iWorld
Helo partners with Bollywood Music Project to create virtual content
MUMBAI: Helo, a social networking app recently partnered with Bollywood Music Project (BMP) to create virtual content for their app. BMP featured, on its Helo app handle BollywoodMusicProjectLive virtual chat sessions and short impromptu performances of 11 leading Bollywood vocalists of our country and viewers of Helo had the opportunity to view and engage with unique content. The week-long series was a resounding success, with over 5.5 lakh unique viewers combined.
Known for coming up with unique, effective and impactful IPs for brands, Event Capitalalong with Truly Musical conceptualized and executed the initiative, taking on-board well known artists, creating separate individual slots and increasing user engagement, all whilst driving massive viewership and engagement on the platform. The initiative had over 10,000 concurrent live users and had an average engagement rate of 5 per cent. With many digital players going online to create content, their aim was to stand out from the clutter and create highly targeted entertainment.
Mega music stars like Amit Trivedi, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rekha Bhardwaj, Hariharan, Aditya Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Shefali Alvares, Mohammed Irfan, Divya Kumar and Anusha Mani & Sangeet Haldipur performed and interacted at the virtual event. Each artist was given a 30-minute time slot to entertain the audiences not only through live signing but also live Q&A. The artists also took this opportunity to guide the audience with safety measures and precautions during the on-going global pandemic.
Cultivating ecosystems and communities out of IP’s, Event Capital’s efforts are focused on creating sustainable journeys for brands. Starting of primarily in events, the company has grown into a 360-degree content and branded entertainment solutions provider.
Branded Entertainment, Event Capital business head and COO Shyam Chhabria said, “Event Capital has grown into one of the most trusted brand partners today in the experiential marketing industry. We realized in order for Helo to connect with and be relevant to their consumers, it was imperative to engage viewers taking into account the current scenario. With the springing up of numerous live and virtual sessions, we felt it was necessary to streamline and create relevant content for our partners and were overwhelmed with the response we got on the partnership; the spike in the reach stands testimony to the success of the event.”
TM Truly Musical partner Alaap Gosher said commented: "People are constantly glued to different platforms and are experimenting with things they have never done before. To create an engaging and memorable experience at times like this, it's important to understand and use different mediums, which help create a similar experience & emotions as a live gig. The virtual experience allowed us to infuse newer elements like, actual fan interaction with the musicians. The activity turned out to be a success not just for the brand but also for us as a new way to create sustainable & meaningful brand relationships with consumers.”
iWorld
Streaming boom crosses 200 million as India shifts to sustainable growth
From content bets to CTV rise, industry leaders map streaming’s next phase
MUMBAI: India’s streaming story has entered a new chapter, and this time it is less about land grab and more about staying power. At a panel on the evolving streaming economy, industry leaders agreed that with subscriptions crossing 200 million and revenues surging, the focus has decisively shifted to sustainable growth, smarter content bets and sharper partnerships.
Moderator EY partner Raghav Anand, set the tone by pointing to the sharp jump in paid subscriptions, driven by a mix of sports, bundling and improved distribution. The result is a fast-maturing ecosystem where subscription revenues are beginning to complement, and in some cases rival, advertising-led growth.
For Amazon Prime Video Svod business India director & head Shilangi Mukherji, the past decade has been about balancing choice with clarity. “It’s not an either-or market anymore,” she noted. “There is space for everything, from television to ad-supported streaming to subscriptions. The real win is when they all grow together.”
At the heart of this growth lies a simple trio: selection, value and convenience. Content remains king, but not in isolation. Platforms are now curating vast libraries that blend originals, rentals, and third-party services, all under one roof. The aim is to create an ecosystem where viewers do not need to hop between apps to find what they want.
Content itself is also evolving. Mukherji highlighted that nearly half of Prime Video’s viewership comes from outside a show’s home region, underlining the collapse of traditional language silos. Stories are no longer “regional” but increasingly pan-Indian, with talent and narratives travelling seamlessly across states.
Franchise-building has become another cornerstone, with a majority of shows designed for multiple seasons. The goal is not just to attract viewers but to keep them coming back, turning series into long-term cultural touchpoints rather than one-off hits.
On the production side, Hungama Digital Media managing director & CEO Neeraj Roy, described an industry that is both resilient and recalibrating. While the pandemic accelerated content consumption and discovery, it also reset market dynamics. Pre-sales have softened, satellite revenues have tightened, and the easy money phase of digital deals has cooled.
“The honeymoon is over,” Roy said candidly. “Now, content has to prove itself. If it works at the box office or with audiences, everything else follows.”
This shift, he argued, is pushing creators towards greater discipline. Fewer projects are being made, but with sharper focus on quality and audience appeal. At the same time, global exposure to diverse content, from Korean dramas to Malayalam cinema, has raised the bar for storytelling across the board.
Another quiet transformation is unfolding in how content is consumed. While mobile remains the primary gateway, especially for payments and discovery, connected TVs are fast becoming the preferred screen for long-form viewing. Mukherji described this not as a battle of devices but as a “force multiplier”, with platforms tailoring plans for mobile-only users, living room viewers and multi-device households alike.
The monetisation playbook is also widening. Beyond subscriptions and ads, platforms are experimenting with rentals, bundled offerings and commerce integrations, building layered revenue streams that cater to different stages of the consumer journey.
Looking ahead, both panellists pointed to global ambition as the next frontier. Mukherji emphasised taking Indian stories to the world through deeper localisation, calling content India’s soft power. Roy, meanwhile, stressed the need for investment in infrastructure, skills and, crucially, transparent data systems to guide creators with better insights.
If the first phase of India’s streaming boom was about scale, the next will be about substance. And as the industry settles into this new rhythm, one thing is clear: the real streaming wars may be over, but the race to win viewers’ time has only just begun.
