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New Delhi, Apr 20 () Leading media and content company Balaji Telefilms Ltd on Monday said its OTT platform ALTBalaji witnessed a strong uptake of digital subscriptions during the lockdown, even as its content production came to a "standstill".ALTBalaji added an average of 17,000 subscriptions per day post lockdown, registering a growth of around 60 per cent as against 10,600 in March 2020 pre lockdown, said Balaji Telefilms in a business update to bourses.The company is closely monitoring the situation and is well positioned to restart production as soon as the situation returns to normalcy. "Given the national lockdown, all content production has come to a standstill, we continue to monitor the situation closely. We are very confident that demand for content will increase once the situation returns to normal and are well prepared to resume business and ramp up content sales once the lock down is over," it said.The company continues to have a very strong balance sheet with zero debt and cash balance of Rs 141 crore as on March 31, 2020. "In addition, we hold readily monetizable inventory and receivables of films totalling Rs 99 crores which will add to our cash balance. The effective cash balance of the Company stands at Rs 240 crores," it said.While talking about its OTT platform, Balaji Telefilms said that its has witnessed strong growth in watch times and subscriptions both during the lockdown period in its all key markets and demographics. "ALTBalaji is witnessing strong uptake of digital subscriptions with an average of 17,000 subscriptions added per day post lockdown vs an average of 10,600 in March 2020 pre lockdown a growth of 60 per cent," said Balaji Telefilms.As of date, ALTBalaji has over 1.7 million active direct subscribers, it added. On its television content production, Balaji Telefilms said it has stopped production after March 18 and in the Q4 (January-March), it had produced 199 hours of content."The company stopped all production on March 18 and had produced 199 hours of content for Q4 vs 219 hours in Q3 (October-December)," it said adding Balaji Telefilms is well positioned to restart production as soon as the situation returns to normalcy.Over its movie production business, the company which has three movies in pipeline said it has no planned releases in the current quarter and are currently awaiting more clarity on the available windows."Balaji Telefilms currently has 3 movies in the pipeline of which Ktina was still under production at the time of the lockdown. Production work for the other two movies (Pagglait and Dolly Kitty Aur Who Chamakte Sitare) are complete. We had no planned releases in the current quarter and are currently awaiting more clarity on the available windows to release Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare," it said. KRH MKJ

Digital subscriptions up 60% during lockdown, content production stalled: Balaji Telefilms

<ul><li>One of India’s biggest producers, <keyword id="6354597" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ekta-Kapoor">Ekta Kapoor</keyword>, says streaming giants will go for movies which are economical. </li><li>She suggested Indian film makers to start producing cost-effective films so that they can approach OTT players in case they are unable to release their films theatrically. </li><li>Kapoor is confident that people will still watch films — even if they stream it online. </li></ul>Indian film and television producer Ekta Kapoor believes the budgets for movies should go down by at least 30% post the COVID-19 crisis. “I would say to keep in mind that tomorrow supply vs demand might change with different apps, because there are only three or four big apps picking up films people like us will be making more content instead, they will have to deliberately keep cost at 30% lower, one sector i.e theatres have gone down,” Ekta Kapoor, Joint Managing Director and Creative Head of '<keyword id="1227219" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Balaji-Telefilms-Limited">Balaji Telefilms Limited</keyword>', told Business Insider in its latest episode of the Big reset. <div type="twitter" handle="BiIndia" handlename="Business Insider India🇮🇳" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1232926719016718336/sfffJHNV_normal.jpg" favoritecount="63" retweetcount="35" status="#TheBigReset | @Biindia's @iyer_sriram speaks to @SunjoyJ of @orfonline, @BTL_Balaji's @ektarkapoor, @oyorooms'… https://t.co/KazRSOwkCG" createdat="1591785193000" id="1270665315731386369"></div> Kapoor is the Managing director of Balaji Telefilms and is famous for producing some of best-selling soap operas for more than two decades. She suggested Indian film makers to start producing cost-effective films so that they can approach OTT players in case they are unable to release their films theatrically. “Since everyone is aware of the situation being so drastic, the industry must come together and say let’s make cost-effective films, tomorrow if they don’t release in the theatres there are many apps,” Kapoor told Business Insider “Film will be watched” While India was under lockdown, the multiplexes did not only lose ticket sales but also sales from pricey food and cold drinks served within the theatres. This, in turn,will reduce the returns multiplexes used to share with the film producers. “We (Balaji telefilms) are now pumping more money into films because we believe deliberation will lead to celebration — and it takes one and half to a year to make a movie. We’re hoping that there is a mindset change and we are investing” Kapoor says Balaji telefilms simultaneously is also investing in digital platforms now and television. “We are not scared as the producers of the industry know if the film can’t be released automatically there’s a digital platform where the film will be watched,” Kapoor added. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/a-chinese-company-trump-tata-nano-by-selling-the-worlds-cheapest-car-but-it-still-looks-like-a-giant-matchbox/articleshow/76300728.cms">A Chinese company trump Tata Nano by selling the world’s cheapest car — but it still looks like a giant matchbox</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/arun-bharat-ram-and-arvind-lal-the-two-businessmen-became-billionaires-during-the-lockdown/articleshow/76297080.cms">Arun Bharat Ram and Arvind Lal — the two businessmen who became billionaires during the lockdown</a>

