get rich! But without having at least a basic idea of the fundamental principles of good investing, one would be dependent simply on luck to do well and will not have a sense of control over their decision-making. When we spoke with the team at TVF, Cubicles emerged as a great fit for us to showcase these fundamental concepts, but in a relatable, entertaining and slice-of-life manner. Just a reflection of the lives of regular, 9-5 salaried, working professionals: no extra drama, no extra tragedy, no extra chaos- just real life, the way it is. ‘Cubicles’ is our first foray into a web-series partnership and fits in perfectly with DSP Mutual Fund’s communication credo of making finance fun. We hope this contemporary, new-age way of engaging with millennials excites them while helping them understand some good investing principles too.’

    Having established itself as as India’s largest digital entertainment platform with a number of hit shows under its belt, The Viral Fever continues to strengthen its content play as well as its associations with brands in India.

  • MX Player announces 20 new originals by March 2020

    MX Player announces 20 new originals by March 2020

    MUMBAI: Bringing viewers stories that matter, stories that are authentic and powerful narratives that evoke emotion – the brand has now announced 20 new originals by March 2020, making it a colossal 35 originals by the end of the business year.

    Hosting one of the largest collections of premium content available for video on demand in India, the platform has 1,50,000 hrs of “Everytainment” including content from their partners like SonyLIV, Applause, HoiChoi, SunNxt, TVF, Radio Mirchi, Dice Media and Arre amongst others.

    Elaborating on the same, MX Player  CEO Karan Bedi said, “To bring alive our next slate of amazing originals, we have collaborated with writers and directors par excellence, a stellar talent pool of superlative performers and stories which are a class apart! With our scale and penetration that is unparalleled in India, we truly have succeeded in building an entertainment ecosystem with widespread appeal.”

    Here’s a look at some of its marquee properties for the year.

    This November, fans will be treated to a musical extravaganza like none other with the launch of Times of Music which features the who’s who of the music world as a part of the show – including Vishal-Shekhar, Bappi Lahiri, Salim-Sulaiman, Pyarelal-ji, Amit Trivedi, Rajesh Roshan, Agnee, Euphoria, Indian Ocean, Shantanu Moitra and Amaal Malik just to name a few. This series heroes a never-seen-before concept where each episode features two legends – veteran composers and new age artistes – performing their renditions of each other’s most celebrated songs.

    An ode to Indian weddings and the shaadi season is an MX Original Series ‘Shaadi Fit’ that traces the journey of 4 young couples who are put through an intensive journey to turn into the best shape of their lives physically, mentally and emotionally for their wedding day.

    Investing in regional content across genres and languages, MX Player adds ‘Ek Thi Begum’ and ‘Samantar’ to its Marathi slate. The former is a thrilling revenge drama where a woman, pushed to the brink emerges as a dominant force to avenge her lost husband while ‘Samantar’ is another ambitious regional project featuring the superstar of Marathi cinema – Swapnil Joshi in the lead. The brand is also dabbling with 2 Bhojpuri shows – ‘Madhuri Talkies’ and ‘Runaway Lugaai’, while the Tamil slate brings you the most awaited series by National Award-Winning Director – Gautham Vasudev Menon – ‘Queen’.

     ‘Call it Magic’ is a crime thriller which stars acclaimed performers like Ranvir Shorey, Akshay Oberoi, Shweta Basu Prasad and Mrinmayee Godbole as the leads and its next is a relationship drama about love in your 20s, 40s and 60s – ‘Pawan and Pooja’ which features an ensemble cast including Mahesh Manjrekar, Deepti Naval, Gul Panag and Sharman Joshi amongst others.

  • TVF strengthens partnership with MX Player, releases FLAMES S2 & FATHERS Vol.2

    TVF strengthens partnership with MX Player, releases FLAMES S2 & FATHERS Vol.2

    MUMBAI: The Viral Fever (TVF) along with MX Player has launched the second chapters of 2 iconic web series’ – FLAMES and FATHERS. The partnership between the two platforms allows the acclaimed shows from TVF, who are pioneers of Indian web entertainment content to penetrate a larger audience base with MX Player’s massive 75 million daily active users. While FLAMES S2 went live on 18 October, FATHERS Vol.2 will stream starting 25 October with both shows being available on TVFPlay and MX Player.

    Directed by Apoorv Singh Karki, FLAMES S2 is based on an innocent young college romance that see the Rajat and Ishita’s relationship evolve as they experience the many firsts in their relationship. FATHERS Vol.2, directed by Prem Mistry, on the other hand, is a laugh out loud show about 3 middle-aged fathers who want to live the GenZ life while trying to make sense of the idiocrasies associated with the younger lot.

