iWorld
Voot sets its sights on regional & premium ad-free content
MUMBAI: It’s time for Voot to woot because the 18-month old digital venture from the Viacom18 stable witnessed four fold the growth in video streaming in November.
According to App Annie’s November report, Voot is at third position with 7.5 billion minutes of total time spent. The top two slots were taken by Hotstar and Jio TV. For 2018, Voot’s focus is on original and regional content with Tamil in focus. Kannada, Marathi and Bengali are also on the radar. “We will create originals and also dub content into other regional languages,” says Voot COO Gaurav Gandhi.
The first quarter of 2018 is dedicated to regionalisation while the next three months are dedicated to international expansion catering to the global Indian diaspora. Simultaneously, the second quarter will see Voot’s focus shift to premium ad-free content such as original series and movies. Gandhi says that there are 30 million Indians living overseas and the expansion will be to the US, UK, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, etc.
The year also has something for kids with 30 new shows. There will be 20 shows in six languages that is a part of Voot’s aggressive ‘going regional’ plan. Last year it won the innovation award for content distribution for its progressive web app (PWA) at the International Broadcasting Convention 2017. This year, it wants to make video available offline on its PWA.
Voot is getting a makeover with a new logo, refreshed packaging and a brand film that shows Voot as the ultimate entertainment destination. Says Voot head – marketing and partnerships Akash Banerji: “To connect with the audience, we need to connect with them on a thought level. #WHYNOT is not just an expression or a phrase, it is a belief system, a philosophy and a mindset that Voot as a brand aims to foster and encourage in this country.”
The new brand campaign for Voot, created by Mullen Lintas, is designed to gratify the dynamic media consumption patterns of a new age user, seeking entertainment on their own terms.
Mullen Lintas national creative director Shriram Iyer says that the campaign is about people who, unhappy with current content choices, moved to Voot. He says, “The idea of any new technology is to question the status quo. And Voot’s new campaign is all about that. The current campaign is about them and their question to the world ‘Why not’.”
Voot, as a part of both AVOD and SVOD model, has bagged 175 advertisers and 350 brands trust in the year 2017. Gandhi says that this year advertisers have excitedly taken part in participating in various digital offerings, which eventually increases the revenue of content providers.
Refering to the highlights of the year 2017, Gandhi says that Voot has gained 32 million monthly active users, six million plus daily active users, and 50 minutes time spent per viewer per day. Its daily time spent has taken it to the second position after Netflix, according to App Annie report. Colors’ flagship show Bigg Boss has given Voot 550 million views till date and 60 minutes average time spent per viewer per day. Even a show like Splitsvilla, which has male viewership of 52 per cent, got 150 million views.
Voot has grown exponentially during the year by banking 10 original serious in the account till date. The next step is to break the regional barrier.
Also read:
Our work culture fosters leaders: Viacom18’s Sudhanshu Vats
Bigg Boss Season 11 garnered 70 mn views on Voot in 10 days
Voot originals’ strategy of disruptive shows unfolds with ‘Yo Ke Hua Bro’ from 18 Aug
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.
