iWorld
Google India unlocks prepaid plans for YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium
MUMBAI: Google India unlocked the option of prepaid plans for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium on Monday. The services which entered India in March were priced at Rs 129 a month for Premium, and Rs 99 a month for Music Premium.
Now, users across India will be able to purchase either a one-month or three-month prepaid plan to enjoy YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium benefits without enrolling in an ongoing subscription. At any point, users will also be to extend their paid benefits by an additional one month or three months by purchasing top-ups for their membership.
Moreover, users in India with a local credit or debit card from Visa or Mastercard will be able to pay for it. Notably, the prepaid plan for a month for the premium service is priced at Rs 139, which is just Rs 10 more than the conventional subscription model.
“We hope this added flexibility to decide your preferred method of payment will help you to enjoy the YouTube Premium and Music Premium experience. To find out more about pre-paid plans and get started, please visit youtube.com/premium and youtube.com/music premium,” Google India and South Asia music content partnerships head Pawan Agarwal said in a blog.
iWorld
Prime Video to stream Tamil thriller Exam from May 15
Seven-episode series from National Award-winner A. Sarkunam streams in India and 240-plus countries
MUMBAI: Prime Video announced on April 27th that Exam, a taut seven-episode suspense drama set against the crucible of high-stakes competitive testing, will premiere on May 15th in India and across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Written and directed by A. Sarkunam, a National Award-winner, the series is produced under the Wallwatcher Films banner by the creative duo Pushkar and Gayatri, who have previously delivered Suzhal: The Vortex (both seasons) and Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie for the platform. Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan lead the cast, with Abbas in a pivotal role.
The show will stream in Tamil with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, and subtitles in 15 languages, including English, a distribution sweep that underscores Prime Video’s push to globalise Indian regional content.
Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India, framed the series as both timely and commercially astute. “Exam is a very timely and relevant story that captures the emotional intensity of competitive exams and masterfully transforms it into a thrilling high-stakes drama,” he said. “We believe it is a story that will resonate deeply with millions.” Madhok noted that it was a privilege to once again collaborate with Pushkar and Gayatri following the success of Suzhal and Vadhandhi.
For Pushkar and Gayatri, the series is as much a moral reckoning as a thriller. “With Exam, we wanted to dig into ambition, injustice, and those moral crossroads that people face when pushed to the edge,” the creative producers said. “At the heart of this story is a young woman who refuses to remain powerless. Her journey is not about glamorising defiance, but about exploring the emotional and ethical cost of standing up to a system stacked against her.” They described Prime Video as “an incredible collaborator” and “the perfect home” to bring the series to global audiences.
Wallwatcher Films, which Pushkar and Gayatri founded and run, has been on a productive streak with the platform. Beyond Exam, the company is also readying Vadhandhi Season 2 for Prime Video, making the duo one of the platform’s most active regional creative partners.
The real exam, it seems, is for Prime Video itself: can a Tamil drama about systemic injustice and a young woman’s defiance crack audiences from Chennai to Chicago? If Pushkar and Gayatri’s track record is anything to go by, the answer is likely yes, and the results will be out on May 15th.
