iWorld
CloudTV and manoramaMAX join hands to pipe Malayalam content to smart TV screens
India’s homegrown TV operating system teams up with the Malayalam streaming giant to tap a surging regional audience
KERALA: CloudTV, India’s first homegrown smart TV operating system, has struck a content partnership with manoramaMAX, the Malayalam-exclusive streaming platform from the Malayala Manorama Group, in a bet that regional-language entertainment is the next big frontier for connected television.
The tie-up gives CloudTV’s fast-growing subscriber base seamless access to manoramaMAX’s library of over 20,000 hours of premium Malayalam programming, including more than 500 films, popular fiction and non-fiction titles from Mazhavil Manorama such as the beloved comedy series Marimayam, web series, originals, live news, special events, and award shows. Subscribers can expect at least ten movie premieres a month, alongside 4K resolution and Dolby Audio support, with the added perk of early access to episodes of popular Mazhavil Manorama shows ahead of their television broadcast.
The partnership is a logical fit. manoramaMAX is backed by the Malayala Manorama Group, one of India’s most storied media institutions with a history stretching over a century. CloudTV, developed by Mumbai-based CloudWalker Streaming Technologies, already boasts a pan-India reach of over 12 million viewers, 250 smart TV brands, 120 app partners, 300 live and fast TV channels, and 25 manufacturing partners.
Abhijeet Rajpurohit, co-founder and chief operating officer of CloudTV, made no secret of the strategic intent. “India’s connected TV ecosystem is rapidly evolving, with regional content emerging as a key driver of both viewership and engagement,” he said. “Our partnership with manoramaMAX is a strategic step towards strengthening our regional content portfolio, bringing deeply rooted Malayalam storytelling to millions of households and making premium regional entertainment more accessible across geographies.”
P R Satheesh, chief executive of MM TV Limited, the entity behind manoramaMAX, echoed the ambition. “As connected TVs become central to home viewing, our partnership with CloudTV enables us to reach millions of households and deliver a more immersive experience,” he said. “Together, we are expanding access to high-quality, culturally rooted Malayalam content while strengthening its presence in India’s evolving digital ecosystem.”
The numbers tell their own story. Regional-language OTT content has outpaced English in subscriber growth for several consecutive quarters, and Malayalam, with its fiercely loyal diaspora spread across the Gulf and beyond, is among the hungriest markets of all. With manoramaMAX now embedded in CloudTV’s operating system, viewers need only switch on their sets. The living room, it turns out, is the new battleground for regional streaming, and both sides have just picked a corner.
