iWorld
Aha plans to expand in Tamil market; observes potential business opportunities in Avod model
Mumbai: Launched in 2020, video-on-demand streaming service Aha, which provides 100 percent Telugu content, has created its own space in the minds of audiences. Aha, which was dependent on the subscription video on demand (SVOD) model for revenue, has decided to go ‘hybrid’. Subscribers will now decide if they want to watch more ads or in limited numbers.
After establishing its dominance in Telugu (regional) content, the company is ready to galore opportunities and expand to the Tamil market. In Telugu alone, the company has been able to create more than 1,000 hours of programming on the platform.
Opportunities in AVOD model
The advertising-based video on demand is a fast growing market where subscribers access free content. Moreover, the platform leverages advertising revenues to support the service. Speaking in this context during a round table virtual conference recently, Aha senior vice president, content & non-subscription revenue business Vaasudev Koppineni said, “The next big opportunity for growth comes from these AVOD consumers, which is 10x or more than what the paying subscription market is, so it also opens gateways to a great opportunity for a platform to run into profitability as well.”
The two major focuses that Aha keeps in mind are that they don’t want their audience to have any bad experiences while watching the content, and they don’t want to bombard their customers with 10 or 20 different ads in a short period of time.
Aha is giving the consumer the choice to select whether to go for an ad-free plan or to go for an ad-based plan. Aha’s vice president and head of non-subscription revenue, Nitin Burman said that they understand that there will be a certain set of users who are ready to pay a premium and get an ad-free experience on their content.
Adding further, Nitin said, “We also want to come up with live commerce. There, by watching content, you will be able to buy a specific item. We will have that technology where you can click on those shows and directly buy them from an e-commerce partner. We will be offering all those to our consumers as well as to the advertisers to reach out to engage with the consumers.”
The company has 10 million monthly active subscribers and an overall of 30 million downloads of the company’s app. They also have two million YouTube subscribers as well.
Focus on advertisers
Aha currently has 50 advertisers, including FMCG players like Sprite, Dabar, ITC, HUL, etc., and technology players like Instagram, Zepto, Swiggy including others. Some advertisers such as Sprite, MTR Masala, and Himalaya are integrating advertising into shows.The company anticipates an ad revenue contribution of 15-20 per cent.
Nitin explained how it will work from an advertisers’ point of view and how regional ads are working for them: “Advertisers also want to reach out to the regional audiences,” he said.
He expressed that the buying capacity and the market are not just located in the top eight cities but also beyond that. “That’s where the focus has shifted from just going to the urban audience but also to the regional platforms to reach out to these regional audiences,” he said.
Nitin further added, “This itself has given us the confidence to go on a hybrid future model. Today, what has happened is that after the success of two years and getting two million plus paid users, it has opened eyes for a lot of competitions to actually start targeting Telugu and Tamil audiences as well on all their platforms.”
Future of OTT
Nitin believes that the future of OTT in India is definitely a hybrid because, at the end of the day, every business has to break even and has to profit to become profitable as well. “Clearly, the future is hybrid. And with 5G coming, the consumer base is going to increase in this market. So to reach out to that consumer base, the wallet is limited to what they are spending right now. So to get that share, each player is going to come up with a hybrid model where they will want to reach out to premium users as well as to entry-level users with both offerings,” said Nitin.
Vaasudev added, “You have to give the consumer the convenience in the room who wants to continue to watch content that somebody wants to add to the experience. They should pay for an upgraded experience. If somebody wants to watch the content with a premium, you should be able to go and give it to them in the way they want to, and if there is a consumer who doesn’t want to pay that premium, but wants to consume content with ads, then you should technically go ahead and do that. So, I think it is all about the convenience of the consumer.”
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
