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<ul><li><keyword id="4241922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="altbalaji" source="Orion">ALTBalaji</keyword>'s Cartel is a story of a first family business, that rules the divided factions of the underworld in the city of Mumbai.</li><li>The multi-starrer release has bagged 13 brands. </li></ul>ALTBalaji has associated with numerous youth-centric brands for its thriller entertainment series, Cartel. The popular brands appeal perfectly with the show's message, which is for the youth and matches the target audience's interests. With 80% of ALTBalaji's audience less than 35 years of age, the partnership with youth-centric platforms helps brands reach out to their target audience. The brands that have tied up for the association include Ferns and Petals as official gifting partners who have signed in for a co-branded digital association by giving a 20% discount to ALTBalaji subscribers on their next billing. Invisible Lounge kept the Cartel theme alive by celebrating the launch with a Gangsta-party. Ixigo is associated with us as a travel partner for most of our shows as the audience of such shows are mostly the Indian youths of the country who love to travel, thereby allowing them 20% discount coupons exclusively for ALTBalaji subscribers. Growfitter, the show's fitness partner, is giving a free one-month Growfitter Premium Subscription for the audience who have watched the first episode on the very first day and, three lucky winners will also be gratified with Google home minis. Youth snackable branded concept video and social media association slated with Dunzo. While Ugaoo has gifted plants as Nature partners, Mission Green Mumbai has associated as the NGO partners who will undertake exclusive tree plantation activity to save Aarey in Mumbai, an area ruled by the fictional Angre family from the show. Apart from these, brands like Reliance, Voyage, Flyrobe, Ugaoo, USTREAK have also been associated with the show as accessories, digital, Esports, nature, and wardrobe partners. ALTBalaji has also been associated with Josh, India’s fastest-growing and most engaged short-video app, and will see multiple collaborated activities, including actor videos, social media content, contests, giveaways, and much more. Josh also started the #CartelChallenge for their users to generate uber-cool videos with Cartel dialogues. Multiple engaging partnerships also include brands like Reliance and Flyrobe have exclusive Cartel collections for the fans to flaunt their favorite actors' mannerisms. For youth who love gaming apart from Binge-watching ALTBalaji, USTREAK would be hosting tournaments by Gamers and ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP with the actors of Cartel. Voyage is also giving away Cartel Sunglasses as gift hampers (for Men and Women). Bollywoo has created merchandise featuring show dialogues for fans to join the Cartel fever. Commenting on multiple brand partnerships, <keyword id="3381161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="divya-dixit" source="Orion">Divya Dixit</keyword>, SVP -Revenue &amp; Marketing at ALTBalaji, says, "Cartel is a tentpole property for us with a stellar star cast and storyline. The team went all out to promote this show and reach the intended audience via successful partnerships. All of these brands have been chosen carefully and are helping us gain maximum momentum. The brand associations purely depend on the show's content and target audience and how both the brands can benefit from each other's audience base." ALTBalaji's content bouquet includes premium, disruptive content and original series across genres. With originality, courage, and relentlessness at its core, ALT stands out for being avant-garde, non-conformist, inclusive, effervescent, and has something for every individual. With a vast library of 87 originals across genres that cater to all kinds of audiences, the shows at ALTBalaji are a mix of thriller, crime, drama, romance, youth drama, horror, comedy, amongst others.