    On the partnership, The Viral Fever  president and COO Karan Chaudhary said, “The phenomenal success we witnessed with the season 1 of FLAMES & FATHERS validates our vision of creating clutter-breaking relatable content for our audience. Partnering with the leading OTT platform like MX Player fuels our ambition of recruiting newer audience while, of course, keeping our loyal consumers glued to our content through TVFPlay. It is heartening to see our shows being readily consumed by more and more viewers which motivates us to continuously create more meaningful content”

    Elaborating on the same, MX Player head of acquisitions Mansi Shrivastav said, "While building our content library, our vision is to bring to the fore great stories that are designed to entertain audiences across any time of the day & for any mood & preference. Keeping this in mind our MX Exclusives are carefully handpicked & curated. More so, having TVF as a partner has helped us broaden our consumer profile and reach out to a younger TG.”

    Recognised as one of the pioneers of breakthrough branded content, TVF features as one of the first choices among brands to engage and deliver their key message in an effective manner. As one of the first digital production companies in the country and with 4 of its web series rated in IMDB’s Top 250 shows of all-time list, makes TVF one of the most visited digital platforms in the country. 

    Binge watch FLAMES S2 here: https://tvfplay.com/show/flames-by-the-timeliners/266

    Watch the trailers of FATHERS S2 here: https://tvfplay.com/video/tvfs-fathers/n/3052

  • ‘Kota Factory’ editor Gourav Gopal Jha to discuss fundamentals of editing web series at Vidnet Masterclasses

    ‘Kota Factory’ editor Gourav Gopal Jha to discuss fundamentals of editing web series at Vidnet Masterclasses

    MUMBAI: The man behind the editing of web series like Kota Factory and Humorously Yours, Gourav Gopal Jha will be interacting with aspiring video editors at the Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet Masterclasses, being hosted at The Westin, Mumbai, on 4 October.

    The Vidnet Masterclasses are being conducted by Indiantelevision.com as an extension to its online video and content summit, with the aim to facilitate the creativity of young and aspiring content creators who are willing to leave a mark in the digital world. The Masterclasses will host directors & editors, and writers, who will be talking to the audience directly about the craft of video creation.

    Jha has had earlier experience of working for TV shows before shifting to digital. He worked as a freelance producer on shows like Emotional Atyachaar. He joined TVF in 2016 and has edited many of their properties including Bisht Please, Yeh Meri Family, and Weekends.

    Other speakers at the Masterclasses include Sumeet Vyas, Raghav Subbu, Dhruv Sehgal, Jaya Mishra, Puneet Krishna, and Danish Aslam.

  • ‘Kota Factory’ director Raghav Subbu to take Vidnet Masterclass

    ‘Kota Factory’ director Raghav Subbu to take Vidnet Masterclass

    MUMBAI: Kota Factory director Raghav Subbu will be present at the Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet Masterclasses, being hosted at The Westin, Mumbai, on 4 October, to discuss the process of directing hard-hitting and compelling web series.

    The Vidnet Masterclasses are being conducted by Indiantelevision.com as an extension to its online video and content summit, with the aim to facilitate the creativity of young and aspiring content creators who are willing to leave a mark in the digital world. The Masterclasses will host directors & editors, and writers, who will be talking to the audience directly about the craft of video creation.

    Subbu is a celebrated director in the digital world and has created series like Kota Factory (2019), TVF Pitchers (2015) and Truth or Dare with Dad (2016). A collaborator with TVF since 2013, he has also directed several comedy sketches and mini-series. His next web series ‘Hostel Daze’ is slated to release late this year.

    Other speakers at the Masterclasses include Gourav Gopa Jha, Dhruv Sehgal, Jaya Mishra, Puneet Krishna, and Danish Aslam.

  • ‘Gullak’ editor Amit Kulkarni to share tips for editing web series at Vidnet Masterclasses

    ‘Gullak’ editor Amit Kulkarni to share tips for editing web series at Vidnet Masterclasses

    MUMBAI: Gullak editor Amit Kulkarni is going to be a part of Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet Masterclasses, being hosted at The Westin, Mumbai, on 4 October, where he will be sharing with the audience the art of editing successful web series.

    The Vidnet Masterclasses are being conducted by Indiantelevision.com as an extension to its online video and content summit, with the aim to facilitate the creativity of young and aspiring content creators who are willing to leave a mark in the digital world. The Masterclasses will host directors & editors, and writers, who will be talking to the audience directly about the craft of video creation.

    Kulkarni is a well-known editor in the digital space and has worked on series like TVF Tripling(S-2), Gullak, Bachelors Season 1- Season 2 and Inmates. His association with TVF has been long-standing and he is famous in the industry for his eye for detail and crisp storytelling abilities.

    Other speakers at the Masterclasses include Gourav Gopa Jha, Dhruv Sehgal, Jaya Mishra, Puneet Krishna, and Danish Aslam.