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Tag: Viu

  • Viu launches music-filled comedy on freedom of speech: ‘banned’

    Viu launches music-filled comedy on freedom of speech: ‘banned’

    MUMBAI: Viu India, a leading OTT platform, is set to entertain Viuers with the launch of its recent most music-filled comedy series ‘Banned’. Produced by ‘Bodhi Tree’, the series will take audiences on the rollercoaster journey of four ‘Punjabi jatts’ who get stuck in a political conundrum for an antisocial act in their music video; putting the spotlight on freedom of speech.

    The series includes songs by the talented singers from the Bollywood industry, Shashwat Singh and Vivek Hariharan. The star cast includes Paresh Pahuja, Sheetal Thakur, Sahil Anand, Deepak Kalra, Vivek Mushran among others.

    Commenting on the launch, Bimal Unnikrishnan, Head Content – Viu India said, “Our original series Banned focuses on freedom of speech. We pick subjects which focus on the topics that are interesting to millennials today and bring them to life with storylines that are engaging and fresh.”

    Embark on this journey of ‘Banned’ every Friday, only on Viu.

  • Viu starts Tamil journey with localised content

    Viu starts Tamil journey with localised content

    MUMBAI: OTT platform Viu has expanded its footprint in the regional market by launching in the Tamil market. It has entered the market with localised content including Tamil language Originals, Tamil short films along with Korean dramas and curated content.

    Viu is highly focusing on partnerships with leading players of the Tamil content industry. It has partnered with AP International Films, Sameer Bharat Ram, digital content producer Trendaloud , YouTube content producers Black Sheep and Fully Filmi.

    “The youth of Tamil Nadu are unique. They have a perfect balance of modern unbiased outlook and deep-rooted culture and values. They have a unique liking for great stories told with local style and taste. We are here to offer them exactly that through our compelling curated content and fresh Viu Tamil Originals. We are deeply committed to investing in this market to develop the content industry and talent pool to serve the Tamil audience,” Vuclip president and COO Arun Prakash said.

    The platform aims to win Tamil millennial audience by offering content in comfort language. The four new Tamil premium originals include Kalyanamum Kadhandhu Pogum, Madras Mansion, Door No. 403, Door No. 403 while two Tamil short films Masha Allah… Ganesha, The Wind will be exclusively available on the platform.

  • Viu appoints Bimal Unnikrishnan as India content head

    Viu appoints Bimal Unnikrishnan as India content head

    MUMBAI: Viu, leading OTT service by PCCW and Vuclip, has appointed Bimal Unnikrishnan as Vice President Content for India to focus on the service’s original content portfolio. Bimal will report to Vishal Maheshwari, Country Head for Viu India.

    Bimal will focus on driving a strong content-led value proposition for consumers, as well as strengthen the Original Content library for the brand through the 30 + originals that Viu has announced slated to launch in 2018. He joins Viu with more than two decades of rich and diverse experience in direction and programming division and has proven to be a leader with his exceptional entertainment segment knowledge. In his long and successful career, he has held leadership roles with various media companies including Sony Entertainment Television and Reliance Big Magic.

    Speaking about the new appointment, Viu, Country Head, Vishal Maheshwari said, “It’s an exciting phase for Viu. With Bimal’s leadership, depth of knowledge and expertise, we are confident that we will continue to build Viu as preferred destination for Indian Original content. Stay tuned for exciting Originals from Viu.”

    Speaking about his new role, Bimal Unnikrishnan said, “It gives me immense pleasure to be part of Asian regional OTT leader Viu.  Viu has already emerged as the leading regional platform in South East Asia Markets. I am looking forward to working with the highly-driven and talented team which has been recognized for delivering unique, differentiated, youth-centric content offerings and  create captivating Indian shows for audience around the world.

    Globally Viu Originals will see 70 titles and 900+ episodes of locally produced content by end of 2018 with 30+ original coming from India alone.

  • Viu’s What The Duck- Season 3

    Viu’s What The Duck- Season 3

    MUMBAI: With cricket fever gripping the nation this season, premium video-on-demand service Viu is back with its marquee cricket-gone-crazy property ‘What the Duck’. For the past 2 seasons, the property has received rave reviews and gained a large following amongst both men and women. Today the platform announces the launch of its hatrick season, promising to bring back the madness and fun for all cricket enthusiasts.