ALTBalaji's Cartel partners with 13 youth-centric brands to engage with its target audience

<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

<ul><li>Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing, Analytics, and Direct Revenue, ALTBalaji writes how <keyword id="618493" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-marketing">digital marketing</keyword> is taking precedence with the nationwide lockdown. </li><li>She further shares a few reasons why today is truly an incredibly important time for digital innovation as the opportunity to get discovered today is greater than it has ever been before.</li></ul> With restrictions in place against stepping out and other modes of advertising currently ineffective or not feasible, it has become all the more important for the message to reach the consumer instead of the other way around. This has created a powerful avenue for marketers, should they have the vision to do so. As more people spend time at home currently, connecting with them through digital media is the need of the hour. Digital is fast becoming the new normal. This sudden increase in digital consumption has accelerated the process of adapting the digital medium as a preferred choice for marketers. NEED TO BE DIGITAL NOW MORE THAN EVER As a country that sees the penetration of mobile networks significantly higher compared to broadband services, the consumption of digital content has come to the fore over the past few months. According to a <a href="https://ind01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.communicationstoday.co.in%2Findian-consumers-average-time-spent-on-4g-went-up-by-2-2-hours-per-day%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cakanksha.joshi%40altdigital.in%7C189c0bacaec04223a45208d80207e391%7Cfe73178a23564ae4bdd5661b52aa6f08%7C1%7C0%7C637261580193143068&amp;sdata=UZLkAJW31zkOlLHavMwHXrCg5v0DEPfC3ytd%2FLL3ifo%3D&amp;reserved=0">report by Ericsson Consumerlab</a>, Indians are well ahead of their global counterparts about spending time on their 4G mobile networks. While the average time spent increased by 1 hour globally, it was a spike of 2.2 hours per day for India. This digital transformation has also propelled tremendous growth in digital payments. Cashless payments have simply taken off in India, which witnessed a 55% increase in transactions last year, compared to 48% in China and 23% in Indonesia, <a href="https://ind01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fqz.com%2Findia%2F1746910%2Fcashless-payments-growing-faster-in-india-than-almost-anywhere-else%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cakanksha.joshi%40altdigital.in%7C189c0bacaec04223a45208d80207e391%7Cfe73178a23564ae4bdd5661b52aa6f08%7C1%7C0%7C637261580193153059&amp;sdata=1pEDwcN2696Kutuy138XISYWI0bvMZKberKh8RBtdu8%3D&amp;reserved=0">according to data</a> from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). As people continue to spend more time on the internet and transact online, you certainly want to establish a brand presence. In a post-lockdown world where businesses shall resume, it will be these marketing efforts that will create brand recall and keep you relevant; therefore in these testing times, the core message needs to establish an emotional connection with the audience. WHY ARE CONSUMERS AND BRANDS ADAPTING We are all set to witness an unprecedented wave of digital India, aided by the ongoing lockdown, that has propelled the speed at which the already-connected consumer is getting further connected with devices, payments, e-medicine, etc. According to an <a href="https://ind01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.livemint.com%2Fnews%2Findia%2Fcovid-19-to-push-india-s-monthly-active-internet-user-base-to-639-mln-kantar-11588758259831.html&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cakanksha.joshi%40altdigital.in%7C189c0bacaec04223a45208d80207e391%7Cfe73178a23564ae4bdd5661b52aa6f08%7C1%7C0%7C637261580193153059&amp;sdata=wZnRiupjYKLhmSBG%2BLoC6vlTmArUJvdTCPGvUCGjSfw%3D&amp;reserved=0">ICUBETM report by data, insights, and consulting company Kantar</a>, India’s monthly active internet user base is estimated to reach 639 million by the end of 2020. It has been content and offerings across different digital mediums that have been the glue that connects the audience to the outside world. Add to that, consumers are fast realizing how cost-effective these digital mediums are, a trend that is certainly going to play a vital role in the growth of digital media. This has led to leading players, especially across the media and entertainment industry, shifting their focus and funding in favour of digital, a more promising and viable platform for branding and advertising in the current scenario. At ALTBalaji, digital will always play a critical role in the marketing mix with a large portion of the budget going for pure-play digital. After all, it becomes a feasible way to gauge the campaign's success measuring CPVs, CPCs and CPS. We are entering into a new normal and a new world, where the focus on digital and mobile advertising will become the core element of any marketing campaign across brands and products. A CHANGE FOR THE OTT INDUSTRY TOO Having affected industries across the globe, the pandemic has seen Indian <keyword id="5293670" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OTT-platforms">OTT platforms</keyword> as well, offlate one of the largest spenders on television, print and outdoor, now