iWorld
VSNL – Tata Indicom & Thomson partner to develop media & entertainment activities
MUMBAI: Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) has entered into a partnership with Thompson to jointly explore opportunities, to provide new technologies to the Indian media and entertainment market.
The companies will explore new opportunities in managing and delivering content for third parties including broadcasters and content providers, aiming to offer leading edge solutions to the Company’s Media & Entertainment customers in India. Similarly, Thomson believes opportunities will open up for its Grass Valley broadcast and network activity and its Technicolor business, which provide services to media content creators and distributors, says an announcement posted on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) website.
The partnership will help Thomson to gain a foothold in the Indian market and will leverage the reputation of the House of Tatas, the brand recognition of ‘Tata Indicom and the Company’s expertise and presence to grow its broadcast, network and telecom activities. The move is in line with Thomson’s two-Year Plan to grow revenues by 1.5 – 2 billion by the end of 2006 and to broaden the Group’s Media & Entertainment client base, notably in Asia, the posting further adds.
In addition, Thomson and the Company will explore development of end-to-end solutions for network operators, such as optimised satellite transmission as well as content management and distribution solutions like digital cinema, based on Thomson’s world-leading position in solutions and access products.
“The Media and Entertainment sector in India has seen unprecedented growth in the recent past primarily due to the increasing appetite of the Indian consumer, the potential for which is growing by the day. It is therefore a challenging task for service providers like us to provide state-of-the-art solutions which facilitate opportunities/or growth for our Media and Entertainment Customers from this sector ,” said VSNL operations director N. Srinath.
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.