Indian filmmakers should cut production cost by at least 30%, says Ekta Kapoor

<ul><li>At 7:49 am, the SGX Nifty was trading 0.19% higher, indicating a positive start for Nifty50. </li><li>Here’s a list of stocks to watch for in trade today. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/">Check out the latest news and updates on Business Insider. </a></li></ul>Amid the positive cues from the global market, the Indian stock market is likely to open higher. At 7:49 am, the SGX Nifty was trading up 0.19%, indicating a green start for Nifty50. US stocks also closed broadly higher on Wall Street as the market clawed back some of its sharp losses from September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 1.5% higher; whereas the S&amp;P 500 rose 53.14 points on Monday. These are the stocks to watch out for during the trading session on September 29: Infosys EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infosys, recently signed a partnership with Minit, a leader in process mining, to help clients accelerate process excellence. The company said it would jointly create a solution that will empower enterprises with superior insights for business transformation, leading to better operational efficiency and enhanced business results. The shares of Infosys ended 1% lower yesterday. Balaji Telefilms The board of Balaji Telefilms has approved the liquidation of its subsidiary Chhayabani Balaji Entertainment. The shares of Balaji Telefilms ended 1.2% higher yesterday. Central Bank of India The board of the Central bank of India at its meeting approved the allotment of 16 crore equity shares to qualified institutional buyers (QIB) at an issue price of ₹15.38 per share aggregating up to ₹254.99 crore. The shares of the Central Bank of India ended 1.2% lower yesterday. Shalby Ltd The Board of Shalby has approved to reduce promoters’ shareholding in the company to 75% from the current level of 79.45%. The company will issue equity shares and convertible securities up to ₹ 117.02 crore The shares of Shalby ended 1% lower yesterday. Anuh Pharma Anuh Pharma has received approval from the World Health Organization— Geneva Prequalification for Pyrimethamine API, which is used as antimalarial drugs. The shares of Anuh Pharma ended 5% higher yesterday. DHFL DHFL transaction auditor Grant Thornton flagged fraudulent transactions worth ₹12,705.53 crore took place at debt-ridden mortgage firm DHFL during FY17 to FY19. The shares of DHFL ended 1.16% higher yesterday. Vedanta Vedanta's reverse book building for delisting starts on October 5. The bid will remain open until October 9, the company said. Also, Vedanta’s board is slated to meet on October 3 to consider financial results for June quarter. The shares of Vedanta ended 2% higher yesterday. UTI AMC, Mazagon Dock and Likhitha Infrastructure The IPO for UTI AMC, Mazagon Dock, and Likhitha Infrastructure will open today for subscription. The issue will remain open until October 1. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/elon-musks-spacex-will-launch-another-60-starlink-internet-satellites-into-earths-orbit-tonight/articleshow/78366364.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"> Elon Musk's SpaceX will launch another 60 Starlink internet satellites into Earth’s orbit tonight</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/rbi-postpones-monetary-policy-meeting-new-dates-to-be-announced-soon/articleshow/78361698.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">RBI postpones Monetary Policy meeting as the hunt for three new MPC members continues</a>

Top stocks to watch— Infosys, Central Bank of India, DHFL, Anuh Pharma, Shalby, Balaji Telefilms and others

<ul><li><keyword id="4241922" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ALTBalaji">ALTBalaji</keyword> direct subscriptions up 35% QoQ. </li><li>It added 6 new shows in the quarter, taking its overall library to 86 shows. </li></ul><keyword id="5214" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Balaji-telefilms">Balaji Telefilms</keyword> announced its financial results for the quarter ended 30th June 2021. ALTBalaji remains one of the most consistent hit content creators for OTT adding 6 shows in the quarter taking the overall library to 86 shows. The company sold 1.8m subscriptions during the quarter and currently has an active direct subscriber base of over 2.4m. This excludes subscribers on partner apps where the content continues to do well. The company continues its strategy to drive deeper audience engagement by creating content that is targeted at mass India seeking differentiated stories. The platform has over 86 shows and some of the hits launched this quarter include Punchh Beat Season 2 and Broken but Beautiful 3. <keyword id="154993" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shobha-Kapoor">Shobha Kapoor</keyword>, Managing Director, <keyword id="1227219" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Balaji-Telefilms-Limited">Balaji Telefilms Limited</keyword> said, “ALTBalaji continues to drive subscription growth and we added 1.8m subscriptions during the quarter. We added 6 shows in the quarter and now have a very strong line up for the rest of the year. Our strategic content sharing deals will ensure we maintain control on the cash spend while driving overall profitability. Our TV business has shown good recovery in terms of production hours and we hope to improve this momentum as 5 new shows commence. In the movie business, production for some of the exciting projects are at various stages of completion and we are closely monitoring the availability for theatrical releases as well and direct to digital launches. Overall, the year has started well and we will build on this momentum through the year.” OPERATIONAL and FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS <ul><li> ALTBalaji total subscriptions sold for the quarter at 1.8m vs 0.9m in Q1FY21, direct</li><li>subscription revenues at Rs 17cr vs Rs 13cr</li><li>Current active subscriber base at 2.4m and 86 shows live on the platform</li><li> TV business continued at normal in Q1 with 174.5 hours of production across 6</li><li>shows and strong pipeline for the year</li><li> Movies current pipeline include 5 exciting projects</li><li>Overall financial performance for the quarter</li><li>Group revenues at Rs 65cr of which ALTBalaji contributed Rs 21cr</li><li>Group EBITDA loss at Rs 30cr and Loss after tax at Rs 34cr</li><li>Group liquidity and balance sheet with current cash and cash equivalent balance at</li><li>Rs 138 cr</li></ul>

