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Tag: Vijay Subramaniam

  • Akshay Kumar makes his digital debut with Amazon’s upcoming Prime Original series ‘THE END’

    Akshay Kumar makes his digital debut with Amazon’s upcoming Prime Original series ‘THE END’

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video today announced Indian Superstar, Akshay Kumar, as lead actor in Amazon’s upcoming action-packed Prime Original thriller series, THE END (working title). Coming from Abundantia Entertainment, the creators of critically acclaimed Prime Original Series, Breathe, the show, also the streaming debut of Akshay Kumar marks the second collaboration between Amazon Prime Video and Abundantia Entertainment. The new series will be a globe-spanning, latest offering to the actor’s fans across 200 countries and territories upon its release exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

    The multi-season show, THE END (working title), is presently under active development and aims to appeal to fans of the action-thriller genre worldwide. Being envisioned at an unprecedented scale and cinematic experience, the show promises to bring in the next level of the action genre.

     Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said, “The scale at which THE END (working title) is being conceived is enormous and speaks of our passion for creating breakout programming across genres. The storyline and the action sequences have been brilliantly crafted to give viewers a thrilling experience. Our goal is to make Amazon Prime Video the powerhouse of talent, in front as well as behind the camera, and we are thrilled to have Akshay Kumar and Abundantia Entertainment anchoring the show for us. We will continue to bring distinctive, fresh and high quality content to our audiences and we believe, our Prime members across the world are going to absolutely love the show.”

    Amazon Prime Video India director and head of content Vijay Subramaniam said, “We are excited to bring Akshay Kumar to Amazon Prime Video, closer to millions of his global fans, to recreate his magic and offer something spectacular”.

    Abundantia Entertainment CEO and executive producer Vikram Malhotra said, “Akshay and I have successfully collaborated on multiple films over the last decade and his versatility in choice of roles is unmatched. We, now, mutually felt that it was time to take things to the next level. I am proud that he makes his digital debut with Amazon Prime Video & Abundantia in a genre-defining, edge-of-the-seat action drama series. Unafraid of taking risks, we are certain that he would be perfect for the character he plays on the show and his fans would be excited to see him back in an action packed role. This time, Akshay will take his action and stunts to a never-seen-before level. I am equally delighted to once again work with the wonderful team at Amazon Prime Video and take Abundantia’s high-quality story-telling to the next level.”

    Actor Akshay Kumar said, “I have always believed in bringing innovation to my work and throughout my career, have tried to tell unique stories, work with break-through talent and be part of disruptive and high quality story-telling.  Together, Abundantia and I have created some of my most memorable roles in films like Baby, Airlift and Toilet-Ek Prem Katha and their passion towards their films and projects is incredible. From the very concept of the show, I am working very closely with Vikram and his team as they create this compelling and highly intriguing story. I can’t wait to start rolling for this action adventure series that will be Amazon Original for global audiences. The digital world excited me and I am delighted to make my streaming debut with this show. And if I were to make a small confession here, it was my son Aarav who suggested that I make my digital debut as that’s what the youth is hooked onto. On this medium, I want to create something extraordinary and connect with them”.

    Amazon Prime Video has the largest selection of latest & exclusive movies and TV shows, stand-up comedy, biggest Indian and Hollywood films, US TV series, most popular Indian & international kids’ shows, and award-winning Amazon Prime Originals, all available, ad-free, with a world class customer experience. Besides Kannada, the platform also includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali.

  • Amazon Prime Video India’s Vijay Subramaniam on content strategy, audience response, product proposition

    Amazon Prime Video India’s Vijay Subramaniam on content strategy, audience response, product proposition

    MUMBAI: India’s burgeoning over-the-top (OTT) space is witnessing an explosion what with aggressive competition brewing between home-grown and international players fighting for eyeballs and time spent. Amazon Prime Video, one of the leading global contenders, is aggressively expanding its Indian original library since its launch in 2016. Starting with critically acclaimed Inside Edge, the OTT platform has upped its game significantly with shows in different genres. After its recent blockbuster Mirzapur, Amazon Prime Video has started streaming its sixth original show Four More Shots Please.