focus even further on digital marketing to expand their base and garner new subscribers. With more offerings being made available to an ever-increasing number of digitally-connected consumers, the transition to digital content might take place faster than predicted. In the race to grab eyeballs, it’s all about reaching out to viewers now through the most-feasible medium and making them aware of the content on offer. Moving towards a post-lockdown world, we do expect OTT entertainment to dominate the entertainment industry and become more mainstream with more viewers being exposed to the plethora of options made available across multiple regional languages as well. There is a lot to look forward to as we are set to witness further digital innovation across content and digital marketing that will make these streaming platforms more and more integral part of the lives of their audience. PERSONALIZATION AND AI DRIVING THE DIGITAL SPACE When it comes to the subscribers on a platform, leading players are fast-moving ahead from age, location, social strata. The focus is now shifting towards identifying the behaviour of the viewer, the time spent, the shows watched, what’s on their watch-list, etc. The possibilities of gauging behaviour analytics through data science are endless. The implementation of AI too, adds to the engagement further. It’s important to be a part of the consumer journey right from the very beginning as one can map content according to their behavioural patterns and preferences thereby enhancing their viewing experience. With segment-specific content usage, AI-led personalization and hyper-personalization are leveraging out of analytics and trying to personalize the communication leading to an enhanced and engaging experience with our subscribers. IT’S TIME TO START NOW This is truly an incredibly important time for digital innovation as the opportunity to get discovered today is greater than it has ever been before. Brands looking to cement their market position in a post-lockdown world, where digital will be the new normal, must accelerate their efforts by creating a good brand perception, an engaging digital ecosystem and a robust product as their business strategy. With timing being the fine margin between the winners and losers, for brands that are focusing on this, now is the time to expand. For those who haven’t, it’s never too late to begin. Now is ideally not the time to slow down but to respond and rethink how we market and connect with our audiences in this new digital landscape. - Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing, Analytics, and Direct Revenue, ALTBalaji

Is Digital Marketing the most effective method to reach out to your consumers?

<ul><li>As we enter a new year, we wanted to understand what to expect from the Over-the-top (<keyword id="1245953" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott" source="Orion">OTT</keyword>) industry in 2022.</li><li>In today's feature, we speak to industry experts who share their thoughts on what this year has in store for us.</li></ul>After 2020 we had hoped that 2021 would bring us some respite from the pandemic. However, things were challenging for a large part of the year. With many of us stuck within the four walls of our house for the most part of the year, OTT platforms sometimes became the only source of entertainment in our lives. Not only did 2021 see the launch of a lot of big-budget originals on various OTT platforms, a lot of movies like Sardar Udham Singh, Mimi and Shershaah launched on these platforms. Content producing companies put their best foot forward and created award-winning shows that won both commercial and critical acclaim. There has been a visible increase in investments in content production, a trend that is here to stay in 2022 as well. A recent joint report by industry body CII and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) stated that the Indian OTT sector is currently in the scaling stage with strong subscription growth and high investment in premium as well as original content. The Indian OTT sector is one of the most competitive amongst emerging markets with over 40 players. While there have been debates about more and more people moving away from TV, Mandeep Kohli, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group India states that we are still some time away from that happening at a large scale in India. “The share of traditional media is slowly declining with increased digital adoption but there is still high headroom for penetration with only 54% of Indian households having a pay TV connection compared to more than 70% in China. For many households, TV continues to be the center of the home and a significant part of family time,” said Kohli, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group India. The report further stated that the industry is at a scaling stage currently and has the potential to become a $13-15 billion industry by 2030. To understand what the new year has in store for us, we spoke to a few of the most important voices from India’s OTT industry, along with some of the biggest content production houses. Here is what they had to say about what lies ahead: Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, <keyword id="6245082" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee5" source="Orion">ZEE5</keyword> India The already-growing online media and entertainment business received a major boost with the black