ALTBalaji's total subscriptions sold for the quarter at 1.8 million vs 0.9 million in Q1FY21;direct subscription revenues at Rs 17 crore vs Rs 13 crore

<a href="https://in.linkedin.com/pub/shubhodip-pal/0/b04/53" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shubhodip Pal</a>, who had quit Indian handset company <keyword id="71696" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Micromax">Micromax</keyword> Informatics in February 2015, has joined <keyword id="766823" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Balaji-Motion-Pictures">Balaji Motion Pictures</keyword> Ltd as CEO. Pal had spent two years as Chief Marketing Officer at Micromax. 
 
Balaji Motion Pictures is the sister company of Balaji Telefilms. It entered the Indian motion pictures business in 2002. The company operates the Motion Pictures Division through its wholly owned subsidiary. 
 
Till 2011, the company had produced and/or acquired 17 films, including Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Sarkar Raj. Balaji Motion Pictures was set up in 2001 by Hindi television producer <keyword id="6354597" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ekta-Kapoor">Ekta Kapoor</keyword> with the purpose of venturing into film production. The company is based in Mumbai in the Balaji House on New Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai. 
 
Pal has over 18 years of consumer marketing experience in launching, building and managing brands from consumer durables to the banking/financial, IT hardware sector and Telecom Services sector, having worked on the whole spectrum of marketing, specialize in Product Management, Retail, Marketing Comunications, Media, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Online, Mobile Marketing. 
 
Prior to Micromax, Pal's experience across sectors includes his roles as Assistant Vice President and Head Communications &amp; Sponsorships at ABN AMRO Bank, N.V; as Head of Consumer Marketing at Hewlett Packard India for the Personal Systems Group. He has also worked as the Country Manager &amp; Director for <keyword id="2798219" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="BLYK-Media">BLYK Media</keyword> - a Mobile Magazine for the Youth, based on an Advertising Revenue model in partnership with <keyword id="6360249" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aircel">AIRCEL</keyword> having over 3.2 million opt in users.

Ex-Micromax CMO Shubhodip Pal Is Now CEO Of Balaji Motion Pictures

<ul><li><keyword id="3367417" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ALT-Balaji">ALT Balaji</keyword>, a home-grown platform in India, says it doesn’t want to compete with streaming giants Netflix and Amazon. </li><li>ALT Balaji was started three years back and has been among the big players in providing <keyword id="82395" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Regional-language">regional language</keyword>, mostly in Hindi, content in various parts of the country. </li><li>It is among the <keyword id="9382861" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cheapest-apps">cheapest apps</keyword> which can be subscribed for ₹100 for three months.</li></ul>ALT Balaji, a home grown streaming platform, says it doesn’t want to compete with the giant over-the-top (OTT) platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It would rather attract those millions of Indians who remain addicted to soap operas. “The app has done really well in itself. It is a cheap app and it does not want to contradict or fight Netflix but to get audiences who watch TV but land up watching what their family and friends want.I don’t want to make Netflix kind of shows, I want to make shows for tier 2 and tier 3 cities” <keyword id="6354597" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ekta-Kapoor">Ekta Kapoor</keyword> told Business Insider India in its latest episode of the Big Reset. <div type="twitter" handle="BiIndia" handlename="Business Insider India🇮🇳" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1232926719016718336/sfffJHNV_normal.jpg" favoritecount="118" retweetcount="59" status="#TheBigReset | @Biindia's @iyer_sriram speaks to @SunjoyJ of @orfonline, @BTL_Balaji's @ektarkapoor, @oyorooms'… https://t.co/KazRSOwkCG" createdat="1591785193000" id="1270665315731386369"></div> Kapoor is the joint managing director and creative head of <keyword id="5214" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Balaji-telefilms">Balaji telefilms</keyword>, which runs three different businesses under one company name — film production in one, television series under the second, and the OTT app ALT Balaji. While other businesses were hit by the lockdown, according to Kapoor, ALT Balaji saw significant growth in the last three months. ALT Balaji started three years back and it has been among the big players providing regional language content, mostly in Hindi, to Indian audiences. It is among the cheapest apps which can be subscribed for ₹100 for three months. It plans on dominating the Hindi speaking market in India. It currently has 1.7 million active subscribers who continue to binge content daily. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">OTT Platform </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Price </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ALT Balaji </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹100 for three months </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Amazon Prime Videos </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹999 a year </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Netflix </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹499 a month </td></tr></tbody></table> It has witnessed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/media/article/altbalaji-will-break-even-this-fiscal-nachiket-pantvaidya-altbalaji/articleshow/75401635.cms">60% growth in its subscription</a> during the lockdown, <keyword id="158783" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nachiket-Pantvaidya">Nachiket Pantvaidya</keyword>, CEO told Business Insider earlier. With 60+ originals, Alt Bajaj claims to have the largest content library of Indian originals. Last year, AltBalaji and Zee5 partnered to c0-produce a few shows. And now, Kapoor wishes her homegrown OTT platform to reach out to an audience at international level. “No one knows that a lot of Indian content is watched in Africa”, Kapoor said, hoping that the Prime Minister’s call ‘vocal for local’ will be followed up with some push for Indian entertainment abroad. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/new-job-creation-in-india-next-three-months-is-likely-to-be-the-worst-ever-survey/articleshow/76296943.cms">New job creation in India next three months is likely to be the worst ever⁠— and that could lead to a lost year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/ekta-kapoor-suggests-reducing-film-budget-by-atleast-30/articleshow/76304353.cms">Indian filmmakers should cut production cost by at least 30%, says Ekta Kapoor</a>

