Media Entertainment & Art Community

Indian streaming service, Hotstar, owned by Disney, experienced a loss of 4.6 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2023, marking the second consecutive quarter of subscriber decline. This brings the total loss of subscribers to 8.4 million since October of 2022. Hotstar’s revenue also decreased, with the average revenue per subscriber falling from 74 cents to 59 cents in the quarter. The loss of subscribers is largely attributed to Hotstar’s loss of the rights to live stream the Indian Premier League cricket tournament to Viacom18’s JioCinema platform. Viacom18 is now streaming the tournament for free in India. Hotstar also terminated some distribution partnerships with telecom firms and its licensing agreement with HBO. The platform has around 53 million subscribers but is predicted to experience further subscriber loss, potentially reaching an additional 7 million by the end of the year. “Lower impressions were attributable to decreases in average viewership at our sports and non-sports channels. The decrease at our sports channels was primarily due to cricket programming, which reflected airing fewer Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in the current quarter compared to the prior-year quarter as the 2023 IPL season started approximately one week later than the 2022 season,” Disney said in its earnings report Wednesday.

MovieVerse Studios, a new film content studio from the Anand Mahindra and Aditya Pittie-backed IN10 Media Network, will be headed by Vivek Krishnani, who joined the company from Sony Pictures Entertainment India in June 2022. According to Krishnani, the film studio will create Hindi- and regional-language-specific content to appeal to both streaming and theatregoers. Six films in Hindi and Tamil have been announced by the studio. “As part of our immediate development slate, we have four Hindi films and two Tamil films. As we expand our footprint in other regional languages, this number will continue to grow,” he said. The studio will focus on producing small, medium and big-budget films. “Once the content has been developed, we will then partner with studios/OTT platforms to co-invest in a wide range of small and big-budget films ranging from Rs 15 crore to Rs 100 crore plus,” Krishnani stated. The studio has not yet finalized its release schedule, he added. We are now in the lifecycle of our development but aim to share them with audiences in the first quarter of 2024. When compared to the prior fiscal year, IN10 Media’s net loss increased 47% to Rs 113 crore. IN10 Media owns and runs TV channels like EPIC, ShowBox, Filamchi, Gubbare, and Ishara. Tofler disclosed financial information for the company, showing that operating revenue had increased by almost four times to Rs 207 crore and operating expenses by almost 2.5 times to Rs 321 crore. MovieVerse Studios intends to create content in a variety of categories, including drama, comedy, action, and thriller. In collaboration with Bake My Cake Films, the studio is producing an action survival rescue drama based on a true story, which will be directed by Sandeep Leyzell and Shobhna Yadav. Umang Vyas will helm the production. The lineup also includes a thriller that will be directed by Viki Rajani and Pavan Kripalani of Faith Films. Additionally, DING Entertainment and the studio have planned a supernatural drama. The film schedule also includes a Tanuj Garg and Atul Kasbekar action thriller drama that was coproduced by Ellipsis Entertainment. It will distribute two Tamil films in collaboration with TG Thyagarajan of Sathya Jyothi Films, the largest film production and distribution firm in southern India. Tamil filmmaker Binu Subramanyam is directing both films. Script Stories Media owns a 99.99% stake in the company, which also owns EPIC ON and DocuBay streaming platforms in addition to Juggernaut Productions.

After 25 years of revolutionising at-home TV viewing, Netflix Inc. is ending its original business of delivering DVDs. According to a statement released on Tuesday, the company will ship its last discs on September 29. Co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos said, “Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members, but as the business continues to shrink that’s going to become increasingly difficult.” Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, the company’s co-founders, came up with the idea, and for the tens of millions of users who received the red envelopes with the Discs in the mail, it became a ritual. The DVD era saw the creation of some of the company’s early original productions. In 2007, the company debuted its streaming operation, resulting in the downfall of Blockbuster Entertainment, the largest DVD rental chain. The iconic horror-comedy Beetlejuice was the first DVD that Netflix ever distributed. More than 5.2 billion Disks have been sent out since then. The Sandra Bullock sports drama The Blind Side was its most well-known title.

On Monday in New Delhi, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) published a consultation paper (CP) on concerns pertaining to Low Power Small Range FM Radio Broadcasting. In accordance with section 11(1)(a)(i) of the TRAI Act, 1997, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) invited recommendations from the Authority on the necessity and timing of the introduction of a new service provider for drive-in theatre applications in its reference dated March 7, 2022. For sound broadcasting services that are designed for specific locations and reception regions, low-power short-range FM radio broadcasting is an efficient method. Drive-in theatres, hospital radio services, amusement parks, working places, closed communities like residential complexes, small habitations, local events like air shows and sporting events, etc. are a few examples of these services. In light of this, a consultation paper has been created to solicit feedback and opinions from stakeholders on a range of low-power FM radio broadcasting-related issues. Stakeholders are encouraged to submit written comments on the consultation paper by May 15, 2023. By May 29, 2023, counter comments, if any, may be submitted. According to a press release from TRAI, comments and counter-comments may be sent, ideally in electronic form, to the email addresses advbcs-2@trai.gov.in and jtadvbcs-1@trai.gov.in. The consultation paper’s complete text is accessible on the TRAI website at www.trai.gov.in.

