iWorld
YouTube contemplates YRF, Shemaroo, Sony, Zee & studio tie-ups
MUMBAI: With competition in the OTT space getting tougher every passing day, the players have to ensure that they boast an edge over the rest. In a move to compete with its rivals – Netflix and Amazon Prime, Alphabet’s YouTube is in talks with some of India’s biggest production houses and broadcasters.
Yash Raj Films, Shemaroo, Sony, Zee, etc are some of the big banners the streaming service is considering to partner with. It also plans to possess exclusive content for its Indian viewers from a large number of south Indian studios.
Though, the deals could be different in nature. YouTube APAC regional director Ajay Vidyasagar in an interview with Hindustan Times has stated that some of the deals may bundle the content for YouTube first followed by TV while, some can tweak it for YouTube.
YouTube is facing serious competition from rivals — Netflix and Amazon Prime not just in India but also in America. Globally, YouTube added 400 hours of content every minute to its platform last year. With Amazon signing a deal with Dharma Productions for exclusive content, with few more to be added soon, YouTube has competition knocking at its door. Even Netflix is closing in deals with studios like Phantom Films apart from its original production.
Though, Vidyasagar is not letting the players affect his brand. He believes that Netflix is a high-value, low-volume business with limited reach. It creates content in one place and makes it globally available globally.
But, YouTube claims to have found its way in having large volume and diverse content catering to local needs. According to Vidyasagar, it is expanding to become a local player in every country. Even in small towns, YouTube is the default native video platform that everyone chooses.
Even after Star India taking away its famous talk show, Koffee with Karan which airs on Star World, off YouTube, Vidyasagar asserted that they have an extraordinary volume and in a few quarters time, they might look at the traffic.
YouTube will also look more at exclusive content. In India, it will keep the business free, dependent on ad revenue. Even after having a Netflix-like subscription model in some countries, YouTube does not plan to do the same in India at least in the next few months.
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.
