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<ul><li>It has chosen to remain a premium player that provides original content.</li><li>Almost 40% of <keyword id="1723835" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hoichoi" source="Orion">hoichoi</keyword>’s revenues come from international subscriptions – US, UK, Australia, Canada, Middle East and Bangladesh are its key overseas markets.</li><li>It’s expanding its distribution globally with tie-ups with telecom players in Bahrain, Bangladesh and more.</li><li>The group’s television background helped them maintain the timelines and stick to budgets, which helped contain creative costs.</li></ul>When Shree Venkatesh Films (SVF), a West Bengal-based film and TV production company, wanted to get into OTT in 2017 – they wanted to start small – launching five original shows across three genres under the brand name hoichoi, which means excitement. Those were early days for vernacular shows – until then Indian original series across languages mostly premiered on YouTube and were short-form content. This was just before the launch of Netflix’s Sacred Games and Amazon Prime’s Inside Edge. Much like these shows, hoichoi’s bets took off too. <div type="image" title="WhatsApp Image 2022-10-03 at 6.08.30 PM." height="900" width="1200" msid="94629590" hostid="261" sizebytes="34982" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Soumya Mukherjee, chief operating officer of Hoichoi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “We saw an initial uptick for our originals. Four out of the five shows we launched created a lot of buzz,” Soumya Mukherjee, chief operating officer of hoichoi told Business Insider India. Ever since, there has been no stopping this regional OTT platform, which now caters to over 250 million Bengalis worldwide. The platform claims to be one of its kind with over 100 originals in a single language and more than 2,000 hours of content across web series, movies, shorts, docu-series and more. Moreover, it claims to have turned profitable within five years of its launch in spite of a large number of in-house productions of original films and shows. The OTT player claims that its direct subscriptions grew 50%, with a 20% month-on-month increase in watch time, in the post-lockdown period. “Along with this, hoichoi continues to have one of the highest refresh rates in India for a single language, with close to 5-7 titles, which includes original shows, world premiere movies and Hindi-dubbed originals releasing every month,” the company said. Turu love, Tansener Tanpura, Karagar and Kaiser are some of its top-rated shows on IMDB. Premium-only The secret, Mukherjee says, lies in its pricing strategy. “From the start, we positioned ourselves as a premium product with around ₹1,000 per annum. From day 1, we knew that content had to be protected and had never looked to diversify. We want to tell great stories with a good mix of movies and shows,” he said. In the US, it charges around $10 per month - on par with what OTT giant Netflix charges in the market. The reason is the love for content in the mother tongue, Bengali, which is the second most-spoken Indian language, as per Mukherjee. “Bengalis are deeply rooted to their culture wherever they are,” he said. In fact, almost 40% of hoichoi’s revenues come from international subscriptions, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Middle East and Bangladesh. The OTT claims that customer stickiness is high and almost 70-75% of their subscribers renew subscriptions annually. It premiers a new movie every month and that aids its renewals, it claims. “While our monthly active users have increased by 40%, our international user base has also risen by 30%. Not only do these numbers make us ecstatic, but also motivate us to do even better, as we step into our sixth year,” said Vishnu Mohta, co-founder of hoichoi. Content Refresh: 25 new shows announced Hoichoi also claims to go the extra mile with its user experience. “To help some of our elderly subscribers, we send our people to visit personally and demonstrate as and when needed,” says Mukherjee. As India’s first vernacular OTT enters its sixth year, it announced 25 new shows – four from Bangladesh and 21 from India – with top creators and across genres. For its latest series, it also roped in national award-winning creator Srijit Mukherji, who is creating a crime detective show Feluda. Mukherjee attributes hoichoi’s success to Bengal’s wide talent pool of writers, producers, actors, technicians and directors, in addition to its legacy. “We imbibed the discipline of TV and the quality of films into the OTT venture,” he explains. The group’s presence in television helped them maintain the timelines and stick to budgets, which helped contain creative costs. Their targeted marketing also helped contain marketing costs to 20% of the overall revenue — which Mukherjee claims is one of the lowest in the industry. Over the years, hoichoi launched a lot of new faces, but is also now focusing on bringing in bigger actors into its fold. “Naturally production costs will increase but in terms of revenue growth we are doing ok,” he says. Distribution strategy Last year, the platform became a part of Prime Channels – where multiple OTTs can be subscribed to. While it is seeing traction for its Hindi-dubbed library on Prime Channels as well as on MX Player, it wants to remain rooted in Bengali. Its best-performing show on both these platforms was Charitraheen. It has also partnered with Jio, Airtel XStream, Tata Play and Dish TV and is looking at deep integration within and outside India as well. It has tied up with Bangladeshi telecom players Grameenphone, Robi and Banglalink and also Bahrain-based telco Batelco. Also, the player is not too worried about password sharing, which is the blight of its business. “We do not see too many cases of password sharing. We only offer two simultaneous streaming across five devices,” Mukherjee says. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/auto-sales-remain-buoyant-in-september-with-reports-of-a-good-festive-season-ahead/articleshow/94622721.cms">Auto sales remain buoyant in September with reports of a good festive season ahead</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/electronics-mart-india-ipo-set-to-open-on-oct-4-commands-grey-market-premium-of-30/share/articleshow/94620046.cms">Electronics Mart India IPO set to open on Oct 4; commands grey market premium of ₹30/share</a>

