iWorld
OTTV 2017: Co-existence with traditional TV predicted, scope for OTT kids content
MUMBAI: “Can OTT TV challenge traditional TV?” was the session on OTTV Summit 2017, as industry experts shared their views with regards to the future of the traditional TV consumption and OTTV consumption. Will traditional TV die soon? Will OTT take over traditional TV?
Moderated by Dveo Media CEO Deepak Ramsurrun, the session saw Alt Balaji COO Sunil Nair, Sony Pictures Network India head of marketing and analytics digital business Abhishek Joshi, Lattu Media founder and CEO Vivek Bhutyani and News Corp VC Circle’s Shreyas Rao expressing their views..
The session started by Nair stating that every platform has its audience so the whole assumption that, at any point of time, OTT is going to impact traditional television, is not going to happen. “I think OTT and television will co-exist for a long time. The audience will not go away easily. There might be 100m users of Jio, but still the number is small as compared to this huge animal. So, we should accept this and co-exist with them.”
Sharing his view, Joshi mentioned, “Fortunately, I am from the organisation which has a strong presence in traditional TV and in OTT space as well. We strongly believe that content is democratic. We treat other platforms as distribution partners to increase the reach of the content on TV and OTT service as well. How do we differentiate the OTT digital content and traditional TV content? I firmly believe that whatever content works on TV will work on OTT. There are 30 OTT platforms in India — the strategy is not how to distribute it but how to monetise it. As a digital platform, we have not been able to crack that code yet. We all are doing Freemium, SVoD, TVoD whereas traditional television have been existing since 30 years.”
Having a different point of view, Bhutyani who founded Lattu Kids, India’s first kids’ only platform which aims to become the safest destination for kids and parents to view content, compared the consumer on traditional TV and the one on digital, he likened traditional TV to Rajasthani Thali and Gujarati Thali. What he actually meant was that, “in a thali”, the consumer gets so many options but, s/he may not want a few of the items that are offered. In digital, it gives the consumer the power to have that choice. Content is very important. The viewership in kids genre has been on a decline. Globally, in top 10 YouTube channels, there are 2-3 kids channel. Parents informed us that they are not happy with the kind of content broadcasters have been showing.”
iWorld
Epic Company launches unified Epic Studio for films and OTT
Vivek Krishnani to head films business; Samar Khan leads OTT & Television.
MUMBAI: Epic just merged its creative superheroes under one cape because when films and OTT need to fight for attention together, you don’t keep them in separate universes. The Epic Company has launched Epic Studio, a next-generation creative and production powerhouse that unites Juggernaut Productions and Movieverse Studio under a single banner. The move creates a streamlined, scalable platform for premium storytelling across theatrical films, OTT originals, television, digital-first formats and branded content.
Vivek Krishnani has been appointed chief executive officer, Epic Studio (Films), overseeing the theatrical and film business with a focus on culturally resonant narratives across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam cinema. Samar Khan continues as chief executive officer, Epic Studio (OTT & Television) and retains his role as chief content officer for Docubay and Epic On.
The Epic Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “Epic Studio brings together our entire creative ecosystem under one unified studio vision. This is not just an integration of verticals, but the creation of a collaborative environment where writers, filmmakers, creators, and brand partners can seamlessly develop and scale stories across formats and screens.”
Vivek Krishnani added, “We are building an audience-focused mainstream film studio committed to delivering fresh, engaging, and innovative stories for both theatrical and streaming platforms.”
Samar Khan commented, “This alignment allows us to approach storytelling with a unified studio mindset. We are building IP under one creative umbrella, with scale and longevity in mind from inception.”
The unified structure eliminates silos, enabling ideas to flow fluidly from concept to screen while adapting to evolving audience behaviour. Epic Studio positions itself as a creator-led ecosystem championing purposeful, resonant storytelling with commercial strength.
In an entertainment landscape where stories now leap between screens faster than plot twists, Epic isn’t just building a studio, it’s crafting a single launchpad where every tale gets the best shot at soaring across every platform.
