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Amazon Prime Video and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment have teamed up for a multi-film licencing collaboration

Amazon Prime Video and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment (NGE), a production house, have announced a worldwide exclusive multi-film licencing deal, the streaming site announced on Monday. As part of the deal, Prime Video will be the “worldwide home” for the banner’s next slate of films shortly after they hit theatres. Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment’s film lineup includes Nitesh Tiwari’s “Bawaal,” starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, “Sanki,” Tiger Shroff’s “Baaghi 4”, and Kartik Aaryan’s untitled project. Films by Ravi Udyawar (“Mom”), Sameer Vidwans (“Anandi Gopal”), Saket Chaudhry (“Hindi Medium”), and others will be included in the lineup. Sajid Nadiadwala, the Managing Director of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, a producer and director, said in an interview with Prime Video that the production house has found a partner who not only shares their vision of providing immersive cinematic experiences, but also provides global distribution to the best stories from the Indian entertainment ecosystem. “We’ve been entertaining audiences with our movies for the past 70 years, contributing to Indian culture, and today, with OTT becoming such a vital part of our lives, it’s a new age in entertainment.” Amazon Prime Video has aided in the dismantling of all entertainment barriers, be they geographical, linguistic, or otherwise… “We are certain that this collaboration of inclusive cinema will enable our upcoming releases to move beyond borders and provide extra value to Prime Video’s exceptional content selection. This collaboration represents NGE’s first-ever, worldwide exclusive, multi-film, multi-year deal with Prime Video. I hope this partnership will pave the way for additional collaborations between the two brands as the world of storytelling evolves across genres “In a statement, Nadiadwala added Manish Menghani, Director – Content Licensing, Amazon Prime Video India, expressed excitement about the team’s upcoming cooperation with Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, which is known for making films that connect with audiences instantaneously. “By striking this agreement, we will offer some of the most exciting narratives and stories to our viewers’ screens around the world shortly after their theatrical debuts.” “Prime Video has played a major role in significantly increasing the audience base for Indian films, across languages, both within the country and worldwide, and this collaboration is another step towards realising that promise,” says Amazon. “I am confident that this slate of highly anticipated films will prove to be an incredible treat for our consumers,” Menghani said. Following their theatrical debut, all Prime members will be able to watch the movie on Amazon Prime Video. In addition, during the ‘Early Access Rental’ window, all Amazon customers (Prime and non-Prime) will be able to ‘rent’ the titles on Amazon Prime Video. The streamer announced a licensing deal with Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, Excel Media and Entertainment, and Ajay Devgn FFilms at the ‘Prime Video Presents India’ event in April, under which it will premiere titles from these four leading Indian production banners after their theatrical releases. Source: PTI

Meta launches updated 3D avatars in India for Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger

Meta has released upgraded 3D avatars for Facebook and Messenger in India. The new Avatars are more expressive, customizable, and diversified than the old ones. Meta is integrating new facial shapes and assistive devices for persons with disabilities to better reflect the billions of unique people on this world. Meta is bringing updated 3D avatars to Facebook and Messenger, as well as Instagram Stories and DMs for the first time. People in India can now use stickers, feed posts, Facebook profile images, and other methods to present themselves as their virtual selves across apps as of today. Avatars will also be available for the first time on Instagram. Manish Chopra, Director and Head Partnerships, India at Meta said, “Representations in the metaverse should reflect the diversity of the real world. Avatars are just the first step toward enabling everyone to express themselves in their unique ways. When you create your avatar you can choose the right facial features, body types, clothing styles, and more to create your virtual self. We offered more than one quintillion different combinations when we launched our updated avatars last year, and we’re continuing to add more options to give people even more ways to express themselves.” Cochlear implants and over-the-ear hearing aids (for one or both ears) are now available in a variety of colours across all platforms, including VR. It also contains wheelchairs, which will appear as Facebook stickers, Messenger messages, and Instagram DMs. Based on user feedback, Meta will continue to introduce more options over time. Meta is also working on improving the appearance of Avatars. To make avatars more realistic, minor tweaks to facial forms and skin shaders have been done. Meta introduced new eyes and noses, beards and haircuts, clothing, physique kinds, and more throughout 2021. Throughout the year of 2022, more items will be added to the Avatar editor.

