iWorld
1000 hours of original content a year is our target: Hoichoi’s Vishnu Mohta
The Bengali content market may not be spoken of much, but it is not without its share of audience. There are 258 million Bengali speaking people around the world, and this is the target for the latest kid on the block. Hoichoi, a Bengali OTT platform was launched on 20 September 2017 by Shree Venkatesh Films, a Kolkata-based media company.
Hoichoi means positive activities happening around you. The ad-free platform has already launched seven original web series and three more are lined up for this month. Co-founder Vishnu Mohta, who has been with SVF since a decade, speaks to Indiantelevision.com’s Kirti Chauhan about the growth and future plans of the platform.
What was the thought behind launching a Bengali OTT platform?
We wanted to give our customers high-quality Bengali entertainment and the market was ready for it. Currently, India is equipped with all the ingredients to make content available over the internet with a ready to serve system, availability of bandwidth, cheap data, digital payment friendly generation and a smartphone handy generation. It was the right time to provide content for people to consume on their smart phones and set top boxes, which include internet, connected devices like – Apple TV, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, etc.
Where all are the Bengali audiences located?
India and Bangladesh contribute the largest Bengali community. In India, the Bengali speaking community is around 90 million, wherein, Bangladesh has a population of around 160-170 million Bengali expats and rest of the world has a Bengali diaspora between 5-8 million.
Currently, 30-40 per cent of Indian population has access to the internet. However, in the coming five years, the number will double, which will include the crowd of tier II and III cities. This new internet user will prefer to consume content in his vernacular language. 75 per cent of the new internet users will come from rural India, of which 75 per cent want to consume content in their local language.
What would make a person pick Hoichoi over others?
Our experience of over 20 years has enabled us to understand the needs of the Bengali people, which will be visible through our original content. Apart from this, we have the largest collection of the best in Bengali entertainment that is not available on any other platform. We are offering 360 degree entertainment – movies, original shows and in the future, it will be music streaming. We have started with over 500 movies, 1000 songs and 10 original shows in Bengali language.
What type of content does the Bengali community like to watch?
They are an evolved audience. They like to watch mystery shows and films, horror movies, mass films, documentaries and much more. They have an ability to absorb different genres of content.
What are the new shows in pipeline?
We are coming up with a stand up comedy show called ‘Stand up’, then another show is ‘Bhutu Re’ which is an investigative story around a haunted house and the third one is ‘Bouma Detective’ where a housewife will be playing the role of a detective. We have 4 shows for November and December too.
You have kept different subscription charges for Indian and global audiences. Will the same pricing be applied in Bangladesh, which economically weaker than India?
Our subscription charges for Indian audiences are Rs 399 for 12 months, Rs 249 for six months and Rs 149 for three months. Internationally we have kept the charges around $8.99 per month and $79.99 per year. The international audience is ready to pay for content since they are already in the habit. We haven’t come up with subscription charges for Bangladeshi audiences yet but it won’t be very different from India.
Will there be any content specifically catering to Bengali audience of Bangladesh?
We are in process of buying and creating content for Bangladeshi audience. We are creating 2 feature films in Bangladesh, likely to release next year.
Why did you choose ViewLift for technology over Brightcove, Kaltura or Diagonal Technologies?
We wanted to work with an experienced company that is aware of current technological demands of the Indian market, since we are new to digital. ViewLift is specifically working on this technology from the past 10 years and has already launched similar platforms worldwide. We are the first Indian company to have worked with ViewLift. Other technology providers like Brightcove, Kaltura and Diagonal are best in content management system. They are a platform itself and you can build on top of it but can’t provide an end-to-end customisation.
Why you did not choose in-house technology option?
It would have been a time-consuming experience for us if we had taken the in-house technology option. There was a possibility of making mistakes in the beginning while dealing with the learning of new technology. We did not want to make any mistake in the beginning and so decided to take an expert as our technology partner for best results.
What is the average time spent on Hoichoi?
We have just begun and within a month, the average time spent on Hoichoi is around 39-40 minutes.
How large is your team?
Hoichoi is a collaboration of three separate teams. We have 300 experts working for SVF, some of whom are actively engaged in the development of Hoichoi. We have 35-40 people of ViewLift working with us. And, Hoichoi separately has a team of 30-35 experts. Altogether, 200 people are working for Hoichoi.
What are your future targets?
Our ambition is to create 1000 hours of original content every year, i.e., three hours per day. In addition, we are targeting to launch two shows every month.
Q. When and what are you planning to bring for kids in your library?
Kids as a separate genre on Hoichoi will likely be seen early next year. It will be a combination of acquired/curated and created content. Satyajit Ray has written various interesting stories catering to kids. We are planning to translate them in animation for our kids.
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iWorld
Govt pushes live events sector to Rs 196 billion by 2028
LEDC roadmap targets 15–20 million jobs and global hub status by 2030
MUMBAI: India’s live events story is getting louder and this time, it’s policy turning up the volume. The fourth meeting of the Live Events Development Cell (LEDC), chaired by Chanchal Kumar, was held on 30 April 2026 at Vigyan Bhavan, bringing together representatives from nine Central Ministries, six States and 12 industry stakeholders to chart the sector’s next phase of growth. The numbers already tell a compelling story. India’s organised live events industry was valued at Rs 145 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at 10 per cent to Rs 196 billion by 2028 making it one of the fastest-expanding segments within the media and entertainment ecosystem.
Set up in July 2025 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the LEDC is tasked with turning that momentum into a structured growth engine. Its long-term ambition is ambitious, position India as a global live events hub by 2030 while generating an additional 15–20 million jobs.
At the meeting, officials emphasised the sector’s multiplier effect spanning tourism, employment and allied industries while underlining the need for coordinated execution. A key update was the rollout of a single-window clearance system for live event permissions via the India Cine Hub portal, aimed at simplifying approvals and improving transparency.
States have been urged to adopt the system, alongside implementing the “Model Executive Order for Streamlining Licensing and Permissions for Live Events in India, 2026” by 31 May 2026. The framework seeks to standardise what has long been a fragmented and time-consuming regulatory process.
Beyond permissions, the discussion also turned to infrastructure and talent. A draft concept for greenfield venue development was tabled, alongside plans to build a skilled workforce. The Indian Institute of Mass Communication, in collaboration with industry bodies MESC and EEMA, is set to introduce certificate courses tailored to the live events sector.
Chanchal Kumar stressed that alignment across stakeholders is already in place, with the next challenge being execution at scale. The government, he noted, remains committed to creating a facilitative and transparent ecosystem for organisers.
For an industry once seen as fragmented and event-driven, the message is clear, India’s live events business is no longer just about the show, it’s about building an entire stage for growth.