    This third season will see Vikram Sathaye host 20 legendary cricketers on the show spanning 10 episodes. On each 15-minute episode, two cricketers will be seen together, engaging in a playful banter with Vikram Sathaye. The cricket duos on the show are Shikhar Dhawan & Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Michael Clarke & Brad Hogg, Mohammad Kaif & Harbhajan Singh, AB Devilliers & Jonty Rhodes, Ravichandran Ashwin & KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma & Ajinkya Rahane and many more, to share fun moments and interesting trivia on and off the field.

    Viu will also release unique short form comedy content on cricket titled ‘What The Duck Googlies’. The show will revolve around four popular stand-up comedians – Vikram Sathaye, Anirban Dasgupta, Saurav Mehta, and Sidharth Dudeja giving their comic spin on all the current and trending topics in cricket. The 35-episode show will be live on both Viu and YouTube starting May.

    Commenting on the launch of the What The Duck 3, Vishal Maheshwari, Country Head – Viu, India said, “Cricket and comedy are two things that connect most Indians together. Riding on the success of the first two seasons, we have decided to double the madness and triple the fun with season 3. We are also happy to partner with YouTube, who will help us increase the reach of our popular show to a larger audience”

     The digital premium show can be streamed exclusively on www.viu.com, the Viu App and Viu’s YouTube channel. And for regular updates and show announcements, you can follow Viu on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

  • Viu India plans to expand in Tamil market

    Viu India plans to expand in Tamil market

    MUMBAI: As over-the-top (OTT) service Viu completed its two-year journey, it launched its latest digital series Kaushiki which is set to release on 27 April. Going forward, the platform plans to deliver more than 20 originals this year along with entering the Tamil market very soon.

    The platform promises more regional content like this exciting thriller Kaushiki, comedy film High Jack, new seasons of already popular shows like What the Duck and adaptations of popular international entertainment formats such as Tollywood Squares.

    For Kaushiki, Viu will release four episodes in a go and then one a week. “When we launched Pelli Gola and PillA in last year in Telugu, we had extremely high number of viewers coming back repeatedly week on week, when we were releasing episodes,” Viu India CMO Shantanu Gangane said.

    Viu has already launched seven new originals in Q1 2018 and has lined up 20 originals from now until the end of the year in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. Viu plans to launch into the Tamil market by this year with the six new originals. For the new content, both syndicated and original content is on offer. Other than Indian content, Korean content also has also got a niche following across India.

    “Since day one, Viu has emphasised global expertise coupled with local execution, as you can clearly see from our track record. We’re doubling down on that for 2018, ramping up our offering of quality originals at an exciting pace and engaging viewers in new ways, including bringing fresh content to the Tamil market. I couldn’t be prouder of what our team has accomplished in India and I’m certain that our best years are ahead,” Viu India country head Vishal Maheshwari said.

    While cross-platform partnership has been one of the best options to surge users, Viu is not an exception. It has made content available to digital and non-digital audiences through partnerships with TV channels like Gemini, Star Maa and digital platforms such as Dailyhunt. The highly-rated No.1 Yaari is one example of Viu’s cross-platform content association.

    In addition to that, Viu has had success with advertising partners such as with Hong Kong tourism for It Happened in Hong Kong, a romantic comedy that redefined wanderlust. It has many other strategic partners including Samsung, Amazon Pay TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Daily Hunt and Xiaomi.

    While the channel owns IPs of all the originals, syndication has been one of the revenue streams for the platform. To stand out in the crowd, the platform has got tech as a strong backbone. Moreover, the company has massive set up in Pune which after the technical aspect. Along with an in-house team, the company also relies on partners to remain agile.

    The OTT platform has some unique strategies to attract consumers. Rather than putting original premium content behind pay-wall, it has kept it in front of the wall. The company wants to go forward in the future with fresh content as well as entering into a new market.

    Also Read :

    Viu Original ‘It Happened in Hong-Kong’ Redefines Wanderlust

    Viu announces the launch of its latest Original, ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’

  • Viu to produce 70 originals in 2018

    Viu to produce 70 originals in 2018

    MUMBAI: The pan-Asian OTT platform Viu will see 70 titles and over 900 episodes of locally produced content by the end of this year. Produced in Indian, Chinese, Indonesian and Arabic languages, Viu Original spans the full spectrum of TV content genres and has extended its production scope to movies. Since the beginning of 2018, OTT platforms in India are boosting their original content.

