iWorld
Bengali OTT platform Addatimes launches in Bangladesh
MUMBAI: Addatimes, Bengali entertainment OTT platform and web channel with music, original web shows and short films, has launched in Bangladesh to coincide with the Eid-Ul-Fitr celebrations. Addatimes is targeting five million subscribers within the first years of its launch. The yearly subscription plan for Bangladesh market is 299 Taka.
The partnership between Addatimes and LBC Media Entertainment Company, a concern of Agrani Holdings Group, and Allianz FMCG Holdings Ltd was announced recently. As a distribution partner, Agrani Holdings Group will expand Addatimes' reach and business by entrusting the online streaming platform to OEMs, telecom companies and internet service providers, among others. They will also promote the brand in Bangladesh through marketing projects.
Addatimes founder and promoter Rajiv Mehra said, “Bengali is the eighth-most popularly spoken language in the world and Bangladesh is a country where the Bengali language is all-encompassing. Since Dr Sakib has such an in-depth understanding of the Bangladeshi market, this partnership was a real no-brainer. We at Addatimes feel, that this was the right time to expand our reach and so we have moved forward with this decision. We have all the ingredients to serve the Bangladeshi audience the real feast of entertainment.’
Addatimes director and co-promoter Nispal Singh Raney said “We at Addatimes are incredibly happy with this new association. We have faith in the abilities of our friends at Agrani and we hope that this is just the beginning of a very fruitful partnership.”
Agrani CEO Sakib M Rahman commented on the partnership, "Our group has over the years earned the reputation of rapidly developing strategic business environments with a strong understanding of the local culture."
"Addatimes is one of the most popular Indian-Bengali online streaming giants, offering a wide variety of content. Our distribution network will focus on providing the video-on-demand service across the country. The execution of the OTT platform will be carried out by the group's sister concern companies, Agrani Trading Company Limited and LBC Media Entertainment Company, in Bangladesh," he added.
LBC also has a strategic association with Insomnia Media and Content Services LLP for curating, developing and producing content for LBC across genres and formats. “We are excited about Addatimes launch in the Bangladesh Market. Insomnia is here to tell compelling Untold stories, with global production values for the evolving audience,” Insomnia co-founder Juhi Parekh Mehta said.
The Addatimes Prime Bengali web series include the premium web series The Senapatis, and Oh Mother!, Feluda, Khyapa, One Night Stand and Sufiyana among others. Viewers can watch the first web-episodes of all these shows for free only on Addatimes. The platform has varied content slate including periodic drama to contemporary romance.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
