Latest news with #Odia-language
India Gazette
5 days ago
- India Gazette
NHRC takes suo motu cognisance of brutal attack on journalist in Odisha
New Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of reports detailing the brutal assault of a TV journalist while he was covering alleged corruption at a construction site in Kulthipali village in Balangir district on May 25. According to media reports, the journalist was suddenly ambushed by a group of individuals while documenting the site, where locals had raised corruption allegations. The attackers reportedly tied his hands and legs, paraded him through the village, and later bound him to a pole before subjecting him to a ruthless beating. Recognising the gravity of the situation, the NHRC stated that if the allegations are true, they constitute a severe violation of human rights. Consequently, the Commission has issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Odisha, seeking a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. Further reports indicate that the perpetrators also destroyed the journalist's mobile phones and video camera, threatening him against publicising details of the incident or the alleged irregularities at the construction site. According to reports, Bijay Pradhan, a journalist from a privately-owned Odia-language news outlet, was recently tied up and brutally beaten by a group of men while investigating alleged corruption at a construction site in Kulthipali village, Bolangir district. A widely circulated video on social media shows Pradhan being kicked and dragged by his attackers. The assault, which lasted for two hours, resulted in a ruptured eardrum, and he is currently receiving treatment at Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital. Pradhan further stated that the assailants forcibly took his mobile phone, which contained footage of the incident, along with his microphone and other reporting equipment--an apparent attempt to prevent him from covering the story. (ANI)
Mint
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Long-format content consumption growing on YouTube in India as connected TV penetration deepens
New Delhi: As short-form videos dominate smartphones and attention spans shrink, YouTube is seeing a surprising countertrend in India: surging consumption of long-form videos on connected TVs. This unexpected shift, executives say, is helping turn the world's largest open video platform into the country's biggest over-the-top (OTT) service in living rooms. 'While Shorts is growing, the consumption of content longer than 20 minutes on YouTube is actually also growing tremendously," said Gautam Anand, vice-president and managing director, YouTube Asia Pacific at Google. 'As a platform, we historically went from PC to mobile and now, the fastest growing surface for us is the living room." Read this | Content studios turn to YouTube to launch new originals despite surge in premium streaming platforms The rise of connected TV sets in urban India is reshaping how content is programmed and marketed, with platforms increasingly targeting family-oriented content over mobile-personalized fare. According to media consulting firm Ormax, 36% of the audience for subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) services in urban India now uses connected TVs regularly. 'Family-oriented content, such as movies, reality shows, and children's programming, is often consumed together, fostering shared experiences. The multi-profile features of streaming platforms also allow multiple members of the family to create personalized recommendations, making CTV an ideal medium for group entertainment," said Kaushik Das, founder and CEO of AAO NXT, an Odia-language OTT platform. Read this | Creators expect increase in income after YouTube allows them to place third-party product links in their videos India is now among the top three global markets, alongside Japan and the US, where YouTube ranks as the largest OTT platform on connected TVs, Anand added in an interview with Mint. The TV comeback The platform's deepening presence in living rooms reflects India's rapid expansion in connected TV penetration, fuelled by cheap data, affordable smart TVs, and a broadening appetite for premium content beyond traditional OTT paywalls. To be sure, YouTube already commands a staggering 92% share of all video consumption in India, according to the 2024 Ficci-EY report, leaving paid and ad-supported streaming rivals to jostle for the remainder. But long-form TV consumption is creating new pockets of stickiness. It's also influencing how creators think about content. Some studios that have found success on subscription OTTs are now debuting new shows directly on YouTube. For instance, Applause Entertainment recently launched a kids' animation channel, ApplaToon, on YouTube. The Viral Fever (TVF), known for hits like Panchayat, has put out new series such as MitronPolitan and Very Parivarik on the platform. As YouTube seeks to scale its pan-India appeal, a key enabler has been its multi-language audio feature, which lets creators add dubbed audio tracks in different languages without creating separate channels. The move is helping content from one part of the country travel seamlessly across others, such as Tamil or Telugu-language videos finding new audiences in the Hindi belt. People are discovering languages and personalities, and thanks to the multi-language audio feature, creators can now offer dubbed versions of their content, reaching out to newer audiences without knowing those languages, Anand said. Read this | YouTube AI dubbing raises creator concerns over language advantage This dovetails with broader trends in Indian media: the nationwide popularity of southern films, the rising consumption of regional content, and the increasing linguistic fluidity of younger digital audiences. Beyond ads: The new creator economy While advertising remains a core revenue engine, YouTube is betting heavily on diversified monetization for creators. Memberships, where creators can offer exclusive content to paying subscribers, are gaining traction in India. So is YouTube Shopping, which lets creators embed products and storefronts directly into their videos. 'There are multiple ways in which our partners and creators can generate revenue and we're unique in the fact that we're the only ones that share most of that back with our creators, as well. So we've not only set the foundations of the creator economy, but will also be the ones continuing to fuel that into the future," Anand said. YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium are also growing steadily, Anand said, offering users ad-free viewing, offline access, and background playback. While Google doesn't break out India-specific revenue, executives say these services are helping monetize high-intent users beyond ads. YouTube Premium grants ad-free viewing across all of YouTube, including YouTube Music, and allows for offline downloads and background playback of both videos and music. YouTube Music Premium, on the other hand, specifically focuses on the music experience within the YouTube Music app and website, providing ad-free listening, offline downloads, and background playback, but only for music content. To reinforce this flywheel, YouTube is doubling down on creator investments in India. Earlier this month, CEO Neal Mohan announced a planned investment of over ₹850 crore over the next two years to boost India's creator economy. More than 100 million channels uploaded content in the country last year, with over 15,000 of them crossing 1 million subscribers, Mohan said at the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai. Also read | The consumer longs for humanity in music, says YouTube's head of music Content from India is also travelling far: it racked up 45 billion hours of watch time from international viewers last year, according to the company. For YouTube, these point to India's evolving role in the global video economy. It's no longer just a massive consumption market; it's becoming a content and monetization hub that's setting the pace for how YouTube adapts to the future of TV.
