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Tag: VOOT

  • The OTT platform is set to ramp up its Kannada content

    Now ‘Bigg Boss OTT Kannada’ on Voot

    By Our Staff

     

    Viacom18’s video-on-demand platform, Voot, has upped the ante on its Kannada content strategy with an exclusive OTT season of Bigg Boss Kannada. There are two sponsors in the bag: Vimal Elaichi as ‘co-presenting’ sponsor and Paytm as ‘special’ partner.

     

    The show stars on August 6 and will see an interactive 24×7 live feed from the house.

     

    Gourav Rakshit
    Gourav Rakshit

    Talking about bringing Bigg Boss OTT to its Kannada viewers, Gourav Rakshit, Chief Operating Officer, Viacom18 Digital Ventures, said, “Kannada has been an important market for us at Voot, and our recent movie slate has helped us consolidate our leadership in the market. Voot’s success with Bigg Boss OTT Hindi in 2021 proved to be a game-changer in the digital entertainment space, and we’re excited to launch Bigg Boss OTT Kannada, reinforcing our commitment to bringing fresh and engaging shows to Voot audiences across the country.”

     

    Speaking on the maiden edition of Bigg Boss OTT Kannada, Param, Business Head, Kannada Cluster, Viacom18, added: “Year-on-year, Bigg Boss has been delivering outstanding and ground-breaking editions across languages, both on television as well as digital. The Kannada market has always stayed ahead of the curve and the launch of Bigg Boss OTT Kannada will further create an immersive and engaging experience for all our Kannada viewers. We are hopeful that the upcoming digital edition will take the show’s fandom a notch higher and engage and interact with viewers like never before.”

     

  • Will feature handpicked Ullu Originals across genres

    Voot partners Ullu to bring 100 shows

    By our Staff

     

    Viacom18’s video-on-demand platform, Voot, has announced a content partnership with on-demand streaming platform Ullu. Voot will now be home to 100 shows from the Ullu library for the audiences to binge on.

     

    Speaking on the partnership, Chanpreet Arora, Head – AVOD at Voot, said: “As a mass entertainment platform, Voot has consistently been ahead of the game in providing viewers with an entertaining and engaging content experience. Our partnership with Ullu will help us to widen our content library and meet the ever-growing demands of our viewers. This partnership gives us access to quality content across genres and languages and is a step forward in cementing Voot’s leadership in the AVOD ecosystem. We look forward to closely working with the team at Ullu to explore and deepen this existing relationship.”

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Ullu’s CEO & Founder, Vibhu Agarwal added: “It has always been our intent to make our content widely accessible and available. Our partnership with Voot provides us an excellent opportunity to do so. Most of our Ullu Originals have a binge factor and it matches the consumption pattern of binge watching on Voot. We are sure that Voot viewers will certainly benefit from this association as it offers them content that is fresh and exciting. We look forward to exploring more possibilities to make this collaboration as successful as possible.”

     

  • The matches are being aired on Colors Cineplex, Rishtey Cineplex and Voot

    Viacom18 rolls out marketing blitz for Abu Dhabi T10 League

    By Our Staff

     

    Starting November 19, Viacom18 is presenting the Abu Dhabi T10 league. In a run up to the series and to maintain sustained momentum, the network has started a marketing blitz, building fandom amongst cricketing fans in India. The Abu Dhabi T10 league is Co-presented by Dream11 and has on-boarded Fairplay as Digital Sponsor on Voot.

     

    Said Sapangeet Rajwant, Head of Marketing & Digital – Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18: “Cricket and cinema are the two biggest pop culture influencers in India and with Abu Dhabi T10 League we are coopting the strength of our leading movie channels and the fandom of cricket. The Abu Dhabi T10 tournament has emerged as one of the most entertaining spectacle events in the sporting calendar since its launch. Our aim will be to enhance the overall experience of viewers and reaching out to the mass, cricket-crazy audience in India to increase the fan base and popularize the event in the country. We have planned an extensive marketing initiative to scale the propensity of the biggest T10 cricket extravaganza, thereby achieving our desired goals.”

