iWorld
hoichoi enthralls Bengalis with digital premieres
MUMBAI: hoichoi, the popular OTT for Bengalis worldwide, is bringing multiple digital premieres of new Bengali blockbusters at a time when social distancing and work-from-home are the only choices amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The OTT platform has already seen an increase in traffic by 4x rate in the last one week; the traffic is surging 2 to 3 times on a daily basis, said release. A promising increase of the traffic on the platform is also a sign that people have welcomed a library og rich content that is easily accessible.,
hoichoi already has a big bouquet of content (a mix of classics, latest films and Originals, with a variety of genre to choose from), in addition to a plethora of new content that will be streaming every week. The platform is doing its bit to keep you engaged by initiating a #selfstay form of entertainment.
For the month of March itself, hoichoi is already streaming, "Rahasya Romancha Series 2" starring Rudranil Ghosh, Rajdeep Gupta, Saoli Chattopadhyay, Kharaj Mukherjee among others- is getting tremendous appreciation, a mega World Digital Premiere of Srijit Mukherji's spin-off to Baishey Srabon – "Dwitiyo Purush", interesting before even TV broadcast and Sandip Ray's much hyped film "Professor Shanku O El Dorado", based on the popular scientist created by his father, the visionary Satyajit Ray. Another series will be streaming from 26th March titled "Ekattor" which as the name suggests is about the fight for the Independence of Bangladesh. Here is a sneak peak of some new content that the audience can expect to soon start streaming:
hoichoi Co-Founder of Vishnu Mohta commented on the traffic flowing in from different countries, “Apart from West Bengal, hoichoi enjoys strong traffic and consumption from Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad with Bangalore and Delhi being no. 2 and no. 3 in terms of overall volume of traffic. Internationally – the US, and the UK contribute significant traffic with Middle East, Australia and Canada not being far away. The last week also saw a good spurge of traffic coming from Europe and Japan. Bangladesh as a market continuous to growth every day! After the release of Dwitiyo Purush, which is the most anticipated movie of 2020 on hoichoi even before television premiere, the international traffic has significantly grown!”
iWorld
Streaming boom crosses 200 million as India shifts to sustainable growth
From content bets to CTV rise, industry leaders map streaming’s next phase
MUMBAI: India’s streaming story has entered a new chapter, and this time it is less about land grab and more about staying power. At a panel on the evolving streaming economy, industry leaders agreed that with subscriptions crossing 200 million and revenues surging, the focus has decisively shifted to sustainable growth, smarter content bets and sharper partnerships.
Moderator EY partner Raghav Anand, set the tone by pointing to the sharp jump in paid subscriptions, driven by a mix of sports, bundling and improved distribution. The result is a fast-maturing ecosystem where subscription revenues are beginning to complement, and in some cases rival, advertising-led growth.
For Amazon Prime Video Svod business India director & head Shilangi Mukherji, the past decade has been about balancing choice with clarity. “It’s not an either-or market anymore,” she noted. “There is space for everything, from television to ad-supported streaming to subscriptions. The real win is when they all grow together.”
At the heart of this growth lies a simple trio: selection, value and convenience. Content remains king, but not in isolation. Platforms are now curating vast libraries that blend originals, rentals, and third-party services, all under one roof. The aim is to create an ecosystem where viewers do not need to hop between apps to find what they want.
Content itself is also evolving. Mukherji highlighted that nearly half of Prime Video’s viewership comes from outside a show’s home region, underlining the collapse of traditional language silos. Stories are no longer “regional” but increasingly pan-Indian, with talent and narratives travelling seamlessly across states.
Franchise-building has become another cornerstone, with a majority of shows designed for multiple seasons. The goal is not just to attract viewers but to keep them coming back, turning series into long-term cultural touchpoints rather than one-off hits.
On the production side, Hungama Digital Media managing director & CEO Neeraj Roy, described an industry that is both resilient and recalibrating. While the pandemic accelerated content consumption and discovery, it also reset market dynamics. Pre-sales have softened, satellite revenues have tightened, and the easy money phase of digital deals has cooled.
“The honeymoon is over,” Roy said candidly. “Now, content has to prove itself. If it works at the box office or with audiences, everything else follows.”
This shift, he argued, is pushing creators towards greater discipline. Fewer projects are being made, but with sharper focus on quality and audience appeal. At the same time, global exposure to diverse content, from Korean dramas to Malayalam cinema, has raised the bar for storytelling across the board.
Another quiet transformation is unfolding in how content is consumed. While mobile remains the primary gateway, especially for payments and discovery, connected TVs are fast becoming the preferred screen for long-form viewing. Mukherji described this not as a battle of devices but as a “force multiplier”, with platforms tailoring plans for mobile-only users, living room viewers and multi-device households alike.
The monetisation playbook is also widening. Beyond subscriptions and ads, platforms are experimenting with rentals, bundled offerings and commerce integrations, building layered revenue streams that cater to different stages of the consumer journey.
Looking ahead, both panellists pointed to global ambition as the next frontier. Mukherji emphasised taking Indian stories to the world through deeper localisation, calling content India’s soft power. Roy, meanwhile, stressed the need for investment in infrastructure, skills and, crucially, transparent data systems to guide creators with better insights.
If the first phase of India’s streaming boom was about scale, the next will be about substance. And as the industry settles into this new rhythm, one thing is clear: the real streaming wars may be over, but the race to win viewers’ time has only just begun.
