iWorld
Eros Now reaches 7.9 million Paying Subscribers as of FYE 2018
MUMBAI: Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) (“Eros” or “the Company”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, today announced that Eros Now, its cutting edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform, has reached over 100 million registered users and 7.9 million paying subscribers worldwide as of March 31, 2018. This substantial growth in paying subscribers represents a 58% increase over the last reported quarter and a 277% increase from 2.1 million paying subscribers as of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. The Company also today reiterated its previous guidance that its Eros Now paying subscriber base is expected to double over the next 12 months to approximately 16 million paying subscribers by fiscal year end 2019.
Eros Now recently launched its first worldwide direct-to-digital original film, Meri Nimmo, in association with acclaimed director Aanand L Rai, to very positive critical reception. In addition, over the next year Eros Now is planning to launch a stable of feature films, made-for-digital originals films and over 20 original episodic programs, all of which will be available exclusively only on Eros Now to paying subscribers. In addition to exciting new content, several factors have contributed to the platform’s outsized growth including enhancement of the consumer experience on the Eros Now service, introduction of pioneering content innovations and renewed alliances with domestic and international content distribution partners including the major mobile telecom operators in India. The recent successes come as a result of the company’s unique partnership strategy, which has been built upon the agreements with various distribution partners over the past few years and has been key to delivering high quality subscribers with increased time spent on the platform. The steady and robust growth figures are an indication of the loyalty consumers feel towards the platform.
Speaking on the significant development, Eros Digital, CEO, Rishika Lulla Singh said, “When we launched three years ago, our mission was to reach out to viewers looking for differentiated and quality content. In December 2016, we achieved 2.0 million paying subscribers which doubled to 5 million within a year. This quarter has seen a substantial leap resulting in 58% Q-on-Q growth. This benchmark is a testament to our strong content library coupled with a strong tech backbone. I am very confident of our original content line-up and we are geared up to experience an exponential growth in our paying subscriber base, this is just the start which will only get better.”
iWorld
Meta introduces new AI tools to boost discovery-to-purchase journey
From shoppable Reels to generative video, platforms get smarter at turning attention into sales.
MUMBAI: Meta is turning “scroll and stop” into “scroll, stop, and shop” and it’s using AI to make the whole journey feel almost effortless. The company has announced several new tools and enhancements designed to help brands guide people from discovery to purchase more effectively, while delivering more relevant and personalised experiences across its platforms.
Creators can now add product links more broadly on Instagram Reels, turning their content into shoppable moments. Businesses in 22 countries, including India, will soon be able to share their product catalogues with creators, opening up a new sales channel for brands and fresh monetisation opportunities for creators.
The Creator Marketplace has also been upgraded with enhanced target audience filtering, integrated with Ads Manager. This helps businesses quickly find creators who are a strong match for their goals. Campaigns using Partnership Ads deliver, on average, 19 per cent lower CPAs, 13 per cent higher click-through rates, and 71 per cent higher median brand lift.
Meta is expanding Reels Trending Ads inventory with new content categories including TV & Movies, Travel, Business, Finance & Investments. According to Meta’s analysis of 59 studies, Reels Trending Ads delivered an incremental 6.6 percentage point Ad Recall lift compared to control groups.
AI-Powered Shopping Enhancements
- Product Set Optimisation is now in testing, allowing retail media networks to promote specific products with detailed reporting. Early results show 17 per cent lower median seller cost per purchase.
- Product Showcase is being expanded so marketers can upload one image or video and let Meta’s AI automatically add relevant products as a carousel when it improves performance.
Meta is expanding its generative AI capabilities with:
- UGC-style videos featuring avatars and voiceovers
- Easier voiceover translation and text overlay translation in a single streamlined flow
- New tools to automatically turn product catalogues into dynamic video ads for Reels
Early testing of the Advantage+ creative video generation tool showed a 10 per cent increase in CTR and 8 per cent increase in CVR on average. Campaigns using catalog product video saw 20 per cent more conversions per dollar, while Reels placements with catalog product video delivered 33 per cent higher incremental conversions.
Industry voices welcomed the updates. Vikas Chawla of Social Beat called Partnership Ads a “flywheel” for authentic content that converts. Niti Kumar of Spark Foundry and Sadhvi Dhawan of Blink Digital highlighted the power of Reels Trending Ads for cultural relevance and guaranteed share of voice. Ramasish Bhowmik of Adbuffs noted that Meta’s GenAI tools are giving teams a clear competitive edge.
In a world where attention is fleeting but shopping intent can spark in seconds, Meta is betting that smarter AI will help brands turn discovery into decisions faster than ever. The message is clear: the future of advertising isn’t just about reaching people, it’s about reaching them at exactly the right moment, with exactly the right product.
