Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li>Cult.fit fitness center which is run by the startup Cure.fit, will now open five spaces in <keyword id="23412" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jammu-Kashmir">Jammu &amp; Kashmir</keyword>. </li><li>The Indian government recently scrapped Article 370, separating Jammu &amp; Kashmir and Ladakh and turning them into union territories.</li><li><keyword id="3465872" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="curefit">Curefit</keyword> was founded in 2016 by Myntra co-founder Mukesh Bansal and former Flipkart Chief Business Officer Ankit Nagori. </li></ul>Indian fitness startup Cure.fit which runs fitness chain Cult.fit, is now all set to open five centres in the newly formed of union territory of Jammu &amp; Kashmir.<br /><br />This comes in days after the Indian government brought the valley under its rule, and divided the state into two union territories. It also scrapped Article 370 and Article 35A which were holding back investments as it forbid anyone who isn’t a Kashmiri, from owning land in the valley. <br /><br />Now, that situation has changed. “We are happy to announce our foray into the newly created union territory of Jammu &amp; Kashmir through cult.fit fitness centres. The recent announcement from the Government of India potentially opens up opportunities for our business growth and also create job opportunities. We intend to foray with five cult.fit fitness centres and keep on working to expand our offerings,” said Ankit Nagori, co-founder, cure.fit.<br /><br />Curefit was founded in 2016 by Myntra co-founder Mukesh Bansal and former Flipkart Chief Business Officer Ankit Nagori. It has fitness centers under the <keyword id="6825388" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cultfit">Cultfit</keyword> brand and a health app called Curefit. It also has diagnostic centers called Carefit and yoga and meditation centers called mindfit. <br /><br />In three years, the startup registered 4 lakh users for curefit, with 180 centers across Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Hyderabad. All these provide an annual revenue of $100 million. The company now plans to grow to 800 centers by 2020.<br /><br /><strong>See Also:</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-government-is-recruiting-1300-engineers-and-architects-for-jammu-and-kashmirs-metro-project/articleshow/70582043.cms">Indian government to ‘reorganise’ Jammu and Kashmir — plans to hire 1,300 engineers for its first Metro project</a><br />

Cult.fit will now open 5 centers in the newly formed union territory of Jammu & Kashmir