swan event that the Covid-19 pandemic was, setting a new growth trajectory in the last year. The audience adopted a more digitally advanced way of entertainment, something that went beyond the conventional mediums, leading to mass adoption of OTT platforms which resulted in a surge in both viewership and watch-time. This pandemic-induced growth in demand for quality content led to an increased focus on storytelling across languages leading to the creation of extensive and expansive content libraries. People also became more open to sampling diverse content from different languages and were keener to opt for the living room experience thanks to the increased adoption of connected devices. This growth of the connected devices ecosystem has made OTT a preferred choice not only for personal but also for family consumption. At ZEE5, we have seen a 3X growth in the viewership on connected devices. The rise in power-packed dynamic storytelling and the rise of connected devices has led to the advent of the ‘Home Box Office’ which is a trend that is here to stay. While we grew 200% this year at the back of an aggressive slate of content line-up and hyper-personalization, we aim to make deeper inroads into Indian homes going into 2022. Sameer Nair, CEO, <keyword id="1322450" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="applause-entertainment" source="Orion">Applause Entertainment</keyword> <div type="image" title="IMG_8153 (1)" msid="88694220" hostid="261"></div> I believe the biggest emerging trend for the streaming industry in 2022 and beyond is the increasing flattening of the Earth, with both geographical borders and language barriers breaking down as internet connectivity reaches the remotest audiences. Our audiences, both local and global, have become smarter, more perceptive and way more critical; this requires us as Content Creators and Distributors to significantly improve the quality of our storytelling, of our productions and of the consumer experience we offer. Authentic, rooted stories that have a universal appeal can and will breakout to reach audiences globally. The more we collaborate with talent from diverse cultures and geographies, the richer we will become as storytellers. The ‘One Planet One Species Shared Cultures’ is an idea whose time is truly upon us. Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing &amp; Revenue, <keyword id="4241922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="altbalaji" source="Orion">ALTBalaji</keyword> With the traditional marketing budgets on a decline and digital and influencer marketing taking center stage, there are many trends, however interrelated, that we will see emerging in 2022. The digital audiovisual industry will explode; according to Bain and Company, India's online video user base has increased to more than 350 million people, growing 24% in the last three years. Influencer marketing will rapidly move to include micro-influencers and not just be dependent on Celebrity influencers, thereby also promoting UGC. Video marketing, live streaming will give rise to Social commerce and tier 2 and 3 cities will claim the growth chart curve. With all these interrelated events/trends triggering off, Users will expect personalized experiences which will be offset by deeper integration of ML, which will give rise to AI usage; however, the world of marketers will also see a more focused emerging curve towards Organic retention – CRM, surveys, retention tools, recommendation cycles, SEO, UI/UX as Google continues the stance of stopping 3rd party cookies by end of 2023. Manjit Sachdev- Head – Originals, Voot and Voot Select, Viacom18 Digital Ventures <div type="image" title="Manjit Sachdev _Head Content at VOOT AND VOOT Select" msid="88694240" hostid="261"></div> After an unprecedented 2020, with an acceleration in the growth of OTT platforms, 2021 was a year for creating milestones in curating unique and enthralling stories for the audience. Now as we step into 2022 with hope and resilience, the OTT sector will witness an increase in the demand for personalized and purpose-driven content. Given the increasing competition in the OTT space, staying relevant and purposeful is most critical. Considering the changing realities in today's times, having a purpose-driven story telling approach is the way to go. Content with purpose has the power to travel beyond boundaries, spread values, knowledge and positivity and build deeper engagement with subscribers. This trend will act as a key differentiator in changing behaviours. Megha Tata, Managing Director, South Asia, Discovery, Inc As SVOD continues to grow aggressively, we are seeing an increasing number of audiences now willing to pay for good content. I believe a right combination of compelling content and pricing would be the key in attracting a bigger share of consumers into the SVOD world next year. Also, differentiated programming will add to a player’s competitive advantage in the midst of most mainstream players offering similar content. This is a trend familiar to what we saw even broadcast channels go through. I believe some players will be able to carve out a niche for themselves, while most streaming catalogs will end up resembling each other. Rishi Negi, COO, Banijay Asia 2020 was a game changer for the whole world, we strategized a smooth transition to the streaming era and the year 2021 was about sustaining the positive change and envisioning the prospects of growth. With