    “With the evolution of OTT streaming service and consumers adoption, quality content with strong relevance is the key to our continued high engagement with viewers. Viu aims to introduce the refreshing local productions in various markets, including Spotlight 2 produced by Bollywood director Vikram Bhatt, and Kenapa Harus Bule? by award-winning Indonesian director Andri Cune. Our latest Viu Original series development of The Bridge, a popular international TV series, will be remade with Asia context and filmed in Singapore and Malaysia. By working with top tier local talents and production houses, we fulfil our brand promise to provide Viu-ers with compelling localised entertainment,” PCCW Media Group managing director Janice Lee said.

    Viu not only works with top award-winning directors and production talent in the markets, but also employs highly innovative ways to come up with new ideas for its originals. Viu ‘crowd sources’ Viu Original ideas in an event called Viu Pitching Forum in Indonesia, where young filmmakers are encouraged to pitch their ideas before a team of renowned experts, including award- winning producers, directors and scriptwriters. Viu will fund shortlisted ideas and collaborate with professional filmmakers to produce them for airing.

    “We are encouraged by the overwhelming positive response from viewers for Viu Original and we will continue to create many more fresh and engaging originals tailored to ourmillennial Viu-ers. We are especially proud to provide a platform for young talent in local markets to showcase their creativity and gain popularity among our viewers,” Lee added.

    Viu Original has recently launched a foray of full feature movies. High Jack, which is co-produced with award-winning Phantom Films in India, is scheduled to be screened in 450 Indian theatres followed by viewing on the Viu platform. Working alongside its broadcast partners, Viu aims to bring Original to free-to-air and pay-TV audience around the world. Viu has collaborated with Zoom TV – a Bollywood pay-TV channel and Gemini TV – a pay-TV channel owned by Sun Network, to deliver its original content in India.

    Also Read :

    Viu announces the launch of its latest Original, ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’

    Viu and Phantom films join hands for its upcoming movie ‘High Jack’

  • Viu partners Endemol for localised adaptation of ”The Bridge’

    Viu partners Endemol for localised adaptation of ”The Bridge’

    MUMBAI: Video-on-demand service, Viu, has announced a collaboration with production and distribution house Endemol Shine Group to produce a localised, ten-episode adaptation of the global series The Bridge. Viu’s aim is to deliver international content formats tailored to be locally relevant along with local content.

    “Viu previously achieved success in adapting popular entertainment to emerging markets when it brought the CBS Hollywood Squares format to audiences in India, releasing Tollywood Squares. Today’s news is in that same vein and we believe that working with Endemol Shine to tell this gripping story, while also making it uniquely our own, will captivate our viewers,” Viu Malaysia country manager Kingsley Warner said.

    The Bridge is hugely popular in Europe and the US. The series is expected to shoot in July and begin airing in Malaysia and Singapore later this year. In the crime drama, a body is found on the border of two countries, forcing an investigator from each country to work together to solve the case.

    “Partnering with Viu is a natural fit for us, given it’s the leading OTT in deliver international content formats tailored to be locally relevant Asia. We expect the premium format of The Bridge to resonate strongly in this region,” Endemol Shine International chief executive Cathy Payne said.

    The Bridge (Bron/Broen) was originally created and written by Hans Rosenfeldt as a joint production of Sweden’s Filmlance International, part of Endemol Shine Group and Denmark’s Nimbus Film. The Bridge (Bron/Broen) was produced in co-production with Sveriges Television, DR, ZDF German Television network, ZDF Enterprises Gmbh, Film i Skåne, NRK, Copenhagen Film Fund, Lumiere Group, Stiftelsen Ystad Österlen Filmfond, with from Norvision and in co-operation with Malmö Stad.

    Also Read :

    Viu announces the launch of its latest Original, ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’

    Branded content drives Viu

  • SLA Digital powers Viu carrier billing

    SLA Digital powers Viu carrier billing

    MUMBAI: SLA Digital has partnered with Vuclip, a PCCW Media company, and the leading premium video-on-demand service provider for emerging markets, making its service, Viu, available to more customers via carrier billing.

    Viu provides compelling original content in addition to the freshest regional and premium TV shows and movies to its 16 million users across 15 markets including the Middle East countries of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

    “SLA Digital is committed to delivering new and innovative services for Asian and Middle Eastern mobile customers to consume via carrier billing. This exciting partnership with Vuclip enables us to expand our content offering and ensures that Vuclip’s customers are treated to a frictionless entertainment experience to consume at their leisure.” commented Ashley O’Kane, Head of Marketing at SLA Digital.