<ul><li>As the whole country became more health-conscious and ‘immunity’ became the talk of town after COVID, Indian <keyword id="3224780" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Healthtech-startup">healthtech startup</keyword> <keyword id="4506924" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="cure-fit">Cure.Fit</keyword> added 1.5 million users post-pandemic. </li><li><keyword id="4157434" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="naresh-krishnaswamy">Naresh Krishnaswamy</keyword>, Growth &amp; Marketing Head, Cure.Fit speaks to us about fitness industry’s future, Cure.fit’s growth trajectory, changing consumer sentiment, and goals for 2021. </li></ul>Health, immunity and fitness have become one of the top concerns for Indian consumers post COVID-19. And those who were already battling with other problems like anxiety or depression—have found their stress levels kicking through the roof and struggles intensified. Fitness apps and on-ground gyms rose to the occasion by shifting their focus online and providing personalised services based on different body types. With this, the Indian healthtech space saw a surge in user traffic and became a part of the new normal. <br /><br />According to Valuates Report, the Global Fitness App Market size is expected to grow from $3,312.58 Million in 2019 to $13,016.77 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25.61%.<br /><br />As the demand for healthier living records a drastic rise, Cure.fit is aiming to occupy 50% of the offline fitness market in a few years. After the pandemic, Cure.fit added 1.5 million and out of these 1.5 million, 1 million users joined the platform during the lockdown in April and May. <br /><br />Elaborating on the growth trajectory during lockdown, Naresh Krishnaswamy, Growth &amp; Marketing Head, Cure.Fit said, “The spike came in a very big way, in the two, three months post lockdown. We used to have about 250,000 paid subscribers on Cult and within a matter of two months, we were able to get 1 million completely new customers to try the digital products, which was quite heartening to see. And we launched a paid version of the product only in May. So this 1 million base that tried our product was free, and eventually, we've managed to acquire about 100,000 paid subscribers on specifically our <keyword id="10404706" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="fitness-digital-offerings">fitness digital offerings</keyword>.” <br /><strong><br />Transition from lockdown to unlock</strong><br /><br />Cure.fit was quick to realise that digital was here to stay and focused on improving its app to woo its users. It launched 10-12 new online services during the lockdown period to help its users transition from offline to online. <br /><br />Sharing how the lockdown impacted its business, Krishnaswamy said, “We always had this vision that at some point, digital fitness will become important, but the first implication was making that product live immediately. Later, there was a good shift over to lots of forms of digital health like fitness class online, consulting doctors, nutritionist. So the next thing, we launched a huge bunch of products in the April-May timeframe to leverage the fact that people now don't have access to many of these services offline, and will want to consume them digitally. We had to reimagine all of us services, whether it's mental wellness, primary care or fitness. We realised that digital is going to grow massively. We also did a lot of marketing around that time with celebrity classes and some television ads, etc. ” <br /><br />While the offline fitness industry hit a major roadblock during the lockdown, Cure.fit started planning for its comeback. It focused on improving its strategy for offline services and once the country started walking again, Cure.fit sped up the pace at which the industry is evolving. <br /><br />“We decided to focus squarely on two things. One, our offline fitness business: how do we preserve it? And second, once we are allowed to reopen, how do we grow faster? And how do we take advantage of industry as well, because right now a lot of people will have concerns on physical centers, safety, quality, etc. So we felt that was a great opportunity for us as a brand to expand physical centers once the time is right because there'll be a lot of customers wanting to join in and looking for better quality of service. While the fitness business has taken a temporary sabbatical, we potentially can come back a lot stronger, which is something that we are seeing as well because we have grown so much in a short time,”said Krishnaswamy. <br /><br />However, consumer demographics adopting digital services were different than offline. More women felt safer to use digital services and boomers used yoga and doctor consultation services. So, Cure.Fit also pivoted its marketing strategy to speak