changing narratives and experimental content taking a lead, along with the fact that the data &amp; streaming charges have dropped, has resulted in the content reaching a much bigger audience. I anticipate the year 2022 to be vibrant with original productions, compelling storytelling and some path-breaking performances. Fighting the content inflation with a wide variety of exceptional chronicles intertwined with existing catalog shows in this post-pandemic world, viewers are streaming more than ever. With nominal data plan and streaming charges, content is reaching even the darkest corner of the world. Considering the pace of content transmission, at Banijay Asia, we have become more aggressive towards producing content that delights the heartland of India. We see a hike in demand for stories which are untold, female centric and with CTV on the rise, we anticipate growing interest in regional unscripted content in 2022. While we have seen this trend kickstart already with our Tamil unscripted show The Survivors as it received unparalleled response from the audience and our hinterland drama Matsya Kaand recently crossed a 100M views on <keyword id="2214311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mx-player" source="Orion">MX Player</keyword> within a month. These numbers affirm that the trendsmap that we're following leads to a sustainable future. Given these past two years have been a real tester, we have pushed through every possible challenge posed by the virus this year and successfully produced shows for the streaming giants and kept the show running. While we have covered grounds with our scripted, non-scripted, international format adaptation, book adaptations, in the upcoming year, we aim to keep up with our pace and keep reinventing our ways. To sum it up, we are thoroughly looking forward to 2022 to be a year full of exciting and enthralling projects to keep our audiences engaged and invested. Rohit Jain, Managing Director, <keyword id="193261" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lionsgate" source="Orion">Lionsgate</keyword> South Asia and Networks, Emerging Markets Asia 2022 is going to be an exciting year for OTT players as the content pipeline will be stronger than ever. While the pandemic has leapfrogged growth in terms of viewers and subscription we expect 2022 to further amplify the reach and will witness growth not only in the metros but also in tier II &amp; tier III cities. Today’s viewers are constantly looking for edgy and unique stories. We have always said premium content is the ultimate winner. The OTT industry will have to concentrate on quality content over quantity of content. Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media The media and entertainment industry has been making rapid strides in the interior of India. Regional markets are becoming the industry’s point of convergence as the digital infrastructure expands across the length and breadth of the country. Content houses and creators are going vocal through local, thereby, making homegrown, high-quality content available at the click of a button. Going further, consumption of entertainment, in addition to audio and video, will be extended to varied mediums, such as gaming. As the Indian online gaming sector is witnessing tremendous growth in 2020 it sets a tone that gaming will be the next big thing. The industry will witness a rapid rise in the use of AI and ML to create a customised and personalised experience for audiences. This makes industry consumer friendly; not just that, it helps in massive consumption and double consumer engagement. Hiren Gada, CEO-Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd <div type="image" title="Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd." msid="88726664" hostid="261"></div> With regional internet penetration growing at a rapid pace, localization of content and OTT apps are going to be one of the emerging trends to look out for. Content that was earlier restricted to just Bollywood and Hollywood is getting extended to other native languages and it is going to play a key role in attracting new consumers and in supporting other industries such as dubbing and subtitling that will further boost the content bank. Other than localization, we will also see content being offered across other segments that include devotional, and kids’ categories. As we see new OTT apps being launched almost every month with multiple paying models, the consumers will have more flexibility and power to make their own choices. With increased smartphone adoption along with affordable data, mobile penetration of the OTT will see more focus. Mobile-centric plans have been introduced by most OTTs today to cater to the Millennials and GenZs who have the hunger to consume content but not the deep pockets to pay. This space will continue to grow with the increased bundling of OTT by telecos. Additionally, the arrival of 5G which is most likely to take off this year will be a game-changer not just for the OTTs but also for the consumers. It will enable faster connectivity, accessibility to content and further enhance the viewing experience with reduced buffering issues, and an uninterrupted real-time streaming experience. Shailesh Kapoor, The Founder &amp; CEO, Ormax Media The last two years have been exceptional for the OTT market in India, aided in no small measure by the lockdowns. As things begin to get back to normal, the question that we will hear