This pioneering regional OTT has turned profitable in 5 years – here’s how

<ul><li>After the pandemic, many of us were stuck within the four walls of our houses and OTT platforms like <keyword id="128682" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword>, Amazon Prime and <keyword id="2739840" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hotstar" source="Orion">Hotstar</keyword> sometimes became the only source of entertainment in our lives.</li><li>The pandemic also gave a push to the regional <keyword id="9056838" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-industry" source="Orion">OTT industry</keyword> and saw the birth of native language streaming players like Hoichoi, aha, Sun NXT, Planet Marathi, Koode, and City Short TV.</li><li>As per experts, the regional OTT players have already captured 50% of the OTT market in less than 3-4 years.</li></ul>Kaiser, the homicide detective who tries to deal with double murders and his own demons side by side; then there is Three Roses – with young girls who are in the middle of to-be-married mess in the complex Indian juxtaposition of tradition and independence. Yes, you have guessed it right. They are all topics of superhit web series but you can’t find them on Netflix, Prime or even Disney Hotstar – they are from Hoichoi, Bengali OTT and aha, a Telugu and Tamil OTT, respectively. Apart from regional cinema taking over <keyword id="143" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bollywood" source="Orion">Bollywood</keyword>, a silent revolution is underway where regional OTTs are taking away the eyeballs of Indians – by offering them quality content in their mother tongue. And, there are a lot of these. Of the total <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/a-cred-like-platform-is-what-indian-ott-users-want-to-juggle-multiple-subscriptions/articleshow/92570894.cms">60 OTT </a>platforms in India, around 12 of them are exclusively regional across languages like — Sun NXT, Planet Marathi, Koode, and City Short TV, which is a hyperlocal content OTT. One movie, every week According to a FICCI-EY <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/brandwagon/regional-ott-on-the-rise-as-subscribers-choose-native-language-over-hindi/2272860/">report</a>, the share of regional language consumption on OTT platforms will cross 50% by 2025 from the 30% share it held in 2019. As per FICCI-EY though, regional consumption is expected to surpass Hindi, which is predicted to touch a 45% consumption rate. But a few players are confident that it has already hit this number. “The regional OTT market today probably is 50% already of the total OTT market size in India, including all regional languages. It is set to grow faster than Hindi for sure,” Ajit Thakur, CEO of Telugu and Tamil OTT platform aha told Business Insider India. The OTT, which is adding one movie every week, has touched 10 million monthly active users (Maus) in two years. Its app saw 30 million downloads. It has also generated $2 million in non-subscription <a href="https://www.afaqs.com/news/media/telugu-ott-platform-aha-to-rely-on-avod-to-break-even">revenue </a>in the last six months and is considering adding gaming onto its platform and becoming a super app. Aha also intends to target Tamil-speaking viewers as well after winning the hearts of the people who speak the fourth most spoken <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-45902204">language </a>in India and also one of the top 10 fastest-growing <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-45902204">languages </a>in America. The magic price point Apart from the content, the price points of these OTTs are attractive too — as it’s akin to subscribing for a regional TV channel pack as opposed to the full range with all genres and offerings across languages – like Netflix, Prime, Disney Hotstar or even Zee. Hoichoi however has ‘eased’ its subscription with a syndication deal with mainstream OTT players such as MX Player and Amazon Prime. Hoichoi, one of the earliest regional OTT platforms to launch in India, is trying to capture the 250 million Bengali speakers across the world. “The generic OTT market has grown at least 30-50% over the year and we've all outpaced that industry by a fair margin. We've got about 120 odd shows, in addition to about 600-700 movies. In fact, April, May and June were bigger than COVID months for us,” Vishnu Mohta, co-founder of the Bengali streaming platform told Business Insider India. Its extensive content library remains unmatched in the OTT universe. But Mohta says that it’s just ‘getting started’. “I see a stable growth trajectory for the next five years,” he said – which is much higher than the growth in ‘national’ OTTs. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;" class="redcator-table-advance"></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;">Plan </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;">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;">Annual mobile </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;">₹1788 </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 Video </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;">Annual </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;">₹1499 </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;">aha </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;">Annual </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;">₹299 </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;">Hoichoi </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;">Annual </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 </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;">Planet Marathi </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;">Annual </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;">₹365 </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Trending across 7 countries Planet Marathi was a pandemic baby as it was launched during the lockdown. As the name suggests it caters to Marathi-speaking audiences India and abroad. <div type="image" title="Planet marathi" msid="92795598" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Planet Marathi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> It already has a superhit web show to its name – Raanbaazaar, which delves into the murky world of politics and two escorts and the mindgame involved. The show became the most-watched Marathi series on OTT and trended across seven countries – thanks to the state’s extensive expat population. “We launched 13 Planet Marathi originals and have another 24 planned out over the next year. Our viewership comes from India and across the world. There has been an increase in the stickiness of the content, with time spent by users increasing almost 350% after Raanbaazaar’s release,” said Akshay Bardapurkar, founder of Planet Marathi. In the meanwhile, top OTTs haven’t been ignoring these viewers either. In fact most of them release regional movies and shows with audio and subtitle options – thereby ‘extending’ the reach of regional content to non-regional players as well. The best example in this list is the recently launched Modern Love Hyderabad which has an original Telugu show dubbed across five languages including Hindi and English, for those who want to catch the flavour of the show in their own language. ZEE5 too has <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/corporate/story/zee5-plans-to-triple-investment-in-tamil-telugu-content-in-2022-328762-2022-04-05">tripled </a>its investment into regional content this year and international player <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/netflix-on-the-lookout-for-regional-language-content-in-2022/article37835172.ece">Netflix </a>is also looking to deeper inroads in India by zooming in on regional market — but whether they would be able to win the war in every regional turf across India is left to be seen – as India has 121 official <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/more-than-19500-mother-tongues-spoken-in-india-census-5241056/">languages </a>and 19,500 mother tongues.