to a wider set of audience and its media plan did not change much as it has always been a digital-heavy company. <br /><br />On how the demographics have changed after lockdown and new surge in users, Krishnaswamy said, “With digital products, to acquire customers from everywhere around the country, we had to change our marketing strategy to target a wider audience base. Young people are more comfortable with gyms and with digital, any walk in age could consult a doctor or do a yoga workout. So, there's a bit of a change in what kind of segments of customers we see -- whether it is age, city, gender, income groups. Our gyms are fairly expensive, like 18,000 rupees a year and digital products are a lot cheaper, which has given us more access to other economic segments of customers as well.” <br /><br />Now that gyms have opened up, Krishnaswamy told us that around 35% of customers are coming back to gym. However, smallers gyms that don’t have the resources for following government protocol and winning consumers with a marketing campaign, are still struggling. Fitness enthusiasts are, therefore, choosing the gyms they can trust. <br /><br />“I think one thing is clear is that a lot of people are waiting to come back to the physical centers. And the reason being, they are missing working out with the equipment with a social group. There are, of course, a good number of people that want to come back, but are just waiting for the right time. So broadly, you can assume that about 30-35% of people have come back. There is a section of the population that is just saying that they'll wait for the vaccine. We didn't expect anything different. We also spoke to a lot of local gyms, they are not seeing as much recovery as Cult and that is because of our ability to communicate safety to users and fine equipment. So, we have been seeing a good influx of new users for offline gyms as well because they trust us,” said Krishnaswamy. <br /><br /><strong>Future of <keyword id="7829777" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cult-Fit">Cult.fit</keyword> and the fitness industry</strong><br /><br />In the future, Cult.fit is going to focus on improving its online group classes, polish its hybrid model and consolidate local gyms under its network. <br /><br />It is aiming to aggregate demand for all its gyms by giving its members access to different kinds of equipment and training across the city they live in through one pass. The model is in process and soon to be launched in Bangalore. <br /><br />Explaining its consolidation plan, Krishnaswamy said, “At Cult, we want to now participate in the overall offline fitness business. We have predominantly been doing group classes, and disrupted the gym model with that but we want to get into gyms as well because there's a segment of people who want to do machine-based workouts. So, we are tying up with a lot of gyms. We are going to create a one membership card, which gives you access to all the good quality gyms in your city. For example, you buy a membership in Bangalore, you'll have 14-15 options in the same city you can go to. As a user, you may decide to attend a few gyms that have good equipment one day and go to another gym that offers great Zumba classes. It just gives users a tremendous amount of choice and freedom.”<br /><br />Cure.fit will also resume its expansion plan later next year once the world starts inching towards normalcy or demand comes back to 50%. Meanwhile, it is focusing on improving the quality of online workouts and investing in technology to identify different body types and body movements as users workout. <br /><br />Throwing some light on the company's tech model, Krishnaswamy said, “In our digital product, with the user's permission, the camera turns on and it can detect your movements and give you an Energy Score. We are investing behind that. In the future, if you're working out in front of a screen, with your permission, our software can calculate what number of reps you've done, or it can correct your posture, etc.”<br /><br />As we enter 2021, Cure.fit’s focus will be on reviving its business and winning in the offline fitness business and gym aggregation. It aims to onboard 300-400 gyms by the end of next year into its network. <br /><br />Sharing the company’s vision, Krishnaswamy said, “We want to stay in a dominant market share of all kinds of fitness. So our ambition is to gain 50% market share of all forms of fitness in the next few years. That will happen if we expand our current Cult centers and aggregate a large number of gyms on our platform. That means a big change from what we've been doing so far, which is focusing only on online to now focusing on gyms as well. Also, I think it's not enough to just partner with gyms. We are working very closely with these gyms to improve their safety and quality of housekeeping, trainer and equipment, etc.” <br />

