MxMIndia

Tag: JioCinema

  • Bigg Boss OTT to stream on Jio Cinema

    By Our Staff

     

    JioCinema is set to stream Bigg Boss OTT reality show starting 17th June. With Salman Khan as the host, Bigg Boss OTT will offer 24×7 non-stop entertainment and multi-cam action for free, a first in its history.

     

    JioCinema launched a promo titled “Lagi Bagi” featuring Salman Khan and Raftaar, dropping hints about the upcoming season. With the tagline “Iss baar itni lagegi ki aapki madad lagegi”, this season introduces several firsts, empowering the audience with ultimate control over the game, allowing them to influence the game through unique situations and scenarios.

     

    Commenting on being the host of Bigg Boss OTT, Salman Khan said: “India is always looking for nonstop entertainment and Bigg Boss OTT is here to provide exactly that! This season will be raw and unfiltered just like me, making it a perfect match like a Ram milayi jodi. I am sure it is going to be never seen before in the history of unscripted reality where fans can see all sides without any layers. Dekhta ja India, is baar entertainment rukega nahi kyuki contestants ki itni lagegi, ki unko aapki kaafi madad lagegi. I can’t wait to witness all the drama and excitement unfold.”

     

  • Peacock Original Series and new movies will be available now on Jio

    NBCUniversal and JioCinema enter into a multi-year partnership

    By Our Staff

     

    NBCUniversal (NBCU) and JioCinema, Viacom18’s streaming service, have entered into a multi-year partnership bringing thousands of hours of NBCU films and TV series to India. This partnership significantly bolsters JioCinema’s program offering and ensures that their viewers will be able to enjoy titles from NBCU’s world-renowned content portfolio.  That portfolio is fueled by Comcast NBCUniversal’s powerhouse production entities and brands, which includes Universal Television, UCP, Universal International Studios, Universal Television Alternative Studio, Sky Studios, DreamWorks Animation, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Bravo, and more.

     

    Fans of reality television will also be able to indulge in all the drama, laughter, and emotional highs and lows found in NBCU’s unscripted series. Encompassed in the deal are shows like the hugely popular The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules; in addition to Family Karma, which follows seven Indian-American friends as they navigate life, love, careers and expectations of their traditional families; and The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, a transformational show – narrated by Amy Poehler – where three Swedes (an organizer, a designer and a psychologist), known as the ‘Death Cleaners,’ come to America to help people face mortality and remind us of all the ways we are alive.

     

    This partnership leverages JioCinema’s reach and expertise to introduce Indian audiences to the Peacock brand and NBCU’s portfolio, while JioCinema cements its position as the largest OTT service in the market, now reinforced by an unprecedented volume of best-in-class films and series from NBCU.

     

  • It seems we are in for even more action and excitement in the OTT space than what one originally anticipated, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Paywall Pangs: The OTT Conundrum

     

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Shailesh KapoorHalfway through this year’s IPL, it is evident that the season has been a resounding success. The pandemic led to restrictions related to venues and in-stadia audience capacities, all of which are now a thing of the past. Games in the home-away format is at the heart of any sporting league, and that’s on show this year, for the first time since 2019. Though it’s another matter that Chennai Super Kings fans make even the away stadia look like home venues.

     

    But the biggest change in this year’s IPL is that it can be streamed for free. By choosing to not put IPL behind the paywall, Jio, via its platform JioCinema, has set the cat among the pigeons, so to speak. If one of the most-sought-after content properties in India doesn’t need a paid subscription, then who do platforms with mediocre web-series demand that their audience pay? That’s something many OTT audiences are beginning to think about.

     

    The numbers on JioCinema, as also on Star Sports, look very encouraging. It will be no surprise if peak concurrent viewership on JioCinema crosses the 3.5 Crore mark on the day of the final.

     

    Since the arrival of OTT platforms in India, about six years ago, a large share of media attention has been on the ‘premium’ SVOD business. But the advertiser sentiment has progressively moved from linear television to digital, and a big-ticket property like the IPL being accessible to the wider OTT audience base is a fascinating proposition for marketing managers and media planners.

     

    Of course, JioCinema has plans to launch a paid offering too, for premium entertainment content, including that from HBO. And doing so is their recognition of the potential of a hybrid model, wherein advertiser-funded and subscription-funded content will co-exist.

     

    But the success of IPL on AVOD should be food for thought for Indian OTT platforms who run products that are technologically inferior to the global leaders in this space, but expect audiences to shell out subscription fee for routine content. With YouTube being omnipresent, it’s not going to get any easier for audiences to pay for content, unless both the content and the app experience is truly compelling. And consistently so over a period of time.

     

    Just last month, I wrote in this column that there is unlikely to be a dull moment in the Indian OTT space for a while. But it seems we are in for even more action and excitement that what one originally anticipated.

     

  • There is little doubt in my mind that IPL's streaming viewership will outnumber that on linear television this year, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Not at all Quiet on the OTT Front

     

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Shailesh KapoorOver the last three years, it became abundantly clear that streaming (or OTT, as it’s called in India) is the medium of the future in this country, even as other media will continue to co-exist. Linear television always had the numbers. But thanks to a mix of factors, ranging from the pandemic, to ever-reducing data costs, to a nosey TRAI, linear television has barely managed to stay afloat. Pressure on revenues has been felt across the board, and that’s never a good sign.

     

    Streaming itself is trying to find its sweet spot. Is it a premium paid (SVOD) medium, as all the promotions of well-mounted web-series suggest? Or is it a medium for the ‘masses’, where free (AVOD) content is going to dictate the future? The jury has been out. And the last few weeks have seen their share of action on this front.

     

    Perhaps the biggest shift in the dynamic has been around the IPL. The 16th edition of the league, which starts March 31, will stream free on JioCinema. That’s a polar opposite to how it was thus far: IPL was a subscription (and hence, revenue) driver for Disney+ Hotstar, not just in India but at a global level too.

     

    Then, there’s the talk of the largest AVOD player in India outside of YouTube, i.e., MX Player, being up for sale. The content side is going through its continuous evolution. For example, price points for acquiring streaming licences to theatrical releases have not stabilised yet.

     

    All these are healthy signs, one would think. A growing category is bound to see new ideas, new strategies, and new alignments. And some of these may shape the future of the category. For example, there is little doubt in my mind that IPL’s streaming viewership will outnumber that on linear television this year.

     

    How did linear television find itself in this situation is a matter of another debate. But it should not have, because it’s still the staple, go-to medium for millions of Indian families every night. But the only way you can fight technology is by building a precise and relevant narrative. The linear TV industry has failed to do that for itself.

     

    Amidst all the positive action, the talk of censorship of streaming content has started again. This week, the I&B minister advocated censoring “vulgarity”. The genesis of this not-so-veiled threat lies in a Delhi High Court judgment will handling a complaint on TVF’s show College Romance. The state and the judiciary playing moral police can be a major irritant in a category that’s otherwise amid a period of high activity and growth.

     

    All eyes, hence, are on India’s streaming story, in its second phase, where the category seeks stabilization and re-alignments. And the upcoming IPL will set the ball rolling on that front.