iWorld
Netflix announces unscripted series on Mumbai Indians
MUMBAI: Netflix is targetting India’s love for two things – entertainment and cricket – in one fell swoop. The leading over the top (OTT) platform has announced the production of an original unscripted series revolving around the Mumbai Indians, three-time winner of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The platform has collaborated with Condé Nast Entertainment for the upcoming production. The show will be available exclusively on Netflix to over 117 million members in 190 countries around the world.
Players from MI will be followed both on and off the field. The show attempts to take a deeper dive into the cricketing values and traditions of the successful IPL franchisee while it embarks on the eleventh edition to attempt a fourth win.
“The series will bring viewers a never-before-seen look at the richest tournament in cricket–the world’s second most-watched sport–covering unseen aspects of the team, the compelling stories and characters that bind them with the vibrant city they call home,” an official statement from the company read.
To make the local connection strong, the streaming giant is coming up with several Indian originals. Netflix India recently premiered Love Per Square Foot, a full-length Hindi romance. The platform will premier Sacred Games on 6 July. Now, it has chosen India’s most popular sport as the central theme for another original.
Also Read:
Localised content the way forward for Netflix in India
Indian content at Netflix to be creatively lead by Disney’s Simran Sethi
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.
