ITV

Tag: VOOT

  • nexGTV launches kids only app; plans to produce original content

    nexGTV launches kids only app; plans to produce original content

    MUMBAI: The OTT space has been growing denser with the mushrooming of more and more players. Players are vying for eyeballs and advertisers are looking to differentiate their content, and shifting focus to unexplored areas. nexGTV has launched its new OTT app that targets kids between 2 to 10 years of age with specially tailored content, with an aim to expand business reach and grow subscriber base.

    Explaining the demand for kids’ content in India, nexGTV COO Abhesh Verma says, “I have noticed that despite the fact that there is good kids’ content in the country, it is not easily accessible for them.   Moreover we realised that kids content can’t be piled up with everything else. There is a need for a kids’ friendly app that will give proper showcase to the content, and parents can let their kids on it without worrying about insensitive content.”

    nexGTV is also playing on the fact that parents and guardians of kids these days are concerned about the ‘freeness’ of the internet and worried about the objectionable content that their child may be exposed to. Therefore curating a library strictly for the little ones was of prime importance when strategizing for the kids’ only OTT app. “Our editorial team has been extremely careful while curating content for this app. Every single content is been screened by our team to keep it kids friendly with the age group in mind. Our content is a blend of learning and entertainment for kids. Whether its craft, art, nursery rhymes and moral science through fun content, parents can be rest assured that through fun and frolic their kids are learning something.”  Between Akbar Birbal, Stories of Panchtantra, Vikram & Betal, Ducktales, Malgudi Days and Champak World, the app already has a vibrant library of shows for the tiny tots to enjoy this summer.

    The app can downloaded from Google Play Store for Android devices or the Apple store for iPhones or other apple devices.  Others can shoot a missed call to 0120-4848222 to get nexGTv Kids app.

    As a matter of fact, going by international standards, there is only ‘E’ for ‘everyone’, and ‘G’ for ‘general audience’ rated programming in the content library for nexGTV Kids. “We haven’t kept shows that need parental guidance as we want the kids and parents to have a stress free streaming experience,” says Verma.

    Currently available in a ‘freemium’ model with no advertisements to interrupt seamless viewing, the content beyond the subscription wall is priced at Rs 125 a month, which coincides with what it costs to subscribe to nexGTV. “As part of the promotion for this launch we are currently allowing any nexGTV subscriber to access nexGTV Kids content and vice versa. Depending on the nature of consumption, content strategy etc., we will take a call to separate the two apps for subscribers or offer it to them in a bundle for a viable price that works for both – the consumers and us,” said Verma as he explains the pricing.

    As a business model, the revenue for the new app will depend highly on the subscription. Kids’ content also opens up a vista of monetising prospects for the OTT player.

    For starters, nexgTV has gone the VOOT way and acquired kids content from existing content partners  who are regular contributors to nexGTV’s library such as Shemaroo, Rajshri Productions etc. But the OTT player’s ambitious plans for their new kids app doesn’t stop there — from producing branded content for advertisers, to commissioning and featuring content from independent content creators, to licensing and merchandising rights sales — nexGTV is eyeing a big chunk of the kids content pie.

    “Currently we are getting content from partners who are working with us for the last four – five years. At the same time we are looking to create original content going forward that will be made by our production team for our app. We are also welcoming everyone who can creating content for kids. We want to showcase their content to our user base provided it goes past our editorial guidelines for the kids’ app. There are many who may not have a platform, but have the right talent, whom we plan to feature through our app as long as the content is within our guidelines,” Abhesh reveals.

    Keeping lts options open, nexgTV is ready to explore all kinds of partnerships, whether it allows it to own the content’s full IP or it is commissioning for production or co-owning the IP and sharing its IP rights with another content producer. Verma also hints that the OTT player is already in talks with some major production houses to produce exclusive kids’ content for nexgTV.

    With a few deals under discussions already under way, be they for content creation with other production houses or with brands, currently the player is weighing its options carefully for the right content strategy.

    “We want to make sure that we have the product out there first and some audience on it. And then based on the consumption pattern we want to invest in the programming. It will be like shooting in the dark if we produce a show which we don’t have an audience for,” Verma states frankly.

    Given the fact that the target audience of the content isn’t the device owners who can facilitate the consumption, a smart marketing strategy is needed to reach the guardians first, Verma shares.  While kids can be the key to reach the parents, the equation flows the other way round when it comes to marketing for kids.

    “We have three key aspects to our marketing initiative for this new app.  Firstly, on the digital front we are running targeted campaigns towards parents on Facebook to make the app more visible. Secondly, the current subscribers of nexGTV are getting the new app as part of their package. We have 14 million installs (1.4 crore) and within which we have close to a million (10 lakh) subscribers who will get this app with their regular nexGTV apps.”

    Apart from this, the OTT player will promote through radio and few other traditional modes of communication as well. With more on the marketing platter that nexGTV plans to surprise audience with in due time, Verma shared that so far the company hasn’t set an upper ceiling to its marketing spends for the new app.

    “Honestly this is our first big launch since the launch of our new app and we are heavily promoting it. We are not restricting it to 20 to 30 per cent of marketing spends but instead going by ‘returns on the hours’ basis. If a particular campaign is giving us the returns we want we are strengthening it,” Verma shares while refraining from commenting on the actual marketing spends on the new project.

     

  • Web-series: A drama waiting to unfold

    Web-series: A drama waiting to unfold

    MUMBAI: With 4G coming to India, content consumption is only going to explode even further. It is no more a secret that the digital renaissance has moved the global entertainment market and changed the way it operates forever. A new breed of content creators has evolved over the past three to four years –  creators  who are conjuring up content for digital audiences.  With fresh and relevant content at their very core, these web series producers have broken away from uniform TV formats.

    Travelling back in time to the late nineties  and early 2000’s when the younger audiences only had few youth shows like Hip Hip Hurray, Remix, Left Right Left to 2016, when we are seeing an explosion of interesting web series. With no time and place issues, more and more people are finding this content practical as well as relevant to their daily lives. In the summer of 2015, India witnessed the rise and rise of  digital short fiction series which brought a whole new paradigm of entertainment. 

    Driven massively by the younger audience and with an increasing number of brands in association, the space has also created new age newbie celebrities. Digital content creators are in a happy place and have started exploring various themes. Youtube has unlocked the creative potential of unknowns who have now become digital superstars.

    “If you give something backed with a great script, consumers will definitely appreciate your work,” says nexGTV head (growth )Dushyant Kohli.

    The beginning

    It all started when MTV rejected an idea for a youth-centric TV show from the witty and humorous Arunabh Kumar. This resulted in Kumar selecting online and YouTube as his medium for venting out his creative urges.  Starting from Chaai Sutta Chronicles to Pitchers to Permanent Roommates to Aadha 24 and now to Truth or Dare with Dad, and plans to mushroom further.

    “We were there way before than anyone else in this space. I have seen the journey from zero to 1.4 million views. There is a growing demand for witty and interesting content that we produce. The response was always encouraging and has brought us this far,” says The Viral Fever founder Arunabh who has become a beacon for other new digital wannabes.

    Kumar throws light on how his journey behind creating a web-series from the germ of an idea to casting, production and editing has been. He further points out about how all TVF’s web series are becoming extremely popular and in demand.  “We started with comedy and then moved to sketches and later to creating content for digital. It happened to us naturally, there was no plan.Pitchers and Permanent Roommates are doing well for us. In fact, Pitchers gets around 1 lakh views per episode. Everyone’s just shocked by our numbers. May be that’s why we are called as the Apple of content in India,” he adds in jest.