Cure.fit wants to dominate the fitness industry, here is its roadmap behind its vision

<ul><li>Disney+ Hotstar has entered into a strategic alliance with <keyword id="9351026" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="brilliant-wellness">Brilliant Wellness</keyword> to introduce value-added content from top fitness experts, yoga and spiritual gurus, along with celebrity nutritionists spread across more than 100 fitness programs.</li><li>The platform will bring 3,000 pieces of content in English, Hindi and Telugu on the platform. </li><li>The category and offerings are aimed at helping viewers monitor and maintain their wellness quotient while quarantining at home, and even after, as and when they resume their normal lives.</li></ul>With the aim of strengthening the health and fitness category, Disney+ Hotstar has entered into a strategic alliance with Brilliant Wellness to introduce value-added content from top fitness experts, yoga and spiritual gurus, along with celebrity nutritionists spread across more than 100 fitness programs. Additionally, Indian start-ups and game-changers <keyword id="103133" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sarva">Sarva</keyword> and <keyword id="7829777" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cult-Fit">Cult.Fit</keyword>, known for their state-of-the-art workout models, have also come on board with Disney+ Hotstar to instil a healthy lifestyle and fitness regime among audiences bound by social distancing and lockdown restrictions.<br /><br /> According to industry studies of the Indian fitness market in December 2019, India spent $350-400 towards fitness services, which amounted to a market size worth $2.6 billion. As per estimations by Brilliant Wellness, there are about 200 million people in India seeking fitness services and this market is growing at a CAGR of 10%. There has been a significant shift in outlook when it comes to health due to the Covid -19 pandemic. People are now more inclined towards virtual workouts and are on constant lookout for interactive sessions.<br /><br />With the endeavour to increase access and enhance the consumer experience with regards to high-intensity interval training, yoga, gym workouts, and other forms of cardio exercises, Disney+ Hotstar, along with Brilliant Wellness, Cult.Fit and Sarva, has introduced a wide variety of content to choose from the all-new health and fitness library. Disney+ Hotstar will bring 3,000 pieces of content in English, Hindi and Telugu on the platform. The category and offerings are aimed at helping viewers monitor and maintain their wellness quotient while quarantining at home, and even after, as and when they resume their normal lives.<b></b><br /><br />On partnering with leaders in the <keyword id="245935" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Health-and-Wellness">health and wellness</keyword> domain, Disney+ Hotstar spokesperson said, “The alliance with these three industry leaders in health and fitness has provided the necessary impetus to our mission to connect with our audience in ways that help them lead happier lives. Health and fitness has become extremely important in our stressful lives, and never more so than today. With free access to video offerings tailor-made to suit the staying-at-home population, workout regimes that can be done through the day and fitness mantras to suit the current times, we want to help people to be healthy. To make this relevant across India, our content will be available in English, Hindi as well as Telugu. Going forward, we will also provide content in Kannada.”<br /><br />Celebrity <keyword id="2058" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Malaika-Arora">Malaika Arora</keyword> said, "Now more than ever, people are excited about trying new modes of working out because they have realised that this is the new normal. Sarva's app is a huge step in this direction and our association with Disney+ Hotstar is to fuel this fire. We hope it'll help us reach a wider set of audience and open them up to consuming daily content on an everyday platform. We're excited to see how it'll perform and the reaction to it.”<br /><br />Speaking about the strategic alliance with Disney+ Hotstar, Adarsh Gupta, Found and Director, Brilliant Wellness, said, “The current pandemic has really brought fitness and immunity building to the top of the agenda. Our current estimate is that India has an addressable market of over 200 million people, who are at various levels in their journey to fitness. Over the last five years we have worked tirelessly to create the most definitive library of do-it-along home-based workout content with India’s leading experts that addresses every conceivable need of people in the space of yoga/fitness/celebrity fitness/nutrition and gym workouts. We are happy to announce a strategic tie up with Disney+ Hotstar to power this category with the intention of making a positive difference in the lives of their subscribers.”<br /><br />Naresh Krishnaswamy, Growth and Business Head, Cult.fit, said, “With the Covid-19 induced lockdown, we have seen a surge in the number of users on our platform. Since we also conduct online live fitness sessions, we have witnessed a 3x increase in the amount of time its users spend on cult.live. At a time when there is such a demand for health and fitness, the partnership with Disney+ Hotstar will prove to be strategically viable for both businesses. Together our objective is to expand the reach and help users avail the best content we have to offer from the comfort of their homes.”<br /><br />Elaborating on the collaboration, Sarvesh Shashi, Founder, Sarva, said, "The past two months have only shown us the opportunity for health and fitness as an industry and this association with Disney+ Hotstar is a huge step towards tapping that opportunity. Yoga as a category and Yoga for immunity specifically has seen a huge surge in the last two months, given the increased importance in building immunity amid the global pandemic. We're excited to see where this association is headed and how many new doors it opens for us.”<br /><br />From workout videos to cooking healthy recipes, the diverse repository of fitness-related content will target advanced fitness enthusiasts, and fitness dabblers as well as fence-sitters.<br />

