iWorld
Netflix doubles down on reality content to attract paying subscribers
Mumbai: Netflix has announced several new and returning unscripted series for reality content fans. The streaming giant has also renewed the docuseries ‘Indian Matchmaking’ for the second season. The show premiered on the OTT platform in July 2020.
The OTT platform has also renewed the US reality competition series ‘The Circle’ for seasons four and five and ‘The American Barbecue Showdown’ for a second season. It has also ordered a new reality series ‘Roaring Twenties’.
“Reality TV is a powerful genre. It has the ability to make you invested in who is going to win the big competition or find true love (or at least a ‘good showmance’). It also has the ability to bring people together from all walks of life. We love to hear from viewers who feel inspired and accepted after seeing themselves reflected in our shows. After all, what is reality TV if it doesn’t represent real people?”, said Netflix’s vice president, unscripted and documentary series, Brandon Riegg.
‘Indian Matchmaking’ is an Emmy-nominated docuseries featuring matchmaker Sima Taparia who helps singles across the globe, who have decided to put their love lives in the hands of an expert. It is produced by Industrial Media’s The Intellectual Property Corp. Aaron Saidman, Eli Holzman, Smriti Mundhra, and J.C. Begley are the executive producers.
The OTT Giant Netflix’s subscriber growth has slowed down significantly in the second quarter of 2021. It reported adding 1.5 million paid subscribers in Q2 2021 whereas it added 10.1 million paid subscribers during the same period last year. Notably, the APAC region accounted for two thirds of the global paid net addition during this quarter.
The streaming service saw a record 26 million paid subscribers in the first half of 2020 whereas in 2019 it achieved 28 million subscribers for the whole year.
Netflix launched many of its popular reality shows like ‘Too Hot to Handle’, ‘Indian Matchmaking’, ‘The American Barbeque Showdown’, ‘Bling Empire’, and ‘Love is Blind’ last year when it added a record number of new subscribers.
iWorld
OneOTT partners with UP govt for Project GANGA broadband rollout
Initiative to connect 2M plus households, empower 8,000–10,000 entrepreneurs in 2–3 years.
MUMBAI: Uttar Pradesh just got a digital Ganga flow because when broadband meets ambition, even villages start streaming faster than city traffic. OneOTT Intertainment Ltd. (OIL), the broadband arm of Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) under the Hinduja Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the State Transformation Commission (STC), Government of Uttar Pradesh, for Project GANGA (Government Assisted Network for Growth & Advancement).
The MoU, signed on 7 March 2026 in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Finance & Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, aims to empower 8,000–10,000 local entrepreneurs at the Nyaya Panchayat level as independent Digital Service Providers (DSPs). A significant number of these DSPs are expected to be women. The initiative will deliver high-speed broadband to over 2 million households in the next 2–3 years and create direct and indirect employment for more than 100,000 individuals.
Project GANGA will support government priorities in digital education, healthcare and public services while enabling MSMEs and enterprises with reliable connectivity. DSPs will receive structured training, financing assistance, network build-out support and technology enablement.
STC CEO Manoj Kumar Singh said, “Project GANGA is a significant step toward expanding inclusive digital infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh. By empowering local entrepreneurs, the program will strengthen service delivery and ensure affordable digital access for underserved communities.”
OIL, MD & CEO and HGS whole-time director Vynsley Fernandes added, “This initiative reflects our long-term commitment to enabling digital access and economic opportunity at scale. Project GANGA is structured as a multi-year program focused on entrepreneur onboarding, network deployment and workforce development.”
OIL brings execution strength backed by HGS and NXTDIGITAL’s national footprint, which already connects over 5 million homes across more than 4,500 pin codes in 1,500 cities and towns through 15,000 plus franchise partners and over 2 lakh kilometres of fibre infrastructure. The ecosystem will support broadband, IPTV, OTT, CCTV, satellite internet and cybersecurity solutions for households, businesses and public institutions.
In a state racing toward digital inclusion, Project GANGA isn’t just laying cables, it’s laying the foundation for millions to connect, learn, heal and earn, one Nyaya Panchayat at a time.
