iWorld
ALTBalaji ends 2019 with 4x growth in direct subscriber base
MUMBAI: Subscription-based video streaming platform ALTBalaji has emerged as the fastest-growing over-the-top platform with four-fold growth in the direct subscriber base in 2019.
ALTBalaji has launched 23 originals this year and garnered over 33 million subscriptions to date. It has been one of the top 3 highest-grossing apps with a library of 53 exclusive originals.
ALTBalaji chief executive officer and Balaji Telefilms Group chief operation officer Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “2019 has been a phenomenal year for us both in terms of content and subscribers growth. We have registered 4X growth in our direct subscriber-base and we will clock revenue between Rs 80-100 crore.”
He said, “The aim is to tap the next billion users coming onto the internet by enabling easy and seamless access to the content they want to watch, wherever they want to watch and whenever they want to watch – at no extra cost to the subscriber. On the back of successful 2019, we are hopeful that ALTBalaji will break even in 2020-21.”
ALTBalaji’s will launch 25-30 more shows in the year 2020. Some of the interesting shows for 2020 are already in the pipeline.
Cartel, Apharan 2, Code M, Mentalhood, It happened in Calcutta, Dil Hi Toh Hai S3, Class of 2020, Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain Season 3, Baarish 2, Dev DD 2, Haq Se 2, Virgin Bhaskar 2, Gandii Baat 4 and Mumbhai among many others are some of the originals scheduled for next year.
As OTT platforms are changing the showbiz game, Bollywood and television actors such as Sharman Joshi, Tusshar Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, Isha Koppikar, Sagarika Ghatge, Rajeev Khandelwal, Divyanka Tripathi, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Karan Singh Grover among others made their grand debut in the web space through ALTBalaji Originals.
ALTBalaji is also working towards strengthening its UI/UX for a seamless experience by focusing on aspects like language interface, voice search, targeted retention strategies, quick onboarding, convenient payment gateways, and tailored recommendations, a press statement said.
Apart from its strong content library, ALTBalaji has also launched some clutter-breaking and tech-driven innovations like ‘Breast Buffer’ to create consumer awareness against Breast Cancer.
Breast Buffer was nominated in Cannes Lions as one of the brilliant uses of technology by media as well as was applauded by subscribers, media, influencers, critics and celebrities alike.
Similarly, the OTT platform also brought its most acclaimed series Apharan to Alexa, enabling users to now listen to dialogues, the trailer, the song and other exclusive content from this cult show.
iWorld
Matka King campaign turns Mumbai into a city of cards
Massive card billboard, buses and shelters recreate 1960s Bombay.
MUMBAI: Mumbai isn’t just shuffling traffic this week, it’s dealing in drama, one card at a time. A high-impact outdoor campaign for Matka King has quite literally taken over the city, transforming everyday streets into a living, breathing throwback to the world of 1960s Bombay. At the centre of the spectacle is a towering billboard near the city’s T1 airport, created by visual artist Rob, assembling hundreds of playing cards into a striking portrait of Brij Bhatti, the infamous Matka King portrayed by Vijay Varma. The installation doesn’t just sit on the skyline; it commands attention, pulling eyes upward in a city otherwise known for looking straight ahead.
But the campaign doesn’t stop at a single visual. The streets themselves have been drafted into the narrative. Vehicles wrapped entirely in vintage playing card designs are cruising through Mumbai, while bus shelters constructed to resemble houses of cards have begun appearing across key locations. The effect is immersive less an advertisement and more a temporary rewriting of the city’s visual language, where modern Mumbai briefly slips into a stylised past.
The campaign leans heavily into experiential storytelling, extending the show’s world beyond screens and into public spaces. By using tactile, physical installations rather than purely digital amplification, it taps into a growing trend in entertainment marketing where scale, spectacle and shareability converge to create cultural moments rather than just promotional bursts.
Created by Abhay Koranne and directed by Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, the series features a wide ensemble cast including Kritika Kamra, Sai Tamhankar, Siddharth Jadhav and Gulshan Grover, among others. Produced under banners including Roy Kapur Films, the show is currently streaming on Prime Video across India and more than 240 countries and territories.
For now, though, the real action isn’t just on screen, it’s unfolding at traffic signals, bus stops and billboards. In a city that rarely pauses, this is one campaign that has managed to stop people mid-step and deal itself straight into public attention.