    Established traditional producers such as the global leader  Freemantle Media acknowledge Arunabh’s  and TVF’s contribution.   Says business head Vidyuth Bhandary: “We don’t consider anyone as our competition. They are the first movers which have helped establish the market with their hard-work. The new players that will come later will have us as an example. Some digital content gets accepted widely by viewers, some doesn’t. Everyone learns from this for better launches in the future.”

    Explosion of web-series in India

    The very dynamic OTT entertainment space is evolving every day. Yet with about ten competing players, there is room for everyone. There is a new world beyond TV now, where consumers can consume a whole new buffet of entertainment, fiction, comedy and what not! It is a world where you do not have to wait for a show’s next episode.

    “The Indian consumer is ready to pay for premium, quality content. Creators are now gradually entering to this new and more personal world of consumers called smart phones,” says Kohli. 

    Various creators are curating shows for online consumption like TVF, Monozygotic Productions, Freemantle Media, AIB, Y-Films, among many un-named others.

    On the one hand we have the daddy of the web-series TVF which has explored this space and has developed great shows mentioned above, it also has various originals like Girlyapa presents Ladies Room Bakchodi and Batman v/s Superman Indian Version on its own platform TVF Play. Monozygotic Productions has created shows like A.I.SHA My Virtual Girlfriend and Sinskaari for various VOD platforms.

    The space has seen Nakul Mehta producing I Don’t Watch TV, Amit Khanna from Badmaashiyan directing web-series such as All About Sec 377. Freemantle recently produced a web-series called Confessions-It’s Complicated for which it used the latest Facebook Live feature.

    An anthology of six short films, Love Shots evolved from the youth arm of Yash Raj films—Y-Films. Directed by Ankur Tewari, these short films are a break from the regular web-series and feature actors such as Farida Jalal, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Nimrat Kaur and Rhea Chakraborty, among others. The films talk about love in an unconventional and non-traditional way.

    bindass announced its first fiction web series Girl in the City which will be premiered on Facebook on 28 April, followed by a premiere on YouTube. The 10 episodic series revolves around a small town girl who finds her way in Mumbai and pursues her passion in the fashion industry.

    Each series has a different concept which only proves that there is a space for creativity to be unleashed – unrestrained.

    Even actors want to be a part of this explosion. Bollywood diva Priyanka Chopra has agreed to launch an original 14 part mobi-series about girls on a journey of life in Mumbai titled It’s My City. Imitiaz Ali can be seen as a judge for a talent hunt platform called SPOTLight for budding film-makers, where viewers can get a daily dose of amazing content with out-of-the-box storylines.

    “The rise of original web shows and their increasing popularity will likely change the way we view prime-time television content,” adds Kohli.

    The internet is full of options and consumers have a short attention span and want snack-sized content. The production quality, casting and content are major factors that determine how a series is received.

    “It’s not enough to make one good video, but to keep producing good content to keep the viewer hooked. We do one series a year which is very little as compared to others, but we provide our viewers with branded content. Our work speaks for us,” reveals Kumar.

    Moreover, we should also see the introduction of new, cutting-edge and innovative concepts in the area of original programming with increasing experimentation in formats, casts, story-telling, etc. and new segments as well as need states being identified and addressed making consumers the ultimate winner. 

    Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) over the top (OTT) platform Sony Liv rolled out an array of web series starting from #LoveBytes, Liv Shutter and the recent addition Tanlines.

    Y-Films launched its original web series, Bang Baaja Baaraat and Man’s World, its heart-warming anthology of short films, Love Shots, and its game-changing initiative of creating India’s first transgender band, The 6-Pack Band. Keeping with its exciting tradition of tackling unexpected spaces and putting forth fresh stories, its next series, Ladies Room, goes  boldly where no man has gone before: the women’s loo.

    “Web-series are the medium of the future,” says Bhandary.

    They came, we saw, they conquered

    According to the FICCI KPMG Report 2016, digital advertising will continue to grow at a high CAGR of 33.5 per cent, the highest growing medium of all. The report also points out that there will be an evident shift towards mobile and video advertising backed by the opening up of bandwidth in the country by 2020.

    The report estimates that by 2020 digital advertising will touch Rs 255 billion (Rs 25,500 crore) and contribute 25.7 per cent of the total advertising revenue. This fact is the key reason why many broadcasters and DTH players have forayed into the VOD space.

    Digital content creation appears to hold a lot of promise, courtesy the numerous VOD platforms launching. They have been reaching out to new creators, and to existing TV creators to produce content for them. Platforms like Hotstar, Arre, ErosNow, SonyLiv, NexGTV,  have entered the space. They have started creating different, fresh content that does not resonate with traditonal, boring saas bahu TV narratives. 

    “Web-series are a key offering to the digital audience. Broadcasters are also offering content on digital targeting its early adopters. This is a unique offering from any other type of content”, says MSM executive vice president and head – digital business Uday Sodhi.

    While, on the one hand, branded content is taking digital content to new, exciting heights, on the other hand, the micro online community is losing its independent vibe. Players like TVF, AIB, Freemantle,  are independent content creators who are raising funds by doing deals with brands and brand integrating them into the narrative. Others such   Arre has recently commissioned Monozygotic Productions’ to deliver A.I.SHA-My Virtual Girlfriend.

    A source points out that, “The production cost of per episode of a web-series is similar to that of a fiction show, that is, Rs 7-8 lakhs. Though it varies for everyone, most of the platforms shoot it in high-quality with more emphasis on the cast and the story-line”.

    The commissioning depends on the setup vis-à-vis cost an organisation is willing to pay. “If the series is produced independently, the IP as well as licensing rights remain with the owner of the series.  However, it changes as one enters into co-production,” adds Kohli.

    But, does it help?

    The OTT battle is being fought on multiple parameters including content, network bandwidth, data rates as well as free vs  paid content. However, there are some important factors for consideration like the kind of content, its genre, format and the duration of the episode, which are essential to ensure that the new content being created will resonate well with today’s viewers.

    To attract audiences, creators have to start investing extensively in web-series content. A report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) says that the number of monthly active video users in India during 2014 was 12.3 million (123 lakh) people. The Asia-Pacific online video revenue is expected to reach $35 billion by 2021, an average annual growth of 22 per cent from $13 billion in 2016.

    Kohli points out to a 2012 report by PWC which predicts that by the end of 2016, India will have 176 million (17.6 crore) OTT viewers generating revenues of more than $500 million.

    “We target to reach those 176 million viewers. We have recently opened our app to 141 countries including India. We currently receive close to a million (10 lakh) subscribers on nexGTv every month. We are extremely confident that our offerings – both current and proposed shall resonate very well with our global audiences, including our very first original series and India’s first mobi-series- ‘It’s My City’, starring Priyanka Chopra as herself,” adds Kohli.

    “nexGTV also aims at a healthy upwards of 20 per cent month-on-month growth rate due to expansion. We possess a great deal of learning in terms of our existing users content consumption behaviour, preference and pattern along with the overall understanding of what kind of content will have better uptake among the target audience.  We launched It’s My City – based on these insights,” explains Kolhi.

    “Yes, web-series does help in expanding our reach,” adds Sodhi. “Web-series are gaining aggressive pace in India and are becoming popular day-by-day. We have also seen multiple brands showing interest in web-series. Brands like Kingfisher, Ola, Castrol, E-bay, Unlimited, Maruti Suzuki – Swift, Truly Madly, Myntra, Gillette Venus, Miss Malini, Saavn and Fogg Deos have come on board for various shows.”