“ALT Balaji was never formed to compete with Netflix or Amazon,” says founder Ekta Kapoor

<keyword id="5214" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Balaji-telefilms">Balaji Telefilms</keyword>, the production house that has been munching stereotypical saas-bahu sagas in the name of entertainment for quite some time now, seems to have come of age. Catching up with the trend of going digital, Balaji has come up with a digital platform called ALTBalaji, which they say houses the biggest library of original exclusive digital content in India. With varied shows that cater to a different audience than Balaji’s usual, the platform has had an overwhelming response, says CEO <keyword id="158783" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nachiket-Pantvaidya">Nachiket Pantvaidya</keyword>, adding that they have got close to four million downloads and customers from more than 80 countries. Unlike other players in the industry that offer viewers a free period to watch their shows, ALTBalaji provides them with free episodes of every show on <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword>, and when they like it and want to proceed with further episodes, they can subscribe to the service. Pantvaidya feels that even though rival platforms were launched before ALTBalaji, their timing couldn’t have been better because of demonetisation and <keyword id="6354504" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Reliance-Jio">Reliance Jio</keyword>’s launch, which made an average Indian more digital- and internet friendly. Talking of the future, Pantvaidya says that India is still afar from the time when internet would replace television, but digital entertainment channels still have three defined types of audience to cater to: Indian men, who don’t have anything to watch on the television; people who would like to watch a finite series with limited episodes; and lastly, audiences who want to see better production values, which sadly Indian television can’t provide because of the compulsion of daily episodes. To gain massive success, he says that digital entertainment platforms need to create a habit of OTT viewing in Indian audience, and have affordable subscription plans to further attract them. Also, commitment to good characters and good stories is important as well. About the transition from television to internet, he says that the transition required us to deep-dive and come up with shows that were not typically Balaji-types, in order to create a variety. When asked why there’s a sudden shift from television to internet, he credits the speed and spread of internet and the technology of internet-ready devices, which has led to people watch digital shows at great speed, from anywhere across the country, and on bigger screens as per their preference. While Balaji has been stereotyping women and men in gender roles for as long as we remember, ALTBalaji, Pantvaidya suggests, is doing the opposite by bringing out female characters that defy these stereotypes. In <keyword id="4302697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Karrle-Tu-Bhi-Mohabbat">Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat</keyword>, Sakshi Tanwar’s character is a single, working woman who is committed to her profession. In the female-centric show of DevDD, lead character Devika is taking on the system, standing up for women and their right to express themselves. Even in <keyword id="4408510" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="bewafaa-sii-wafaa">Bewafaa sii Wafaa</keyword>, the female lead Meghna, played by <keyword id="444213" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aditi-Vasudev">Aditi Vasudev</keyword>, has an affair, which you won’t see in any of the shows that Balaji has produced. While we don’t agree with the idea that in order to appear modern and unconventional, a woman needs to have an extramarital affair, we understand what he means by saying that the women in these shows are different from their television counterparts. Speaking of the financial aspects of these web series, they work on a subscriber model and not an advertising model. Therefore, they need to give it some time to work to return money. While they get new subscriptions every month, they are also coming up with a new show every 15 days, so it’s difficult to decide as of now if a particular show is financially working or not. About a year or so down the line, they might also have some way to measure the success of individual shows, but it’s too soon to talk about that, signs off Pantvaidya.

In conversation with ALTBalaji CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya on foraying into digital space

Mumbai, Actor <keyword id="2104801" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kartik-aaryan" source="Orion">Kartik Aaryan</keyword> is set to star in filmmaker <keyword id="3778" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="karan-johar" source="Orion">Karan Johar</keyword>'s upcoming home production, the makers announced on Wednesday. The untitled film will be directed by Sandeep Modi of "The Night Manager" fame. A <keyword id="62161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dharma-productions" source="Orion">Dharma Productions</keyword> and Balaji Telefilms Ltd presentation, the movie is a Dharma Productions project. It is produced by <keyword id="1732860" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hiroo-yash-johar" source="Orion">Hiroo Yash Johar</keyword>, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Shobha Kapoor, <keyword id="18583728" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ektaa-R-Kapoor" source="Orion">Ektaa R. Kapoor</keyword>. Karan Johar shared the announcement in an Instagram post on the occasion of Aaryan's 33 birthday. This film is scheduled to be released on August 15, 2025. "Kickstarting today with some special news on a special day!! Extremely thrilled to announce @dharmamovies &amp; @balajimotionpictures coming together for a film helmed by the exceptionally talented @sandeipm. "I find myself elated to also announce the supremely talented @kartikaaryan as our lead for this story that will unfold in cinemas on 15th August, 2025!!!!" the 51-year-old filmmaker wrote. He also extended birthday wishes to Aaryan and expressed his desire to collaborate with the actor again. "Kartik, happy birthday to you...may our collaboration only grow from strength to strength from hereon and never cease to create magic on the big screen," he said. In 2019, it was announced that Aaryan and Karan Johar would work together on "Dostana 2". Two years later, the makers said they will be recasting for the movie amid rumours about differences between the producer and the actor.