Disney+ Hotstar to now offer fitness training content as it enters into a partnership with Brilliant Wellness, Cult.Fit and Sarva

<ul><li>As we get closer to the new year, we bring to you a time capsule of 2021.</li><li>We look at some of the memorable campaigns from the year and discuss the common themes.</li></ul>The initial stage of the global pandemic brought in a lot of challenges for advertising agencies and brands. Agencies were producing ads on chopped-off budgets from the safety of their homes and really scratching their brains for creative ideas inside four walls. As the lockdown was lifted and the country opened its doors to all kinds of businesses in phases, there was hope in the air. Brands slowly started picking on consumer sentiment and upped their marketing budgets. With the beginning of 2021, a new year, consumers found a new sense of optimism for a better tomorrow and brands ensured that they offered a helping hand to consumers by spreading warmth through their advertising campaigns and telling stories of togetherness and bonding with family, friends and neighbors. With the second wave in April 2021, the progress reversed and brands slowed their marketing activities again but continued proving their resilience through their social media handles. When COVID was at its peak in April and June, several health institutions ran out of beds and oxygen supplies. Our social media feeds filled up with appeals for help -- looking for plasma donors, oxygen concentrators or ICU beds. During this period, Indian corporations, multinational brands and young home-grown start-ups stepped forward to do their bit and helped the country survive this phase. <br /><br />Thankfully, as the number of cases went down in August and the number of vaccine doses kept rising, consumer sentiments picked up. With each festival, things got a little better. So, as the country decorated their home to celebrate the homecoming of Lord Ram on Diwali, marketers went all out. After a long-dry spell of a year and a half, brands ensured that they didn't miss out on this opportunity to reconnect with consumers. The country found its hope to keep going and many brands decided to celebrate heroes who went unnoticed during the most difficult phase of the pandemic. With their heartwarming campaigns, they urged consumers to support small businesses and those who have been badly impacted by COVID-19.<br /><br />The pandemic also sparked a flurry of nostalgic ads and consumers loved the trend. Brands started evoking nostalgia to connect with consumers on an emotional level and reach out to the inner child in us that lived in a happier universe. These ads were like comfort food during unprecedented times.<br /><br />Brands also used their marketing communications to shine the spotlight on gender inequality and encouraged women to stand up for their rights. <br /><br />Overall, in 2021, themes of nostalgia, togetherness, resilience, women empowerment and hope emerged and made consumers smile. <br /><br />In no particular order, here are a few ads that stood out this year:<br /><br /><strong>Cadbury’s Kuch Khaas Hai remake | Agency: Ogilvy<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="z_OtC06ndUE" title="Cadbury Dairy Milk wishes #GoodLuckGirls to all those hitting it out of the park." thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/z_OtC06ndUE/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Bhima Jewellery’s Pure as Love | Agency: Animal<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="NtaLr_r8R2E" title="Bhima Jewellery. Pure as love." thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NtaLr_r8R2E/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Vim’s Making Dishwashing Easy | Agency: Lowe Lintas<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="cWIo7lTfdqs" title="Vim Liquid | Making dishwashing easy (Hindi)" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cWIo7lTfdqs/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Tanishq’s Marriage Conversations | Agency: Dentsu Webchutney<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="wnZduCnSMpk" title="Marriage Conversations | Tanishq" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wnZduCnSMpk/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Swiggy Instamart | Agency: Lowe Lintas<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="NL7mq7kFLt8" title="Swiggy Instamart - Groceries delivered in 15-30mins" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NL7mq7kFLt8/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Mondelez’s Not Just a Cadbury ad | Agency: Ogilvy India<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="R3FnhpelBR0" title="Cadbury Celebrations | Not Just A Cadbury Ad" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R3FnhpelBR0/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Dove’s Stop the Beauty Test | Agency: Ogilvy India<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="jEpTa2cMl_I" title="Take the pledge to #StopTheBeautyTest | Dove" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jEpTa2cMl_I/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Tata Cliq Luxury | Agency: Havas Creative Group India<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="ZqHZKtbcjEA" title="Thoughtful Gifting Begins Here | Slow Commerce | Where Quality is Nurtured | Tata CLiQ Luxury" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZqHZKtbcjEA/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Fastrack’s You Do You | Agency: Lowe Lintas Bangalore <br />      <div type="Youtube" id="0VGpbNQufjc" title="Own Your Inches - #FastrackYouDoYou" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0VGpbNQufjc/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Bournvita’s Get The Message | Agency: Ogilvy India<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="EkCtQT2yfig" title="Bournvita - Get The Message" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EkCtQT2yfig/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Nykaa’s Tum Hi Ho Nykaa | Agency: Sideways <br />      <div type="Youtube" id="9o57TH0ZjkU" title="Tum Hi Ho Nykaa | Brand Film" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9o57TH0ZjkU/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Mohey’s KanyaMaan <br />      <div type="Youtube" id="PmCSjllj7KU" title="Tradition wahi, soch nayi - #KanyaMaan" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PmCSjllj7KU/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Tinder’s Closure<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="6b-K9OzVo-c" title="Closure - A Film about Consent by Tinder | Ft. Kavya Trehan and Mrinal Dutt" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6b-K9OzVo-c/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Cult.fit’s Fitness Is Not An Option<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="xAB3CZC1BcI" title="Fitness Is Not An Option (cult.fit)" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xAB3CZC1BcI/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Vicks’ Touch of Care | Publicis Singapore<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="NHflsJrXKaI" title="Vicks - Care Lives On #TouchOfCare" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NHflsJrXKaI/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />CRED’s Great for the Good<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="j8KpV-4_mRg" title="Great for the good | ft. Rahul Dravid | CRED" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j8KpV-4_mRg/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />The Body Shop’s #BloodyNatural <br />      <div type="Youtube" id="6XVihCBaX-g" title="Periods are #BloodyNatural | Let's end period shame | The Body Shop India" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6XVihCBaX-g/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Prega News She Is Complete In Herself<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="X4mWIU-zcvQ" title="#SheIsCompleteInHerself - A Women’s Day Initiative by Prega News | Mona Singh (Hindi)" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X4mWIU-zcvQ/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />Surf Excel’s Holi 2021<br />      <div type="Youtube" id="MocKmftqNI8" title="Surf excel Holi 2021 | Jo dilon ko paas laayein, woh #RangAchheHain" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MocKmftqNI8/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br /></strong><br />

From CRED’s Indiranagar ka Gunda to Cadbury’s reimagined Kuch Khaas Hai, here are a few campaigns that stood out in 2021

