iWorld
Regional OTT aha to double subscriber base with launch of Tamil service
Mumbai: Regional OTT platform aha announced the launch of its Tamil slate of content at an event held in Chennai on Thursday. The platform, which offers Telugu content, has launched a new service aha Tamil that is targeted at the Tamil-speaking audience. Speaking exclusively with IndianTelevision.com, CEO Ajit Thakur said aha, which has a subscriber base of two million, aims to double up current number with the launch of this new service.
“India’s SVOD subscribers are at 42 million and the share of these two markets (Telugu and Tamil) will be six-eight million. We are aiming for a 25 per cent share in each language,” Thakur stated. “The internet penetration in Tamil Nadu is one of the highest in the country and there are a great bunch of storytellers working in Tamil cinema. There is an excellent opportunity in terms of available audience for subscription-driven OTT. At the same time, it is also a challenge because the content preferences are dissimilar from any other part of the country and the benchmark is high.”
The launch event was graced by Tamil Nadu chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin and was joined by actor Silambarasan and music composer Anirudh Ravichander who were announced as the brand ambassadors for aha Tamil. aha Tamil announced the launch of the film “Thattina Tamil Mattume” which stars the brand ambassadors.
When queried why aha Tamil was launched as a separate service from aha Telugu, Thakur explained, “We have always believed that there is no homogenous South audience. When we started aha Telugu, we observed that people were watching everything from Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam on OTT but there was still a native language preference within a large part of the audience. 100 per cent local positioning was our core strategy no matter the language. If we put all languages under one service then we would lose that differentiation and that’s why we had to launch aha Tamil as a separate service.”
While the backend i.e., app, website to access aha Telugu and aha Tamil is the same, the two services will have separate content, marketing and teams managing the operation. The platform offers two plans to access Tamil content, a quarterly plan priced at Rs 149 and a yearly plan priced at Rs 365.
Speaking about the wallet share of consumers in the Tamil market, Thakur noted, “It holds true that subscribers in Tamil and Telugu markets on average subscribe to two paid platforms from a consumer habit point of view. A lot of national OTT players are fighting for this pie with multilanguage global scale content. However, we are uniquely placed in these two markets, where nobody is offering local language content at our scale.”
aha Tamil has a library of 150-200 films and 10 web originals at the time of launch. By the end of the year, the count of originals should increase to 40-60 with a commitment to release four originals per month. Thakur was not able to share details about the expansion of the film library as theatrical releases are still fluid all over the country owing to the effects of the pandemic.”
“People don’t pay for the content library, they pay for new premieres,” said Thakur, commenting on what will drive subscriptions. “Initially, a lot of our library will be available for streaming for free so that audiences can sample our content. What will drive subscriptions are the new pieces of content that we’ll add every week. The library will help consumers spend more time on the app.”
In the coming months, aha Tamil will offer theatrical films including “Selfie” featuring GV Prakash Kumar and Gautam Menon, “Sardaar” featuring Karthi, Venkat Prabhu’s “Manmadha Leelai” starring Ashok Selvan. The content slate also includes director Vetrimaaran’s “Pettakaalai” along with a host of originals such as “Bhamakalaapam” featuring Priyamani, “Ammuchi 2,” and “Ramany vs Ramany 3.”
“We at aha are constantly working towards catering to all demographics through our diverse and relatable content offerings,” said aha promoter Ram Jupally in a statement. “The reveal of our Tamil slate today on the occasion of Tamil New Year is a reflection of the belief that entertainment and stories are best told and enjoyed in one’s local language. After its success in Telugu, aha is aiming to provide quality content in Tamil with diverse genres to fulfill the interest and demands of different age groups. A majority of our Tamil slate is original content and I believe it is only prudent for the platform to associate with content creators who can complement us in meeting our vision”.
“We are excited to present our Tamil slate that has been developed locally with creators from Tamil Nadu,” said aha promoter Allu Arvind. “It is a collection of diverse stories and genres, told through web series and movies. Today, aha will disrupt the Tamil industry with phenomenal content, bringing the best Tamil talent to the fore and showcasing their artistry globally.”
aha was launched in 2020 as a Telugu OTT service with original programming such as web series and films.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