Kartik Aaryan to headline Karan Johar's next film production

Mumbai, The Kartik Aaryan-starrer '<keyword id="20138" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="freddy" source="Orion">Freddy</keyword>' is taking the direct-to-digital route. The film, which also stars <keyword id="8493788" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="alaya-f" source="Orion">Alaya F</keyword>, is an edge-of-the-seat thriller and will show Kartik in a never before seen avatar. The film will soon drop on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar. Kartik said: "I feel fortunate to be a part of Freddy, the story of the film is something that I haven't explored before. It has allowed me to experiment with my craft and explore new territory." The film has been produced by Balaji Telefilms and Northern Lights Films, and directed by Shashanka Ghosh. Gaurav Banerjee, Head, <keyword id="45859" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="content" source="Orion">Content</keyword>, Disney+ Hotstar &amp; HSM Entertainment Network, Disney Star, said: "It is now time to welcome the hottest new <keyword id="143" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bollywood" source="Orion">Bollywood</keyword> superstar, <keyword id="2104801" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kartik-aaryan" source="Orion">Kartik Aaryan</keyword> to Disney+ Hotstar!! Post Kartik's last blockbuster, Freddy, his next release is a thriller, which comes directly on Disney+ Hotstar." SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/katrina-kaifs-yet-to-be-released-phone-bhoot-makes-it-to-chacha-chaudhary-comic-book/articleshow/95117757.cms">Katrina Kaif's yet-to-be-released Phone Bhoot makes it to Chacha Chaudhary comic book</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/mughal-e-azam-the-musical-gets-extended-on-public-demand/articleshow/95119473.cms">'Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical' gets extended on public demand</a>

Kartik Aaryan's 'Freddy' to release directly on OTT

<ul><li>Indian stock market indices opened in green on Monday.</li><li>Sensex was trading 0.52% higher at 38,636.36; while the Nifty was up 0.57% at 11,436.65</li><li>These are the top stocks that are buzzing on D-street today.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/">Check out the latest news and updates on Business Insider.</a> </li></ul>Indian stock market indices, Sensex jumped over 200 points in early trade on Monday, led by gains in financial stocks amid firm cues from global markets. The BSE index was trading 0.52% higher at 38,636.36; while the Nifty was up 0.57% at 11,436.65. Kotak Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 4%, followed by Asian Paints, HDFC duo, Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI. On the other hand, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, PowerGrid, Titan, Infosys and TCS were among the laggards. Eicher Motors gains 8% on the stock split date Eicher Motors gained over 8% as its stock split comes into effect from today. The board earlier approved a stock split of existing one equity share of the face value of ₹10 per share into ten equity shares of the face value of ₹1 each. ICICI Lombard up over 1% ICICI Lombard General Insurance gained nearly a percent during early trade hours on Monday after the company said it would acquire Bharti AXA General Insurance operations in a share swap deal. The shareholders of Bharti AXA will receive two shares of ICICI Lombard for every 115 shares of Bharti AXA, as per the share exchange ratio recommended by independent valuers. Minda Industries down nearly 3% Minda Industries shares slid nearly 3% after the company said it incurred a loss of ₹118.3 crore in the first quarter ended June 3. The revenue was down sharply from ₹1,439.7 crore to ₹417.1 crore in Q1. Balaji Telefilms opens 4% higher Balaji Telefilms shares gained nearly 4% after the government announced standard operating procedures (SOPs) for resuming shooting of films and TV programmes. Future Retail down nearly 4% The shares of Kishore Biyani-led Future Retail were down nearly 4% as the company faces a debt repayment deadline after missing an interest payment of $14 million in July. The 30-day grace period also ended on August 22. Reliance Industries up over 1% RIL gained nearly a percent after the company concluded amalgamation and merger amongst its wholly-owned subsidiaries Reliance Holdings USA into Reliance Energy Generation and Distribution. Merger entity Reliance Energy and Distribution has further merged into RIL. Union Bank gains nearly 3% Union Bank shares were up nearly 3% after the bank reported a 48.3% increase in net profit for the first quarter ended June 30. The bank’s total income grew by 101.2% YoY to ₹19,891.26 crore. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-on-monday-indiabulls-housing-finance-future-enterprises-ril-tata-power-dixon-tech-rossari-biotech/articleshow/77712262.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Top stocks to watch on Monday— Indiabulls Housing Finance, Future Enterprises, RIL, Tata Power, Dixon Tech, Rossari Biotech and more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/tribute-to-arun-jaitley-from-finance-minister-nirmala-sitharaman-ahead-of-gst-council-meeting/articleshow/77713182.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s tribute to the late Arun Jaitley is also coming ahead of a tough GST Council meeting where states will ask for money</a>

