iWorld
Eros Now reaches 36.2 mn paying subscribers
KOLKATA: Eros Now, the OTT platform owned by ErosSTX, has reached 36.2 million paid subscribers and 211.5 million registered users worldwide as of 30 September. This represents 6.9 million net new paid subscriber additions over the past six months.
This subscriber growth has been powered by its investment in technology and the larger partnership with Microsoft. In a recently completed project, Eros Now uploaded content to a central content repository, built on Microsoft Azure, that can quickly process large volumes of data to distribute to hubs via satellite. Consumers then connect to these hubs to securely download content to their mobile devices without internet connectivity. By using this system, consumers in low connectivity regions can access Eros Now’s rich media content and pay for services in modes they prefer. Enabling video distribution via satellite could be game changing for the OTT business in developing markets like India, South East Asia and Africa where more than 50 per cent of the population has intermittent access to internet and internet video.
Another major attribute to the platform’s growing popularity has been the Eros Now Original Series. The recently released and critically acclaimed original series Flesh, starring Swara Bhaskar, generated the highest ever time spent viewing by Eros Now consumers – more than any other original series so far. Overall engagement on the platform has increased dramatically so far this year and is approximately double the pre-lockdown engagement.
This festive season, Eros Now has partnered with Paytm to offer 100 per cent cash back to the digital payments app’s consumers in India who subscribe to the Eros Now’s monthly pack of Rs 49 and to unlock #DilwaliDiwali and enjoy the best of movies, original series and more.
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.