Hoichoi, aha and Planet Marathi - regional OTTs challenging Netflix, Prime and Hotstar

<ul><li>The pandemic gave a huge boost to the streaming industry. The <keyword id="1245953" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ott" source="Orion">OTT</keyword> sector in India witnessed a 30% rise in the number of paid subscribers, from 22.2 million to 29.0 million between March and July 2020.</li><li>According to <keyword id="215381" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amdocs" source="Orion">Amdocs</keyword>’ India Streamer 2021 report, 76% of surveyed consumers are expected to add to their current number of subscriptions – the most likely being video streaming services, wellness and e-health, and eLearning services.</li><li>Here are a few changes we can expect from the industry in the near future, writes <keyword id="5626068" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="raman-abrol" source="Orion">Raman Abrol</keyword>, GM &amp; Chief Commercial Officer, <keyword id="12413885" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amdocs-media" source="Orion">Amdocs Media</keyword>.</li></ul>The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns saw public entertainment across India grind to a standstill. With theatres, cinemas, music concerts, shows and other events closed – and new releases and productions put on hold – consumers flocked to streaming services. 2020 redefined screen-watching for consumers and enabled them to watch their preferred content at their preferred time. A young, growing population with increasing digital skills and more affordable smartphones, growth in mobile and broadband subscriptions and increased time spent at home are among key drivers that have made Over-the-Top (OTT) services a go-to choice for many. As a result, the OTT sector in India witnessed a 30% rise in the number of paid subscribers, from 22.2 million to 29.0 million between March and July 2020. According to Amdocs’ India Streamer 2021 report, 76% of surveyed consumers are expected to add to their current number of subscriptions – the most likely being video streaming services, wellness and e-health, and eLearning services. What changes can we expect on the horizon? This data shows some major emerging trends in the OTT space, which will further transform the way content would be created in the years to come. Here are four areas where we might see traction. 1. Continued demand for personalized, mega-content bundles: Consumers are increasingly looking at options to create and pay for content packages limited to only the content they want to watch. They do not want to pay for the service provider’s entire content library. With schools, offices, and entertainment all coming together under one roof, entertainment services such as wellness, telehealth, e-learning are also becoming popular. However, managing multiple subscriptions across multiple providers is a major challenge that consumers are facing today. To deal with this, communications service providers (CSPs) are looking at offering consumers the ‘perfect bundle’. This would serve as a centralized space where they will be able to access their preferred media and entertainment subscriptions. The Amdocs survey shares that about 56% of the consumers would pay more to include on-demand binge-worthy TV series, 49% would prefer all games for one specific sporting team, 46% of the consumers would bundle up virtual classes/training, while 45% would prefer fitness classes with a “celebrity” trainer. 2. Growing popularity of localized content: The past year has seen a surge in demand for regional content. To cater to this rising demand by viewers for local language content, several regional OTT platforms have emerged in markets like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. <keyword id="12413884" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="oho-gujarati" source="Orion">OHO Gujarati</keyword> (Gujarati), <keyword id="1723835" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hoichoi" source="Orion">Hoichoi</keyword> (Bengali), and <keyword id="4660234" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sun-nxt" source="Orion">Sun NXT</keyword> (Malayalam) are some examples of popular regional OTT platforms. They have carved a niche space for themselves among the existing big players such as <keyword id="128682" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword> and <keyword id="2976376" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amazon-prime-video" source="Orion">Amazon Prime Video</keyword>, among others. These OTT platforms are catering to local tastes and preferences, offering content in regional and local languages, showcasing local cultures, traditions and lifestyles. An increasing number of viewers from tier-2 and tier-3 cities and towns are also driving this growth. For example, since its launch in February 2020, Telugu service Aha Video has reached 1 million paid subscribers. With consumers looking for quality content, irrespective of the language, this trend is only expected to grow in the coming years. Regional language consumption on OTT platforms is expected to cross 50% of the total time spent by 2025, moving past Hindi at 45%, according to a FICCI-PwC report. 3. Rise in low-budget short-films production: Continued uncertainty around the pandemic has made the entertainment industry cautious about spending on big-budget productions. The growing demand by OTT subscribers for new, enthralling and diverse content is leading to an interesting trend gaining momentum – short stories and web series. These realistic, powerful, thought-provoking short films are sitting well with modern viewers. With consumers hungry for authentic, out-of-the box, realistic content, this trend for short, anthology-style films is expected to continue growing. 4. Immersive technology and 5G network will be game changers for Indian OTT players: The growing trend of streaming 4K videos requires enhanced internet bandwidth. With the accelerated pace of 5G technology adoption in the country, OTT providers are planning on providing their customers with seamless 4K video quality streaming solutions. 5G connectivity is expected to drive the growth of immersive entertainment experiences for users. Advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are increasingly proving to be transformative across different areas of the home entertainment industry. With the help of 5G 5 , consumers will be able to watch content using AR/VR gadgets, taking the entertainment experience to the next level. Way forward The OTT industry was experiencing slow and steady growth when Covid-19 acted as a catalyst for rapid transformation of this medium. From being on the curb to jumping onto the main street of entertainment, OTT has captured consumer eyeballs and hearts. Adoption of digital technologies, personalized bundling options, investments in original and locally relevant content, among others, will aid in furthering growth in the Indian OTT space.