Zee Entertainment signs global media rights contract with UAE’s T20 League

Zee Entertainment announced today that it has signed a long-term global media rights agreement with the UAE’s T20 League, giving the broadcaster access to 34 matches from the cricket tournament. The league matches will be broadcast on both Zee’s linear channels as well as ZEE5, a streaming platform. The tournament will be broadcast in English, Hindi, and Tamil on ten linear channels in Hindi-speaking markets in the south and east. The broadcaster claims to have a global presence in over 190 countries, which will enable them to reach more than 100 million households with the league. “ZEE has decided to re-enter sports broadcast with UAE’s T20 League being the first media rights acquisition,” said Khalid Al Zarooni, Chairman UAE’s T20 League. Reliance Industries Limited, Adani Sportsline, Knight Riders, Lancer Capital, GMR Group, and Capri Global are among the six teams in the UAE T20 League. “We believe that the league, which is already attracting globally, the biggest cricket stars and team franchisees, will provide fantastic cricket and entertainment to viewers across the world,” said Rahul Johri, President – Business, South Asia, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited.

India’s media and entertainment ecosystem expected to generate 53 billion dollars annually: I&B Minister Anurag Thakur 

Anurag Thakur, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, stated that India has the potential to become a global content subcontinent and a preferred destination for film post-production. The government’s plans, he said, are aimed at growing India’s media and entertainment ecosystem, which is estimated to generate 53 billion dollars annually. Mr. Thakur remarked during the India Forum on ‘India-The Content Hub of the World’ that Indian cinema has entertained not only Indians but also worldwide audiences. He stated that cinema has beautifully depicted India’s journey and that Indian cinema has played a significant role in portraying the country’s fight for independence. According to him, the Indian media and entertainment sector contributes significantly to the economy and serves as a global showcase for the country’s soft power. In the previous eight years, he noted, the government has taken many steps to enhance co-production and film shoots in the country. The government, according to the Minister, has established the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comic (AVGC) task force, which is comprised of industry stalwarts, to prepare a policy roadmap for India to achieve a quantum leap in this sector. He stated that measures have been taken to preserve the country’s film heritage through digitization. According to him, the OTT market has enormous potential, with the country’s OTT market predicted to develop at a rate of 21% yearly. Among those present at the panel discussion were Prasoon Joshi, Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification and Veteran Lyricist, R Madhavan, Indian Filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor, Secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Apurva Chandra, and others.

Adani Group set to buy 49% stake in Quintillion Business Media

According to a regulatory statement to the exchanges, Adani Group’s unit AMG Media Networks will acquire a 49 percent stake in Raghav Bahl’s digital business news platform Quintillion Business Media for an undisclosed amount. Earlier this year, the Adani Group bought a minority stake in Quintillion Business Media for an undisclosed sum. In accordance with its proposed acquisition of a 49 percent stake in the media company, it has signed a Shareholders’ Agreement with Quintillion Media Ltd (QML) and QBML, as well as a share purchase agreement with QML, QBML, and Ltd (QDML). The deal is reportedly subject to customary closing conditions as well as necessary regulatory approvals. Quint Digital Media’s stock jumped dramatically on Monday, gaining more than 9% at 12.13 p.m. The current price of the stock is Rs 325. Adani Enterprises signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Quint on March 1, 2022, and stated its intention to enter the media business by acquiring an undefined minority stake in QBML. “The proposed transaction with the Adani Group is only for QBM, a digital business news platform, and has nothing to do with Quint Digital’s other digital media/media tech properties, such as The Quint, Quintype Technologies, the new minute, and Youthkiawaaz,” it had stated. Gautam Adani’s port-to-energy business has been considering a move into the media space for several months. It engaged veteran journalist Sanjay Pugalia to oversee its media company, Adani Media Ventures, in September of last year. The Adani Group, which consists of seven publicly listed companies that operate airports and ports, power generation and transmission, coal, and a city gas distribution network, has a market capitalization of about USD 150 billion. Source: PTI