    Amazon Prime Video India content director and head Vijay Subramaniam, the media veteran whose experience pans across brands like Walt Disney and Star India, heads the content segment of the platform. Indiantelevision.com’s Gargi Sarkar caught up with Subramaniam for an understanding of Amazon Prime Video India’s strategy. In a short freewheeling chat, he spoke about the content plan this year, response to its flagship show Mirzapur, regional originals and more.

    Edited excerpts:

    What will be your content strategy in 2019?

    We will try to focus on more variety, more authentic stories and open up more genres because we are just getting started. We have expanded our library from one in 2017 to five in 2018 which will reach to eight, hopefully, this year. You are going to see us crack open many new genres like we have Four More Shots Please. You can expect returning seasons of successful shows like Comicstaan and Inside Edge as well.

    How has been the response to Amazon Prime Video in India compared to other international markets?

    We are very happy with the growth and India is a very important market for us in the long term. Frankly, we are just getting started. As the service has been there for around two years, I think it is just dawn of day one for Prime Video. Customers seem to really like the variety we are providing and so we are seeing impressive growth and we remain committed to providing diversity of content. We added Kannada in November. We are going to add three more languages in the first six months of this year. So, we just want to make sure that something is there for every one of our customers; current as well as future customers. Within that, we are seeing how to balance gender diversity, age, right kind of content for kids, right kind of content for young adults, etc. It’s a blend of all of that. I think all these factors have been instrumental in helping us.

    Which factors help Amazon Prime Video to differentiate itself?

    Great content, being able to reflect the taste and preferences of customers and being able to serve them consistently help us to differentiate our service. We are providing a great product, user experience and value. The kind of content selection we have, if you look at our movies, is big Hollywood blockbusters and great US TV shows. Our US originals have been breakout hits like Jack Ryan, Homecoming, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and then Indian originals. If you look at our regional selection, we have latest and great films. I think this blend of content, great user experience and proprietary technology that allows you to choose your own data streaming limits and choose the quality you want to see, giving you the control of the amount of data you use. Prime benefit programs include shipping, shopping, music, video, and now reading. Moreover, all that is available in Rs 129 per month and Rs 999 per year.

    Which type of content is getting more traction?

    All of it. There are a couple of reasons. For the first time customers are becoming their own programmers; you can decide what to watch and when to watch. You have truly flexible opportunity to surf in and out of content, come back to our shows or finish watching movies, depending on the kind of story you want to watch. So, our customers are enjoying all of these.

    In addition to that, movies are always popular. We are Indians, we love movies. Our originals are fantastic drivers.  So, I think at this stage, customers are coming in for two things. One is for the things they are familiar with like Thugs of Hindostan. Then they are discovering all the great content. They are navigating through all sorts of content. At this stage, people love everything equally.

    How has been the response to Mirzapur in international markets?

    Well, it’s been a very successful show for us. We are both honoured and humbled by the love we got from customers for this. It has become a buzz-worthy show now. I think the love that has come from customers in India and outside is because of the authenticity. It is truly authentic to its roots and speaks the language of that land. It is set in that milieu. What we have learnt from this show is making our stories authentic. Four More Shots Please is a very authentic story. It’s unapologetic and looks at the friendship between four women without any pretends.

    What is the biggest challenge when it comes to business expansion in India?

    I am really excited about the opportunities that we have in front of us. As I said it’s a mobile-first country, data charges have decreased making it easy for folks to access. Mobile infrastructure has grown and phone has become primary screen for young adults. There is no dearth of great stories in this country, which has a rich culture of storytelling. We are super excited about all the opportunities we have to expand. If you look at our catalogue when we started versus today, you will see how we have ramped up, especially in additional languages.

    What’s your plan of launching original in regional languages?

    We constantly evaluate what customers want in every language and learn from that. If you recall we launched our first Telugu show to test and learn what exactly customers prefer. Recently we launched one in Tamil; it’s definitely part of our content strategy to expand into regional language original in the near future.