How the pandemic has changed the streaming landscape for good

hoichoi adds 13 million cumulative subscribers in 3 years with 40% of its direct revenue coming from International users

<ul><li><keyword id="18076926" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bbc-player" source="Orion">BBC Player</keyword> and <keyword id="18076927" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bbc-kids" source="Orion">BBC Kids</keyword> will be available for Prime Video subscribers, as an add-on.</li><li>Benedict Cumberbatch-starring Sherlock, BAFTA -winning Happy Valley and crime thriller Six Four are some of the shows that will be available on the streaming platform.</li><li>BBC Kids will offer shows like Hey Duggee, Go Jetters, JoJo &amp; Gran Gran, Sarah &amp; Duck, Junior Bake Off and others. </li></ul>The bustling Indian OTT video market has a new entrant — the legendary BBC, which launched its services on <keyword id="12162669" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prime-video-channels" source="Orion">Prime Video Channels</keyword> on Thursday. Both its OTT offerings – BBC Player and BBC Kids will bring a curated line-up of old and new content across dramas, documentaries, comedies and more. Prime members will be able to purchase an annual add-on subscription of BBC Player for ₹599 – which will also provide full access to BBC Kids. Alternatively, members can subscribe to BBC Kids only for ₹199 annually. BBC’s popular show Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch, BAFTA award-winning Happy Valley, crime thriller Six Four, British political thriller The Diplomat and sitcom Citizen Khan – are some of the shows that will be available on the new OTT offering that’s entering India. BBC Kids will offer BBC Studios’ kids shows like Hey Duggee, Go Jetters, JoJo &amp; Gran Gran, Sarah &amp; Duck, Junior Bake Off and others. “These brands will offer a curated, multi-genre content line-up, offering the best of British entertainment to the discerning Indian audience. Subscribed members will gain access to some of BBC Studios’ latest hits as well as our classics shows, including our well-acclaimed wealth of kids’ entertainment, all under one roof,” said Stanley Fernandes, vice president-distribution, BBC Studios, South Asia. Prime Video Channels bring 20 international and regional OTTs under its umbrella including – Lionsgate Play, discovery+, Eros Now, ManoramaMAX, hoichoi, NammaFlix and many more. Subscribers of Prime Video can add on to their subscription by choosing these OTTs. “Since its launch in India, Prime Video Channels has seen exponential growth in India with people subscribing to Channels of their choice from the length and breadth of the country,” said Vivek Srivastava, head – Prime Video Channels, Prime Video. The Indian OTT market is expected to see a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.3% to produce revenue of $3.5 billion by 2027, says a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. “With new launches from international players and increasing pay-lite options, OTT revenue has surged in recent years, expanding a further 25.1% in 2022 to reach $1.8 billion This is over six times the revenue of 2018,” said PwC. The report also estimates that subscription service revenue will expand at 13% CAGR, while advertising-supported services (AVOD) will grow at a higher rate, albeit from a lower base.

BBC takes the India OTT market plunge – Sherlock, Happy Valley & more on offer