    “Web series is a fantastic proposition. We are yet to have an association. What we would like is to associate with content when it is the planning stage rather than endorsing a created one,” says Hector Beverages marketing head Parvesh Debuka.

    “Brands need to believe in the power of digital. It’s a two way process. There is a lot of money flowing in cleverly from various brands. A strong story structure will attract good brands”, adds Bhandary.

    “It is tricky for brands to come on board for such type of content. When we approached a few sponsors in the beginning, they had a few reservations. It took us sometime to convince them that the content would not make the brand look negative or dark. The challenge is to convince advertisers that content on digital and internet works well,” adds Monozygotic co-founder Rajiv Laxman.

    The MPA reports also outlines that online video advertising is expected to grow to 22 per cent by 2021, currently it accounts for less than 15 per cent. Online video ad sales will reach approximately $22 billion by 2021 versus $9 billion in 2016, a 19 per cent CAGR.

    “Digital series have always been there, they’re just getting noticed more these days. Advertising will slowly happen. The creators are integrating brands seamlessly in a show rather than screaming loudly about it. This is definitely an advantage,”  asserts Sodhi

    The Way Ahead

    The recent entry of multiple players including global player Netflix indicates that this space has enough room for everyone in this sector which is only going to grow further. Irrespective of the fact that India’s digital infrastructure is yet to meet the necessary requirements of the OTT ecosystem, a huge number of players are coming into the fray. 

    Consolidation in the mobile TV or OTT video sector is still some time away as the Indian mobile story is only now reaching a threshold with close to a billion connections and the advent to 3G and 4G networks, together with affordable smart-phones and data plans which are bound to give the necessary fillip to the sector.

    “The recent entry of multiple players including global ones in this area has in fact helped ratify the concept, business model, and potential of mobile TV/ digital video which players such as nexGTv pioneered long back,” says Kohli.

    Seconding the opinion, Laxman says, “Web-series are here to stay. There is a new audience that has come up and it makes sense to come up with content only meant for them. Web-series give a fresh feel to dialogues and binds audiences.”

  • Web-series: A drama waiting to unfold

    Web-series: A drama waiting to unfold

    MUMBAI: With 4G coming to India, content consumption is only going to explode even further. It is no more a secret that the digital renaissance has moved the global entertainment market and changed the way it operates forever. A new breed of content creators has evolved over the past three to four years –  creators  who are conjuring up content for digital audiences.  With fresh and relevant content at their very core, these web series producers have broken away from uniform TV formats.

    Travelling back in time to the late nineties  and early 2000’s when the younger audiences only had few youth shows like Hip Hip Hurray, Remix, Left Right Left to 2016, when we are seeing an explosion of interesting web series. With no time and place issues, more and more people are finding this content practical as well as relevant to their daily lives. In the summer of 2015, India witnessed the rise and rise of  digital short fiction series which brought a whole new paradigm of entertainment. 

    Driven massively by the younger audience and with an increasing number of brands in association, the space has also created new age newbie celebrities. Digital content creators are in a happy place and have started exploring various themes. Youtube has unlocked the creative potential of unknowns who have now become digital superstars.

    “If you give something backed with a great script, consumers will definitely appreciate your work,” says nexGTV head (growth )Dushyant Kohli.

    The beginning

    It all started when MTV rejected an idea for a youth-centric TV show from the witty and humorous Arunabh Kumar. This resulted in Kumar selecting online and YouTube as his medium for venting out his creative urges.  Starting from Chaai Sutta Chronicles to Pitchers to Permanent Roommates to Aadha 24 and now to Truth or Dare with Dad, and plans to mushroom further.

    “We were there way before than anyone else in this space. I have seen the journey from zero to 1.4 million views. There is a growing demand for witty and interesting content that we produce. The response was always encouraging and has brought us this far,” says The Viral Fever founder Arunabh who has become a beacon for other new digital wannabes.

    Kumar throws light on how his journey behind creating a web-series from the germ of an idea to casting, production and editing has been. He further points out about how all TVF’s web series are becoming extremely popular and in demand.  “We started with comedy and then moved to sketches and later to creating content for digital. It happened to us naturally, there was no plan.Pitchers and Permanent Roommates are doing well for us. In fact, Pitchers gets around 1 lakh views per episode. Everyone’s just shocked by our numbers. May be that’s why we are called as the Apple of content in India,” he adds in jest.

    Established traditional producers such as the global leader  Freemantle Media acknowledge Arunabh’s  and TVF’s contribution.   Says business head Vidyuth Bhandary: “We don’t consider anyone as our competition. They are the first movers which have helped establish the market with their hard-work. The new players that will come later will have us as an example. Some digital content gets accepted widely by viewers, some doesn’t. Everyone learns from this for better launches in the future.”

    Explosion of web-series in India

    The very dynamic OTT entertainment space is evolving every day. Yet with about ten competing players, there is room for everyone. There is a new world beyond TV now, where consumers can consume a whole new buffet of entertainment, fiction, comedy and what not! It is a world where you do not have to wait for a show’s next episode.

    “The Indian consumer is ready to pay for premium, quality content. Creators are now gradually entering to this new and more personal world of consumers called smart phones,” says Kohli. 

    Various creators are curating shows for online consumption like TVF, Monozygotic Productions, Freemantle Media, AIB, Y-Films, among many un-named others.

    On the one hand we have the daddy of the web-series TVF which has explored this space and has developed great shows mentioned above, it also has various originals like Girlyapa presents Ladies Room Bakchodi and Batman v/s Superman Indian Version on its own platform TVF Play. Monozygotic Productions has created shows like A.I.SHA My Virtual Girlfriend and Sinskaari for various VOD platforms.

    The space has seen Nakul Mehta producing I Don’t Watch TV, Amit Khanna from Badmaashiyan directing web-series such as All About Sec 377. Freemantle recently produced a web-series called Confessions-It’s Complicated for which it used the latest Facebook Live feature.

    An anthology of six short films, Love Shots evolved from the youth arm of Yash Raj films—Y-Films. Directed by Ankur Tewari, these short films are a break from the regular web-series and feature actors such as Farida Jalal, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Nimrat Kaur and Rhea Chakraborty, among others. The films talk about love in an unconventional and non-traditional way.

    bindass announced its first fiction web series Girl in the City which will be premiered on Facebook on 28 April, followed by a premiere on YouTube. The 10 episodic series revolves around a small town girl who finds her way in Mumbai and pursues her passion in the fashion industry.

    Each series has a different concept which only proves that there is a space for creativity to be unleashed – unrestrained.

    Even actors want to be a part of this explosion. Bollywood diva Priyanka Chopra has agreed to launch an original 14 part mobi-series about girls on a journey of life in Mumbai titled It’s My City. Imitiaz Ali can be seen as a judge for a talent hunt platform called SPOTLight for budding film-makers, where viewers can get a daily dose of amazing content with out-of-the-box storylines.

    “The rise of original web shows and their increasing popularity will likely change the way we view prime-time television content,” adds Kohli.

    The internet is full of options and consumers have a short attention span and want snack-sized content. The production quality, casting and content are major factors that determine how a series is received.

    “It’s not enough to make one good video, but to keep producing good content to keep the viewer hooked. We do one series a year which is very little as compared to others, but we provide our viewers with branded content. Our work speaks for us,” reveals Kumar.