     

  • Starting Saturday, July 17, the mini-series entertains children across India in Tamil, Hindi and English

    Chhota Bheem goes to Singapore on Voot Kids lah

    By Our Staff

    Chhota Bheem, the popular animation series that airs on Pogo on linear television and on Voot Kids in the OTT space, has joined hands with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has joined hands with Voot Kids and Green Gold Animation, the makers of Chhota Bheem, to take Indian audiences on a virtual adventure in Singapore. Titled ‘Chhota Bheem – Adventures in Singapore’, the series brings the destination closer to audiences in an innovative format and engages families and children across India, who are on summer school vacation or studying from home, in a bid to keep safe indoors. Starting Saturday, July 17, the mini-series entertains children across India in Tamil, Hindi and English. In addition to the webisodes, there will be also ebooks and interactive games featuring the adventures of the character, all of which can be downloaded from the Voot Kids app. (If you thought the ‘lah’ in our headline was an error, it wasn’t. For those who are familiar with the way Singaporeans speak, Lah or Laa is a popular suffix in Singlish)

    Ashutosh Parekh
    Ashutosh Parekh

    Speaking on the collaboration, Ashutosh Parekh, Head of Content – Voot Kids said: “At Voot Kids, our mainstay is to provide meaningful screen time pivoting around fun – learn and entertainment which is age appropriate and 100 % safe. This is fueled by one of the largest content libraries in the genre that is truly multi format spanning across top kids’ franchises from all over the world, making it truly a house full of toons. Made locally and loved globally, Chhota Bheem is one of the most watched character since the day we launched Voot Kids. This mini-series is packed with specially created “app-i-sodes” to add diversity to our content slate. As market leaders we thrive on content curation and creation with the consumer at the centre of everything we do. This was the right time to bring delight our young subscribers and their families  who have enjoyed our app indoors, and now will magically be transported to Singapore with never seen before stories of Bheem, without leaving the safety of their home,  exclusively on Voot Kids.”

    Rajiv Chilaka
    Rajiv Chilaka

    Elaborating on the alliance, Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & CEO, Green Gold Animation added: “My biggest endeavour is to push the envelope with Chhota Bheem as an animated character that has millions of fans world over. New stories and new setting always add to Bheem adventurous streak and we are thrilled to partner with Singapore Tourism board to take it to the next level with Voot Kids as the exclusive home of the mini-series Chhota Bheem and friends – Adventures in Singapore. Voot Kids is a pathbreaking platform to emerge as best in the business and rewritten content rules for kids digital platform and we are hopeful that its subscribers will enjoy this fascinating mini-series that stars every kid’s favourite toon Bheem set in every kid’s favourite destination – Singapore.”

    GB Srithar

    Speaking about the  partnership, GB Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia (IMESA), Singapore Tourism Board, said: “For us, this project is all about putting  happy smiles on the faces of children and families across India, under these stressful times. Chhota Bheem and friends are well-loved characters who bring much cheer, hope, and optimism to Indian audiences. STB is pleased to present the seven episodes as our ;Gift of Smiles’ to Indian audiences. We hope the episodes will entertain families and allow them to experience a slice of Singapore virtually, as they keep safe at home. This creative partnership with Voot Kids and Green Gold is our first animation project and we are happy to offer this to the family audiences in India.”

  • After the completion of the digital exclusive, the show will move seamlessly to Colors after six weeks as Bigg Boss Season 15

    Bigg Boss 15 to air first on Voot, 6 weeks ahead of Colors

    By Our Staff

     

    Bigg Boss, India’s biggest reality show, will first air on Voot, not the GEC where it’s grown into the phenomenon that it has been.

     

    Called Bigg Boss OTT, it will premiere next month (August 2021) with “unprecedented access, engagement, and interactivity empowering viewers to immerse themselves in the journey of contestants in the Bigg Boss house”. In addition to the hour-long episode on Voot, viewers will get a chance to watch exclusive cuts, round-the -clock content drops and an interactive 24×7 LIVE feed from the house. After the completion of the digital exclusive, the show will move seamlessly to Colors after six weeks as Bigg Boss Season 15.