<ul><li><keyword id="149966" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IAMAI">IAMAI</keyword> has announced the adoption of a comprehensive implementation toolkit in furtherance to the Universal Self-Regulation Code for Online Curated Content Providers.</li><li>The Code has been adopted by seventeen (17) leading Online Curated Content Providers in India. </li><li>The present set of signatories include <keyword id="6245082" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5">ZEE5</keyword>, Viacom 18 (Voot), Disney+ Hotstar, <keyword id="2976376" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Prime-Video">Amazon Prime Video</keyword>, <keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword>, SonyLiv, <keyword id="2214311" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mx-player">MX Player</keyword>, Jio Cinema, Eros Now, Alt Balaji, Arre, HoiChoi, Hungama, Shemaroo, Discovery Plus, Aha and Lionsgate Play. </li><li>The Tool Kit is effective from 10 February 2021.</li></ul>The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has announced the adoption of a comprehensive Implementation Toolkit (Tool Kit) which is in furtherance to the Universal Self-Regulation Code ('Code') for Online Curated Content Providers (OCCP) that was put in motion on September 4, 2020. The core purpose of this Tool Kit is to provide for procedures to effectuate the various provisions of the Code; assist the signatories in fulfilling their commitments and responsibilities as set out in the Code; and to achieve effective self-regulation goals as envisioned by the signatories in the Code. Importantly, the effort of the Signatories, through this Tool Kit, is to also address feedback received from Ministry of Information and Broadcasting inter-alia, on the issues of conflict of interest and prohibited content. The Code has been adopted by seventeen (17) leading Online Curated Content Providers in India. The present set of signatories include ZEE5, Viacom 18 (Voot), Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, SonyLiv, MX Player, Jio Cinema, Eros Now, Alt Balaji, Arre, HoiChoi, Hungama, Shemaroo, Discovery Plus, Aha and Lionsgate Play. The Tool Kit is effective from 10 February 2021. The all-inclusive 'Implementation Toolkit' will assist signatories in seamless transition to self-regulation and guide them on various dimensions like: Relevant laws of the land which will be adhered to by the signatories: <ul><li>Fair and transparent functioning of the grievance redressal mechanism, with escalation to an Advisory Panel with independent members</li><li>Training programs for creative and legal teams of OCCPs to enhance the knowledge and nuances of laws that govern content</li><li>Awareness programs for consumers to help increase understanding and use of age rating, content descriptor &amp; parental controls</li><li>Implementation of a detailed audit and compliance mechanism</li></ul> Amit Goenka, Chair, Digital Entertainment Committee, IAMAI said, “The Universal Self-Regulation Code, which is signed by the Country’s top video streaming services marks a watershed moment in the history of the online streaming industry. Today, with the adoption of ‘Implementation Toolkit’, it further strengthens our (OCCPs) commitment to augment consumer empowerment and creative excellence for the Indian entertainment industry to grow multifold. This Tool Kit amplifies all the critical points that were addressed in the Code signed last year and aims to address feedback received from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, particularly on strengthening the grievance redressal mechanism. It further sets out clear tentpoles that the OCCPs need to undertake to achieve a common goal of entertaining millions of Indians responsibly.” Furthermore, IAMAI will constitute first of its kind ‘IAMAI Secretariat for the Code’ comprising of representatives of the signatories to the Code and IAMAI which will administer the implementation of the Code and the Toolkit. IAMAI aims to develop a process to seek periodic updates from the Signatories regarding their progress with respect to compliance with the provisions of the Code.

