iWorld
EORTV introduces optional viewing and multilingual programming on its platform
Mumbai: EORTV has introduced two new features for optional viewing – ‘Family Mode’ and ‘Original Mode’ – for all its content. The development comes in a bid to adopt new and advanced technology that allows and encourages self-censorship.
EORTV has also introduced multilingual programming for its original shows. The platform has made its content available in Hindi, Marathi, English and Gujarati and has plans to introduce more languages.
“We will always be at the forefront when it comes to technology adoption. Especially technology that drives and instills positive behavioural changes,” said EORTV managing director Falguni Shah. “There can be no better form of censorship than self-censorship. A very good way to put this across is, if you force kids to not to do something and make a hoopla out of it, you will see that the child will end up doing it secretly. An iron rod or a diktat is not the solution. If you rather explain and give the power of choice to the child you will see a much better response, the kid will understand and not be obsessed with what has been forbidden. We want to introduce and develop this culture of self -censorship.”
She added, “Introducing English has been a strategic move, we want a platform from India to go international and win hearts. It will not only make EORTV a world class brand but it will also help to get export sales and revenue for India. Indian content is always in demand. Also, we want the society to accept and spread awareness of the community so family mode will help parents and teenagers watch content together and understand the community better.”
“Ours is a diverse and multilingual country. Most of us are at least bilinguals and hence we felt the need to expand our language base and make our content available in different languages,” said EORTV founder Deepak Pandey. “Also, if you look at the interiors and rural India, regional languages and mother tongue works and we want to reach out to rural India as well with our content. What worked to our advantage is that most of our content in spirit is language agnostic. They are universal, as most stories revolve around the dynamics of human relationships and there are no regional biases so turning them around to various languages did not seem uphill.”
EORTV is a video streaming app that offers thousands of hours of premium, exclusive and original LGBTQ content.
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.