    Moreover, we should also see the introduction of new, cutting-edge and innovative concepts in the area of original programming with increasing experimentation in formats, casts, story-telling, etc. and new segments as well as need states being identified and addressed making consumers the ultimate winner. 

    Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) over the top (OTT) platform Sony Liv rolled out an array of web series starting from #LoveBytes, Liv Shutter and the recent addition Tanlines.

    Y-Films launched its original web series, Bang Baaja Baaraat and Man’s World, its heart-warming anthology of short films, Love Shots, and its game-changing initiative of creating India’s first transgender band, The 6-Pack Band. Keeping with its exciting tradition of tackling unexpected spaces and putting forth fresh stories, its next series, Ladies Room, goes  boldly where no man has gone before: the women’s loo.

    “Web-series are the medium of the future,” says Bhandary.

    They came, we saw, they conquered

    According to the FICCI KPMG Report 2016, digital advertising will continue to grow at a high CAGR of 33.5 per cent, the highest growing medium of all. The report also points out that there will be an evident shift towards mobile and video advertising backed by the opening up of bandwidth in the country by 2020.

    The report estimates that by 2020 digital advertising will touch Rs 255 billion (Rs 25,500 crore) and contribute 25.7 per cent of the total advertising revenue. This fact is the key reason why many broadcasters and DTH players have forayed into the VOD space.

    Digital content creation appears to hold a lot of promise, courtesy the numerous VOD platforms launching. They have been reaching out to new creators, and to existing TV creators to produce content for them. Platforms like Hotstar, Arre, ErosNow, SonyLiv, NexGTV,  have entered the space. They have started creating different, fresh content that does not resonate with traditonal, boring saas bahu TV narratives. 

    “Web-series are a key offering to the digital audience. Broadcasters are also offering content on digital targeting its early adopters. This is a unique offering from any other type of content”, says MSM executive vice president and head – digital business Uday Sodhi.

    While, on the one hand, branded content is taking digital content to new, exciting heights, on the other hand, the micro online community is losing its independent vibe. Players like TVF, AIB, Freemantle,  are independent content creators who are raising funds by doing deals with brands and brand integrating them into the narrative. Others such   Arre has recently commissioned Monozygotic Productions’ to deliver A.I.SHA-My Virtual Girlfriend.

    A source points out that, “The production cost of per episode of a web-series is similar to that of a fiction show, that is, Rs 7-8 lakhs. Though it varies for everyone, most of the platforms shoot it in high-quality with more emphasis on the cast and the story-line”.

    The commissioning depends on the setup vis-à-vis cost an organisation is willing to pay. “If the series is produced independently, the IP as well as licensing rights remain with the owner of the series.  However, it changes as one enters into co-production,” adds Kohli.

    But, does it help?

    The OTT battle is being fought on multiple parameters including content, network bandwidth, data rates as well as free vs  paid content. However, there are some important factors for consideration like the kind of content, its genre, format and the duration of the episode, which are essential to ensure that the new content being created will resonate well with today’s viewers.

    To attract audiences, creators have to start investing extensively in web-series content. A report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) says that the number of monthly active video users in India during 2014 was 12.3 million (123 lakh) people. The Asia-Pacific online video revenue is expected to reach $35 billion by 2021, an average annual growth of 22 per cent from $13 billion in 2016.

    Kohli points out to a 2012 report by PWC which predicts that by the end of 2016, India will have 176 million (17.6 crore) OTT viewers generating revenues of more than $500 million.

    “We target to reach those 176 million viewers. We have recently opened our app to 141 countries including India. We currently receive close to a million (10 lakh) subscribers on nexGTv every month. We are extremely confident that our offerings – both current and proposed shall resonate very well with our global audiences, including our very first original series and India’s first mobi-series- ‘It’s My City’, starring Priyanka Chopra as herself,” adds Kohli.

    “nexGTV also aims at a healthy upwards of 20 per cent month-on-month growth rate due to expansion. We possess a great deal of learning in terms of our existing users content consumption behaviour, preference and pattern along with the overall understanding of what kind of content will have better uptake among the target audience.  We launched It’s My City – based on these insights,” explains Kolhi.

    “Yes, web-series does help in expanding our reach,” adds Sodhi. “Web-series are gaining aggressive pace in India and are becoming popular day-by-day. We have also seen multiple brands showing interest in web-series. Brands like Kingfisher, Ola, Castrol, E-bay, Unlimited, Maruti Suzuki – Swift, Truly Madly, Myntra, Gillette Venus, Miss Malini, Saavn and Fogg Deos have come on board for various shows.”

    “Web series is a fantastic proposition. We are yet to have an association. What we would like is to associate with content when it is the planning stage rather than endorsing a created one,” says Hector Beverages marketing head Parvesh Debuka.

    “Brands need to believe in the power of digital. It’s a two way process. There is a lot of money flowing in cleverly from various brands. A strong story structure will attract good brands”, adds Bhandary.

    “It is tricky for brands to come on board for such type of content. When we approached a few sponsors in the beginning, they had a few reservations. It took us sometime to convince them that the content would not make the brand look negative or dark. The challenge is to convince advertisers that content on digital and internet works well,” adds Monozygotic co-founder Rajiv Laxman.

    The MPA reports also outlines that online video advertising is expected to grow to 22 per cent by 2021, currently it accounts for less than 15 per cent. Online video ad sales will reach approximately $22 billion by 2021 versus $9 billion in 2016, a 19 per cent CAGR.

    “Digital series have always been there, they’re just getting noticed more these days. Advertising will slowly happen. The creators are integrating brands seamlessly in a show rather than screaming loudly about it. This is definitely an advantage,”  asserts Sodhi

    The Way Ahead

    The recent entry of multiple players including global player Netflix indicates that this space has enough room for everyone in this sector which is only going to grow further. Irrespective of the fact that India’s digital infrastructure is yet to meet the necessary requirements of the OTT ecosystem, a huge number of players are coming into the fray. 

    Consolidation in the mobile TV or OTT video sector is still some time away as the Indian mobile story is only now reaching a threshold with close to a billion connections and the advent to 3G and 4G networks, together with affordable smart-phones and data plans which are bound to give the necessary fillip to the sector.

    “The recent entry of multiple players including global ones in this area has in fact helped ratify the concept, business model, and potential of mobile TV/ digital video which players such as nexGTv pioneered long back,” says Kohli.

    Seconding the opinion, Laxman says, “Web-series are here to stay. There is a new audience that has come up and it makes sense to come up with content only meant for them. Web-series give a fresh feel to dialogues and binds audiences.”

  • Indian OTT content has a huge potential to make money in overseas markets

    Indian OTT content has a huge potential to make money in overseas markets

    MUMBAI:  With every big and small player wanting a bite out of the OTT pie, it is critical to stop and think about the ground realities involved with this paradigm shift to prevent overzealousness getting the better of rationality. That is precisely why the thought leaders and stakeholders in the emerging space got together to discuss at length the OTT Opportunities and Strategies in India  at the second edition of NexTv Series India 2016 conference organised by Dataxis

    The organisers approached the topic in a more targeted way by splitting the panel into two parts – short form and long form content. The first panel comprising of Red Chillies VFX lead digital strategist Sidharth Iyer, Eros Now business head Zulfiqar Khan, CA Media Digital CEO Vivek Jain, and Vuclip global content and acquisition director Nikhil Naik discussing long form content on OTT platforms.