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, MX Player along with 13 other OTT players sign up for IAMAI's new implementation toolkit

<ul><li>The DPCGC will have an OCCP Council composed of publishers of OCC as members and an independent Grievance Redressal Board [GRB] -- consisting of a chairperson and six members.</li><li>The GRB will oversee and ensure the alignment and adherence to the <keyword id="184398" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="code-of-ethics">Code of Ethics</keyword>.</li></ul>The <keyword id="128625" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet-and-Mobile-Association-of-India">Internet and Mobile Association of India</keyword> (<keyword id="149966" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IAMAI">IAMAI</keyword>) today announced the formation of the Digital Publishers Content Grievances Council (DPCGC). Over the past two years, IAMAI has worked collectively with its members towards establishing a self-regulatory and grievance redressal framework for Online Curated Content [OCC] Publishers. In light of the <keyword id="6363148" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="information-technology">Information Technology</keyword> (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, IAMAI is establishing the DPCGC as the Level-II Self-Regulatory Body for publishers of OCC as required under Rule 12, with the intent to empower consumers to make informed viewing choices. The DPCGC will have an OCCP Council composed of publishers of OCC as members and an independent Grievance Redressal Board [GRB] -- consisting of a chairperson and six members. The GRB will be chaired by a retired Supreme Court/High Court judge and the members would comprise eminent persons from the media and entertainment industry, experts from various fields including child rights, minority rights, and media law. The GRB will oversee and ensure the alignment and adherence to the Code of Ethics by the OCCP Council members, provide guidance to entities on Code of Ethics, address grievances that have not been resolved by the publisher within 15 days and hear grievances/appeals filed by the complainant(s). Subho Ray, President, Internet and <keyword id="592650" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mobile-Association-of-India">Mobile Association of India</keyword>, said, “IAMAI and members of the DPCGC are deeply committed to protecting consumer rights and empowering consumers with the right tools to make informed decisions, as well as have their grievances addressed. The formation of this body is an important step towards consumer choice, as more and more people are viewing content online.” IAMAI has notified the <keyword id="82970" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Information-and-Broadcasting">Ministry of Information and Broadcasting</keyword> that they are in the process of forming the DPCGC and has also shared a list of publishers who have confirmed to be members of the Council. So far, IAMAI has received confirmation from 10 publishers, including 1.) Alt Balaji 2.) Amazon Prime Video 3.) Arha Media 4.) Firework 5.) Hoichoi 6.) Hungama 7.) Lionsgate Play 8.) MX Player 9.) Netflix and 10) Shemaroo. IAMAI is also awaiting confirmation from several other such digital publishers. The creation of Digital Publishers Content Grievances Council (DPCGC) is a significant step in ensuring that publishers of OCC are compliant with IT rules 2021. The Digital Publishers Content Grievances Council will serve as a transparent and open channel to effectively address consumer grievances. As part of the process to be compliant, this newly formed body is an important step towards consumer empowerment and choice.