  • Amazon Prime Video unveils trailer of ‘Four More Shots Please’

    Amazon Prime Video unveils trailer of ‘Four More Shots Please’

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video is all ready to expand the Indian original content library at the beginning of the year only. Adding more spice to the existing library, the international OTT player is ready to launch a new series Four More Shots Please. The trailer of the 10-part series, which will start streaming on the platform on 25 January, has been unveiled.

    “At Prime Video we are focused on serving a wide and diverse set of customers their daily dose of entertainment on our service. From reality shows for millennials to comedy for all, hard-hitting heartland story in Mirzapur to a psychological thriller in Breathe, we have something for everyone on Prime Video. We are excited to start this year with a female-centric, genre-defining, aspirational show that will take viewers on a larger than life journey into the urban women’s world.  Let the celebrations begin – Four More Shots Please!” Amazon Prime Video India content director and head Vijay Subramaniam said.

    The series has been created by Rangita Pritish Nandy, produced by Pritish Nandy Communications and directed by Anu Menon. The new Prime Original casts a spotlight on the strong bond of female friendship that serves as a lifeline for young women in urban India as they adapt, flourish and rebel in a rapidly evolving societal culture with changing gender roles. Helmed by a predominantly women cast and crew, the show has been written by Devika Bhagat, with dialogues from Ishita Moitra.

    In the over-crowded Indian OTT market, the two rivals Amazon Prime Video and Netflix are heavily investing in local originals to woo consumers. Moreover, Amazon Prime Video comes bundled with the other facilities from Prime service which has brought it huge number of users. According to a recent study by technology research firm Comparitech, India has been found the cheapest place to watch Amazon Prime Video in a list of 28 countries.

  • Amazon Prime Video aims to keep evolving with customer taste

    Amazon Prime Video aims to keep evolving with customer taste

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video is boosting its content play in the market. The OTT platform is all set to stream its fifth Indian original Mirzapur from 16 November. In a media roundtable, Amazon Prime Video India content director and head Vijay Subramaniam also added that it will scale up originals further in 2020. Nine new Hindi originals are planned for 2019.

    “I think it’s extremely important to understand that content has scale cinematically and our marketing matches that. It’s important for customers to feel that they are watching premium content and all of that in Rs 129 in a month,” Subramaniam commented.

    It has been two years since Amazon Prime Video launched in India in the burgeoning OTT market.  Since then, it has been very focused on customer taste and preferences. However, as India is a diverse market, the company wants to ensure that everything it does embraces diversity. 

    “It is a large market with multiple demographics and multiple segments. So it’s important to understand how we can cater to all of them consistently. Our customers are constantly evolving in their taste and preferences and we need to be updated on the kind of stories they watch and would love to watch. We need to go on that evolution with them," Subramaniam added.

    The company, unlike its rival Netflix, has prioritised localisation since beginning. While the service already has content in six regional languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali and Kannada, it is also looking at adding more regional languages in next 12-18 months.

    Interestingly, Subramaniam said that when new a language offering is launched, customers first seek movies. Hence, it tries to ensure adding the best and latest movies in the language to the library. After understanding their taste and preference, it adds content in other forms including originals. Right now the regional languages under evaluation for series-based content are Tamil and Telugu.

    “In Tamil and Telugu, after having operated for a year, we looked at the opportunity to produce some series. Gangster was our first, another one in Tamil is coming out at the end of this month. These are both pilots in that sense. By putting these out we are trying to learn and understand our customers and get their feedback on what they like to watch. And once we have that we will definitely double down and scale up our originals in regional languages,” he added.

    For the new nine-episode web series Mirzapur, Amazon Prime Video India has again collaborated with Excel Media & Entertainment after the Emmy winning Inside Edge. Set in the heartland of India, the show revolves around drugs, guns and the politics of power in a land where might is right.  For the new show, while there have been enough large-scale outdoor marketing, there will be a lot of initiatives on the digital front too.

    Amazon is confident that Mirzapur will make a mark not only in India but also globally. Breathe also did exceptionally well with 40 per cent viewers from outside India.