The biggest movie theatre chain in India, PVR INOX, has introduced a new initiative whereby it will broadcast 10 handpicked upcoming films’ trailers on a big screen. Through this initiative, the company hopes to increase footfall. Trailers for upcoming Bollywood, Hollywood, and regional films will be screened for 30 minutes. Starting on April 7th, the show will be shown at PVR and INOX multiplexes nationwide. According to the firm, the Trailer Screening Show will provide the ideal opportunity for movie fans to remain updated on the newest entertainment trends. At the launch of the 30-minute Trailer Screening Show, PVR INOX Co-CEO Gautam Dutta stated,  “With the launch of our 30-minute Trailer Screening Show, we aim to present our viewers with a short, power-packed snackable entertainment offering on the big screen at a price as low as Re. 1.” “This first-of-its-kind content offering is for every cinephile who wants to watch a quick screening of their favourite upcoming movie trailers whilst sitting comfortably and binging on delicious snacks. In addition, it is not heavy on the pocket too. We invite movie lovers from all over the country to enjoy this eccentric cinema experience.” All the big theatres are showing The Trailer Screening Show during prime times. Using the PVR or INOX website or app, tickets can be purchased for the show.

With an emphasis on talent development and promoting made-in-India content to international audiences, the ministry of information and broadcasting and Amazon India have signed an agreement for collaboration in the media and entertainment space. Prime Video and miniTV, two subscription-based and advertising-driven streaming services owned by Amazon, will offer internships and scholarships to students from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and FTII in addition to organising workshops for film students across India with help from the ministry. Amazon will allow Indian talent to put their profiles on IMDb, the company’s online storehouse of data about movies, television shows, podcasts, and online games. The two streaming services will also feature content from Doordarshan and NFDC (National Film Development Corporation). The Publications Division of MIB will soon have a separate storefront on Amazon for its journals and books. News updates from state broadcaster Prasar Bharti will be made available via Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa. Moreover, Alexa and Amazon Music will offer Prasar Bharti music. “The M&E sector has attracted significant foreign capital in recent times with major global production houses and OTT players entering the Indian market. India has a strong resource base which has requires upskilling with the emerging needs of our times,” according to I&B minister Anurag Thakur. Thakur emphasised that the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 have been published to ensure self-regulation and self-classification by OTT platforms, but he also stressed the significance of services not encouraging profanity and abuse in the name of creative expression. Early in 2021, Prime Video had drawn the attention of the government with programmes like Tandav, a political drama starring Saif Ali Khan and Dimple Kapadia that had to change some of its content due to claims that it offended religious sentiments. “Our rich cultural diversity offers immense potential, to drive a thriving creative economy and further India’s soft- power, internationally. Our holistic collaboration with MIB, looks at every life stage and every-corner of integration to stimulate the growth of the industry, and we are very optimistic of the pathways that it will create,” Gaurav Gandhi, vice-president, Asia-Pacific, Prime Video said in a statement.

The first match saw a 47% on-year increase in consumption, according to Disney Star, the official television broadcaster of the Indian Premier League. A 29% increase in TV ratings was also reported. The broadcaster reported that for the debut match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings on March 31, it recorded a total of 870 crore minutes of TV consumption. On the first day, 14 core viewers watched the live broadcast, which included the opening ceremony, which attracted 13 crore people. The massive increase in viewing time, according to Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Disney Star, “is testament to the success of our campaign, focus on building virtues of Star Sports’ broadcast, continuing dominance of linear Television as the preferred platform for uninterrupted viewing of live Cricket and most of all, the deep relationship we share with Cricket fans.” Using BARC data, Disney Star stated to have observed a strong 29% increase in TVR from the last IPL season. For the first time this year, two different companies acquired the IPL’s television and digital streaming rights. As Reliance acquired the majority of the IPL broadcasting rights (for 2023–2027) for a total of Rs 23,758 crore, Viacom is providing free streaming of IPL 2023 on its OTT JioCinema. Disney Star paid Rs 23,575 crore to acquire the television rights for the Indian subcontinent. Two companies are broadcasting the matches separately on two different platforms for the first time, in India and other countries. Previously, Disney Hotstar streamed the matches. Last week, according to Viacom18, over 6 crore unique people watched the Gujarat Titans vs. Chennai Super Kings match, which peaked at over 1.6 crore viewers on JioCinema. On Day 1 of the match, JioCinema had 50 crore total views, it continued. Disney Star reported that more over 20 crore viewers watched the TATA IPL 2023 build-up programming before the tournament began on Friday. “Star Sports is optimistic that the ‘Shor’ (cheer) will continue as fans enjoy the action on television,” the statement continued. “With a host of exclusive surround programming and technology innovation, the broadcaster is setting a new precedent in how the marquee tournament is watched.”