    The panel started with each player laying down their perspective on what made the OTT sphere such a game changing one, and then went on to categorise the genres of long format content on OTT platforms that they thought would work.

    After segregating the type of content that Bollywood is currently churning out, Iyer was quick to point out the potential for the booming kids’ content in India, especially in the digital space. Citing the example of Viacom18’s recently launched OTT arm VOOT and its separate kids’ library, Iyer emphasised that the kids’ genre was the next big thing in the content space, not just for its reach but because of its prolonged shelf life as well.

    Seconding Iyer, Khan further reiterated the OTT mantra, “What works on TV doesn’t work on digital.”
    The panellists also warned against stereotyping of content by constantly asking “what genre works on OTT”, as it could restrict creators from thinking out of the box and creating beneficial disruptions.

    The overseas market for the emerging OTT platforms in India was the next big turning point in the discussion. Naik, backed by experience of operating in several south Asian markets, bet high on the revenue generation potential of Indian content in overseas markets. “Solving user problems is the right way to approach a new market, and this will show revenue growth for the players,” Naik suggested. Citing his own company’s experience from operating in the Asian market, Naik narrated how providing quick and quality subtitles along with simulcast options of popular Korean dramas won subscribers in its Malaysian operations.

    Censorship was a mammoth issue that the panel addressed. Speaking from a digital content creator perspective, Iyer vouched for the creative liberty of creators, while Jain suggested targeted showcasing or distribution of content to deal with the censorship issue. Khan brought in a fresh perspective by calling censorship a ‘cultural issue rather than a policy one’. “We can’t judge how the entire nation thinks based on a few people here in a five star  hotel in Mumbai say. Solving the censorship issue lies in understanding the value system of the country rather than ignoring it or forcing it to change. There is a huge gap in tier II and tier III cities between access rates and sensibility development. I suggest we take the example from the TV model and form an industry body and practice self-regulation. It’s high time we start talking about it.”

    The second panel comprising of Alt Digital Media Entertainment CSO Eklavya Bhattacharya, Ditto TV business head Archana Anand, Zenga group MD Shabir Momin and  Fame Digital SVP Shreyas Rao  opened the floor with discussions about the challenges in creating short form content for the digital platform.

    “Everyone diving into the OTT space is hedging their bets on the media given its nascent nature. It is leading to content creators becoming more and more possessive of their content, and pushing the prices upward,” Anand made a powerful point.

    Steering away from the predictable ‘pricing’ issue for OTT platforms and digital content creators, Bhattacharya shared his thoughts on ‘convenience.’  “Video consumption is currently driven by convenience, and not taste and preference. Music saw a similar paradigm shift when cassettes disappeared and people asked where the artists and labels were going to make money from. And now T-Series on digital is one of the biggest revenue generators. This doesn’t mean that people didn’t chose the easy way out by downloading songs from sites like Songs.pk, but that it became easier to buy and listen to songs online. So whether people will pay or not ultimately boils down to convenience even for the OTT players.”

    The panel also gave an interesting point of view on the David vs Goliath scenario that currently exists between the big label OTT players like VOOT, Hotstar and Sony Live; and the emerging content start-ups. “The larger players can play on their experience of content creation and their ready bank, but the newer players have the advantage of being agile and flexible. They will be the innovation drivers in content on OTT platforms and evangelise new genres playing on their social media and topicalty strengths.”

    Anand however placed her bets on the OTT platforms operating under a larger broadcast umbrella like SPN, Viacon 18 or Star, as ultimately success in this emerging sphere would be a waiting game. “Those going for the AVOD model will have to build a critical viewership before they can rake in the revenues, and those who are opting for the subscription revenue model, will have to wait till the bandwidth issue gets resolved and Indians adopt to paying for their content, both needing a good two to three years. Thus to sustain these two to five years, the big players will have the funding advantage.”

    The panellists further highlighted the potential for Indian content to travel overseas and make a market for itself. “Geo agnostic content is the future of OTT. No one really cares that a Swedish production house is making GOT. If the content is good, people are willing to pay for it. Between Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, that is, the Indian subcontinent, Indian content has a huge potential,” Bhattacharya shared. “There is a huge market out there amongst the large population of the Indian diaspora sitting outside the country who are also in a situation to pay for the content.”

    Bhattacharya further added that there was a scope to create content that would appeal to the regional markets, and the diaspora that related to that content outside the country. “For years content creators were creating content so that broadcasters could monetise it for advertisers so a lot of the content was very specific. Who is creating content for that Tamil guy sitting in Singapore? Give them good content they will pay for it for certain.”

    The panel concluded with discussions on a need for a new type advertisement creative that wasn’t intrusive and moved away from the traditional way of slapping advertisements on audiences. Cleverly and creatively done branded content was an alternative offered by the panel.

     

  • Indian OTT content has a huge potential to make money in overseas markets

    Indian OTT content has a huge potential to make money in overseas markets

    MUMBAI:  With every big and small player wanting a bite out of the OTT pie, it is critical to stop and think about the ground realities involved with this paradigm shift to prevent overzealousness getting the better of rationality. That is precisely why the thought leaders and stakeholders in the emerging space got together to discuss at length the OTT Opportunities and Strategies in India  at the second edition of NexTv Series India 2016 conference organised by Dataxis

    The organisers approached the topic in a more targeted way by splitting the panel into two parts – short form and long form content. The first panel comprising of Red Chillies VFX lead digital strategist Sidharth Iyer, Eros Now business head Zulfiqar Khan, CA Media Digital CEO Vivek Jain, and Vuclip global content and acquisition director Nikhil Naik discussing long form content on OTT platforms.

    The panel started with each player laying down their perspective on what made the OTT sphere such a game changing one, and then went on to categorise the genres of long format content on OTT platforms that they thought would work.

    After segregating the type of content that Bollywood is currently churning out, Iyer was quick to point out the potential for the booming kids’ content in India, especially in the digital space. Citing the example of Viacom18’s recently launched OTT arm VOOT and its separate kids’ library, Iyer emphasised that the kids’ genre was the next big thing in the content space, not just for its reach but because of its prolonged shelf life as well.

    Seconding Iyer, Khan further reiterated the OTT mantra, “What works on TV doesn’t work on digital.”
    The panellists also warned against stereotyping of content by constantly asking “what genre works on OTT”, as it could restrict creators from thinking out of the box and creating beneficial disruptions.

    The overseas market for the emerging OTT platforms in India was the next big turning point in the discussion. Naik, backed by experience of operating in several south Asian markets, bet high on the revenue generation potential of Indian content in overseas markets. “Solving user problems is the right way to approach a new market, and this will show revenue growth for the players,” Naik suggested. Citing his own company’s experience from operating in the Asian market, Naik narrated how providing quick and quality subtitles along with simulcast options of popular Korean dramas won subscribers in its Malaysian operations.

    Censorship was a mammoth issue that the panel addressed. Speaking from a digital content creator perspective, Iyer vouched for the creative liberty of creators, while Jain suggested targeted showcasing or distribution of content to deal with the censorship issue. Khan brought in a fresh perspective by calling censorship a ‘cultural issue rather than a policy one’. “We can’t judge how the entire nation thinks based on a few people here in a five star  hotel in Mumbai say. Solving the censorship issue lies in understanding the value system of the country rather than ignoring it or forcing it to change. There is a huge gap in tier II and tier III cities between access rates and sensibility development. I suggest we take the example from the TV model and form an industry body and practice self-regulation. It’s high time we start talking about it.”