  • KWAN realigns its management team, readies itself for the next level of growth

    KWAN realigns its management team, readies itself for the next level of growth

    MUMBAI: In a major management reshuffle, KWAN Entertainment, India’s largest entertainment marketplace connecting investors, brands, and artists, has announced the appointment of its founding partners Indranil Das Blah and Vijay Subramaniam as its Co-CEOs. In the new role, the veteran duo will manage the day-to-day operations and the agency business at KWAN. The move is aimed at leveraging their combined extensive experience in the fields of entertainment, media, sports, and music to drive the company to the next level of its growth.

    The latest development will also see KWAN’s Founder Anirban Das Blah take on a more evolved strategic role, in which he will guide the firm’s long-term vision, strategy, and growth as its promoter. The move will additionally give Anirban, a prominent name in the entertainment and media landscape, the opportunity to diversify his professional interests to other business ventures such as Mojostar (cofounded with Jiggy George) as an investor, promoter, and mentor.

    Other members of the KWAN senior leadership team will continue in their current roles. Co-founder Madhu Mantena will continue to drive the evolution of KWAN into a diversified media and entertainment company, along with Anirban. Founding partner Dhruv Chitgopekar continues to spearhead its brand and consumer incubation initiatives.

    Indranil Das Blah, Founding Partner and Co-CEO – KWAN Entertainment

    Having started out as an Assistant Manager (Sales & Marketing) at sports marketing firm TSM in 2002, Indranil has since carved a name for himself in the fields of brand sales, celebrity endorsements, and sports marketing. He joined tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport as the Head of its Delhi office in 2004 and worked closely with him on all sports-related initiatives for Globosport. By 2008, he had risen to the rank of Head of Sales and Sports at Globosport and, by 2015, had played an instrumental role in some of India’s biggest sporting events. This included getting sponsorships for 3WTA and 2 ATP tennis events, as well as initiatives aimed at the grassroots level, such as the Apollo Tyres Mission.

    Indranil co-founded KWAN Entertainment in 2009. Under his leadership, the sports division at KWAN today manages many leading sports franchises in India, including Ranbir Kapoor-owned Mumbai City FC and Sanjay Dutt’s cricket franchise Leo Lions (part of the Masters’ Champions League in the UAE). The team manages multiple athletes and has been instrumental in securing over 200 sponsorship and endorsement deals in the last five years.

    Vijay Subramaniam, Founding Partner and Co-CEO – KWAN Entertainment

    A mechanical engineer by education, Vijay came to realise that his real passion was entertainment. As a result, he joined Globosport as an intern and swiftly rose up the ranks to head the company’s business in South India. During his tenure at Globosport, Vijay established the company’s LIVE touring business and spearheaded sales across brands and corporates in the southern region. He also successfully managed several big-ticket events, including the WTA Sunfeast Open in 2008, and the countrywide Royal Stag Saif Ali Khan Rock Tour.

    As a co-founder and partner at KWAN, Vijay has been responsible for running various business verticals such as brand sales, live entertainment, television, music, and content. His in-depth knowledge of brands, live events, and films, coupled with an analytical business approach, have played a critical role in identifying several key growth and expansion opportunities for KWAN, and established Vijay as one of the experts in the entertainment industry. He also manages some of the country’s biggest and most talented Bollywood stars such as Deepika Padukone, Pritam, Shraddha Kapoor etc.

    Speaking on the management rejig, Anirban Das Blah, Founder – KWAN Entertainment, said, “Having helmed KWAN for almost a decade now, I feel the time is right for me to hand over the reins of its day-to-day operations to Indranil and Vijay. They’re both extremely talented individuals who’ve been associated with KWAN from day one, and have proved their business management acumen time and again by driving exponential growth for their respective verticals. With them spearheading KWAN’s business operations as Co-CEOs, I have no doubt that the firm will continue to grow at a rapid pace, evolving and expanding in sync with the rapidly-changing entertainment and media ecosystem of the country.”

    Indranil Das Blah added, “This is a big moment for me, personally and professionally. The KWAN family is extremely close to my heart and has been a big part of my professional endeavours over a large part of my career. I am eager to take on this new role and the responsibility that it brings, and uphold the faith that the team at KWAN has bestowed upon me.”