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), working with the telecom service providers, carried out drive tests at 20 locations and their surrounding areas across the nation on Monday to evaluate the network quality offered by cellular mobile telephone service providers for voice and data services. The drive tests were carried out to assess all regional telecom service providers’ networks’ key performance indicators (KPIs). Coverage, Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR), Drop Call Rate, Block Call Rate, Handover Success Rate, and Rx Quality are the key performance indicators for voice services. The ministry listed the following KPIs for data services: Download and Upload Throughputs, Web Browsing Delay, Video Streaming Delay, and Latency. The areas covered in drive tests were Madurai, Eluru, Karimnagar, Mangalore, Amravati, Bhilwara, Rewari, Bhatinda, Ujjain, Varanasi, Maheshwar, Tengnoupal, Teliamura, Darjeeling-Kalimpong and national highways (110 & 717A), Assam & Arunachal Pradesh and National Highway (27, 127, 715, 15 & 13), Rohtak-Rewari Highway, Ajmer-Bhilwara HW, Ujjain to Sendhwa HW, Varanasi-Lucknow HW and Bhopal-Sagar HW in the quarter ending December. The full report is accessible on the TRAI website at www.analytics.trai.gov.in.

According to a report from the news agency Bloomberg on Thursday, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has probably agreed to pay back dues owed to IndusInd Bank Ltd. in order to end the insolvency procedures that have been brought against it and move closer to concluding a merger with a Sony Group unit to establish a $10 billion media conglomerate. According to the report, dues of over Rs 837 million may be paid as soon as this Friday, and the Mumbai-based bank has agreed to withdraw its insolvency case against the media company after the debt is repaid. According to Karan Taurani of Elara Capital, the NCLT merger approval might not come until after the cases have been settled or resolved at NCLT. The Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) recently settled the companies’ claims after calling off their NCLT case. IPRS filed a petition with the NCLT’s insolvency tribunal against ZEEL in early January, alleging a default of Rs 211.41 crore. According to him, IDBI and IndusInd Bank both have outstanding claims totalling around Rs 150 crore. “We believe expedition on the settlement will work favourably for the Zee-Sony merger as valuations are compelling in the range of 7-10x fwd PER for the merged entity (7x excluding Zee5 and Sony Liv losses),” Taurani stated. The issue relates to a default of Rs 89 crore by Siti Networks, the multisystem operator arm of the Essel Group, which was claimed by IndusInd Bank and for which ZEEL was a guarantor. The insolvency proceedings against ZEEL were initially put on hold by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) earlier on February 24. Punit Goenka, the managing director and chief executive of ZEEL, filed a petition, and the appellate tribunal granted it. It then sent letters to IndusInd Bank and the interim resolution professional, requesting a response within two weeks. IndusInd Bank’s plea to initiate insolvency proceedings was accepted by the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on February 22. After suspending the board, it had also appointed an interim resolution professional. The NCLAT order provided ZEEL with a significant reprieve as it merges with rival, Culver Max Entertainment, formerly known as Sony Pictures Networks India, to establish the country’s largest media empire. The company has obtained the necessary shareholder, creditor, bourse, and CCI approvals, and is awaiting final approval from NCLT.

In the 95th Academy Awards, India earned two awards. The RRR song Naatu Naatu received the Oscar for Best Original Song. The composer, MM Keeravaani sang a song dedicating his achievement to India as he and Chandrabose picked up the trophy. During the 95th Academy Awards, The Elephant Whisperers won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. Both RRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt) and The Elephant Whisperers are Indian productions that portray tales that are strongly influenced by India and Indian culture. The Elephant Whisperers, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, is a fascinating documentary about Bomman and Bellie, a couple from a native community in south India who lovingly care for orphaned baby elephants named Raghu and Ammu, creating a family unlike any other. RRR, directed by SS Rajamouli, on the other hand, is a great cinematic tale that follows the friendship of two rebels who fought the British in the 1920s and is jam-packed with action, adventure, music, and dance. Deepika Padukone introduced Naatu Naatu’s performance, which was led by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava. She described the song as a “banger,” and the subsequent performance led the attendees giving them a standing ovation at the ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the winners in his tweet: Exceptional! The popularity of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is global. It will be a song that will be remembered for years to come. Congratulations to @mmkeeravaani, @boselyricist and the entire team for this prestigious honour. India is elated and proud. #Oscars https://t.co/cANG5wHROt — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2023 Congratulations to @EarthSpectrum, @guneetm and the entire team of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ for this honour. Their work wonderfully highlights the importance of sustainable development and living in harmony with nature. #Oscars https://t.co/S3J9TbJ0OP — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2023 All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen, unfortunately failed to win an Oscar. The movie received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature Film. Navalny received the award. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Fire of Love, and A House Made of Splinters were the other films nominated. The big winner of the night was ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’. Seven Oscars were given to the movie out of its 11 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. Brendan Fraser’s performance in The Whale earned him the Best Actor Oscar. Top Gun Maverick won an Oscar for The Best Sound and Avatar: The Way of Water won the award for Best Visual Effects. An Oscar for the Best International Film Category went to All Quiet on the Western Front. The complete list of 95th Oscars winners: The complete list of 95th Oscars winners (updating LIVE). #Oscars95 https://t.co/869N2H4Jc1 — The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 13, 2023