Latest news with #Chull
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
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. Also Read | JOJO, Chull among new OTT platforms serving culturally rooted content to niche, regional audiences '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."
Mint
27-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
JOJO, Chull among new OTT platforms serving culturally rooted content to niche, regional audiences
Despite the abundance of streaming and short-video platforms in India – both foreign and domestic – media and entertainment companies continue with new launches focused on regional and user-generated content. Along with new OTT players JOJO, a Gujarati platform, and Chull, which will focus on Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bangla content, Dish TV has unveiled FLIQS, a digital content segment within its WATCHO app for professional creators. While critics point to the challenges of monetisation for such targeted offerings, others said the appetite for regional languages and niches remains underserved by bigger companies. 'It (a new launch) only makes sense if the platform is solving something real. This is not about launching another OTT. The content space is cluttered, but it's also underserved, especially when it comes to language-first, culturally rooted ecosystems. That's the gap JOJO was built to fill," said Dhruvin Shah, founder and CEO of JOJO. Also Read | ZEE5 sees traction from tier-two, three markets as regional content soars Shah added that the platform isn't trying to outspend or out-scale—it entered to serve a very specific audience that wasn't being heard properly. 'You can't win by doing what the global platforms are doing. You stand out by doing what they can't. In a landscape where scale often comes at the cost of specificity, we committed to going deeper, not broader," Shah said. He acknowledged that discovery for such niche platforms is still a challenge, but rather than rely on algorithms to do the heavy lifting, the company has built its own momentum via word-of-mouth, diaspora engagement, and cultural moments. Experts pointed out that the Indian content economy may appear saturated on the surface, but it's only now beginning to unlock its true potential—particularly beyond the metros. Sukhpreet Singh, chief revenue officer of Dish TV, said the next phase of growth in digital entertainment will be driven by deep regionalisation, hyper-niche storytelling, and a decentralised creator economy. Cultural relevance 'New platforms make business sense precisely because they cater to these unmet and underserved demands. As an industry, we've moved from mass content to micro-communities. Audiences today don't just want choice—they want cultural relevance, linguistic intimacy, and content that reflects their own lives," Singh said. While global OTT companies focus on scale, the new entrants have the advantage of agility, local insight, and community-led programming, he added. Also Read | Streaming platforms at crossroads on regional content There is a huge population in small towns and regional pockets that still does not feel truly seen or heard in mainstream content, agreed Deepak Joshi, CEO of Flickfusion Media Inc, USA, which owns Chull OTT. 'The economics make sense too — content production costs are lower in smaller cities, and mobile-first users are hungry for entertainment they can relate to. So rather than trying to compete with the giants, we are building something different—something deeply rooted in local culture," Joshi added. Challenges ahead Without doubt, there are challenges for new launches. Munish Vaid, vice-president of Primus Partners, a management consultancy firm, said in the initial days, monetisation was tough. Subscription revenue takes time to build because users want to first see consistent value. Advertising, too, is tricky at the start because brands want scale and data. So, platforms often have to run on low margins or even without revenue for the first few quarters. 'Discovery of the content is the biggest challenge. With so much content available, users don't even get to know that a new platform exists," Vaid added. Also Read | Overseas markets emerge as big opportunity for local streaming platforms as diaspora seeks more regional content Further, continuous inflow of content is critical as a key challenge is retaining consumers and keeping them entertained on a regular basis. 'Hence, a model of low-cost content creation and exclusive, rooted stories that are relatable to the target audience is very important," said Nitin Burman, group chief revenue officer of Balaji Telefilms Ltd. The company has just launched Kutingg, a new vertical video content segment created exclusively for on-the-go viewers.
