iWorld
Disney+Hotstar thanks partner brands post IPL 2020
KOLKATA: Disney+Hotstar has seen massive traction during IPL 2020, both in terms of audience as well as advertising. More than 300 brands leveraged the platform’s scale and reach during the tournament. Thanking partners, the OTT platform tooted the horn of its success from the front page of The Economic Times’ last Friday.
“Thank you for partnering with us and ensuring we were sold 100 per cent during this Dream11 IPL 2020,” said Disney+Hotstar in the jacket spread. However, the platform did not share any metrics on engagement or viewership like it did the last two years.
Disney+Hotstar currently boasts 18.5 million subscribers, a figure shared by its parent company The Walt Disney. “Disney+ ended Q4 with 73.7 million paid subscribers or an increase of over 16 million subscribers versus Q3. Disney+ Hotstar subscriber additions were the largest contributor to this increase, driven by the start of the delayed IPL season. Disney+ Hotstar subscribers now account for a little over a quarter of our global subscriber base,” Disney senior executive vice president and chief financial officer Christine McCarthy said.
The platform decided to take IPL matches behind a paywall this year. It struck a deal with Jio and Airtel to boost subscriptions too. Hence, the bold move allowed brands to reach high spender quality audiences. It also added new features to the interactive Watch’N Play social feed. Replicating the exhilarating roar of the stadium, fans were able to use an interactive emoji stream, a move designed to boost engagement and social media traction.
Every year, once the tournament gets over, the platform advertises to thank its partner brands and share the overall metrics that it has achieved during the tournament. It helps in creating a strong perception for the tournament as well as about Disney+Hotstar and how it is preferred by the audiences across the country.
iWorld
Epic Company launches unified Epic Studio for films and OTT
Vivek Krishnani to head films business; Samar Khan leads OTT & Television.
MUMBAI: Epic just merged its creative superheroes under one cape because when films and OTT need to fight for attention together, you don’t keep them in separate universes. The Epic Company has launched Epic Studio, a next-generation creative and production powerhouse that unites Juggernaut Productions and Movieverse Studio under a single banner. The move creates a streamlined, scalable platform for premium storytelling across theatrical films, OTT originals, television, digital-first formats and branded content.
Vivek Krishnani has been appointed chief executive officer, Epic Studio (Films), overseeing the theatrical and film business with a focus on culturally resonant narratives across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam cinema. Samar Khan continues as chief executive officer, Epic Studio (OTT & Television) and retains his role as chief content officer for Docubay and Epic On.
The Epic Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “Epic Studio brings together our entire creative ecosystem under one unified studio vision. This is not just an integration of verticals, but the creation of a collaborative environment where writers, filmmakers, creators, and brand partners can seamlessly develop and scale stories across formats and screens.”
Vivek Krishnani added, “We are building an audience-focused mainstream film studio committed to delivering fresh, engaging, and innovative stories for both theatrical and streaming platforms.”
Samar Khan commented, “This alignment allows us to approach storytelling with a unified studio mindset. We are building IP under one creative umbrella, with scale and longevity in mind from inception.”
The unified structure eliminates silos, enabling ideas to flow fluidly from concept to screen while adapting to evolving audience behaviour. Epic Studio positions itself as a creator-led ecosystem championing purposeful, resonant storytelling with commercial strength.
In an entertainment landscape where stories now leap between screens faster than plot twists, Epic isn’t just building a studio, it’s crafting a single launchpad where every tale gets the best shot at soaring across every platform.
