iWorld
Eros Now Joins Freesat’s OTT Line-up
MUMBAI: Eros International PLC (NYSE: EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, announced today that Eros Now, its cutting edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform, is now available to Freesat consumers across the UK for a subscription fee of £5.99 per month. Freesat is the UK’s leading subscription-free satellite TV platform with a reach of over 2 million households. With over 128 million registered users and 13.0 million paying subscribers as of September, 30th 2018, Eros Now offers the largest library of over 11,000 Indian films, music videos, TV shows and originals.
Eros Now is the number one destination for Bollywood (Hindi) and other regional Indian content. The platform offers access to a selection of HD entertainment content which is constantly updated to include the best of blockbuster movies in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Punjabi as well as Indian music and music videos.
The addition of the Eros Now app enables Freesat customers to enjoy premium Indian entertainment on-demand. Complementing the current on-demand offering, which includes iPlayer, ITV Hub, Netflix and YouTube amongst others, Eros Now will help Freesat bring together the best content from the South Asia’s key TV and film selection.
Alistair Thom, Managing Director at Freesat, said: “We are delighted to work with Eros Now to strengthen our growing on-demand line-up. At Freesat, we are constantly looking at partnerships which deliver great value to our viewers and add variety to the content we offer. Our ambition is to provide the best of TV from all over the world and introducing this exciting Bollywood platform to our viewers is a great step in that direction.”
Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital at Eros Now, said: “Our integration with Freesat is a further step in our endeavor to reach out globally to those seeking the best in Indian entertainment across multiple screens and seamless user experience by being platform agnostic. We are excited to bring our app into Freesat’s 2 million homes and provide them with rich and compelling content from movies and music, to TV shows.“
iWorld
MS Dhoni invests in Kuku, joins Kuku TV as brand ambassador
Cricket icon backs AI storytelling platform, fronts Kuku TV campaign
MUMBAI: MS Dhoni has invested in Kuku and joined its short-form drama app Kuku TV as brand ambassador, signalling a high-profile bet on India’s fast-growing AI-led content space.
Kuku, a mobile-first storytelling platform, operates across formats with apps such as Kuku TV for micro-dramas, Kuku FM for audio content and Guru for learning-led entertainment. Founded in 2018, the company has scaled rapidly, crossing 350 million installs and building a catalogue of over 20,000 titles across multiple Indian languages.
Dhoni said his decision to invest and partner with the platform was driven by its distinct approach to storytelling and its strong growth trajectory. MS Dhoni said, “I chose to invest in Kuku, and also come on board as the ambassador for Kuku TV, because the platform really stood out to me. It has built a differentiated entertainment experience for audiences across India, spanning multiple languages and formats. The growth has been impressive, and I connect strongly with the founders, who come from small towns like mine and have built something of this scale. I believe in their vision of building an AI-driven storytelling platform from Bharat, for Bharat, and for the world.”
Founded by Lal Chand Bisu, Vinod Kumar Meena and Vikas Goyal, the platform positions itself at the intersection of technology and storytelling, using AI to create and distribute bite-sized content tailored to mobile audiences.
Sharing his perspective, Kuku co-founder and CEO Lal Chand Bisu said, “MS Dhoni is known for backing bold decisions that others might hesitate to take. At Kuku, we are also taking bold bets. That spirit of unconventional thinking resonates deeply with us.”
Adding to this, Kuku co-founder and COO Vinod Kumar Meena said, “Our beloved Thala is one of the rare personalities with truly nationwide appeal. As we build Kuku for all of India, that connection makes him a natural fit for us.”
Further, Kuku co-founder and CTO Vikas Goyal said, “MSD has a unique understanding of people. As we build for both creators and consumers, that perspective will be incredibly valuable, especially as we continue strengthening our AI-driven storytelling stack.”
Backing the momentum, Panthera Peak Capital managing director Nikhil Bhandarkar said, “Kuku’s vision, execution, and clarity of thought are exceptional, qualities that closely mirror MS Dhoni’s approach. We are excited to partner with the team as they build Kuku into a global entertainment platform.”
To mark the association, Kuku TV has rolled out the campaign Dhoni Watches Kuku TV, anchored by a brand film that plays on Dhoni’s instinctive decision-making. Built around short, engaging stories delivered in minutes, the campaign highlights the platform’s promise of quick, compelling entertainment.
With Dhoni stepping in as both investor and face of the brand, Kuku appears to be doubling down on its ambition to take AI-driven storytelling from India to a global audience, one short story at a time.