     

    Gourav Rakshit

    Speaking about the launch of Bigg Boss first on Voot, Gourav Rakshit, Chief Operating Officer, Viacom18 Digital Ventures, said: “Voot has grown to become home to entertainment in India through industry leading engagement and shareworthy content across originals, international, catchup and content-around-content segments. The launch of Bigg Boss OTT exclusively on Voot before TV is poised to be yet another game changer in digital entertainment and a step forward in further cementing our position as the most loved consumer entertainment brand. This season is set to empower our audiences through unparalleled category defining innovation through interactivity which we are sure will provide significant to our users, advertisers and brands alike.”

     

    Explaining the content strategy behind Bigg Boss OTT, Manisha Sharma, Chief Content Officer, Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18, said: “Bigg Boss, over the years, has grown to become a phenomenon that drives conversations across the country. With the launch of Bigg Boss OTT, our digital audiences are in for a treat. The new digital exclusive format will take the show’s fandom to its next level through active engagement with viewers being able to play a part in the show’s progress. The beauty of this show lies in the versatility of format and the massive popularity it commands – both aspects helping us in customizing the show as two different content offerings for the two different platforms while maintaining its core ethos.”

     

  • MTV India, Voot, Jio will air the tournament for three years

    Viacom18 bags rights for LaLiga

    By Our Staff

     

    Viacom18 Media has bagged rights for Spanish Football League LaLiga exclusively to the Indian subcontinent for the next three years. Enabled and supported by Rise Worldwide, LaLiga will air exclusively on MTV in India, along with select national and regional network channels and live-streamed on Voot and Jio platforms. The 2021 event kicks off on August 13.

     

    Speaking about LaLiga on MTV, Anshul Ailawadi, Business Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment said, “We at MTV have always known that football enjoys a groundswell of support amongst young-at-heart Indians. The LaLiga in particular, is a cultural phenomenon all over the World. When the folks from RISE Worldwide introduced us to LaLiga team, we realised that this was a partnership waiting to happen – the vision was common, the vibes were good, and we quickly put pen to paper.”

     

    On the association with Viacom18, Oscar Mayo, Executive Director, LaLiga said: “We are excited to partner with Viacom18 (MTV India) and further bolster the LaLiga fandom to an ever-growing football fan base in India. Having set one of the highest standards of football globally and India gaining tremendous momentum, we are confident that we will reach and engage with the youthful audience that MTV as a destination appeals to.”

     

  • For visual-based quiz show 'The Big Picture’

    Ranveer Singh to debut as quiz master on Colors

    By Our Staff

     

    General entertainment channel Colors has acquired the rights for quiz show ‘The Big Picture’. The channel has signed actor Ranveer Singh who is to make his television debut as the host. The quiz show for which Byju’s will be presenting sponsor will also be available on Voot and Jio TV. The channel will work in association with Banijay Asia and ITV Studios Global Entertainment B.V.

     

    Speaking about the show, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said, “At Colors, it has been our constant endeavour to tread beyond the conventional to provide premium variety content. With a view of bringing new and enhanced entertainment experience for our viewers, we have over the years pioneered diverse genres that include dance reality shows, talent-based shows, stunt-based shows and voyeuristic content. Breaking new boundaries of entertainment, we are extremely excited to announce one of the biggest and differentiated quiz show We look forward to presenting this extremely unique proposition to our viewers which will be helmed by superstar Ranveer Singh. He is a maverick youth icon, who has carved a niche through sheer hard work and excellence of his craft. His youth appeal makes him an instant fit for the show and we are certain that his exuberance and charm will captivate the people of India.”

     

    Added Deepak Dhar, Founder and CEO, Banijay Asia: “Banijay is known for bringing exceptional content, original or international adaptations/acquisitions to its audiences in the country. We are delighted to kick off our partnership with COLORS with the internationally acclaimed ‘The Big Picture’ and are confident that its unique format will garner as much attention in India as it did internationally. Working with a powerhouse like Ranveer Singh is an exciting feat in itself and we are looking forward to creating some quality content that stirs excitement and engagement at the same time.”