Vodafone Idea has partnered with SonyLIV to expand its content offerings

Vodafone Idea (Vi) has partnered with SonyLIV, a video streaming network owned by Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), to provide premium content offerings. Vi has launched a new Rs 82 add-on recharge that includes a free 28-day mobile only subscription to SonyLIV Premium as well as a 4GB data benefit with a 14-day validity, according to a statement released by the company on Monday. “The new proposition will enable all Vi prepaid users to enjoy SonyLIV Premium without having to worry about data quota,” the company added. This is the latest in the teleco’s efforts to use entertainment to generate engagement touchpoints. The Vi Play feature in Vi’s app houses a variety of entertainment options. 60,000 hours of full-length movies and a range of Indian and international shows are available on the app. Vi Play also has news channel feeds in Hindi, English, and other Indian languages. Sports properties such as the UEFA Champions League, WWE, Bundesliga, and UFC will be among the content offerings under this partnership. Vi users will also have access to the platform’s originals catalogue, which includes films such as Scam 1992 – The Harshad Mehta Story, Maharani, Tabbar, Rocket Boys, and Gullak Season 3. The content library will contain international shows such as The Good Doctor, Fantasy Island, and Magpie Murders, in addition to India originals.

India will be the official country of honour at the Cannes Film Market

The official country of honour for the Cannes Film Market will be India, which will take place from May 17 to May 25. In honour of the country’s 75th year of independence, which also happens to be the 75th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, a brand-new restoration of Indian cinema legend Satyajit Ray’s rare film Pratidwandi will be screened in an exclusive screening at the film gala. According to the festival’s press release, Pratidwandi is being restored as part of the National Film Heritage Mission, a project spearheaded by India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Prime Focus Technologies in Mumbai handled the restoration, and acclaimed Indian cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee supervised the grading. The National Film Archive of India (NFDC) presents the restored version. Apart from Pratidwandi, a completely new 4K restoration of the Hollywood classic Singin’ In The Rain will be shown. The Boulevard de la Croisette will host a screening of the 1952 Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen picture, which chronicles the transition from silent to talkies. At the event, the Indian film Thampu (The Circus Tent), directed by Aravindan Govindan in 1978, will receive its Restoration World Premiere. Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone has already been announced as a member of the competition jury for the festival’s upcoming edition, alongside prominent names like actor-filmmaker Rebecca Hall and Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi. Padukone is a member of the eight-member jury that will award the coveted Palme d’Or to one of the 21 films in competition during the closing ceremony. She is most known for her films Piku, Padmaavat, and Gehraiyaan, as well as the Hollywood project xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. Source: PTI

Adani and Ambani are preparing for a battle with Netflix and Amazon

Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s two richest men, are doubling down on India’s media business, escalating competition in a market where Netflix Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are also battling for over a billion users. In a funding round led by James Murdoch-backed Bodhi Tree Systems, Ambani’s local joint venture with Paramount Global, Viacom18 Media Pvt., is slated to get 135 billion rupees ($1.8 billion). Separately, the tycoon’s flagship company, Adani Enterprises Ltd., announced the formation of a new media division, indicating his desire to capitalise on the rising sector. The Viacom18 investment and Adani’s foray into media usher in a new phase in the competition for viewers and content in a market that boasts a thriving local film industry, a burgeoning middle class, and fast-increasing internet connectivity. However, it has proven to be a difficult market. Netflix, for example, has had to reduce its price in order to attract price-conscious customers. Still, according to Vivek Couto, managing director of Media Partners Asia, “India is the only full-scale, high-growth opportunity in Asia outside of China.” “Indonesia is also there, but it’s still a few pegs down still in terms of scalability.” On Thursday, Reliance’s stock jumped as much as 2.2 percent in Mumbai. Network18 was down 19 percent, while TV18 Broadcast Ltd. was down 18 percent. Adani is only getting started in the Indian media sector, while Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd. is expanding its footprint through his Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. According to a statement, Adani Media Ventures Ltd. agreed to buy a stake in Quintillion Business Media Pvt. last month. Quintillion was a Bloomberg LP (parent company of Bloomberg News) Indian partner. Viacom18 is preparing for an epic battle with Disney, Amazon, and Sony Group Corp. for broadcast rights to the Indian Premier League, a lucrative annual cricket tournament that is approximately equivalent to the Super Bowl, with $1.8 billion from Bodhi Tree and an extra $216 million from a Reliance arm. Bids are expected to reach $5 billion, according to sources familiar with the situation. The IPL attracted 380 million viewers last year, and whichever broadcaster wins the rights will almost certainly gain millions of new subscribers in a very competitive market. Bodhi Tree’s investment also signals the Murdoch family’s comeback to an entertainment market it left behind when Walt Disney Co. acquired a swath of 21st Century Fox assets, including Star India, in 2019. Hotstar, a streaming network popular with millions of cricket fans around the world, is now owned by Disney. Murdoch and Uday Shankar, the former CEO of Star India and later Disney Asia, have developed a new platform called Bodhi Tree. The Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, is an investor. Separately, Adani Group announced the formation of AMG Media Networks on Wednesday, with the company focusing on publishing, advertising, broadcasting, and distributing content across various forms of media networks. It didn’t go into detail. Late last year, Sony and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., a local media conglomerate, decided to merge, creating a media giant worth almost $10 billion. Source: Bloomberg