    The second panel comprising of Alt Digital Media Entertainment CSO Eklavya Bhattacharya, Ditto TV business head Archana Anand, Zenga group MD Shabir Momin and  Fame Digital SVP Shreyas Rao  opened the floor with discussions about the challenges in creating short form content for the digital platform.

    “Everyone diving into the OTT space is hedging their bets on the media given its nascent nature. It is leading to content creators becoming more and more possessive of their content, and pushing the prices upward,” Anand made a powerful point.

    Steering away from the predictable ‘pricing’ issue for OTT platforms and digital content creators, Bhattacharya shared his thoughts on ‘convenience.’  “Video consumption is currently driven by convenience, and not taste and preference. Music saw a similar paradigm shift when cassettes disappeared and people asked where the artists and labels were going to make money from. And now T-Series on digital is one of the biggest revenue generators. This doesn’t mean that people didn’t chose the easy way out by downloading songs from sites like Songs.pk, but that it became easier to buy and listen to songs online. So whether people will pay or not ultimately boils down to convenience even for the OTT players.”

    The panel also gave an interesting point of view on the David vs Goliath scenario that currently exists between the big label OTT players like VOOT, Hotstar and Sony Live; and the emerging content start-ups. “The larger players can play on their experience of content creation and their ready bank, but the newer players have the advantage of being agile and flexible. They will be the innovation drivers in content on OTT platforms and evangelise new genres playing on their social media and topicalty strengths.”

    Anand however placed her bets on the OTT platforms operating under a larger broadcast umbrella like SPN, Viacon 18 or Star, as ultimately success in this emerging sphere would be a waiting game. “Those going for the AVOD model will have to build a critical viewership before they can rake in the revenues, and those who are opting for the subscription revenue model, will have to wait till the bandwidth issue gets resolved and Indians adopt to paying for their content, both needing a good two to three years. Thus to sustain these two to five years, the big players will have the funding advantage.”

    The panellists further highlighted the potential for Indian content to travel overseas and make a market for itself. “Geo agnostic content is the future of OTT. No one really cares that a Swedish production house is making GOT. If the content is good, people are willing to pay for it. Between Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, that is, the Indian subcontinent, Indian content has a huge potential,” Bhattacharya shared. “There is a huge market out there amongst the large population of the Indian diaspora sitting outside the country who are also in a situation to pay for the content.”

    Bhattacharya further added that there was a scope to create content that would appeal to the regional markets, and the diaspora that related to that content outside the country. “For years content creators were creating content so that broadcasters could monetise it for advertisers so a lot of the content was very specific. Who is creating content for that Tamil guy sitting in Singapore? Give them good content they will pay for it for certain.”

    The panel concluded with discussions on a need for a new type advertisement creative that wasn’t intrusive and moved away from the traditional way of slapping advertisements on audiences. Cleverly and creatively done branded content was an alternative offered by the panel.

     

  • How will the new breed of content creators fit in the digital space with big daddies around?

    How will the new breed of content creators fit in the digital space with big daddies around?

    MUMBAI: The beauty of digital is that the younger audience can bubble up digital content for the older audience. With videos and internet becoming synonymous with each other, we tend to consume more information in the form of videos in today’s time. Reports say that Indian content gets roughly 7 billion (700 crore) views a month with a watch time of 2 billion (200 crore) hours. And what is driving this massive consumption, but the younger audience? The market is for all age groups, but is largely driven by the youngsters, the millennials. The space has also created a new age of celebrities. Brands are increasingly looking to tie-up with these content creators. The boundaries of broadcast companies, ad agencies, technology companies, music labels, etc., all are morphing into this new medium of entertainment.

    Discussing the birth of a ‘New breed of content creators powered by digital’ was a panel comprising of The Viral Fever CEO Arunabh Kumar, Rajshri Entertainment Private Limited MD and CEO Rajjat Barjatiya, Terribly Tiny Tales founder Anuj Gosalia, East India Comedy founder Kunal Rao, Click Digital studios co-founder Anand Doshi and Ping Digital Broadcast co-founder and director for talent and acquisitions Anagha Rajadhyaksha. The session was moderated by Qyuki co-founder and MD Samir Bangara.

    With big daddies like Hotstar, VOOT, etc, in the digital space, the question that arises is how is this content going to fit in the space or are they going to get stomped out?

    Kumar responded, speaking about his own company, “Obviously there are people sitting with lot of money above us. But the simple difference TVF has is that we started with videos at the time when no one was even watching them. We remain a content company, we wanted to make certain types of shows which no one wanted to produce and hence we started making web series on our own. We wanted to make web series since 2010. We are in love with creating content. The age group of 18-24 is the progressive audience, and they are bored of the stories that come on TV. We still take time and sweat to make something and still get the same amount of joy when someone appreciates it. I don’t think there is any competition. We are still evolving and I don’t think there is any question of competition with the bigger players”.

    Barjatiya said, “I think this is a very sweet spot for us. We have been producing films since 1947 and 10 years ago we started acquiring rights for content. And now we produce 3 hours of short form content for the web every day. We are a platform agnostic company and we have chosen to become the product on other platforms. We want to be the product on others’ shelves. I will never launch my own platform. We have 100 distribution partnerships with national and international companies and we are happy with this. We have got 610 billion (6,10,000 crore) views on Youtube.”

    When asked about the monetisation model that Rajshri follows, Bharjatiya replied, “Organic ads consumed on a platform like Youtube, make an amount of about 10-20 paise per view depending on various factors which comes up to 55 per cent.” He further revealed that long form of premium content works well for the company. “We are getting more traffic from mobile phones and the ad-rates are also inching up. I have been observing that more and more people are watching content on phones.”

    Doshi said, “I think it also depends on the time that you release your video. It also matters. If I release my video when I see a trend, it works more effectively for us. The fill rate also matters in a country like India. Right now we touch 120 million (12 crore) views every month on our network. The concern is that we get 90 per cent traction from mobile. It’s a beautiful scenario and the future is mobile phones but the ad sales are going down.”

    Citing an example, Doshi pointed out one of the spoofs of Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo, Bharjatiya claimed the content from Anand, and hence monetized it. So, the money was directed to Bharjatiya while the subscribers remained with Doshi.

    When asked about the shift from stand-up comedy to sketch, Rao said, “Our motto is to get people out of cinemas to us. No one reads the ads in newspapers. We wanted people to know that stand-up comedy exits. The objective is to reach out to the maximum people. Initially we had to go to places for our shows, but today we don’t have to go everywhere. Content is content; it does not have to be short or extraordinary. We give out very simple content and have roughly 3,50,000 views on our network.”

    The fact that Youtube subscribers cannot be bought or marketed is very well known to all of us. The delivery platforms are blooming up efficiently which is evident by the growing number of views each of the creators gets in a month.

    “In India, subscription is always connected with money. The subscribers don’t know the cost involved and hence don’t click that button often”, added Bharjatiya.

    “On any OTT platform, you pay first and then watch content. But on Youtube, you can watch content first and then subscribe for it. It’s like giving ‘dakshina’,” said Kumar.

    Ping Network basically produces the ‘how to’ videos and fuels search engines. “We are not in the viral business. Our focus is on utility content. As people want to know things every now and then, that is how we have grown. The power of digital is that you are true to your content. If you are pulling out a video, if it’s powerful and is good, the content will definitely work”, said Rajadhyaksha.