a lot more in 2022 is: Where is the next level of OTT growth in India going to come from? The category has grown at an estimated 30-35% in its user base and more than 50% in paid subscriptions over the last two years. But these growth rates are not sustainable in the long run. Platforms will have to look for offerings that are both compelling and distinctive, to get new subscribers in a category that will continue to grow, but at more modest levels of 15-20% per annum. Crossover content, be it Indian (such as Jai Bhim) or foreign (such as Squid Game or Money Heist), will play an important role in this regard. The language barrier has been broken considerably by the OTT medium, and with dubbing and subtitles available in many languages for all major shows and films now, platforms cannot stick to single-language, homogenous offerings anymore. We can expect more language-led experimentation, both in content acquisition and presentation."

Where the Indian OTT industry is headed in 2022

<ul><li>After the comeback of epics such as Ramayan and Mahabharat, there is a huge demand for classics. Riding on the nostalgia wave, <keyword id="2810265" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-players">OTT players</keyword> are also using their old content. </li><li>For the first time in history, to overcome the restrictions and market their content in the best way possible, OTT players have tied up with TV channels to push their content. </li></ul>After Doordarshan brought back its two epics, Ramayan and Mahabharat, Star TV and Sony followed the trend and is taking us back to the golden era by rerunning some old shows like Sarabhai VS Sarabhai, Khichdi, CID, and Aahat respectively. Now owing to the fact that production has been stalled till the lockdown is lifted, OTT platforms are taking a similar route. While ShemarooMe is premiering Bollywood movies every Friday, it has also seen a huge jump in people watching classic movies. “There is a lot of experimentation happening right now -- the audience is actually going back and watching blockbuster movies from the past such as Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron or older shows like Nukkad. And it’s been consumed by the younger generation too. So, that's opening up a new set of content for a new set of audience who have not been exposed to it till now. And that's sort of interesting for us as a platform to wait and watch,” shares Rahul Mishra, Head Marketing and Communications, Shemaroo Entertainment. <keyword id="4241922" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ALTBalaji">ALTBalaji</keyword>, on the other hand, which already has a huge library of content, is also considering bringing back a few of its classic, much-loved serials. Moreover they are also in talks with other platforms for content syndications, to broaden their content offering. “We are utilising this time to do business syndications, we did one with ZEE. We are also utilising our vast content library and queuing up our originals ready,” said Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing, Analytics &amp; Direct Revenue, ALTBalaji. <keyword id="7444876" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Discovery-Plus">Discovery Plus</keyword> is also leveraging its global partnerships to help consumers stay indoors and stream the outdoors. To stay relevant in today’s environment, they have lined up COVID-19 documentaries. “Discovery has a lot of content that hasn’t been exposed to Indian audience. We have a strong global library to sustain for a long period of time. For us, it’s a mix of marquee specials, global library and partnership content. We already had a couple of pieces ready on Coronavirus, we are trying to stay relevant as we can,” said Issac John, Business Head – Digital (South Asia), Discovery. Moreover, with gaming seeing a spike across the world, platforms like <keyword id="2214311" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mx-player">MX Player</keyword>, that had recently introduced gaming on its platform, has an edge as people are on the lookout for different modes of entertainment. “We introduced gaming about 8-10 weeks back and in the last five weeks, it has seen a 4X surge in engagement. And we are using that inventory available on our platform to cross promote our own shows. In terms of the number of games played by one user and the time spent by that user on the gaming tab is actually something that we didn't expect and we are actually using that to cross promote our own shows,” said Abhishek Joshi, Head of Marketing and Business Partnerships, MX Player. He also shared that MX Player has recently inked a content deal with Sony Pictures Television and Paramount. “We are the first Indian AVOD platform to have struck such a deal with an international studio.” Tough times are pushing marketers to come up with creative ways to sell their content. Disney+ Hotstar original series Hostages is now airing on Disney-owned TV channel Star Plus. For the first time in history, OTT content is broadcasted on a TV channel. ALTBalaji has also partnered with ZEEL to broadcast its originals such as Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain, Baarish, Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat. Joshi says, “While this integration has happened at an unfortunate time, it will help the OTT players embark on a collaborative journey rather than an either-or strategy, which we have always been speaking about.”

