iWorld
Red Chillies taps into young audience for ‘Dilwale’ via Hotstar tie-up
MUMBAI: Red Chillies Entertainment’s Shah Rukh Khan – Kajol starrer Dilwale in association with Rohit Shetty Productions has drawn up a comprehensive plan to reach young digital audiences by inking a strategic marketing alliance with Star India’s over the top (OTT) platform Hotstar.
Dilwale’s promotions on Hotstar kid-started almost five weeks before its scheduled release.
The production house has employed a start-to-end approach, which is showcasing all the great video elements released – starting from the trailer to two song videos and entertaining behind-the-scenes videos. Additionally, a one-hour video with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol for Hotstar’s original show M Bole Toh has also been specially shot. The content momentum will be sustained right through the release weekend from Friday – Sunday.
Dilwale content will also reach Hotstar’s film-lovers worldwide through Hotstar.com, with cross promotions across the Star network’s international TV channels. The TV cross-promotions of the Dilwale content on Hotstar will also roll out in India across Star Network channels.
The Dilwale content will also be cross promoted across tentpole hotstar properties like On Air with AIB, Cricket, ISL and EPL amongst others.
Dilwale marks the return of Khan and Kajol on screen. The movie, directed by Shetty, also stars Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon.
Red Chillies Entertainment CEO Venky Mysore said, “Dilwale is the biggest film we have made and therefore we decided to promote it across all platforms, especially via Hotstar. Hotstar is a unique platform for a large, fast-growing and important young digitally active audience, which is an important segment for any film marketer today. We have taken a pure content-driven approach with several Dilwale video elements. We are delighted with the great response and the reception it is receiving through Hotstar – both in India and, through its website, across the world.”
Hotstar head Ajit Mohan added, “We are delighted to partner with Dilwale to introduce an exciting movie to our audiences in India and across the world through hotstar. Hotstar is introducing a whole new way of promoting and marketing a movie premiere, and I must compliment Red Chillies Entertainment for their strategic, and brave new approach to reach a large and young digital audience in India and worldwide.”
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
