iWorld
BBC Studios inks content partnership with BookMyShow Stream
Mumbai: BookMyShow Stream, the video on-demand (TVoD) service, announced an exclusive content partnership with BBC Studios India. This inaugural partnership will see the launch of a BBC first: a dedicated branded space in the form of a widget on BookMyShow Stream, enhancing its portfolio with a dose of premium, bold, and British drama. Pre-bookings for these coveted titles are now live on BookMyShow Stream.
Sherwood: It was launched to over six million viewers on the BBC (seven-day consolidated) and has been hailed by critics as one of television’s greatest dramas of recent years. The drama, which follows a tense and heart-wrenching investigation into two shocking and unexpected killings that shatter an already fractured community, is award-winning playwright and dramatist James Graham’s most personal work, having been inspired, in part, by real events that occurred in the Nottinghamshire mining village in which he grew up.
Ragdoll: A gruesomely imaginative serial killer thriller, Ragdoll captures the fascinating but flawed friends struggling with the consequences of institutionalisation and trauma. Starring Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Thalissa Teixeira, and Lucy Hale, Ragdoll is executive produced and commissioned by AMC and UKTV’s Alibi, and executive produced by Sid Gentle Films with Freddy Syborn as lead writer and executive producer.
Unforgotten Season 1: This crime drama focuses on a cold case reopened after 39 years. When the body of a young man is discovered in a derelict building, DCI Cassie Stuart-one of the Met’s smartest detectives-is called in to investigate. There are four suspects, each with a secret to hide. As their lies unravel, the people they love most begin to wonder what else they might be capable of. Unforgotten brings together one of the most accomplished acting ensembles seen on British television in years. The multi-award-winning cast includes Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Bernard Hill, Trevor Eve, Ruth Sheen, Golden Globe and Bafta-winner Tom Courtenay, and Bafta-winner Gemma Jones.
BookMyShow Stream will feature other titles, including Smother (seasons 1-2), Traces (seasons 1-2), The Chelsea Detective, Happy Valley (seasons 1-2) and Unforgotten (seasons 1-4) on its platform over the next two quarters.
BBC Studios’ VP for distribution in South Asia Stanley Fernandes said, “BBC Studios is known for its premium content that is backed by powerful storytelling and the ability to connect with a global audience. We are constantly looking at innovative ways to complement the evolving consumption habits of our audiences and are delighted to embark on this new partnership with BookMyShow Stream to reach new audiences in the dynamic and vibrant streaming landscape of India.”
BookMyShow COO-cinemas Ashish Saksena said, “The TVOD space is gaining traction as more and more entertainment enthusiasts are imbibing the culture of ‘Pay for what you want to watch’, rather than having multiple subscriptions. With BBC Studios taking cognizance of the mammoth opportunity this category holds, we are excited to see this exclusive partnership scale it further. We are thrilled to bring coveted BBC Studios titles into the BookMyShow Stream fold, furthering our aspiration to bring compelling international content to Indian audiences. The BBC First widget on our platform will attract audiences gunning for purposeful content, bringing the best of British content to India. Through this strategic partnership, we aim to take our entertainment quotient a notch higher and offer an unmatched viewing experience to our consumers.”
Fans can ‘rent’ or ‘buy’ on the BBC First dedicated branded space in the form of a widget on BookMyShow Stream. Entertainment enthusiasts can avail a 50 per cent discount offer on Sherwood, Ragdoll, and Unforgotten (season 1) for a limited two-week period on the platform.
With over 2,000 titles available since its launch in February 2021, BookMyShow Stream features a handpicked, specially curated library of content from around the world and India that users can rent or buy and watch. The platform uses over two decades of BookMyShow’s user understanding and data insights to focus on personalised content discovery with access to a selection of on-demand content from across the world.
iWorld
Banijay Asia’s The 50 tops OTT charts with 8.1 million JioHotstar views
Reality competition becomes most watched show on JioHotstar in debut week.
MUMBAI: Fifty contestants walked into a palace, but millions of viewers showed up for the drama. Reality competition The 50, produced by Banijay Asia, has emerged as the most watched show on JioHotstar, clocking 8.1 million views in its debut week. The figure, reported by Ormax Media, places the show at the top of the OTT viewership charts and marks a strong opening for the digital reality format.
Adapted from a popular French format, The 50 brings together 50 personalities from television, digital platforms, music and reality shows inside a grand palace setting. Over the course of a 50 day competition, participants form alliances, compete in unpredictable tasks and navigate eliminations as the field steadily narrows.
Guiding the game is a mysterious figure known as The Lion, an unseen game master whose voice introduces twists, challenges and strategic turns throughout the show, adding an extra layer of suspense to the contest.
What distinguishes The 50 from typical reality competitions is its audience driven prize structure. Instead of the winner taking home the final reward, the prize is awarded to one of the winner’s registered followers through the show’s dedicated app. The mechanism effectively turns viewers into participants, allowing fans to have a direct stake in the outcome.
The contestant lineup features a mix of television actors, reality stars and digital creators, including Karan Patel, Urvashi Dholakia, Divya Agarwal, Mr Faisu and Dushyant Kukreja, each bringing their own fan following to the show.
With its blend of celebrity personalities, strategic gameplay and interactive viewer participation, The 50 has quickly carved out a strong foothold in India’s digital entertainment landscape. Its 8.1 million views in the opening week underline the growing appetite for large scale reality formats designed specifically for OTT audiences.
