iWorld
OTT streaming platform aha enters Malaysia
Mumbai: aha, one of India’s leading regional language OTT platforms, launches in Malaysia with a robust content offering for the local Tamil diaspora.
The platform entered the Malaysian market on 19 September 2022 as part of their effort to expand their presence in Southeast Asia. The launch was inaugurated by minister of human resources YB Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, aha brand ambassador Anirudh Ravichander and aha CEO Ajit Thakur at Park Royal Collections Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
Since its debut, aha has engaged its audience by telling stories about their home land, featuring some of the most loved celebrities in India. The 100 per cent Tamil regional OTT platform, aha Tamil, features a number of blockbuster films and exclusive originals.
Actor Simbu and incredibly gifted musician Anirudh Ravichandran are the brand ambassadors for aha. To mark its arrival in Malaysia, the OTT streaming service came onboard as a co presenting sponsor of the Anirudh Live in Malaysia 2022 concert, which was held on 17 September at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil.
On the occasion of the Malaysia launch, Saravanan said that he is excited about aha’s unique efforts in content collaboration and investment in original content with local talents and production houses, which will undoubtedly give global exposure to the Tamil content industry here in Malaysia.
aha is proud to be the first Indian OTT entity that is committed to investing in local content and to uplifting the Tamil entertainment industry in Malaysia by leveraging local talents and production houses. Through this integration, aha hopes to stay relevant in Southeast Asia and is looking at aligning the OTT landscape and providing a seamless experience for consumers in Malaysia and India.
Commenting on Malaysia launch, Thakur said, “At aha, we are proud of our unique proposition of providing 100 per cent local entertainment to the audience and we are delighted to bring 100 per cent local entertainment now to Malaysia. With the launch of aha in Malaysia, we will not only offer the best of Tamil movies and originals to the audience but also source and create content with local film-makers and artists.”
aha Tamil business head Chidambaram Natesan said, “‘Yaadhum Oorey Yaavarum Kaeleer,’ Malaysian Tamils best represent this line by the famous Tamil philosopher Kaniyan Pugundranar. Malaysian Tamils have always welcomed everyone with great warmth to their land. We are confident that aha Tamil’s launch in Malaysia will be supported with the same love and affection.
He added, “aha Tamil OTT started with the core idea of ‘Tamizhal Tamizhil Tamizharuku’ (in Tamil, by Tamil, for Tamil people) and now we are in Malaysia to carry forward the same proposition.”
iWorld
Print perfect OTTplay bowls a culture driven campaign
From penguins to passion the brand turns India Pakistan into print powered moment marketing.
MUMBAI: When cricket fever meets front-page ink, sparks are bound to fly. And as the latest India–Pakistan clash gripped the nation, OTTplay decided not just to ride the wave but to print it in bold.
In a move that blends real-time agility with old-school authority, OTTplay rolled out a specially curated print campaign amplified by the century-old legacy of the Hindustan Times network. The strategy is simple but sharp: take the speed of pop culture, anchor it in the credibility of print, and make a sporting spectacle feel even larger than life.
The campaign kicked off during the T20 build-up with a creative inspired by the viral “Penguin” moment that flooded social media timelines. Instead of letting the meme melt away, OTTplay spun it into a witty cricket hook, tying internet chatter directly to the anticipation around the high-voltage fixture. It was playful, timely and unmistakably plugged into the cultural pulse.
Then came the dramatic “U-turn” in the narrative around the India–Pakistan match. OTTplay responded in near real time, crafting a clever print execution that mirrored the emotional swing fans experienced. In doing so, the brand demonstrated that even a medium often seen as static can move at the speed of culture when the thinking is sharp enough.
With Valentine’s Day in sight, the narrative pivoted once again. This time, OTTplay reframed the rivalry through the lens of love and passion, turning cricket’s most intense contest into a metaphor for romance, intensity and emotional investment. The result is a campaign that speaks not only to die-hard cricket followers but to anyone who understands that some rivalries are just another form of love.
OTTplay co-founder and CEO Avinash Mudaliar summed it up succinctly, saying that the India–Pakistan match “isn’t just a game, it’s an emotion,” and that the campaign is about tapping into that emotion in real time. By leveraging the reach and trust of Hindustan Times, he noted, OTTplay has brought moment marketing into a space often perceived as static, turning print into a high-impact storytelling vehicle that marries credibility with cultural immediacy.
The medium choice is as telling as the message. In an era dominated by scrolls and swipes, OTTplay’s use of a 100-year-old print platform signals a deliberate blend of tradition and trend. The creatives are not just ads; they are front-page conversations, designed to stop readers mid-sip and mid-scroll.
As anticipation builds around the marquee showdown, OTTplay’s message is clear: don’t just watch the moment unfold, stream it. As India’s leading OTT aggregator, the platform offers access to more than 30 OTT services, including JioHotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv, Lionsgate Play and Aha, positioning itself as the gateway to the big game and the bigger story around it.
In a season where every ball counts and every headline matters, OTTplay has managed to do both bowl fast in culture and land squarely on the front page.
