iWorld
Airtel inks content deal with CuriosityStream
MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel today announced a content partnership with CuriosityStream, the award-winning global media company that delivers the world of factual entertainment in one mind-expanding place.
Launched by John Hendricks, the visionary founder of Discovery Channel, CuriosityStream lets viewers explore their passions and discover new ones with thousands of films and series covering space, art, volcanoes, history, travel, cars, architecture, dinosaurs and so much more.
The complete content catalogue of CuriosityStream, including exclusive originals that can’t be seen anywhere else, will now be available to Airtel customers on its converged digital entertainment platform – Airtel Xstream.
Airtel Thanks Gold and Platinum customers will get complimentary access to exciting CuriosityStream content on the Airtel Xstream app and airtelxstream.com. The content will also be available on the Airtel Xstream Hybrid Box and Airtel Xstream Smart Stick.
Airtel is the first partner to bring CuriosityStream to India, directly to viewers who are looking for the kind of engaging factual shows that the traditional networks have abandoned. CuriosityStream covers the full breadth and depth of the non-fiction genre – from science and technology to history and nature to society and lifestyle.
With this latest partnership, Airtel has further strengthened its digital entertainment play. The Airtel Xstream platform offers over 10,000 movies and shows along with 400 plus LIVE channels. This content can be accessed across all screens – smartphone, TV, and PC through Xstream applications and smart devices.
Adarsh Nair, Chief Product Officer, Bharti Airtel said: “We are thrilled to join hands with CuriosityStream to introduce India to best-in-class factual entertainment content, which will be available to customers on the screen of their choice. There is growing demand in India for quality content and we believe that CuriosityStream’s award winning series will add to our effort of delivering a differentiated experience to our customers.”
Sunil Taldar, CEO and Director – DTH, Bharti Airtel said, “We are delighted to partner with CuriosityStream for our Airtel Xstream platform and bring some really exciting and premium content to Indian homes. With the new Airtel Xstream Hybrid Box, customers can enjoy the best of linear TV and online content, including exclusive factual shows commissioned by CuriosityStream.”
Clint Stinchcomb, President and CEO, CuriosityStream said, “CuriosityStream is the definitive experience for satisfying curiosity and supercharging the imagination. Our partnership with Airtel is built for today and for the future, reaching the important Indian audience at scale through Airtel's vast footprint and multiple screens. We are excited to team with Airtel for this first-of-a-kind partnership.”
The Airtel CuriosityStream partnership was secured by media distribution firm Brandwith.
iWorld
Arafta Season 2 greenlit as YouTube hit crosses 850 million views
GoQuest, Rains double down on global Turkish drama success story
MUMBAI: GoQuest Media and Rains Pictures have greenlit Season 2 of Arafta, riding on the runaway success of its debut season that has clocked over 850 million views on YouTube and secured licensing deals across 19 territories.
The upcoming season, already in production, will span 100 episodes and continue with a YouTube-first release strategy, a model that has proved to be a quiet disruptor in global content distribution. Season 1, which premiered in November 2025, built a strong digital following before translating that traction into international deals.
The series is currently licensed to platforms including Amazon MX Player in India, Kanal 7 in Turkey, and Vidio, along with several markets across Europe such as Romania, Hungary and Latvia. Across five language channels, the show has amassed more than 2.5 million subscribers, signalling growing global appetite for Turkish storytelling.
Notably, many of these licensing deals were struck after the show had already aired on YouTube, flipping the traditional distribution model on its head. Instead of competing with broadcasters, the digital-first strategy appears to be doing the heavy lifting in building awareness and audience demand.
GoQuest Media managing director Vivek Lath said, “Arafta is proving out what we believed about the make-to-sell model. A YouTube-first release does not compete with licensing. It builds the asset that licensees are buying.”
Season 1 wrapped on April 17 with a globally streamed finale that drew over 102,000 concurrent viewers, setting the stage for the next chapter. Lead actors İlsu Demirci and Emin Günenç will return, with the narrative continuing to explore themes of love, vengeance, sacrifice and fate.
Rains Pictures executive Sevda Kaygısız said the decision to move quickly into Season 2 was driven not just by success, but by the depth of the story still to be told. “Arafta is not just a successful project for us; it reflects our belief in powerful storytelling and building a genuine emotional connection with audiences,” she noted.
As Turkish dramas continue to travel beyond borders, Arafta’s success underscores a larger shift in how global hits are made and sold. In this case, the small screen found its big moment online first, and the world followed.