Top stock movers on Dalal Street on Monday— Eicher Motors, ICICI Lombard, Future Retail, RIL, TCS, and more

Pakistan resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation on the <keyword id="44759" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Line-of-Control">line of control</keyword> (LoC) on Tuesday targeting Indian positions in Jammu and Kashmir's <keyword id="158222" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Poonch-district">Poonch district</keyword>. Col. Devender Anand, spokesman of Defence Ministry said that at 4.30 a.m., Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along the LoC in Mankote sector of <keyword id="44760" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Poonch">Poonch</keyword> district. "Indian army retaliated befittingly," he added. Since the beginning of this year, Pakistan has been violating the bilateral ceasefire agreement signed by India and Pakistan in 1999. A total of 24 civilians were killed and over 100 injured in more than 3,186 ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the LoC so far this year. Thousands of people living in villages close to the LoC are living life on the edge as shelling from across the border endangers their lives, livelihood and agricultural activities. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-infosys-central-bank-of-india-dhfl-anuh-pharma-shalby-balaji-telefilms-and-others/articleshow/78376167.cms">Top stocks to watch— Infosys, Central Bank of India, DHFL, Anuh Pharma, Shalby, Balaji Telefilms and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/rbi-postpones-monetary-policy-meeting-new-dates-to-be-announced-soon/articleshow/78361698.cms">RBI postpones Monetary Policy meeting as the hunt for three new MPC members continues</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/rajnath-singh-releases-indias-new-defence-acquisition-procedure-amid-india-china-border-dispute/articleshow/78362908.cms">Rajnath Singh releases India's new Defence Acquisition Procedure amid India-China border dispute</a>

Defence Ministry pegs Pakistan's LoC ceasefire violations at 3,186 so far this year

