iWorld
Runn TV launches in India
Mumbai: India based Runn Media Labs launched Runn TV, the first Indian FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) based content streaming platform designed to provide a reimagined and delightful TV viewing experience to Indian audiences. With 24×7 theme-based targeted channels with highly curated content, Runn TV aims to bring back the joy and comfort of traditional TV watching while leveraging the power of digital technology.
Runn TV will have multiple content categories including movies, short films, web series, kids, reality and performances in addition to top national news networks. The content will run as personalised channels where the users can start enjoying content without any subscription and switch between channels with just a single tap, with an option to watch the title live or later when they want.
Through a combination of deep content curation, multi-dimensional discovery engine and proprietary technology, Runn TV aims to maximise watch hours and minimise searching and browsing for its OTT users.
“We are building Runn TV with a vision to make it the go to Entertainment Experience Destination for Indians across the globe. We are very selective with our content partners, channels and content strategies and not in the race to increase the count of channels which is pretty common in today’s FAST world,” said Runn Media Labs founder & CEO Manish Sinha. “On the business side, we are cognizant of challenges in this industry and are working on it with a long term strategy. With Runn TV, we are targeting the high growth connected TV advertising for monetization and our advanced proprietary technology and value & data driven content sourcing approach will help us enable differentiated experiences for users and make economics work for business sustainability & growth.”
Runn TV will be expanding to other content categories such as music, infotainment and lifestyle and regional Indian languages over the next few months with addition of 2-3 channels on an average every month.
iWorld
Banijay Asia’s The 50 tops OTT charts with 8.1 million JioHotstar views
Reality competition becomes most watched show on JioHotstar in debut week.
MUMBAI: Fifty contestants walked into a palace, but millions of viewers showed up for the drama. Reality competition The 50, produced by Banijay Asia, has emerged as the most watched show on JioHotstar, clocking 8.1 million views in its debut week. The figure, reported by Ormax Media, places the show at the top of the OTT viewership charts and marks a strong opening for the digital reality format.
Adapted from a popular French format, The 50 brings together 50 personalities from television, digital platforms, music and reality shows inside a grand palace setting. Over the course of a 50 day competition, participants form alliances, compete in unpredictable tasks and navigate eliminations as the field steadily narrows.
Guiding the game is a mysterious figure known as The Lion, an unseen game master whose voice introduces twists, challenges and strategic turns throughout the show, adding an extra layer of suspense to the contest.
What distinguishes The 50 from typical reality competitions is its audience driven prize structure. Instead of the winner taking home the final reward, the prize is awarded to one of the winner’s registered followers through the show’s dedicated app. The mechanism effectively turns viewers into participants, allowing fans to have a direct stake in the outcome.
The contestant lineup features a mix of television actors, reality stars and digital creators, including Karan Patel, Urvashi Dholakia, Divya Agarwal, Mr Faisu and Dushyant Kukreja, each bringing their own fan following to the show.
With its blend of celebrity personalities, strategic gameplay and interactive viewer participation, The 50 has quickly carved out a strong foothold in India’s digital entertainment landscape. Its 8.1 million views in the opening week underline the growing appetite for large scale reality formats designed specifically for OTT audiences.