    Gosalia added, “We give out tweet size stories and currently reach out to 12 ½ million (1.25 crore) people on social media. We have collaborated with a lot of brands which comes out in the forms of images. We work with around 30,000 writers. We also do text content for brands. We are primarily focused on quality, commitment and reachability.  Videos are difficult and are completely different for us but they have done well for us in the past. For us to stay in this business where we want to scale stories, we went back to text. We are basically attacking the niche-micro fiction and are taking it global.”

    Talking about the money involved, Kumar said, “Way back in 2008, we used to get Rs 20-30,000 for content. The scale has gone up now. The money involved is couple of times more than a TV episode.”

    “In this business, passion is more important than money”, concluded Bharjatiya.

    With these new breed of content creators powered by digital, content will only evolve and leverage various opportunities in a digital consuming world. It will be interesting to see how the industry meets the talent pool in India over the next few years.

  • How will the new breed of content creators fit in the digital space with big daddies around?

    How will the new breed of content creators fit in the digital space with big daddies around?

    MUMBAI: The beauty of digital is that the younger audience can bubble up digital content for the older audience. With videos and internet becoming synonymous with each other, we tend to consume more information in the form of videos in today’s time. Reports say that Indian content gets roughly 7 billion (700 crore) views a month with a watch time of 2 billion (200 crore) hours. And what is driving this massive consumption, but the younger audience? The market is for all age groups, but is largely driven by the youngsters, the millennials. The space has also created a new age of celebrities. Brands are increasingly looking to tie-up with these content creators. The boundaries of broadcast companies, ad agencies, technology companies, music labels, etc., all are morphing into this new medium of entertainment.

    Discussing the birth of a ‘New breed of content creators powered by digital’ was a panel comprising of The Viral Fever CEO Arunabh Kumar, Rajshri Entertainment Private Limited MD and CEO Rajjat Barjatiya, Terribly Tiny Tales founder Anuj Gosalia, East India Comedy founder Kunal Rao, Click Digital studios co-founder Anand Doshi and Ping Digital Broadcast co-founder and director for talent and acquisitions Anagha Rajadhyaksha. The session was moderated by Qyuki co-founder and MD Samir Bangara.

    With big daddies like Hotstar, VOOT, etc, in the digital space, the question that arises is how is this content going to fit in the space or are they going to get stomped out?

    Kumar responded, speaking about his own company, “Obviously there are people sitting with lot of money above us. But the simple difference TVF has is that we started with videos at the time when no one was even watching them. We remain a content company, we wanted to make certain types of shows which no one wanted to produce and hence we started making web series on our own. We wanted to make web series since 2010. We are in love with creating content. The age group of 18-24 is the progressive audience, and they are bored of the stories that come on TV. We still take time and sweat to make something and still get the same amount of joy when someone appreciates it. I don’t think there is any competition. We are still evolving and I don’t think there is any question of competition with the bigger players”.

    Barjatiya said, “I think this is a very sweet spot for us. We have been producing films since 1947 and 10 years ago we started acquiring rights for content. And now we produce 3 hours of short form content for the web every day. We are a platform agnostic company and we have chosen to become the product on other platforms. We want to be the product on others’ shelves. I will never launch my own platform. We have 100 distribution partnerships with national and international companies and we are happy with this. We have got 610 billion (6,10,000 crore) views on Youtube.”

    When asked about the monetisation model that Rajshri follows, Bharjatiya replied, “Organic ads consumed on a platform like Youtube, make an amount of about 10-20 paise per view depending on various factors which comes up to 55 per cent.” He further revealed that long form of premium content works well for the company. “We are getting more traffic from mobile phones and the ad-rates are also inching up. I have been observing that more and more people are watching content on phones.”

    Doshi said, “I think it also depends on the time that you release your video. It also matters. If I release my video when I see a trend, it works more effectively for us. The fill rate also matters in a country like India. Right now we touch 120 million (12 crore) views every month on our network. The concern is that we get 90 per cent traction from mobile. It’s a beautiful scenario and the future is mobile phones but the ad sales are going down.”

    Citing an example, Doshi pointed out one of the spoofs of Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo, Bharjatiya claimed the content from Anand, and hence monetized it. So, the money was directed to Bharjatiya while the subscribers remained with Doshi.

    When asked about the shift from stand-up comedy to sketch, Rao said, “Our motto is to get people out of cinemas to us. No one reads the ads in newspapers. We wanted people to know that stand-up comedy exits. The objective is to reach out to the maximum people. Initially we had to go to places for our shows, but today we don’t have to go everywhere. Content is content; it does not have to be short or extraordinary. We give out very simple content and have roughly 3,50,000 views on our network.”

    The fact that Youtube subscribers cannot be bought or marketed is very well known to all of us. The delivery platforms are blooming up efficiently which is evident by the growing number of views each of the creators gets in a month.

    “In India, subscription is always connected with money. The subscribers don’t know the cost involved and hence don’t click that button often”, added Bharjatiya.

    “On any OTT platform, you pay first and then watch content. But on Youtube, you can watch content first and then subscribe for it. It’s like giving ‘dakshina’,” said Kumar.

    Ping Network basically produces the ‘how to’ videos and fuels search engines. “We are not in the viral business. Our focus is on utility content. As people want to know things every now and then, that is how we have grown. The power of digital is that you are true to your content. If you are pulling out a video, if it’s powerful and is good, the content will definitely work”, said Rajadhyaksha.

    Gosalia added, “We give out tweet size stories and currently reach out to 12 ½ million (1.25 crore) people on social media. We have collaborated with a lot of brands which comes out in the forms of images. We work with around 30,000 writers. We also do text content for brands. We are primarily focused on quality, commitment and reachability.  Videos are difficult and are completely different for us but they have done well for us in the past. For us to stay in this business where we want to scale stories, we went back to text. We are basically attacking the niche-micro fiction and are taking it global.”

    Talking about the money involved, Kumar said, “Way back in 2008, we used to get Rs 20-30,000 for content. The scale has gone up now. The money involved is couple of times more than a TV episode.”

    “In this business, passion is more important than money”, concluded Bharjatiya.

    With these new breed of content creators powered by digital, content will only evolve and leverage various opportunities in a digital consuming world. It will be interesting to see how the industry meets the talent pool in India over the next few years.

  • Viacom18 launches its AVOD platform VOOT; to move its entire content library

    Viacom18 launches its AVOD platform VOOT; to move its entire content library

    MUMBAI: Finally setting to rest about when it would launch its OTT platform, Viacom18 launched its digital VOD platform VOOT. VOOT will be an advertising led VOD platform and will be available for free on iOS, Android and web.

    In a major move aimed at curating the largest repository of kids’ characters in the Indian OTT space, VOOT will house popular characters from across networks – from Nick characters like Dora, Spongebob, Motu Patlu to external popular characters like Chhota Bheem and Pokemon. In what it claims to be another first for an Indian OTT player, VOOT has launched with the largest repository of original content. VOOT Originals will roll out shows in both long and short formats across genres like comedy and drama. Bollywood actors Gulshan Grover, Baba Sehgal, Alok Nath and a host of celebrity scriptwriters and directors will be front-lining these shows. Furthermore, Viacom18 will move its entire content library, including COLORS, MTV and Nick, to be digitally available only on VOOT.

    Commenting on the launch, Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said, “India is at the cusp of a digital boom with over 400 million (20 crore) internet users and 200 million plus (20 crore plus)smart phone users spending significant amount of time online with entertainment and allied content being the prime driver. As more people move towards consuming content online, it is time for Viacom18 to move into the world of connected screens. Hence VOOT.”