<ul><li><keyword id="1245953" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott" source="Orion">OTT</keyword> had a watershed year in 2020 and the growth continued in 2021. Most reports are predicting that OTTs growth is here to stay.</li><li>Homegrown <keyword id="959269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-platform" source="Orion">OTT platform</keyword> <keyword id="4241922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="altbalaji" source="Orion">ALTBalaji</keyword> has been witnessing healthy growth on the back of its differentiated, localized content with a mass appeal.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="3381161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Divya-Dixit" source="Orion">Divya Dixit</keyword>, SVP - Marketing &amp; Revenue, ALTBalaji to take a look at ALTBalaji’s journey so far and the factors that have helped it woo audiences in a space that is increasingly becoming cluttered.</li></ul>It won’t be an exaggeration to say 2020 was a watershed year for the Over-the-Top (OTT) industry. With people being stuck at home, yearning for fresh content with nowhere to go, OTT platforms came to the rescue. Most platforms witnessed an uptick in its uptake, with people spending more and more time on the platforms. According to a recent report by FICCI and the Producers Guild of India, around 148 million Indians subscribed to online curated content platforms. Another report by RBSA Advisors also predicted that India's video OTT market may hit $12.5 billion by 2030 from around $1.5 billion in 2021 owing to access to better networks, smartphones, and digital connectivity. The pandemic no doubt has given the industry a boost and most platforms are doing all they can to woo consumers. While competing with each other for producing and licensing better, more differentiated content, last year also made most of these platforms realize that consumers are wanting to watch local content and most platforms have been investing on producing local and regional content. Within the OTT space in India, homegrown platform ALTBalaji has been witnessing a healthy growth in the past few years. The 4-year-old platform said recently that it is currently catering to an MAU base of over 10 million, having sold 2.9 million subscriptions in H1 alone. The platform is also seeing an audience engagement metrics of 83 minutes per day. While witnessing good growth from non-metro cities in India, ALTBalaji also recently announced its partnership with Telenet to further its reach into Nepal. We recently caught up with Divya Dixit, SVP - Marketing &amp; Revenue, ALTBalaji to take a look at ALTBalaji’s journey so far and what has helped it woo audiences in a space that is increasingly becoming cluttered. Excerpts: Q) It's been over 4 years since the launch of ALTBalaji. Can you walk me through a few of the highlights? ALTernative content being the core ethos of the group, ALTBalaji completed four glorious years of entertaining the audience with their non-stereotypical and out of the box storytelling. Currently catering to an MAU base of over 10 million, we have sold 2.9 million subscriptions in H1 alone, in this highly competitive Over-The-Top business. The platform also sees an audience engagement metrics of 83 minutes per day, with different genres catering to varied audiences. At ALTBalaji, we constantly sought innovation in content, technology as well as marketing. With a library of around 90 original shows on the app and yet many more to be released, our content library has received accolades for its disruptive work and also seen the engagement time grow to over 83 minutes since the last quarter. As a result, there has been a steady upward growth for the past two years. Furthermore, being one of the most economically viable OTT platforms in the country, catering to almost all sections of society with a varied genre of shows, the various web series on the digital platform have received recognition from IMDB in terms of the ratings and numbers. Our recent action-thriller web series Cartel with an IMDB rating of 8.2; Broken But Beautiful 3 with 8.7; Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu with 8.7; Apharan with 8.3, The Test Case with 8.4 and Bose with 8.8 are some of the shows which have received rave reviews and numbers. With the growth of technology, penetrative pricing and tailor-made content for audiences, ALTBalaji has seeped into the country's hinterlands. We worked quickly and identified the needs of the hour, leading to shows that made impact and kept people entertained right in their homes. Q) Considering how people have been stuck at home since last year, they are still looking for entertainment and looking for it on OTT. How did you strengthen your content offering in the last 1.5 years to create an edge for yourself in the market? While the pandemic added to the platform's growth, ALTBalaji's journey over the past four years has been ever-growing. Engagement time has exponentially increased and subscriptions continue to grow at a steady pace. Many variables decide viewership, ranging from the technology available to the preferred content to the time people had in hand. So fortunately, from the platform's perspective, there has been no dip in the number of viewers. Cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata with a 2.19%, 1.32%, and 0.99% growth YOY are among the few major cities that have added to a significant expansion in ALTBalaji's subscribers in the past year. We have been quick to understand that content is the deciding factor to draw in more viewers. So, it was essential to personalize content as per the viewer's preferences, which we constantly work on. The most crucial part our strategy is our out-of-the-box narratives. The content itself is tailor-made to attract larger audiences. We believe in creating shows that appeal across segments and narratives out of the box or unexplored. Recent shows like The Married Woman, Broken But Beautiful 3, and Cartel have been making headlines, and we are ecstatic with the response. Broken But Beautiful 3 set benchmarks with 180 million viewers and 220 million impressions with an innovative marketing strategy. Other notable shows like Crashh, Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu, His Storyy and Cartel have given ALTBalaji an edge over most platforms. Q) What sort of investments are you putting in on acquiring new content, producing them yourself? OTT content consumption has witnessed a steady growth throughout and will continue to do so on its own. However, the lockdown period has scaled up the OTT content consumption game, and I believe now is the time for OTT platform players to sit back and rethink their strategy. ALTBalaji has always sworn by original content. The platform churns out unique content and gives a launchpad to many aspiring talents across the board. Since our launch in 2017, we have ensured that our costs are restricted to Rs 150-Rs 160 crores per annum, out of which content cost has been around Rs 110 crore. Also, we aren't in the business of acquiring content. It is because we've mastered the art of making content at one-third the price that our peers are spending. In the year 2021 alone, the platform launched 20 original shows, and many more are in production Q) What kind of growth did you witness last year after the lockdown? Have you been able to retain the growth? The pandemic has scaled up the OTT content consumption game and ALTBalaji has seen a significant rise in engagement levels. ALTBalaji has seen a 15-20% growth in its viewership numbers; however, the lockdown increased subscribers from the Hindi heartlands. With the increase in appetite to consume our diverse library of originals and our shows catering to the mass audience, we have 59% of our viewership coming from the non-metros. While cities like Lucknow, Ludhiana, and Guwahati saw a huge increase of 189.84%, 106.50%, and 108.41%, respectively, Srinagar, Shimla, and Ranchi weren’t behind either, with an uprise of 103.81%, 103.05%, and 192.01%, as compared to ALTBalaji's viewership from these cities in 2020. 18% of our overall traction comes from the global audience, without any aggressive marketing. ALTBalaji established a precise positioning of 'OTT of the masses' with Hindi Colloquial Content for the Bharat audience and Hindi Speaking Diaspora. Q) With multiplexes opening up, do you think the growth for your platform will stagnate? What is your customer retention strategy? OTT has created new opportunities for content distribution across geographies. Viewers have adapted to the flexibility of time, convenience and choice of watching content. 2020 certainly acted as a catalyst in transforming the audiences' content consumption habits, converting fence-sitters and one-time visitors to subscribers, thereby increasing the overall subscription base and engaging more with the existing ones. Furthermore, the low cost of mobile network and affordable smartphones have revolutionized the OTT video streaming industry. In conclusion, surviving the market demands despite the opening of theatres is possible with affordable pricing, diverse content bouquet, buffer-free experience, and immersive innovations. Going out to mingle and unwind by watching movies is still a part of our culture and hence multiplexes will always remain important. Q) From a marketing perspective, what are you doing differently to be top of mind in the consumer's mind? Going ahead, what will your key areas of focus be? Our digital strategy covers all the bases when it comes to youth-friendly platforms. We have realized that influencer engagement is the way to go in this time &amp; age. Our romantic series Broken But Beautiful 3 have been picked up as a case study since the show achieved 180 million viewers with 220 million impressions through our marketing campaign. We also partnered with short format apps for youth oriented UGC, multiple digital payment gateways for our various youth-centric brands to ensure the audience has the smoothest experience possible. In 2020 alone, ALTBalaji has partnered with almost 25-30 brands for each of our show release that enabled incredible growth for both parties. We have a robust analytics platform with a live dashboard that provides us information on views and engagement along with the socio-economic and demographics of our viewers to generate behavioural consumption patterns to sharpen our retention strategy. What works optimally for us is to focus on consumer segmentation, mapping audience behaviour, focused customer retention, optimizing customer life cycle, and progressive strategies for onboarding new consumer segments; who are new to the internet or women in smaller markets, etc. Besides Instagram and Twitter, we also actively use WhatsApp to engage with our users. To further penetrate the Hindi heartlands, we will simplify our UI/UX by bringing in voice search, one button click registration, and easy payment modules in retail and digital. We foresee that we can target growth in the youth segment, over and above male and female target audience aged between 20-40 years. Vocal for local is sure to make it big in 2021. Gamification and Virtual reality, along with social commerce, will be the next big consumer engagement drivers on OTT. Q) Since digitization has sped up since the lockdown, how are bringing in new users? How are you reaching out to audiences deeper in the country who are also hungry for good content? Massification of content has been our goal right from the very beginning, and that shall see us lay further impetus towards expanding our content library. The various genres that we dabble into have massive scope for OTT players to explore the segment and expand their footprint by tapping into Tier II and Tier III markets. In parallel, we are continuously improving our UI/UX to ensure easier subscription, voice search, vertical video formats and a more effortless viewing experience for our audiences. The data analytics combined with targeted marketing also allows us to acquire customers lower than the industry standards. We also intend to extensively leverage data for predication analysis on the shows as the library expands, which feeds back into the content teams, enabling them to take sharper decisions on content creation Q) How are you making the platform more user-friendly, technologically more stable to be on the same level as a few of the global OTT players? The entry of new players in the OTT landscape or the rising influence of an existing player does not bother us. We welcome competition. It expands the consumer base and brings in new business opportunities and strategies. ALTBalaji also tied up with Amazon Pay and MobiKwik, two of the most trusted and convenient payment options for online transactions making the app more user-friendly, especially at payment and checkout. The tie-up with Amazon Pay enabled the subscribers to win up to Rs 50/- cashback while MobiKwik gave subscribers up to 10% cashback, credited to the users' wallets in under 24 hours. With these offers, subscribers will have no difficulty switching over to these safer and quicker, one-click transaction options for all future purchases. A buffer-free experience and immersive innovations are constantly worked upon. To further penetrate the Hindi heartlands, simplifying our UI/UX further, by bringing in voice search, one button click registration, as well as simpler payment modules in retail and digital is what we will be looking to innovate constantly

