iWorld
Pay TV households may increase to one billion by 2018
NEW DELHI: The growing pay TV subscriber market is set to drive further investment into the technology underpinning multi-screen and OTT TV services as the global multi-screen landscape continues to evolve.
Digital TV Research predicts that the number of households that subscribe to pay TV will reach almost one billion by 2018.
Combined with the trend of consumers watching more long-form content on tablets and smartphones, this growth in pay TV customers will signal a further surge in multi-screen offerings as operators look to capitalise on demand, offering added value to keep and attract new subscribers.
With competition increasing in the online video market, operators are often trapped by the complexity and pressure of implementing a successful multi-screen strategy.
International entertainment broadcasting company Modern Times Group (MTG) recently reported a 25 per cent reduction in direct-to-home subscriptions; but increased subscriptions to their OTT services such as Viaplay more than compensated for this. With increasingly high consumer expectations of a quality user experience, new devices continually coming to market, evolving piracy threats and stringent content owner security requirements, many are still struggling to deliver a compelling, revenue-generating multi-screen experience.
However, operators can no longer afford to view multi-screen as a defensive play or an experiment. Multi-screen fundamentally changes the way consumers experience media, and an offensive strategy actually propels business forward and provides a compelling alternative to new market entrants and pirated content.
With all of these pressures and challenges, a report by the Europe-based Irdeto quoted by Convergence Plus sees four key building blocks to making multi-screen work successfully.
The first is the need to increase customer loyalty with a personalised user experience: While many solutions focus on just “getting on a device,” the real challenge is making a personalised experience across devices that keep consumers wanting more. An intuitive design, coupled with recommendation technology and consistency of user interface and experience across devices is key.
The second is to reduce risk, cost and time to market: With the fierce race to offer multi-screen services, operators must remove the risk and delay inherent in complex integration projects. Using a reference architecture that is pre-configured, templated and ready for branding will achieve these goals. In addition, cloud-based services can instantly scale and provide the high level of availability and redundancy that in-house implementations cannot match without massive investment in infrastructure.
Thirdly, there is need for uncompromising content protection on any device: To ensure the success of the service, an operator must enable consumers to securely access premium content from any device of choice, including devices of tomorrow. In addition, operators must provide uncompromising security on any device to satisfy content owners and to enable them to maximise the return on their investment in premium content
There is also need for monetising using different business models: Having the freedom to test market preferences and pricing is a powerful tool for operators to fine-tune their commercial models. Advertising in particular provides major opportunities for networks. Monetisation of long-form video distribution has been the purview of OTT players such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Now, with the aggressive strategies of companies like Google, the monetisation curve is sure to keep climbing.
Today, a successful multi-screen strategy is more than just content distribution on multiple devices if you want to compete for consumers, and indeed revenue. A more proactive approach to delivering multi-screen services is required, and elevating this service to must-have status for consumers will require development of a personalised experience that engages the viewers, provides tailored recommendations, interacts with their social networks and enhances the existing pay TV experience.
A truly great multi-screen solution will propel business in the right direction and give the freedom to focus on the core strength – delivering a compelling user and content experience. An offensive multi-screen strategy can help you take advantage of the opportunities in the market and drive up content consumption. Pay TV operators must look for a solution provider which will enable them to incorporate the most appropriate and effective personalisation, social connectivity and monetisation functionalities they deem appropriate to service goals. This can be achieved by leveraging managed services, cloud-based infrastructure, innovative technologies, pre-configured workflows and intuitive interfaces. Having the right technology and partners in place is what will separate those who embark on multi-screen, and those who transform this into a successful offering.
iWorld
Chahal spins a new tale for Story TV
Short drama platform bowls over viewers with 200 million hits.
MUMBAI: If cricket has its quick singles, storytelling now has its quick spins. Story TV, India’s leading short drama platform, has unveiled a new campaign featuring cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and TV anchor-actor Shefali Bagga and it plays out like a one-minute match packed with twists. The film captures a spirited exchange between Chahal, introduced as Chief Story Officer, and Bagga as they brainstorm a new short drama idea. What begins as a creative discussion soon turns into a playful back-and-forth, mirroring the dramatic, high-energy format the platform is known for.
The campaign positions Story TV as a master of what it calls the “instant hook” narratives designed to grab attention within seconds and deliver punchy pay-offs within a minute. The tone is light, self-aware and fast-paced, much like a T20 over where every ball matters.
The numbers suggest the format is striking a chord. Story TV currently hosts India’s most viewed short drama, clocking over 200 million views, while several other titles have crossed the 100 million mark. Its content library now spans more than 600 short dramas across genres including romance, love, sports and thriller.
The platform has also scaled rapidly on the distribution front. With over 5 crore downloads and users spending more than 80 minutes per day on the app, Story TV has, over the past six months, emerged as the second most downloaded app worldwide in the Entertainment category, according to Sensor Tower. It also consistently ranks number one on the Play Store in its segment.
Speaking about the campaign, Story TV CMO Nishant Kumar said the platform was founded on mastering the art of the instant hook. While it pioneered the “1-Minute Break” format in India, he noted that the vision has evolved beyond simply filling spare moments. In an era of shrinking attention spans and rising audience expectations, he described Story TV as transitioning from a platform into what he termed a global cultural powerhouse.
Kumar added that the collaboration with Yuzvendra Chahal and Shefali Bagga during the T20 World Cup was a deliberate attempt to sit at the intersection of India’s two great passions cricket and cinematic storytelling. He likened the platform’s short dramas to a T20 match, where every ball can change the game, saying the narratives are high-stakes and twist-filled. Chahal’s unpredictability and Bagga’s quick-witted energy, he said, align closely with the Story TV DNA.
Chahal, reflecting on his appointment as chief story officer, described the experience as an opportunity to explore his creative side beyond the cricket field. He said the script allowed him to be himself on screen and tell a story in under a minute, adding that he enjoyed discovering his acting and writing skills during the shoot.
Shefali Bagga echoed the sentiment, noting that short dramas felt like a natural extension of her journey in entertainment. She said she had been hearing about the format for some time and was immediately drawn to the idea when Story TV approached her. For Bagga, the campaign offered a chance to experiment while staying authentic to her personality.
At a time when content consumption is increasingly fragmented and mobile-first, Story TV’s model banks on brevity without sacrificing drama. With industry actors fronting its short dramas and audiences spending more than an hour each day on the app, the platform appears to have tapped into a format that blends binge-watching with snackable storytelling.
In a media landscape where attention is the most contested currency, Story TV is betting that one minute is all it takes provided the spin is right.