IAMAI announces formation of Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council

<ul><li><keyword id="10862183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi-crime-season-2">Delhi Crime season 2</keyword> is the most awaited web series of 2021, <keyword id="15508" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="YouGov">YouGov</keyword> survey.</li><li>Among the shows released this year, Family Man Season 2 is the most popular with two in five calling it their favourite series.</li></ul>The Coronavirus pandemic gave a huge boost to the booming OTT video- streaming industry in India. As consumers endured lockdowns and restrictions, digital content became a major source of entertainment as well as a platform for the industry to connect with their audiences in these unprecedented times. YouGov’s latest study reveals that among the upcoming web series this year, Season 2 of Delhi Crime is the most awaited show by OTT platform viewers in the country (as said by 22%). The International Emmy winning drama series enthralled viewers with its first season and we see excitement building up for the next edition, despite the absence of an official release date. <div type="image" title="image002" msid="84997672" hostid="261"></div>It seems audiences are looking forward to the sequels of some of the popular shows of the past years. Along with Season 2 of Delhi Crime, viewers are also excited for the sequel of Voot’s mythological thriller Asur (20%), Kay Kay Menon’s Special Ops Season 2 (19%) , Kota Factory’s Season 2 (18%), Four More Shots Please Season 3 (14%) and Little Things Season 4 (13%). New shows like Rudra- the edge of darkness (11%) and Finding Anamika (9%) have also managed to spark interest and feature among the most awaited shows of 2021. YouGov also asked people about the web series they enjoyed watching in 2021. Among the shows already released this year, action-thriller Family Man Season 2 (40%) emerged as the most favourite show of OTT viewers in urban India. The ever-charming Manoj Bajpayee’s performance, and the engaging plot totally lived up to the expectations of fans, especially after the cliff-hanger ending of season 1. <div type="image" title="image004" msid="84997697" hostid="261"></div>Other series that received the appreciation and love of the audiences are Tandav (14%), Aspirants (12%) and Maharani (10%). With lack of entertainment choices, it is not surprising to see consumers shift to digital entertainment during the pandemic. Data suggests that a majority of respondents (59%) claim to have watched more content online than on TV in the past one year. One in ten have started exploring global (non-English) content in the past year (9%) and almost as many (11%) have begun watching regional content (non-Hindi) during this time. Roughly a fifth among those who claim to watch regional content like watching Telugu (22%) and Marathi (20%) language series. Gujarati (18%), Punjabi (17%), Tamil and Kannada (16% each) series are also popular among people. Language has become an important factor in determining people’s choice of content. One in eight respondents (12%) consider the language or origin of a series important when deciding what to watch on OTT platforms. Having said that, the genre of the show (22%), recommendations of family &amp; friends (21%) and reviews and ratings (19%) are ranked higher than language as consideration factors by people. <div type="image" title="image006" msid="84997721" hostid="261"></div> When it comes to digital platforms, Amazon Prime (53%), Netflix (47%) and Disney Hotstar (43%) are the most preferred channels for watching Indian web shows. Even though international networks are more popular among the masses, regional platforms like Sun NXT, Aha and Hoichoi also feature in the list, indicating the growth of regional content consumption in India. <div type="image" title="image008" msid="84997744" hostid="261"></div> With an interest in regional language streaming, non-Bollywood cinema is likely to come out of Covid in a better shape. Almost half of the total surveyed respondents (49%) said that they are open to watching regional movies in theatres, with younger adults between the age of 18-39 years more likely to say so than older ones of 40 years and above. Data collected online by YouGov Omnibus among 1009 respondents in the country between June 15th-20th, 2021 using YouGov’s panel of over 11 million people worldwide. Data is representative of the adult online population in the country.

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BBC takes the India OTT market plunge – Sherlock, Happy Valley & more on offer

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Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, MX Player along with 13 other OTT players sign up for IAMAI's new implementation toolkit

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IAMAI announces formation of Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council

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