iWorld
All set to create franchises for multiple seasons in 2022: MX Player’s Gautam Talwar
Mumbai: MX Player has had a strong start to 2022 with two of its shows “Campus Diaries” and “Bhaukaal 2” crossing 100 million views metric in a short period of time. The platform is all set to release its third MX Original for the year “Raktanchal 2” and expects the show to perform equally well, with a third season already under production.
“2021 was a fantastic year for us as we got many back-to-back hits,” says MX Player chief content officer Gautam Talwar. “The next big thing for the OTT is to create franchises for multiple seasons and we’re going to create some serious franchises this year.”
Talwar reveals that MX Originals including “Ek Thi Begum,” “Indori Ishq,” “Matsya Kaand,” “Raktanchal” and “Aashram” all have crossed the 100 million views mark and most are in development for multiple seasons. “Aashram” and “Raktanchal” are in development for a third season.
“The exciting part was how quickly its new shows ‘Campus Diaries’ and ‘Matsya Kaand’ crossed the 100 million mark,” says Talwar. “The time it took for these shows to reach 100 million views was uncomprehendingly fast. ‘Campus Diaries’ achieved those numbers in less than three weeks while ‘Matsya Kaand’ got there in less than four.”
The platform has found success in the regional OTT piece that several video-on-demand platforms have found difficult to crack. Two of its regional shows “Queen” in Tamil and “Samantar” in Marathi have also achieved 100 million views.
“‘Queen’ and ‘Samantar’ have crossed those milestones but by attracting audiences in multiple languages, say in Marathi plus Hindi or Tamil plus Hindi. We’re doubling down on these two languages – Tamil and Marathi – since we’ve seen some success and you’ll see a couple of good Marathi shows coming out this year,” says Talwar. The platform has also dubbed “Matsya Kaand” in Punjabi.
On using the 100 million views metric to evaluate its shows, Talwar says, “In the case of YouTube if the videos garner four million views, then people call it a big hit. But, our shows are much longer so we don’t count 30 seconds of watch time as a view. If YouTube is the biggest video platform available to consumers, then we’re probably the second to have that kind of reach and distribution. Of course, a big advantage for us is distribution and low barrier for entry but if you don’t put out the right piece of content then it won’t work well.”
According to Talwar, the consumers have also given a thumbs up to the content on the platform. “Nobody will give me the go-ahead to make a second season for a show if season one has not worked well. The fact that we’ve commissioned multiple new seasons of most of our shows (Samantar, Ek Thi Begum, Matsya Kaand, Campus Diaries, Bhaukaal, Raktanchal, Aashram) means that the consumer is coming back to watch it,” he adds.
Like most OTT platforms MX Player is increasing its content investments for 2022 and is filling the production pipeline of shows until 2024. “There’s no doubt in our mind that the consumer chases good shows and the increasing competition means that we’re definitely doubling down on our investments,” he sums up.
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