    Vijay Subramaniam said, “For me, the KWAN journey has been nothing short of a dream fulfilled. I feel honoured and privileged to be able to continue the good work that we have achieved as a team over the years. I am confident that, with Anirban guiding the company’s strategic vision, Indranil and I will add more milestones to KWAN’s ongoing success story by leading the company into the next phase of its growth.”

    Since its inception, KWAN has created an extensive popular culture universe in India comprising leading Bollywood and regional celebrities, native digital content creators, musicians, prominent fashion & lifestyle personalities, and specialist influencers. It works across multiple domains such as celebrity management, live entertainment, sports, TV, licensing, movie packaging, music, and regional cinema, and has also invested in and run various media-related businesses. KWAN is currently associated with several top Indian celebrities such as Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan, Sonam Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sania Mirza, Rana Dagubatti, Mahesh Babu, Pritam, Shraddha Kapoor, and Sushant Singh Rajput, to name a few.

  • Amazon Prime blends East, West in ‘The Remix’

    Amazon Prime blends East, West in ‘The Remix’

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video wants to hit the right chords with the music lovers of India. Its latest and third Indian original prime show The Remix wants to grab the eye of the music-loving spirit of the nation.  It is a spin-off challenge between DJs and singers to blend Indian and western music beats including regional songs. The Remix will launch as a 10 episode series starting 9 March 2018, with two episodes launching together followed by one every week.

    Till now, music reality shows were restricted to the television but this time it will be a digital-only appearance. The show is created and produced by Greymatter Entertainment while T-Series is the music partner. The success of previous showsInside Edge and Breathe gave Amazon the spirit to come up with a new one in a short time.

    In the new show, according to Amazon Prime Video India director-content Vijay Subramaniam, popular music will be re-imagined by singers and DJ duos, which has never been attempted in the space of reality. He said, “With The Remix, we’ve taken two things that Indian customers have told us they love – reality TV and Bollywood music and made a unique show that we hope will appeal to the whole family. With the launch of this show, we are set to give 10 dynamic musical duos an opportunity to present their unique talent to a global audience.”

    He goes on to say that today is the era of fusion and music was the perfect medium to launch an unscripted original series. “With ambient sound and Indian instruments coming together we feel The Remix as a show will perfectly reflect the blend,” he highlighted.

    Amazon will follow the same release format like Breathe. The strategy of releasing Breathe on weekly basis has worked out well with Amazon according to Subramaniam. “The staggered release allows more consumers to come in and engage over a period of time versus binge watch,” he said.

    The multimedia marketing campaign will soon commence but Subramaniam believes that since the show is about music, there will be much activity on social media.

    The contestants of the show will be judged by popular singer Sunidhi Chauhan, national award winning music composer Amit Trivedi, and king of the DJ console Nucleya, while the element of humor will be added by Karan Tacker as the host of this digital reality series.

    The contestants of the show are a mix of singers and DJs. Among the singers, they have Anirudh Bhola, Rashmeet Kaur, Sreerama Chandra, Rupali Jagga, Thomson Andrews, Prakriti Kakar, Akasa Singh, Sonam Topden, Yash Narvekar and Manasi Scott. And, in the talented DJs, they have Megha Kawale, SuReal, Candice Redding, Nawed Khan, NSG, Kiran Kamath, Skip, Rink, Kryll and Akhil Talreja.

    The competition features fusions of multiple genres of music from trap mixed with bhangra, to future bass mixed with East Asian sounds, from blues to desi beats and much more. The contestants explore different themes like ambient sounds, retro remixes, live instrumentation, sounds of India, global beats and more in each episode. Over the course of ten episodes, one team will be crowned the winner who will walk away with a booty of Rs 50 lakh.

    The Remix is the second original releasing in 2018 after Breathe and Amazon is planning to launch 10 originals in all this year.

    Amazon is keen to creep into every aspect of what makes an Indian viewer tick and it is leaving no stone unturned for it.