<ul><li><keyword id="54620" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="shemaroo">Shemaroo</keyword>, which began India’s first video rental business in 1979, has now launched its own transactional video on demand (TVOD) platform called <keyword id="7390865" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ShemarooMe">ShemarooMe</keyword> <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="box-office">Box Office</keyword>. </li><li>This feature acts as a virtual box office or theatre where films can first release and the audience can watch it after buying a ticket for it. </li><li>Gada believes this is just a chance for movies to get their box office collections before eventually going on to be available through platforms like TV or <keyword id="1245953" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="OTT">OTT</keyword>.</li></ul><keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword>, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar have all deemed India as the next big market for them, but most Indian masses might not be able to afford their subscription plans. These platforms then went for India-first cheap plans starting at ₹129, as well as mobile-only plans to woo the mass audience. But India’s oldest video rental platform, the 57-year old Shemaroo, has steered clear of competing with Reed Hastings or Jeff Bezos. Instead, it has taken a leaf out of the YouTube playbook.<br /><br />ShemarooMe Box Office, a transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) platform — simply put, an app where you can watch a newly-released movie on your mobile or TV at home and pay just for that— was launched in July 2020. This is a feature YouTube has had for a while but only for old movies, not for new releases. “What we are doing is the first transaction window for the film. Our idea is to help the monetization effort of the producers as well,” Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo told Business Insider.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="Mr. Hiren Gada, CEO - Shemaroo Ent" msid="78509064" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Mr. Hiren Gada, CEO - Shemaroo Ent&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />“The whole idea has a platform approach. Consumers can buy tickets from BookMyShow for ₹100 and watch a newly released film,” he added. Shemaroo has already released smaller films like Sharman Joshi’s <em>Graham Staines, Ek Ankahi Sachai: The Least of These</em>, the horror flick <em>X Zone</em>, <em>The Hidden Strike,</em> among others.<br /><br />This may bring a ray of hope for movie producers as they get an additional platform. Unlike Netflix, Shemaroo’s idea was born out of necessity after theatres have remained shut for over six months. The product was developed in 10 weeks, Gada shared. <br /><br />As people could stay away from theatres for a long time, no more ₹300 crore blockbusters are breaking the box office, and instead, films are making their way onto OTT platforms.<br /><br />Not only that, it will also break the iron grip of monopolistic distributors who have decided the fate of many movies with arbitrary decisions on the number of screens they would get. Even the reported revenue from every theatre has <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/are-box-office-figures-an-enticement-for-the-audiences-or-mere-propaganda/story-b3Qn2T5Wz093VRITwRURBL.html">been less than transparent for years.</a><br /><br />While Gada believes that people will definitely go back to theatres as it's more of a recreational activity, he added that with an option like ShemarooMe Box Office, a lot of the much dreaded ‘scheduling challenges’ can be solved. Gada explains that their latest product will also offer regional movies to get a bigger audience.<br /><br /> “There are so many films that die because another A-lister’s movie is releasing, these films have a very short window to rake in as many collections as they can. With the ShemarooMe Box Office, they can get a second chance. So, even once the theatrical journey is done, the film can still reach a wider audience,” he said.<br /><br />Gada believes that even as theatres reopen, this won’t reduce the dependence on an opening weekend collection; instead, it will help producers to extend their collections beyond show timings and limited capacities of theatres. <br /><br />“There is a large consumer base which looks out for the latest <keyword id="18940" type="EVENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="movie-release">movie release</keyword> and was missing the theatre experience. For producers too, theatre is the starting point of the film’s journey and box office defines the film’s success. So we put both their needs together,” said Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo. <br /><br />Through the app, filmmakers will now also know how many people paid to watch a new release. The company is in talks with producers, and Gada hopes they will lap up the idea.<br /><br /><br />SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-infosys-wipro-and-hcl-tech-expected-to-announce-more-deals-more-money-and-more-savings-in-second-quarter/articleshow/78507656.cms">TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Tech expected to announce more deals in the second quarter</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/cultfit-is-finally-reopening-its-doors-after-six-months-but-online-classes-will-continue/articleshow/78493796.cms">Cultfit is finally reopening its doors after six months – but online classes will continue</a><br /><br /><br />

You Searched For "cultfit opens" and got 5 results

Cult.fit will now open 5 centers in the newly formed union territory of Jammu & Kashmir

Sanchita Dash

Cure.fit wants to dominate the fitness industry, here is its roadmap behind its vision

Karuna Sharma

Disney+ Hotstar to now offer fitness training content as it enters into a partnership with Brilliant Wellness, Cult.Fit and Sarva

BI India Partner

From CRED’s Indiranagar ka Gunda to Cadbury’s reimagined Kuch Khaas Hai, here are a few campaigns that stood out in 2021

Karuna Sharma

India’s oldest video rental company is not competing with Netflix — instead it has one-upped YouTube with new releases on demand

Sanchita Dash

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides