iWorld
Netflix to raise $2 bn for original content
MUMBAI: American media services provider, Netflix, is planning to raise an additional $2 billion through bond offering. Netflix will borrow the amount in order to pay for the exclusive series and movies that its management credits for helping its video streaming service.
With the 2013 release of House of Cards, the company expanded into original programming and since then the company has been spending more money than its business generates.
According to AP, Netflix is expected to burn through $3 billion this year. The additional $2 billion will be raised through bond offering which will be lopped onto its existing debt of $11.8 billion. That also includes another $1.9 billion debt offering that Netflix completed earlier this year.
Since September 2013, Netflix has witnessed a growth of nearly 100 million subscribers. 7 million subscribers joined Netflix in the past quarter. By the end of this year, the company foresees to add another 9.4 million subscribers.
Netflix has been the clear favourite of investors as they have been betting on the company to win. The world’s leading subscription service company’s stock is worth seven times more than it was five years ago, giving the company a current market value of $146 billion.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
