iWorld
bobbles launches Humax B1 sat STB & H3 OTT player for expat viewers across Europe
MUMBAI: bubbles media GmbH announced the availability of two new Humax receivers for bobbles.tv subscribers – the Humax B1 HEVC compliant digital set-top box for satellite reception and Humax H3 OTT media player for OTT online viewing.
The Humax B1 HEVC compliant digital set-top box will deliver bobbles world-class programming from Asia to European subscribers via SES’ 19.2 degrees East ASTRA satellite position. Thanks to High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also known as H.265, bobbles’ new satellite STB supports significantly enhanced video bandwidth efficiency for broadcast channels. This improves resource economy in terms of satellite capacity and helps streamline bobbles’ service operation. Meanwhile, the Humax B1 STB will deliver superior SD picture and sound quality for bobbles’ satellite viewers.
The Android-based Humax H3 media player for OTT viewing delivers wireless, multi-room TV enabling bobbles online subscribers to watch their favourite content anywhere in the home or office. bobbles’ OTT service benefits from the 3READY front-end whose UX enables viewers to easily discover and select content.
bobbles.tv is the pioneering multicultural satellite and OTT entertainment service for international expat communities living in Europe. Launched in August 2016, bobbles.tv delivers popular programming to Chinese and Korean communities across Europe, while the most recently launched bobbles package delivers India’s most popular TV channels to viewers in mainland Europe.
Thanks to bobbles’ innovative distribution paradigm which combines pan-European satellite broadcasting with over-the-top viewing via online distribution, bobbles aims to deliver culture-specific entertainment packages to the estimated 15 million people originating from Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin American regions who have relocated to Europe.
Humax VP sales Graham North said: “We congratulate bobbles for its commercial and technical innovation in delivering engaging, easy-to-access top-quality entertainment to Europe’s international communities. “Humax is proud to play a role in helping to bring these communities together via a great TV viewing experience whether it’s via satellite or online,” he added.
“Fundamental to our values is the need for maximum user choice and flexibility at a subscriber-friendly price,” said bubbles media CEO Arnold C. Kulbatzki. “We believe these new Humax devices help us further deliver on these goals, enabling more people to enjoy bobbles programming, and feel closer to home.”
bobbles.tv breaks new ground in viewer choice and service usability. With no need for a contract, depending on the chosen package, bobbles.tv monthly prices start from just €6.95 online and €14.95 on satellite.
iWorld
Streaming boom crosses 200 million as India shifts to sustainable growth
From content bets to CTV rise, industry leaders map streaming’s next phase
MUMBAI: India’s streaming story has entered a new chapter, and this time it is less about land grab and more about staying power. At a panel on the evolving streaming economy, industry leaders agreed that with subscriptions crossing 200 million and revenues surging, the focus has decisively shifted to sustainable growth, smarter content bets and sharper partnerships.
Moderator EY partner Raghav Anand, set the tone by pointing to the sharp jump in paid subscriptions, driven by a mix of sports, bundling and improved distribution. The result is a fast-maturing ecosystem where subscription revenues are beginning to complement, and in some cases rival, advertising-led growth.
For Amazon Prime Video Svod business India director & head Shilangi Mukherji, the past decade has been about balancing choice with clarity. “It’s not an either-or market anymore,” she noted. “There is space for everything, from television to ad-supported streaming to subscriptions. The real win is when they all grow together.”
At the heart of this growth lies a simple trio: selection, value and convenience. Content remains king, but not in isolation. Platforms are now curating vast libraries that blend originals, rentals, and third-party services, all under one roof. The aim is to create an ecosystem where viewers do not need to hop between apps to find what they want.
Content itself is also evolving. Mukherji highlighted that nearly half of Prime Video’s viewership comes from outside a show’s home region, underlining the collapse of traditional language silos. Stories are no longer “regional” but increasingly pan-Indian, with talent and narratives travelling seamlessly across states.
Franchise-building has become another cornerstone, with a majority of shows designed for multiple seasons. The goal is not just to attract viewers but to keep them coming back, turning series into long-term cultural touchpoints rather than one-off hits.
On the production side, Hungama Digital Media managing director & CEO Neeraj Roy, described an industry that is both resilient and recalibrating. While the pandemic accelerated content consumption and discovery, it also reset market dynamics. Pre-sales have softened, satellite revenues have tightened, and the easy money phase of digital deals has cooled.
“The honeymoon is over,” Roy said candidly. “Now, content has to prove itself. If it works at the box office or with audiences, everything else follows.”
This shift, he argued, is pushing creators towards greater discipline. Fewer projects are being made, but with sharper focus on quality and audience appeal. At the same time, global exposure to diverse content, from Korean dramas to Malayalam cinema, has raised the bar for storytelling across the board.
Another quiet transformation is unfolding in how content is consumed. While mobile remains the primary gateway, especially for payments and discovery, connected TVs are fast becoming the preferred screen for long-form viewing. Mukherji described this not as a battle of devices but as a “force multiplier”, with platforms tailoring plans for mobile-only users, living room viewers and multi-device households alike.
The monetisation playbook is also widening. Beyond subscriptions and ads, platforms are experimenting with rentals, bundled offerings and commerce integrations, building layered revenue streams that cater to different stages of the consumer journey.
Looking ahead, both panellists pointed to global ambition as the next frontier. Mukherji emphasised taking Indian stories to the world through deeper localisation, calling content India’s soft power. Roy, meanwhile, stressed the need for investment in infrastructure, skills and, crucially, transparent data systems to guide creators with better insights.
If the first phase of India’s streaming boom was about scale, the next will be about substance. And as the industry settles into this new rhythm, one thing is clear: the real streaming wars may be over, but the race to win viewers’ time has only just begun.
