iWorld
Arré to reach larger audiences through SonyLiv platform
NEW DELHI: Leading multi-media, multi-format digital media brand Arré today announced its partnership with digital entertainment platform SonyLIV from Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) to enable users to watch Arré’s latest web series on its web and mobile platforms.
This partnership will also see Arré’s entire video content library available as a part of SonyLIV’s extensive catalogue in due course.
Arré will benefit from SonyLIV’s massive reach to digital viewers across India. SonyLIV users, on the other hand, will be able to sample all the rich and entertaining current and future content developed by Arré.
Launched earlier this month, Arré’s latest offering titled ‘Official Chukyagiri’ is a five-part slice-of-life fiction dramedy. It is targeted towards the ‘attitudinally millennial’ audience which shows life in the corporate world through h the eyes of an intern, Spandan Chukya. Apart from this series, SonyLIV users can also view shows such as ‘A.I.SHA My Virtual Girlfriend (A.I.SHA)’, ‘I Don’t Watch TV’ and ‘Arré Ho Ja Re-Gender’.
Other content from Arré’s stable, which will be made available under the partnership includes a new comic satire titled ‘Abbas Mastan’ about two movie buffs, as well as non-fiction video originals such as‘Death by Breath’, a documentary on pollution in Delhi (in partnership with the Indian Express Group), and ‘Kashmir’s Lost Children’, a documentary about the violence that children in the Kashmir Valley face. These shows will add on to the already established library of original web-series made by SonyLIV.
SPE Executive Vice-President and Head – Digital Business Uday Sodhi said: “SonyLIV has endeavoured to provide the best and most relevant entertainment options to our viewers, as is being aptly demonstrated by our push for more and more original, user-centric entertainment content. We have been investing a lot on creating original web-series and this partnership with Arré is another step in that direction. We are confident that SonyLIV’s massive viewership in the country will enjoy the diversity of entertaining contentwhich this association heralds. Our aim is to bridge the gap between the digital audience and relevant original quality content creators.”
Arré Co-Founder and CEO Ajay Chacko added: “We are delighted to partner with SonyLIV for ‘Official Chukyagiri’ to begin with, and look forward to hosting other shows from the Arré stable on the platform. Our model is to create highly engaging original content that can be distributed over a wide range of linear and non-linear platforms. SonyLIV’s wide and highly engaged premium audience base is a great fit to provide the reach, distribution and exposure for our shows.”
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