OTT players bank on content archives and work on content syndication to meet the rising demand due to the COVID-19 lockdown

<ul><li>In our latest series, we look at different industries to understand what was 2020 like for them and to crystal gaze into the upcoming year, and identify some of the trends that will set the tone for 2021.</li><li>During the past few months of the global pandemic, people staying at home around the world have turned to various streaming services for entertainment. </li><li>With the coronavirus still around, we speak to OTT players to find out what would 2021 look like for the industry. </li></ul>Better connectivity, cheaper devices and even cheaper data plans have been aiding the growth of India’s over-the-top (OTT) industry over the past few years. However, 2020 became a year when more and more people came onto the digital ecosystem, thanks to being stuck at home during the lockdown. With people barely moving out of their houses, they turned to the digital world for their daily fix of entertainment. Also, people were more open with experimenting with different platforms. If an IBEF report is to be believed, the OTT sector in India saw a 30% rise in the number of paid subscribers, from 22.2 million to 29.0 million between March and July 2020. There was a visible increase in the time people were spending on most platforms. It therefore became important for platforms to come up with differentiated, fresh content that would help them stand apart. Owing to the fact that multiplexes were shut for months, many platforms also started launching movies directly on digital. Consumers have been happy for the most part. As we enter 2021, expectations from the sector are high. With the coronavirus still around, many people will continue staying in. So what will this mean for the OTT sector in 2021? Will more and more people continue coming onto platforms, and prefer to pay for the content that they like? How will OTT platforms be able to ensure consumer stickiness? What are a few trends that will stand out in 2021? We reached out to a few experts from the industry and here’s what they had to say. Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global: <div type="image" title="Archana Anand zee5" msid="79998579" hostid="261"></div> I see two key themes that swung into prominence in 2020 emerging as key drivers of the <keyword id="9056838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-industry">OTT industry</keyword>’s skyrocketing growth in 2021. With the lockdown, we’ve seen a trend of people across the globe warming up to the idea of paying for quality content, and also being willing to commit to annual subscription packs where they see value. I see this trend only accelerating in 2021, leading to strong SVOD growth. This has also been a year where international content has gained massive traction across markets. With ZEE5 and other OTT platforms offering dubbed and subtitled content, enabling people in one geography to seamlessly access stories from any other, content is now truly democratized. Storytelling is increasingly blurring boundaries and storytellers are finding newer audiences beyond their own borders. I think 2021 is going to be the year that international content comes into even greater prominence as online audiences literally discover a world of new content via their OTT platforms. Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited: <div type="image" title="Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited" msid="79995505" hostid="261"></div> 2021 is going to be an exciting year as OTT is already riding the wave of increased data consumption and internet penetration in the small towns and rural India. The year gone by also saw some great innovations and developments in the OTT space. From direct-to-digital releases to the increasing growth in the regional content, this year has bolstered the growing popularity of OTT to an all-time high. One trend that is expected to take centre stage is highly localised and regional content. The key to ace the trend is to have an in-depth understanding of the traditions and culture of the viewers. Understanding the deep-rooted connections our viewers have with their mother tongue, we have developed a strong regional strategy for Shemaroo across all our platforms. We have a huge content bank that ranges from Bollywood, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Kids, Devotional, and various specialised trays. Content companies saw a huge change and spike in the content viewing pattern of the audiences during the lockdown. Our regional