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Times Internet launches BoxTV
NEW DELHI: Times Internet Limited has launched BoxTV as a new technology which is something between IPTV and YouTube.
Based entirely on a library of content which can be accessed by the subscriber, BoxTV will have over 2000 television episodes of popular series. To make this content attractive, BoxTV has also build software around each of these films which can help the subscriber to choose and see only action sequences, songs, comedy scenes, and background of the filmmakers or actors.
BoxTV will be accessible via iPhone, iPad and Android devices and even popular TV-connected platforms such as Roku (which will allow users to view the content, whenever they travel).
Times Internet Ltd CEO Satyan Gajwani told indiantelevision.com that BoxTV is a product with a user-centric design approach, backed by a large content bank with anytime-anywhere access for subscribers.
While refusing to give exact figures, he said that anything between Rs 100 to 500 million had gone into investment to set up the system. Since the system is not dependent on internet service providers, there is no fee to be shared with them. This was not the case in IPTV which was computer-centric.
However, several million dollars had been spent to buy software from 30 to 40 partners such as Sony, Shemaroo, NTV, Zoom, Lehrein, Rajshri Pictures, Contentino and One Take Media.
Gajwani said that Zoom may create special software for BoxTV since it belonged to the Times Group.
General Manager (Marketing) Gurbir Singh said BoxTV is purely invitation-based. He said publicity will initially be word of mouth but he hoped it will go on all platforms soon.
General Manager (Digital Video Initiatives) Pandurang Nayak said the service will initially be free. However, subscribers who register could take on premium service which will provide more software by paying Rs 499 per month in India (initiative price Rs 199), $ 9.99 (invitation price $ 4.99) in the United States, and 9.99 pounds sterling (4.99 pounds sterling) in the United Kingdom.
Gajwani admitted that he expected the initial response to come from overseas, including non-resident Indians. The metadata about each film that includes background, sequence wise viewing and so on would prove very attractive. The system also had a parental control built in so that it could not be accessed by children without a password.
While there is no interactivity with the TIL, the site will also have features where a subscriber will know what his friends are watching and their comments.
Gajwani said that 90 per cent of the software will initially be free. Answering a question, he said the advertising will be relevant and not intrusive to the subscriber.
BoxTV.com has a ‘freemium model’, which means that a part of the content will be available on an ad-supported free-to-user basis, and the rest will be available on a monthly subscription basis. BoxTV had put up an invite-register page in February this year and in August they launched an invite-only alpha preview of the product. Since then it claims to have accrued more than 50,000 invite requests.
The BoxTV player has been designed and built from scratch with unique features for a ‘lean back’ experience with three different modes – normal, wide and full screen for viewing content. Its most popular feature is the lights-off feature that gives users optimal viewing opportunity for high-quality videos. It also has an auto-bandwidth optimiser for working well on low or inconsistent bandwidths for optimal viewing while a user is on the move. What sets BoxTV apart from competitors is that it is the only site that focuses on getting international (Hollywood) content to Indian users and takes Indian content (both mainstream Bollywood and regional content) to Indians living worldwide and in India.
Applications
Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
