iWorld
YouTube to launch music streaming app in India
MUMBAI: Google-owned YouTube has announced the launch of its new music streaming app YouTube Music in the country, in a bid to grab a pie of the growing Indian audio streaming industry.
According to reports, the ad-supported version of YouTube Music is free and to get access to ad-free YouTube Music Premium, consumers will have to pay Rs 99 a month, the company said in a statement.
YouTube global head of music Lyor Cohen said, "With YouTube Music, we are hoping to bring the best in global and Indian music to millions of fans across India, and give them an immersive music experience."
The company also announced to bring "YouTube Premium" to India which would be available for Rs 129 a month that included membership to YouTube Music Premium, offline downloads and access to all YouTube originals.
"Samsung Galaxy S10 users can enjoy four months of free, ad-free access to YouTube Premium," said the company.
YouTube Music would throw a big competition to services like Gaana, Saavn, Apple Music and Amazon Music. This is the second big debut of global music streaming giant in India after Swedish platform Spotify made its way into the country late last month and garnered over one million users.
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.
