iWorld
Hotstar becomes first ‘Made in India’ platform to reach 100-m downloads in two yrs
MUMBAI: Hotstar is the first ‘Made in India platform’ to cross 100 million downloads on Google Play Store, and it has raced to this milestone in two years.
Over the last two years, Hotstar has been consistently blazing the trail on setting new benchmarks for a consumer Internet company. From being the fastest growing platform in the world to introducing technological innovations in streaming, Hotstar has been the pioneer in opening up the premium video category in India.
This week, Hotstar shattered yet another ceiling. It became the first local service to cross 100 million downloads on the Google Play Store. On the Play Store downloads chart, the online video platform has raced far ahead of many other consumer Internet companies in India, including e-commerce services like Amazon India and Flipkart, taxi ride services like Ola, payment apps like Paytm, and even news services like Times of India, NDTV and Dailyhunt. Almost all of Hotstar’s downloads have come from India. The service reached this milestone within just 2 years of its launch in 2015.
Across the Play Store, App Store and other Android app stores cumulatively, Hotstar has crossed more than 200 million downloads since launch.
The service also announced recently that it has emerged as the primary screen for VIVO IPL 2017 in India’s top cities, those with more than a million in population. In a newspaper announcement last week, Hotstar revealed massive growth in viewership over the previous year, including a five times increase in watch time and a 12 times increase in concurrent viewership on the platform.
iWorld
Prime Video unveils trailer for Tamil series Exam, streaming May 15
Dushara Vijayan, Aditi Balan headline scam thriller set in exam world
CHENNAI: Prime Video has dropped the official trailer of its upcoming Tamil Original series Exam, a high-stakes suspense drama set in the murky world of competitive entrance exams.
Backed by creative producers Pushkar and Gayatri under Wallwatcher Films, the seven-episode series is written and directed by National Award-winner A. Sarkunam. It stars Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan in lead roles, with Abbas playing a pivotal character.
Set in the fictional town of Thykara, the series follows Jhansi, played by Dushara Vijayan, as she attempts to expose a deep-rooted scam, aided by her mentor Jayachandran, played by Abbas. Standing in her way is DSP Maramalli, portrayed by Aditi Balan, setting up a tense face-off driven by ambition, pressure and moral choices.
The show will stream from May 15 on Prime Video in India and across more than 240 countries and territories. It will be available in Tamil, with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada, along with subtitles in 15 languages.
Writer-director A. Sarkunam said the story aims to resonate across geographies and social strata, going beyond the scam to explore ambition, pressure and the consequences of personal choices. He added that the narrative unfolds through the intersecting journeys of Jhansi and Maramalli, building tension as their worlds collide.
Dushara Vijayan described Jhansi as a fierce and determined character, calling the role both demanding and rewarding, with the story capturing the difficult choices her character must make.
Aditi Balan said the series offers a hard-hitting look at the exam ecosystem, adding that her character is layered and shaped by both internal conflict and external pressures.
Abbas, marking his return to mainstream Tamil entertainment, said the series stands out for its layered storytelling and unpredictable twists, with his character adding depth to the central narrative.
With its mix of suspense, social commentary and character-driven storytelling, Exam is shaping up to be a tense watch as it dives into one of India’s most high-pressure systems.