     

    Said Ayesha Surty, SVP licensing at Global Entertainment, ITV Studios: “We’re thrilled to have this exciting format in India following other ITV Studios formats like ‘The Voice’ and ‘I’m A Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here’. ‘The Big Picture’ brings in viewers from home as active participants and sees the return of ‘feel good television’, enhancing family viewing. We couldn’t have asked for a better platform than Colors TV or a more captivating host than Ranveer Singh to bring alive this highly energetic and enthralling show.”

     

     

  • To stream the tournament exclusively in India

    Voot partners with Maratha Cricket League T20

    By Our Staff

     

    Viacom18’s streaming platform Voot has announced its association with the cricket reality show, Maratha Cricket League T20 as its exclusive streaming partner. Maratha Cricket League T20 will bring forth cricket in a fresh avatar. Voot will exclusively stream the 34 matches league.

     

    Speaking about the association, Vincent John, Chief Executive Officer, Maratha Cricket League – MCLT20, Squarecut Sports Pvt. Ltd., said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have Voot as our official broadcasting partner which is undoubtedly India’s leading OTT platform having largest number of active subscribers across the nation. ‘Maratha Cricket League – MCLT20’ is India’s first Cricket Reality Show designed to discover less fortunate cricketers of India and to give them a platform to tell their stories and display their cricketing talent to the world. The league represents the iconic heritage and glorious history of the Great Maratha Empire and embodies its warrior spirit. Over 10,00 such cricketers were given opportunity to display their talent out of which best 200 will feature in the SEASON ONE of MCL-T20. Through the platform of Voot, they will be able to tell their stories. We look forward to long term successful association with Voot.”

     

    Added Chanpreet Arora, Head- AVOD (Voot), Viacom18 Digital Ventures: “Sports has always caught the interest of the nation. As a platform that seeks to provide diverse content experiences, a differentiated and first of its kind sports talent hunt reality show that seeks to encourage and build cricketing talent in the country is a great way for us to connect with our users on Voot. The partnership with Maratha Cricket league as streaming partners presents MCL with the opportunity to tap into the large user base of Voot while for Voot, it allows us to drive meaningful engagement with sporting enthusiasts in the country through the unique format. This is the first of more such content innovations to come from our end at Voot.”

     

  • Collaborates with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle

    Voot Studio brings series on inspiring women in Asia

    By Our Staff

     

    Voot Studio has partnered with German international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, to stream the progressive series ‘Her- Women in Asia’. The series is based on the inspiring real-life transformational stories of women from the Asian sub-continent.

     

    Speaking about the association, Chanpreet Arora, Head AVOD (Voot), Viacom18 Digital Ventures, said: “As an effective partner of choice for brands, Voo Studio has been successful in driving a brand’s message and reach by providing the right platform and relevant audience engagement opportunity. Our collaboration with Deutsche Welle’s ‘HER- Women in Asia’ is a step further in this direction to bring forth stories that are relevant and have a universal appeal. We are happy to partner with them to showcase an engaging and inspiring series that will strike the right chord with our viewers on Voot.”

     

    Commenting on the collaboration, Daniel Schulz, Distribution Manager for DW in Asia, said: “We are excited to be joining hands with a partner like Voot to reach out to India’s diverse audience which is interested in both entertainment as well as informative and valuable content. Our goal is to promote versatility and ensure that real life stories on important topics like women’s empowerment, cultural diversity, environment, technology, and sustainability are accessible to people across the globe. We are constantly working not only to meet the audience’s expectations of being a credible news destination, but also to create motivating stories and educational programs for curious minds.”

     

  • Appoints Chanpreet Arora as Business Head – AVOD and Vineet Govil as Chief Technology Officer, Digital Ventures

    Viacom18 strengthens Digital Ventures with senior hires

    By Our Staff

    Viacom18 has announced the appointment Chanpreet Arora as Business Head – AVOD (Voot), and of Vineet Govil as Chief Technology Officer at Viacom18 Digital Ventures. In her new role. Arora will drive the AVOD business – VOOT and will be responsible for leading AVOD-led partnerships that are key to VOOT’s overall growth. Vineet will be responsible for strengthening the product’s tech play by offering a more seamless and immersive experience for consumers.