    Also Read :

    Amazon strikes the balance between bingeing and episodic with ‘Breathe’

    2017: The year OTTs went regional in India

    Regional OTT content more than just catch-up TV

  • Amazon Prime Video announces a new original series, Skulls and Roses

    Amazon Prime Video announces a new original series, Skulls and Roses

    Amazon Prime Video announces an all-new unscripted Amazon Prime Original series, Skulls and Roses, in collaboration with Monozygotic. Skulls and Roses, in a unique first-of-its-kind reality show format, combines 2 key youth hot-buttons: Romance & Adventure.   The show blurs the lines between romance and adventure reality shows to take contestants through a truly audacious and daring journey.

    Participants are invited to form couples and bonds of love on ‘Rose Island’, which are then tested for their authenticity and fortitude on ‘Skull Island’. The test is to find out which is stronger – the instinct to love or the instinct for self-preservation. The show is an ultimate test of choice – between love, trust, survival and betrayal and it forces participants choose between ‘WE’, and ‘ME’. Skulls and Roses will be hosted by television’s dynamic duo Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman, the faces behind several renowned reality shows.  Entries to participate in the exciting reality series are now open. Those interested in the bonds of romance and the thrill of adventure are invited to apply on https://www.facebook.com/skullsandrosescasting.

    “After announcing our foray into reality shows with comedy and music, we’ve seen great enthusiasm from Prime members,”  Amazon Prime Video India, Director, Content, Vijay Subramaniam said, “We’re excited to add even more variety to our offering and in collaboration with Monozygotic, bring a new bold concept to the unscripted content space that will continue to reinvent the way customers consume content in India.”

    Speaking about the show, Monozygotic, Raghu Ram said, “In today’s age of dating apps, young couples are finding it increasingly difficult to deal with the problems of a committed relationship. Consequently, more & more youngsters are making ‘stress-free’ life-choices of self-love & self-growth.  This generation is increasingly facing a dilemma of ‘we vs me’. Skulls and Roses magnifies both aspects of this dilemma as well as the consequences of their choices. What will you choose if ‘Love’ is the best chance to stay in paradise, but ’Survival’ can only happen alone?  I think that is an intriguing concept for us to delve into.”

    Speaking about the collaboration, Monozygotic, Rajiv Lakshman said, “It’s a first-of-its-kind format where the best of two opposite worlds come together on a reality show. With this venture we bring the excitement of reality shows, on-demand, to a personal screen at your home, college or commute. The concept is very intriguing and bold and we are thrilled to be able to breathe life into this project in collaboration with Amazon Prime Video.”

    Anyone above the age of 18 can apply for this show.  All you need to be is tough, adventurous, with the gumption to survive on this show.

    Amazon Prime Video has the largest selection of latest and exclusive movies and TV shows, stand-up comedy, ad-free across Indian and Hollywood movies, US TV shows, top/popular Indian and international kids’ shows, award winning Amazon Original shows along with content from top Bollywood, regional, Indian and international studios – all available in one location/service.

    To watch these and other new release Hollywood and Bollywood movies, US TV shows, kids’ programming and Amazon Originals, please visit www.PrimeVideo.com or download the Amazon Prime Video app today and sign-up for a Prime membership.

  • Airtel offers free Amazon Prime subscription on plan

    Airtel offers free Amazon Prime subscription on plan

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel and Amazon India have joined hands to ring in an entertaining new year for customers. New and existing Airtel postpaid customers with an infinity plan of Rs 499 or above will get a one-year Amazon Prime membership, worth Rs 999 for free.

    Customers can watch Amazon Prime Video and access over 11 million Prime-eligible products while shopping on Amazon.in. The offer for one year of Amazon Prime is activated exclusively through the Airtel TV app. Access to Prime Video is available after downloading the Prime Video app on supported devices.

    Amazon Prime Video India director content Vijay Subramaniam said, “We are delighted to associate with Airtel to bring Prime membership to Airtel’s consumers. At Amazon Prime Video, we are focused on bringing the latest and exclusive content to India. This exclusive offer enables us to reach Airtel’s significant customer base across the country, providing entertainment—anytime, anywhere on a reliable service, with great playback quality and low data usage.”

    Wynk CEO Sameer Batra said, “This partnership is a major milestone in Airtel’s endeavour to build a world-class content platform. With Airtel TV, we are stepping up the value proposition and offering a complete digital entertainment experience to our postpaid and home broadband users.”

