iWorld
Ambani unveils Jio launch, rollout and tariffs
MUMBAI: It promised a lot and it delivered. Reliance Industries Ltd’s 39th annual general meeting saw chairman Mukesh Ambani unveil the roadmap ahead for what is hoped will be the most significant change agent for India’s telecom, broadband business.
Amongst the most significant was the announcement that it will be a voice-free-low data cost provider of 4G LTE services geared for video delivery.
“All over the world operators charge for either data or voice. We have decided to make our voice services free and will never charge for it anytime now or in the future. Jio makes India the highest quality lowest data rates country in the world,” he said.
While other telcos like Airtel, Vodafone, have been offering data plans at Rs 250 per GB, Ambani said Jio’s data plans will be delivered at Rs 50 per GB. “And these will go down the more data you consume,” he informed RIL’s enamoured and enthusiastic shareholders at Mumbai’s Biral Matushree Auditorium this morning. “Your apps and downloads can be happening when you sleep at night at no cost to you.”
He also stated that data will be free on its 4G LTE network at night.
Only 10 plans ranging from Rs 19 to 4999 offering free voice calls and 100 MB to 75 GB a month respectively are on offer. “There are more than 22,000 plans on offer across India from the various telcos. It’s very confusing for the consumer. We wanted to keep it simple – hence just 10 plans,” said Ambani.
Reliance Jio says that it is looking at simplifying billing, sign ups to its services. “We have reengineered the sign up process to e-KYC and it will be linked to your Aadhar card. The process will take a customer 15 minutes and you will walk away with your active connection,” said Ambani.
He also announced that subscription to Reliance Jio’s apps – valued at Rs 15,000 – was being given away to subscribers free until 31 December 2017 .
Students would also have an offer which will provide them with 25 per cent more data at the same price. Ambani said Jio was in the process of connecting a majority of India’s schools and colleges so that students could have access to broadband wifi in their classrooms. The company was in the process of setting up a million wifi hot spots across the country.
Ambani pointed out that Jio was being officially launched from 5 September 2016 with a welcome offer that all of Jio services will be available to Indians free until 31 December 2016. One of the reasons for this, he expressed, was that the company had been surprised by the way villagers had taken to the internet. And he wanted India’s rural heartlands to experience mobile broaband on 4G LTE for a few months.
iWorld
Shemaroome acquires complete OHO Gujarati content library
Platform adds over 30 original web series, starting with Pratik Gandhi’s Vitthal Teedi.
MUMBAI: Shemaroome has just hit the jackpot in the Gujarati entertainment space and this time, it’s a full house of regional stories. Shemaroo Entertainment has announced the acquisition of the entire content library of OHO Gujarati for its OTT platform ShemarooMe. This first-of-its-kind consolidation significantly strengthens the platform’s position in Gujarati digital content.
The deal brings more than 30 original Gujarati web series to ShemarooMe, featuring work from over 450 local actors. It builds on the platform’s growing focus on high-quality, culturally rooted regional storytelling.
Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., chief operating officer for Digital Business Saurabh Srivastava said the acquisition will make compelling Gujarati stories more accessible to viewers across India and the world. “With our strong connection to Gujarati audiences, we believe these stories can travel far and create an exciting entertainment offering,” he noted.
The first title from the acquired library will stream on Shemaroome from 10 April. It is the acclaimed series Vitthal Teedi, starring Pratik Gandhi in his first and only Gujarati web series role to date. Set in 1980s Saurashtra, the character-driven drama follows a small-time gambler navigating personal ideals against harsh realities. The soundtrack features contributions from Aditya Gadhvi, Jigardan Gadhavi and Geeta Rabari.
This strategic acquisition aligns with Shemaroo’s broader digital growth approach focusing on sustainable expansion and deeper engagement with regional languages through a mix of originals and curated content.
For Gujarati entertainment lovers, Shemaroome has just rolled out the red carpet or should we say, the traditional dhabli for a rich new wave of authentic stories. The platform is clearly betting big that when it comes to regional content, more is indeed merrier.