    VOOT’s target audience strategy is in line with Viacom18’s larger strategy – it is a one stop destination for tots to adults. And this is where VOOT brings its unique proposition. Explaining further, Vats added, “With Kids’ content and our entire VOOT Originals line-up, the focus was to get people addicted to happiness. Through our content strategy, that is what we have held true. Our television channels also provide a very robust content bank that we will build upon, for the digital consumers. VOOT will be Viacom18’s singular gateway to quality and differentiated content, in the digital medium.”

    Echoing his CEO’s enthusiasm, Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gaurav Gandhi explained further, “As a network we are a content powerhouse, be it through our television channels or through our film studio. Our content strategy for VOOT is true to Viacom18’s philosophy of inclusive entertainment. Between VOOT Originals, VOOT Kids, our network content and content-around-content created exclusively for the platform, the idea is to peddle happiness to the ‘always wanting’ India, racing to go digital. Our marketing campaign, set to kick off in the next few days, also highlights this brand philosophy that is at the core of VOOT. ”

    With digital advertising led video-on-demand category set to develop into a $1 billion business opportunity, Viacom18 has lined up an aggressive mix of business, content and marketing strategies. “From a business standpoint, we are following the advertising led VOD model. As the market matures in the next 12-24 months, we will be evaluating both freemium and subscription led models,” explained Gandhi.

    The VOOT bouquet of offerings will include fresh, new content mix, keeping in mind the varied demands of the consumer base. VOOT has planned six originals through its launch phase, and is all set to introduce India’s first mockumentary – Badman. Written and directed by Soumik Sen and co-written by stand-up comedian Anubhav Pal; this 4-part film has Gulshan Grover playing himself. Soadies, a comic spin off of the ever popular Roadies, was also unveiled at the launch. With Baba Sehgal in the lead role, the web sit-com produced by Frames has all his trademark antics to laugh your guts out.

    Comedy rules the roost on VOOT. With a web series ‘Chinese Bhassad’ written by Raahil Qaazi (Co-writer of Do Dooni Chaar) and directed and produced by Saurabh Tewari and a talk show with a ‘twist; called’Sinskari’ starring Alok Nath and produced by Monozygotic is all set to keep you in splits this April!

    In the ‘Content around content’ category, there will be specially curated and platform exclusive shows, exploring never before seen footage and storylines to get you hooked. Rounding up the VOOT content mix, will be all of Viacom18’s channels’ shows. The OTT platform will offer a personalised experience and intuitive product features to engage the always on generation. With VOOT Viacom18 continues to enrich the lives of every Indian with something for everyone.

  • Viacom18 launches its AVOD platform VOOT; to move its entire content library

    Viacom18 launches its AVOD platform VOOT; to move its entire content library

    MUMBAI: Finally setting to rest about when it would launch its OTT platform, Viacom18 launched its digital VOD platform VOOT. VOOT will be an advertising led VOD platform and will be available for free on iOS, Android and web.

    In a major move aimed at curating the largest repository of kids’ characters in the Indian OTT space, VOOT will house popular characters from across networks – from Nick characters like Dora, Spongebob, Motu Patlu to external popular characters like Chhota Bheem and Pokemon. In what it claims to be another first for an Indian OTT player, VOOT has launched with the largest repository of original content. VOOT Originals will roll out shows in both long and short formats across genres like comedy and drama. Bollywood actors Gulshan Grover, Baba Sehgal, Alok Nath and a host of celebrity scriptwriters and directors will be front-lining these shows. Furthermore, Viacom18 will move its entire content library, including COLORS, MTV and Nick, to be digitally available only on VOOT.

    Commenting on the launch, Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said, “India is at the cusp of a digital boom with over 400 million (20 crore) internet users and 200 million plus (20 crore plus)smart phone users spending significant amount of time online with entertainment and allied content being the prime driver. As more people move towards consuming content online, it is time for Viacom18 to move into the world of connected screens. Hence VOOT.”

    VOOT’s target audience strategy is in line with Viacom18’s larger strategy – it is a one stop destination for tots to adults. And this is where VOOT brings its unique proposition. Explaining further, Vats added, “With Kids’ content and our entire VOOT Originals line-up, the focus was to get people addicted to happiness. Through our content strategy, that is what we have held true. Our television channels also provide a very robust content bank that we will build upon, for the digital consumers. VOOT will be Viacom18’s singular gateway to quality and differentiated content, in the digital medium.”

    Echoing his CEO’s enthusiasm, Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gaurav Gandhi explained further, “As a network we are a content powerhouse, be it through our television channels or through our film studio. Our content strategy for VOOT is true to Viacom18’s philosophy of inclusive entertainment. Between VOOT Originals, VOOT Kids, our network content and content-around-content created exclusively for the platform, the idea is to peddle happiness to the ‘always wanting’ India, racing to go digital. Our marketing campaign, set to kick off in the next few days, also highlights this brand philosophy that is at the core of VOOT. ”

    With digital advertising led video-on-demand category set to develop into a $1 billion business opportunity, Viacom18 has lined up an aggressive mix of business, content and marketing strategies. “From a business standpoint, we are following the advertising led VOD model. As the market matures in the next 12-24 months, we will be evaluating both freemium and subscription led models,” explained Gandhi.

    The VOOT bouquet of offerings will include fresh, new content mix, keeping in mind the varied demands of the consumer base. VOOT has planned six originals through its launch phase, and is all set to introduce India’s first mockumentary – Badman. Written and directed by Soumik Sen and co-written by stand-up comedian Anubhav Pal; this 4-part film has Gulshan Grover playing himself. Soadies, a comic spin off of the ever popular Roadies, was also unveiled at the launch. With Baba Sehgal in the lead role, the web sit-com produced by Frames has all his trademark antics to laugh your guts out.

    Comedy rules the roost on VOOT. With a web series ‘Chinese Bhassad’ written by Raahil Qaazi (Co-writer of Do Dooni Chaar) and directed and produced by Saurabh Tewari and a talk show with a ‘twist; called’Sinskari’ starring Alok Nath and produced by Monozygotic is all set to keep you in splits this April!

    In the ‘Content around content’ category, there will be specially curated and platform exclusive shows, exploring never before seen footage and storylines to get you hooked. Rounding up the VOOT content mix, will be all of Viacom18’s channels’ shows. The OTT platform will offer a personalised experience and intuitive product features to engage the always on generation. With VOOT Viacom18 continues to enrich the lives of every Indian with something for everyone.

  • VOOT plans to launch separate app for kids

    VOOT plans to launch separate app for kids

    MUMBAI: Viacom 18’s latest offering, its OTT arm VOOT, is banking heavily on the network’s rich kids content. Not only that, it plans to go beyond the network’s flagship shows like Motu Patlu and Shiva, and acquire kids content from an array of producers, small and large.

    The OTT player has already acquired digital rights to internationally acclaimed properties like Pokémon and Chhota Bheem for the platform that went live yesterday.

    “The idea is to bring together the top character shows under one digital platform to make the most of this booming market for kids content online with the aim being a market leader in the domain,” said Viacom 18 Digital Ventures COO Gaurav Gandhi.

    When quizzed about the possibility of VOOT launching a separate app for kids, Gandhi shared that they are considering it ‘within a year’s’ time. Currently the OTT platform has a separate section for kids’ content within the same app.