Interview with Khushboo Yadav, Why do we create content?, Industry news, and more

OTTVerse Newsletter #38

OTTVerse

Jun 14, 2024

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the OTTVerse newsletter.

This week, we present:

Interview with Khushboo Yadav
Why do we create content - An article by Shrirang Nargund
Latest OTT News
Latest News From the Streaming Tech Providers
And more!

If you want to advertise on OTTVerse or collaborate with us on editorial material, please email abhi@ottverse.com.

Latest OTT News

MultiChoice Faces Sharp Decline in Profits Amid Economic Slowdown - MultiChoice, based in South Africa, compared to the previous year’s figures, anticipates a substantial decrease in profits for the current financial year.

India’s Disney+ Hotstar First to Stream Live Sports in Dolby Vision - Disney+ Hotstar has become the first streaming platform to offer live sports in Dolby Vision in India and the first to stream cricket in Dolby Vision worldwide.

Is the Skydance, Paramount Global Deal Cancelled? - According to the sources, Shari Redstone, the non-executive chairman of Paramount Global and President of National Amusements, has terminated discussions regarding the latest offer for Paramount Global from the consortium led by Skydance and RedBird Capital.

Google TV Launches New FAST Advertising Options - With new advertising options, Google TV enables advertisers to incorporate connected TV (CTV) inventory into their media buys. This addition is part of Google TV’s free live TV experience, launched last year.

Amazon Secures Deal for Video Streaming Platform MX Player - Amazon announced on June 6 that it signed an agreement to acquire certain assets from MX Player, a streaming platform owned by Times Internet.

Now TV Partners with Netflix to Launch New Service Bundle in Hong Kong - Now TV, Hong Kong pay TV operator has partnered with streaming giant Netflix to offer a new service bundle to customers. This bundle provides access to both Now TV and Netflix’s extensive content libraries under a single subscription.

Lionsgate and Nielsen Partner for FAST Channel Measurement - Nielsen, renowned for its role in traditional TV ratings, is expanding its presence into the ad-supported streaming sector and has partnered with Lionsgate to offer measurement services for the studio’s MovieSphere FAST channel.

Warner Bros. Discovery Raises Costs for Ad-Free Max Plans - The Max streaming platform has announced increased prices for its monthly and yearly ad-free plans. Starting Tuesday, the Max With Ads plan will stay at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, but the ad-free tiers will increase.

Sony Pictures Embraces AI Technology for Film and TV Production - At an investor conference in Japan on Thursday Chief Executive Tony Vinciquerra of Sony Entertainment said that the company is “very focused on AI” and is actively working to incorporate the technology into the moviemaking process to enhance efficiency.

FuboTV and Willow by Cricbuzz to Collaborate for T20 World Cup Coverage - Live-streaming platform Fubo TV has partnered with Willow by Cricbuzz to stream ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. By entering into a multiyear agreement with Willow by Cricbuzz, FuboTV has ensured that more than 220 live cricket matches will be available annually to Fubo’s International Sports Plus channel add-on package subscribers.

Amazon Upgrades Fire TV Voice Search and Recommendations with AI Integration - For Fire TV users in the U.S. Amazon is improving search functionalities and personalized content suggestions through the introduction of voice-activated GenAI-powered features. These functionalities will let viewers utilize conversational language and phrases to discover television shows and movie options.

Intelsat Extends Partnership with Sony Pictures Networks India - Intelsat, the satellite operator, has extended its collaboration with Sony Pictures Networks India to continue providing content to millions of viewers throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia.

JioCinema Reaches 620 Million Viewers in IPL 2024, Setting New Streaming Record - The official streaming platform for the Tata IPL, JioCinema, achieved record-breaking viewership and engagement figures, concluding a remarkable season of the cricket league.

Charter Spectrum Inks New Carriage Deal with Paramount, Featuring Paramount+ - In a multi-year agreement with Charter, Paramount, the owner of CBS, Paramount+, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Nickelodeon, and other brands, ensures that Paramount’s networks remain accessible to Charter customers.

Latest From the Streaming Tech Providers

PallyCon Introduces Per-Minute Pricing for Distributor Watermarking to Combat Pre-Release Video Piracy - INKA Entworks unveiled an updated version of its advanced Distributor Watermarking product. The solution features per-minute pricing model, eliminating setup fees, tech support costs, and AMC fees, making it a pay-as-you-go service.

NEXA Sponsors SIIMA New Streaming Academy Awards 2024 - Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) declares the continuation of its NEXA alliance with the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) as it steps into the second consecutive year of sponsorship.

Gcore Unveils Inference at the Edge – Bringing AI Applications Closer to End Users for Seamless Real-Time Performance - Gcore, announced the launch of Gcore Inference at the Edge, a solution that provides ultra-low latency experiences for AI applications. This solution enables the distributed deployment of pre-trained machine learning (ML) models to edge inference nodes, ensuring seamless, real-time inference.

Amagi Boosts FAST Channel Count in Brazil Through Strategic Partnership With Globo and AD Digital - Amagi announced a partnership with Brazil’s Globo, through which six of the network’s free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels were implemented into the Amagi cloud-based playout platform.

Entries Now Open for 2024 Rise Awards - Rise, the award-winning advocacy group for women in the broadcast media technology sector, announced the entries for its annual Rise Awards are now open.

Astro, Selects Amagi and AWS to Transition Playout Services to the Cloud - Amagi, announced its partnership with Malaysia’s leading media and entertainment company, Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro).

For more OTT news and updates, please go to OTTVerse.com

Women in Streaming – Interview with Khushboo Yadav

Khushboo Yadav hails from an Army background, studied at twelve schools across India and completed her Economics (Hons.) degree at Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University. She later pursued her MBA from SP Jain School of Global Management in Singapore and Dubai.

With leadership roles at Google, Nokia, Apple, and Jio globally, Khushboo joined Jio Platforms Limited in June 2021. She is now the CEO of Jio Entertainment Services and a Board Member of JioSaavn and received the “Champions of Change” award in 2023.

Known for her passion and strategic vision, Khushboo is dedicated to driving growth and innovation in her ventures.

Read about Khushboo’s interesting journey in the media and entertainment world : Women in Streaming – Interview with Khushboo Yadav

Why are we creating content?

Before 2000, content creation in India was distinct, with clear lines between creators and consumers. The rise of digital media and platforms like YouTube blurred these lines, giving birth to 'Content Democracy', where consumers became active creators, leading to 'UGC' (User-generated content). This shift resulted in professionals and new creators alike seeking audience engagement and evolving into 'PGUC' (Professionally generated user content).

Content now spans various forms, but with limited audience screen time (4-6 hours daily), competition is fierce. Despite the vast content produced, much goes unwatched, leading to revenue challenges. The traditional and indie creators now vie for the same limited audience attention, with only a few top players successfully navigating this crowded space.

In this article, Shrirang Nargund, a media industry veteran, discusses how content creation has evolved over time and what can be done to increase engagement from viewers: Why are we creating content?

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