offerings saw an impressive surge in viewership especially in the Gujarati category with viewership as high as 102% in the peak months of the lockdown. While Bollywood is our mainstay, our teams have been constantly acquiring and upgrading our regional offerings, so our audiences have something new every time they tune in. We aim to make it a more robust and comprehensive pick for any consumer who wishes to enjoy varied regional content. Ferzad Palia, Head, Voot Select, Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18: <div type="image" title="Ferzad Palia." msid="79995514" hostid="261"></div> Year 2020 saw the OTT category driven by groundbreaking storytelling and macro factors resulting in significant growth for SVOD services. Viewers’ willingness to pay for quality content is now well established. However, around 65% of subscribers are still from Top 10 metros. 2021 will buck this trend and see the Premium OTT Category in India expand its footprint outside of the top 10 metros, heralding the next phase of growth for the category. Karan Bedi, CEO - MX Player: <div type="image" title="Karan Bedia Mx player" msid="79998628" hostid="261"></div> Video streaming has become the primary mode of entertainment for most digital consumers across India this year. With this backdrop, India is set to become a key market for growth in OTT video in 2021. This will lead to an avalanche of new unique original content for these audiences as they have very little to watch on TV. In this situation, marketers are also increasingly aware of where their money works best, and would like to focus on those mediums, namely digital and OTT. Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing, Analytics and Direct Revenue, ALTBalaji <div type="image" title="Divya, altbalaji" msid="79995519" hostid="261"></div> Digital is an ever-evolving medium and when it comes to OTT players, competition across the industry is soaring high with everyone at their toes trying to secure their places in the minds of consumers. While the pandemic of 2020 redefined content consumption, the year 2021 will chart new business alliances and revenue models for platforms to acquire direct subscriptions. The report from FICCI and E&amp;Y predicted 30-35 million paying subscribers on OTT platforms alone in the year 2021, and we are excited about carving a substantial pie out of the same. Our objective has always been content massification and with the next billion internet users set to hail from the Hindi heartlands, India’s digital industry promises a host of fresh avenues to explore and expand. The soon-to-arrive 5G networks will only work as an important factor for OTT platforms to scale further heights. Prime Video India spokesperson: “2020 has been a very exciting year for us at Prime Video India – at a time when a large section of customers, looking for high quality entertainment, are turning to streaming video - we launched 18 direct-to-digital movies (across 5 Indian languages) and 8 Indian Amazon Original Series, in addition to several Global Originals and hundreds of licensed and exclusive titles. One of the most consistent trends we observed in 2020 is that great content transcends geographical barriers. Indian stories are traveling across the globe - 1 out of 5 viewers of Indian Originals are from outside India. Both Four More Shots Please! and Made in Heaven were nominated for the International Emmy Awards, a testimony to local, authentic stories finding a global audience. Our first slate of DTS movies received close to 50% (and sometimes more) viewership for titles in Indian languages from customers outside the home states. Our Bollywood direct-to-service movies were block-buster hits - Gulabo Sitabo and Shakuntala Devi have been our most-watched movies on Prime Video in India as well as the most-watched Hindi/ Bollywood Movie outside India. Localized content not only helps us remain relevant, relatable but eventually also helps in widening audience reach - we also see global shows going deeper in India. We released Parasite with Hindi subs in India and that opened viewership to a whole new audience. We also dubbed some of our popular Global Amazon Originals like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and more recently, the second season of the The Boys in Indian languages, leading to more people discovering and watching these titles. This gives us an insight that customers are ready to watch content that has originated from any part of the world, if the story and the characters resonate with them.”

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