Netflix loses 200,000 subscribers in less than 100 days

Netflix’s shares have lost a quarter of its value on Tuesday after the company announced that its subscriber base has shrunk in the first quarter of this year. The leading streaming television service had lost customers for the first time in a decade. The company attributed the decline to the suspension of its service in Russia as a result of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Netflix has 221.6 million customers at the end of the first quarter of this year, down marginally from the same period last year. In the most recent quarter, the Silicon Valley tech firm posted a net income of $1.6 billion, down from $1.7 billion a year earlier. Following the revelation of the earnings numbers, Netflix shares fell 25% to $262 in after-market trades. In an earnings letter, Netflix stated, “We’re not growing revenue as fast as we’d like.” “Covid clouded the picture by significantly increasing our growth in 2020, leading us to believe that most of our slowing growth in 2021 was due to the Covid pull forward.” Netflix believes that the time it takes for houses to have access to affordable broadband internet service and smart televisions, as well as customers sharing their accounts with others who do not live in their homes, are stifling its development. According to the streaming giant, while roughly 222 million households pay for its service, accounts are shared with over 100 million households that do not pay for the television streaming service. “Account sharing as a percentage of our paid membership hasn’t changed much over the years,” Netflix added, “but when coupled with the first factor, it makes it harder to grow membership in many markets.” Last year, Netflix began experimenting with methods to profit from individuals sharing accounts, such as offering a feature that allows members to pay a small fee to add more homes to their account.

Disney Star India to launch Odia channels Star Kirano & Star Kirano HD

Disney Star India plans to launch two new Odia channels on June 1. The network has informed all television channel distributors (DPOs) that Star Kirano and Star Kirano HD would go online on June 1, 2022. Last week, the network announced the launch of Pravah Picture and Pravah Picture HD, two new marathi cinema channels set to debut on May 15, 2022. Pravah Picture, according to the network’s official statement, will bring the finest of Marathi film on one platform and will begin with a rich catalogue of 200+ titles. Every week, the channel will air a Marathi film. The network also stated in the intimation letter that the launch of the eleven channels will be postponed till further notice from Star India. Star Gold Thrills, Jalsha Josh, Star Movies Select, Star Sports 1 Tamil HD, Star Sports 1 Telugu HD, Disney Channel HD, Hungama HD, Star Gold 2 HD, Vijay Super HD, and Asianet Movies HD are among the eleven channels. The network postponed the debut of 15 new channels and the renaming of one until further notice last November. The broadcaster confirmed the debut of new channels in October 2021, while also declaring the new tariff in conformity with New Tariff Order (NTO) 2.0. Star India announced the launch of 15 new channels across genres and languages in December 2021 and January 2020. “This is to notify all distributors of television channels (DPOs) that the launch of the following fifteen (15) channels, as well as the name change of the following one channel, have been postponed until further notice by Star,” the broadcaster wrote in a public notice.