    Also Read:

    Cartoon Networks with Amazon Prime Video

    Amazon Prime plans to add more originals & evaluating regional content

    Amazon India seasonal sale boosts Prime Video subscribers 

  • Abhishek Maheshwari takes charge of Disney Media, Subramaniam quits

    MUMBAI: Vijay Subramaniam has called it a day at Disney India as the vice-president for Media Networks. He has decided to pursue other career interests.

    Abhishek Maheshwari, who is currently serving as the vice-president and head of the consumer products, Interactive & Corporate Strategy for Disney India, will take charge of Disney Media Networks. He will lead the new strategic initiatives to prepare the Media Networks business for the new digital world.

    Maheshwari will also continue to lead the Interactive business.

    Sanjeet Mehta has been promoted as the head of Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and will be responsible for the licensing and retail businesses.

    Subramaniam was in charge of a bouquet of eight channels across three segments, youth – bindass and bindass Play, movies – UTV Movies and UTV Action and Kids – Disney Channel India, Disney XD India, Disney Junior India and Hungama TV.

    As the vice-president for Media Networks, he led the unique media solutions division called the Disney Media Plus that offers commercial opportunities generated by the Disney universe in India in addition to creating specialized properties under the bindass brand.

  • Disney India’s goal is to create a content omni-bus, says Subramaniam

    Disney India’s goal is to create a content omni-bus, says Subramaniam

    MUMBAI: Bindass’ maiden web series Girl in the City – a story of a girl who steps into the bustling city of Mumbai to fulfil her dream of being in the fashion industry – has turned out to be a huge success for the channel. According to the channel, it has garnered 53 million views including all the micro-content, episodes, and live interactions with the cast. After 13 triumphant episodes, the channel is all geared up to launch the second installment.

    The channel is also launching another show next month.

    “The first season has done stupendously well for us. It was one of the most talked about series in its first chapter. I am very happy to say that the success of the first chapter has made us launch the second chapter,” said Disney India VP Media Networks Vijay Subramaniam.

    Girl in the City chapter two will go live with its first episode in March following a omni platform strategy wherein it will launch on all the platforms at the same time (YouTube and TV). This year too, Castrol Activ Scooter is back on board as the presenting sponsor with Titan (Tanishq Mia) and Zydus (Everyuth) as associate sponsors.

    “The biggest validation is that the title sponsor has come back for the second season clearly indicating that the show has exceeded their expectations. We don’t take too many advertisers because this content effectively works for brands as we are able to seamlessly integrate them into our story telling. In order to do that, we tend to restrict the number of brands we work with and it also gives us time to crate very interesting integrations that are within the story and don’t look forced,” asserted the VP.

    The story builds on the first season and moves in a very interesting direction full of surprises. It moves ahead from where it ended last season. This chapter of her life will chronicle Meera’s journey of self-discovery as she comes of age through. Through this journey of realizing her dreams and fulfilling her aspirations, she comes across Kiran (Karanvir Sharma), Areem (Preetika Chawla) along with Kartik (Rajat Barmecha) who play a pivotal role in helping Meera move a step closer to her ultimate goal.

    Girl in the City season two is directed by Samar Shaikh, written by Sanyukta Shaikh and is produced by Still and Still Moving Pictures.

    The marketing strategy of the show is on the similar grounds like its previous season. It will be conversational and will go wherever the viewers already are. “When we look back at the success of Girl In The City, the whole social engagement that we created by putting Meera Sehgal on Facebook and getting live updates about what is happening in her world was a huge hit. So, we are going to do something similar to help spread the buzz about season two. We are seeing a lot of demand already,” added Subramaniam.

    He said further, “We are pretty confident that it will beat all the metrics, every benchmark it has set with the season one. That is my expectation. We believe that it will do better than the first one. Our goal is to create a content omni-bus, which is truly a reflector of the world of millennial and is related to them. It should also have a unique bindass take on the story. We will perceive omni content strategy for consumption,” concluded Subramaniam.

    Bindass’ other web-series, The Trip, has also received a tremendous response from the viewers with around 20 million views. Though, the channel has not yet decided on launching a second season.