iWorld
Hungama expands footprint in digital content space
MUMBAI: Hungama has expanded its footprint in the digital original space with the launch of its new Hindi show Bar Code. The new drama has been produced by Abhishek Pathak under the banner of Panaroma Studios. From 10 October, the show is available on its video on demand service Hungama Play.
“Hungama originals have helped us present stories that are different from those offered by the conventional medium, this narratives have widespread appeal and are appreciated by digital audiences globally. With Bar Code, we explore universally identified themes like friendship, ego, love and rivalry. We are certain that a strong content line-up and a robust worldwide distribution strategy will help us increase our user base on Hungama Play significantly,” Hungama Digital Media COO Siddhartha Roy said.
To reach the audience base, the company will leverage its distribution strengths. The new show will also be available to stream through Hungama Play on Vodafone Play, Idea Movies & TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick and other Android TVs along with Mi Video and Mi TV.
Though the company has dabbled with online music and short-form video content for a long time, it has jumped into the long-form video content bandwagon recently. In the first half of this year, the company announced four web series among which three have been released. Recently, the company also ventured into original in regional languages. It will soon roll out shows in several regional languages across genres.
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.