    With carrier billing, SLA Digital provides customers with an alternative mobile payment solution to subscribe to Viu’s comprehensive catalogue of content where the amount is charged to their post-paid bill or deducted from their prepaid balance. This option, therefore, provides customers with a seamless and secure payment alternative to credit or debit cards.

    Speaking about the partnership, Wesam Kattan, Vice President Content & Brand Marketing, Vuclip MENA, said, “Viu is happy to partner with SLA Digital to facilitate our consumers with a convenient and secure payment solution for our service. Through the integration of carrier billing, viewers can now easily subscribe to our comprehensive catalogue of TV shows, movies and original content. This partnership also enables us to expand in the region to include SLA Digital’s Middle Eastern and Asian mobile operator portfolio. We are excited to kick off with an initial offering with Zain Kuwait and look forward to developing our relationship further.”

    The carrier billing partnership is now live with Zain Kuwait, with plans to further leverage SLA Digital’s mobile operator connectivity across the region.

    PIX COURTESY: ZAWYA

  • Viu and Phantom films join hands for its upcoming movie ‘High Jack’

    Viu and Phantom films join hands for its upcoming movie ‘High Jack’

    MUMBAI: The premium video-on-demand service Viu, by Vuclip and PCCW, is teaming up with Bollywood’s ace production house Phantom Films to produce their upcoming movie HIGH JACK, further fortifying its strength as a pioneer in original content. Adding to its repertoire of insights driven content, Viu is taking the plunge into Bollywood. Today’s news is another step in the direction of its brand philosophy to create compelling and engaging content for millennials.

    Directed by Akarsh Khurana, the film will feature digital sensation Sumeet Vyas, Pyaar ka Punchnama fame Sonnalli Seygall, RJ Mantra, Kumud Mishra along with Nipun Dharmadhikari and Amey Wagh. The story of HIGH JACK is about a group of first time hijackers who get themselves into hilarious situations, following a comedy of errors. The plot takes interesting twists and turns and is interspersed with new age screwball comedy. The film is slated to hit cinemas on the 20th of April.

    Viu India – Country Head, Vishal Maheshwari said, “Being in the content creation business, Viu is focused on innovating and providing an enriched experience for its Viu-ers. With the evolution of OTT and consumers’ tastes, quality content rules and that’s why collaborating on a film like HIGH JACK is apt for us. Like Viu, Phantom Films is known for exceptional audience experiences, and it gives us great pleasure to partner with them. This film is another step towards showcasing the best content on our platform.”

    Says Phantom Films , Producer, Madhu Mantena, “Associating with Viu gives us great insight into the online content watching audience’s mindset, and thus we partnered with them on HIGH JACK, which brings some of the best web content talent together for the first time. It’s been a great experience, and we are confident that the audience will love this madcap film.”

  • Viu announces the launch of its latest Original, ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’

    Viu announces the launch of its latest Original, ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’

    MUMBAI: Strengthening its Originals content offering in India, Viu announces the launch of its upcoming digital series, Love, Lust and Confusion. With a concept that should resonate well with today’s youth, the series is about couples and the ongoing confusion in their love lives. Featuring the Udaan famed actor Rajat Barmecha and the supremely talented Tara Alisha Berry in the lead, the series is slated to premiere on Viu, both app and web, on 17 March 2018. 

    Revolving around the life of a young girl, Poroma Sarkar, Love, Lust and Confusion will depict the age of indecisiveness, physical exploration and confusion. The series also explores polyamory and the perspective of youngsters on the topic. Actors 

    ​​Meiyang Chang, Gaurav Chopra, Samir Kochhar will play pivotal roles in the series. 

    Speaking on the launch of its new show, Viu India, Country Head, Vishal Maheshwari said, “At Viu our endeavor is to bring content that resonates with the youth, and we are expanding our catalogue of intriguing yet relatable content with ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’.”

    About the concept of the show, Director & Writer – Victor Mukherjee said, “Ask any millennial today, and the biggest confusion in their personal lives is between love and lust. This is an unforgettable journey of a girl, who is on a path to fulfill her wishes and is totally unapologetic about it. The idea was to capture the realistic essence of a phase that comes at least once in everyone’s life. I think every millennial will relate to the story.”

    The 13-episode series will engage its audience every Saturday. The light-hearted, realistic romantic dramedy is directed by Victor Mukherjee and produced by Mango People Media.

    Watch the confusion between Love and Lust starting 17th March on www.viu.com and on the Viu App.