iWorld
Amuz Distribution makes FAST & OTT announcements
Mumbai: Amuz Distribution chief revenue & strategy officer Alex Avon announced deals for FAST and OTT channels. Carlos Pacheco who was recently hired is the director of monetisation & OTT and is overseeing the FAST/OTT division. He came from the Just for Laughs (JFL) Group, most of which assets were just acquired by Amuz Distribution. New platforms that will carry JFL programming are Amazon Fire TV, Anoki and Local Now.
Over the last two years, FAST channels of JFL programming have been in full expansion and by adding these new channels, the programs are now syndicated across 30 plus different platforms/markets (Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV, Rakuten TV, Sling TV and others). These FAST channels make Amuz Distribution one of the largest independent Canadian media companies with this high reach with FAST channels.
Avon stated, “Amuz Distribution is thrilled to announce more expansion of our company, especially with the Just For Laughs Group programs, now on many different platforms in several markets. This expansion helps our mission of “Keeping the world feeling good” with the best programming around on all platforms.”
Pacheco added, “We are excited about our new partnerships with Amazon Fire TV, Anoki and Local Now These new collaborations are going to our brands reach even more people around the world and share the laughs with new audiences.”
iWorld
Banijay Asia’s The 50 tops OTT charts with 8.1 million JioHotstar views
Reality competition becomes most watched show on JioHotstar in debut week.
MUMBAI: Fifty contestants walked into a palace, but millions of viewers showed up for the drama. Reality competition The 50, produced by Banijay Asia, has emerged as the most watched show on JioHotstar, clocking 8.1 million views in its debut week. The figure, reported by Ormax Media, places the show at the top of the OTT viewership charts and marks a strong opening for the digital reality format.
Adapted from a popular French format, The 50 brings together 50 personalities from television, digital platforms, music and reality shows inside a grand palace setting. Over the course of a 50 day competition, participants form alliances, compete in unpredictable tasks and navigate eliminations as the field steadily narrows.
Guiding the game is a mysterious figure known as The Lion, an unseen game master whose voice introduces twists, challenges and strategic turns throughout the show, adding an extra layer of suspense to the contest.
What distinguishes The 50 from typical reality competitions is its audience driven prize structure. Instead of the winner taking home the final reward, the prize is awarded to one of the winner’s registered followers through the show’s dedicated app. The mechanism effectively turns viewers into participants, allowing fans to have a direct stake in the outcome.
The contestant lineup features a mix of television actors, reality stars and digital creators, including Karan Patel, Urvashi Dholakia, Divya Agarwal, Mr Faisu and Dushyant Kukreja, each bringing their own fan following to the show.
With its blend of celebrity personalities, strategic gameplay and interactive viewer participation, The 50 has quickly carved out a strong foothold in India’s digital entertainment landscape. Its 8.1 million views in the opening week underline the growing appetite for large scale reality formats designed specifically for OTT audiences.