Over the years, we've mastered the art of making content at one-third the price that our peers are spending: Divya Dixit, ALTBalaji

<keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> is not stopping its juggernaut to gain the maximum market share in India and is pumping in money in digital content too. 
 
So far, Amazon has raked in nearly Rs 500 crore to create original content in India, spending more than what India’s most high-profile production houses such as Hotstar, Eros Now, Voot, etc invest. 
 <keyword id="2976376" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Prime-Video">Amazon Prime Video</keyword> has invested about one-fourth of its Rs 2,000-crore India budget in local production houses. 
 
While Balaji Telefilm’s ALT's budget for 2017 is about Rs 120 crore, the other providers have allocations under Rs 400 crore each, ET quoted analysts. 
 Amazon's aggressive bid will take it a level up from <keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword>. 
 
"Amazon Prime is definitely giving the best monetary benefits to many of us creatives. Netflix is also paying but there are fewer deals happening where they are concerned,” a film director working with multiple production houses told ET. 
 
ET reported Amazon Prime Video is estimated to have paid Rs 40 crore to Akhtar and his business partner Ritesh Sidhwani's production house Excel Media and Entertainment. 
 
"We are looking at diverse genres. In the long term, our original content will build our brand in India,” said Nitesh Kripalani, country head of Amazon Video India. Told ET, adding “Our aim is to launch our first India original show by the end of March or early April.” 
 
“Domestic video streaming services will have the appetite to sustain losses for two to three years, after which the bosses will start asking budget questions and then you will see a shakeout,” Jehil Thakkar, media and entertainment head at KPMG, told ET. 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

You Searched For "Balaji telefilms" and got 13 results

Digital subscriptions up 60% during lockdown, content production stalled: Balaji Telefilms

PTI

Indian filmmakers should cut production cost by at least 30%, says Ekta Kapoor

Preeti Soni

Top stocks to watch— Infosys, Central Bank of India, DHFL, Anuh Pharma, Shalby, Balaji Telefilms and others

Navdeep Yadav

ALTBalaji's total subscriptions sold for the quarter at 1.8 million vs 0.9 million in Q1FY21;direct subscription revenues at Rs 17 crore vs Rs 13 crore

BI India Partner

Ex-Micromax CMO Shubhodip Pal Is Now CEO Of Balaji Motion Pictures

AdAge

“ALT Balaji was never formed to compete with Netflix or Amazon,” says founder Ekta Kapoor

Preeti Soni

In conversation with ALTBalaji CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya on foraying into digital space

Nandini Sharma

Kartik Aaryan to headline Karan Johar's next film production

PTI

Kartik Aaryan's 'Freddy' to release directly on OTT

IANS

Top stock movers on Dalal Street on Monday— Eicher Motors, ICICI Lombard, Future Retail, RIL, TCS, and more

Navdeep Yadav

Defence Ministry pegs Pakistan's LoC ceasefire violations at 3,186 so far this year

IANS

Over the years, we've mastered the art of making content at one-third the price that our peers are spending: Divya Dixit, ALTBalaji

Samarpita Banerjee

Amazon is outspending to become number one in digital content race in India

BI India Bureau

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