Hungama Digital Media announces new slate of shows, bets on gaming to lure consumers
Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt Ltd, which owns the Hungama OTT app, may have been lying low for a while but is now coming out with a slate of 24 shows for 2025, more than double its previous best of 10 originals annually. These will be targeted at middle-India consumers, a senior executive said, referring to viewers in metros who hail from tier-two and tier-three towns.
The company's library includes over 5,000 films in English, Hindi and other Indian languages, besides a catalogue of more than 1,500 short films. It is also betting on games inspired by popular movies and songs to create an ecosystem where gaming and entertainment come together.
The 2025 slate introduces fresh originals such as Mona Ki Monohar Kahaniyaan, Judwa Jaal, Rose Garden, Chakravyuh, Badass Begum, Blind Game, Balance Show, Hungama Hone Do, Shaadi Ki Uss Raat, Takshika, Girl Scams, Room Service, Bollywood Murder, Hasratein Season 3, and Ratri Ke Yatri Season 3, spanning genres such as thrillers, dramas, romances, and experimental formats. With the growth of connected TVs, Hungama is launching an app that can be downloaded on smart TVs.
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'This is going to be our biggest year in terms of originals released annually," Neeraj Roy, founder and managing director, Hungama Digital Media, said in an interview. 'Also, we were licensing a lot of shows earlier. But we are now gearing up for originals. These are IPs which we own and stories which our team has worked upon with different production companies."
Adding that the same number of shows will be released next year, Roy said paid subscriptions are the path to a sustainable business. The Hungama app is priced at ₹499 per year.
Right costing
'The desire is to now start getting consumers to opt for longer-term plans as well. We believe that this pricing is something that resonates, at least with our core audience," Roy said, referring to its target viewers.
Disagreeing that the OTT space in India is cluttered, Roy said most media companies started creating content for the OTT business, where the revenue model was in the early stages of development, with each web show costing 10 to 15 times the cost of a television show a few years ago.
'The economic model did not catch up. But we believe in doing things and costing in the right way," he emphasised.
Also Read | ZEE5 sees traction from tier-two, three markets as regional content soars
A recent show that required the team to travel was completed with virtual production, he said. The other thing the company is excited about is what's happening within the gaming ecosystem, Roy said.
'We shall put out a bunch of games which are at the intersection of entertainment and gaming. We're in the process of building communities, as far as those are concerned at this point in time," Roy said, referring to plans to launch movie and music-based games.
To be sure, the challenges for Hindi-focused platforms like Hungama are many. As global streaming giants tighten their grip on India's OTT market, experts said smaller platforms are struggling to stay afloat.
With rising production costs, shrinking marketing budgets, and the dominance of Netflix, Prime Video, and JioHotstar, many fringe players with lower budgets and scale may fade from the spotlight. While regional platforms carve out their own niches, those stuck in the middle find themselves with dwindling content and fewer options to compete.
Also Read | Why aggregation could be a game changer for niche OTTs
'The entire monetisation game on digital has been a challenge. These are fringe platforms that are now struggling because the business is all about scale and user experience and global media giants are becoming larger in terms of variety of content," Karan Taurani, senior vice-president at Elara Capital Ltd, said in a recent interview. "Advertising dollars are moving to e-commerce and there isn't much left for video anyway. Plus, despite attractive pricing, none of them has managed paid subscriptions."
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