    Said Gourav Rakshit, COO, Viacom18 Digital Ventures: “We are delighted to welcome Chanpreet  and Vineet to our team as we accelerate our growth to transform the digital streaming space for our users. While Chanpreet is a recognized expert in the Indian media industry with an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the entire digital ecosystem, Vineet is a domain expert and is recognized for building world class products through continuous technological innovations. Together with their, exemplary leadership and ability to innovate, we are certain of taking Viacom18 Digital Ventures to greater heights. We are confident that we will further consolidate our position through a more digital-first focused approach.”

    Added Arora: “It’s a pleasure to join the Viacom18 Digital Ventures Team to lead the AVOD Business. My journey in the digital ecosystem has been enriching so far. I look forward to working with the team at Viacom18 to grow the business further and deliver significant value to our partners.”

    Said Govil: “I am excited to be a part of a business that is young and successful with 3 distinct offerings. I look forward to working with the digital team on enhancing the platforms and hope to bring in some excitement from a viewers’ perspective. Streaming is all about experience and this is something we will work closely on to accelerate growth”

     

     

  • New roles for Ferzad Palia and Anshul Ailawadi

    Viacom18 restructures its leadership team

    By Our Staff

    Ferzad Palia
    Ferzad Palia
    Anshul Ailawadi
    Anshul Ailawadi

    Viacom18 has announced changes in its leadership team to bolster its digital and broadcast businesses. Driving the agenda of growing its digital subscription businesses, in his new role, Ferzad Palia will head all subscriber-driven pay services (SVOD – Voot Select and Voot Kids) and International expansion for Voot and will report to Gourav Rakshit, COO, Viacom18 Digital Ventures.

    The network’s Youth, Music and English Entertainment business will now be led by Anshul Ailawadi, erstwhile strategy and project management lead at the Group CEO’s office. Ailawadi will report to Rahul Joshi, Managing Director, Network18, in his new role.

    Notes a communique: “In its endeavour to become a future-proof organisation, identifying opportunities to drive synergies is crucial. Ferzad has led the growth of the network’s Youth, Music and English Entertainment business for the past 16 years. More recently he launched Voot Select that has already raced to add 1mn+ subscribers within a year. He will now look to cohesively grow Viacom18’s SVoD and International digital businesses. Anshul has played a key role in the growth of Viacom18 over the last 6 years and is a strong proponent of the tremendous fandom, and the potential business opportunity that the YME brands of Viacom18 command. In a young country like India, these brands have a long runway for growth, especially given the proliferation of digital platforms.

     

     

  • Nickelodeon will partner Teach for India to bridge  digital education divide caused by the new normal

    Kids’ Choice Awards 2020 goes virtual

    Press Release-based

     

    Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2020 is back, albeit virtually. And with six new categories for children to vote for their favourite entertainers during the lockdown and decide who takes home the coveted Nickelodeon Blimp. Voting starts today, Jan 4, on www.voot.com and the Voot App.

     

    Said Nina Elavia Jaipuria – Hindi Mass Entertainment & Kids TV Network at Viacom18: “In these challenging times our commitment is to ensure that our young viewers remain entertained and positive. Keeping this in mind we at Nickelodeon are going to celebrate all that is new with Kids’ Choice Awards 2020. In the virtual format, with the introduction of new categories, we aim to encourage and empower kids to cast their vote and choose their favourites who kept them going through the lockdown. Nickelodeon will also support Teach for India to help provide smart devices to children to enable online education.”

     

    Added Director of Communications and Marketing of Teach For India: “We are delighted to partner with Nickelodeon for their most prestigious awards show. Their support to our #DontStopLearning campaign is important and we are deeply grateful to their commitment to sponsor a device to ensure our students continue learning. We are confident that this partnership will play a significant role in bridging the digital divide.”