Sony Picture Network India (SPNI) management is committed to long-term growth in India and the company will actively explore new organic and inorganic possibilities to strengthen its presence in the country, company managing director and CEO, NP Singh told employees. In a letter, two-days after the calling off of the $10 billion merger deal with Zee Entertainment, he asked employees to focus on current projects, with an immediate goal to unleash the company's full potential, continuing to craft content that not only engages audiences but also boosts subscriber growth and revenues. "As we close the chapter on our proposed merger with ZEEL (Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd), I want to take a moment to talk to you - not just as your CEO but as someone who has been on this journey with you.
'In the audience's mind there is no urgency to go see a film in the theatre.' 'If you pay for social media buzz it does not convert into bums on seats.'
There's also Call Me Bae, Ananya Panday's OTT debut.
Chinese fashion e-commerce platform Shein is expected to make a second entry into India and has tied up with Reliance Retail for this, according to a source in the know. The source said as part of the tie-up, Shein would source goods from India for its global operations. Also, the manufacturing of its products could happen in the country and they could be exported.
Sukanya Verma lists her this week's OTT recommendations.
Holidays turn into horror, Bhansali brand of razzmatazz and tons more on OTT this week.
A non-strategic investor like Poonawalla brings in not only capital but also creative freedom. Indian cinema needs more investors like him, reports Vanita Kohli Khandekar.
The 24-hour delivery offer applies only to select postal codes and is not available across the country.
The device supports a host of India-specific apps and the more you use it, the better it gets.
With an existing consumer base of 400 million across airports, electricity and gas distribution businesses, the Adani group is revving up its retail play. It is planning to use the 2.4 billion consumer interactions a year with group companies to push various products and services. The group has already launched the 'Adani One' super app that will eventually sell products across the spectrum, top executives said.
Sukanya Verma gives you options from all the action promised on OTT this week.
Much of the discussion is happening at a "family level, not a corporate level". That means it is an Ambani or a Goenka in direct talks with Johar.
Dhanush, Mahesh Babu, Sushmita Sen, Bhumi Pednekar, it's a star studded show on OTT this week.
There's a spate of book-to-screen adaptations dominating OTT streaming this week. Sukanya Verma lists her recommendations.
Tech and startup industry bodies have again pushed back against calls by telecom operators to bring over-the-top (OTT) services under a licensing regime similar to telcos, and open them up to taxation. Ahead of public consultations on the issue later this week, the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Nasscom and the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), among others, have written to the government arguing against such efforts.
Bollywood doesn't need fire-breathing dragons when it has Bhai.
Its success script: Investing more in local content ecosystem; growing its partnership footprint.
Jiomart B2B is the latest among organised supply-chain companies to bite the bullet, shutting down its warehouses, and asking its employees to leave. Why are companies finding it difficult to sustain the supply-chain business? Experts point out that gross margins in supplying fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) are very low.
Similar discounts compared to online led to a spike in demand for offline, where customers can get a more personal and hands-on product experience.
Experts say Biyani will now become a contract manufacturer of fashion and FMCG products, with the Reliance group being one of his customers.
The CCI has asked the companies to explain within 30 days why an investigation should not be ordered.
'What is Balaji without Ekta (Kapoor), what is Dharma without Karan (Johar?)'
July has some interesting content on OTT, with quite a few original shows and movies premiering in the digital space.
The year was rich in content as far as Web series were concerned.
Flipkart-backed fintech firm super.money is aiming to be among the top five players on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) leaderboard by the end of this year, a senior company executive has said. The company, which rolled out its beta version in June this year, has processed about 10 million transactions till date. "We have a target of 100 million transactions for the end of the year.
From Vijay Devarakonda to Kung Fu Panda, Sukanya Verma lists everything you can watch on OTT this week.
Netflix and Amazon Prime are raising their stakes in the game, commissioning original shows and going all out to acquire regional films for their libraries.
'While OTTs are a reality, big film producers will prefer a theatrical release before a digital one.'
'There have been and will continue to be, so many captivating stories in colonial India.' 'Obviously, most of the white people were British, so if I am going to take on a role in a film set in one of the most turbulent periods of Indian history, then it only stands to reason that my character would be of British descent.' 'But that doesn't mean all my roles are negative.'
Quick commerce major Zepto has raised $340 million in a follow-on financing round at a valuation of $5 billion as it gears up for an initial public offering (IPO). This is Zepto's third big-ticket fundraise within a year. With this, the company has raised more than $1 billion in 12 months.
Amazon is working on deepening its engagement with young technology companies in the country.
The TIME 100 AI list is an interesting assortment of titans. Indians make up about 20 per cent of the coveted list, which is pretty commendable, notes Sandeep Goyal.
Nineteen per cent of global fund managers remain bullish on India, suggests the latest BofA Asia Fund Manager Survey (FMS). A total of 249 panelists with $656 billion worth of assets under management (AUM) participated in the survey between February 2 and 8, BofA said. Two hundred and nine participants with $568 billion AUM responded to the global FMS questions, while 145 participants with $331 billion in AUM responded to the regional fund manager survey (FMS) questions, BofA said.
'In the current world of action cinema, where everything is high-tech and glossy, what if we go back in time and take out all the gadgets?'
With the rains pouring down on us, August offers yet another reason to stay home!
After supermarket giant Walmart, it is online retail major Amazon which has begun lobbying with the US lawmakers to seek their support for facilitating its "foreign direct investment in India".
Stepping up the company's AI and cloud play, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani on Thursday announced that Jio users will get up to 100 GB of free cloud storage to securely store and access their photos, videos, documents, digital content and data. Addressing the 47th AGM of RIL, Ambani said the Jio AI-Cloud Welcome offer will be launched during the upcoming Diwali, which would bring a "powerful and affordable solution where cloud data storage and data-powered AI services are available to everyone, everywhere". "Jio users will get up to 100 GB of free cloud storage to securely store and access all their photos, videos, documents, all other digital content, and data.
'Imagine having a conversation with your parents, where you say, "I want to break up with someone because he's bad in bed".'
Major credit issuers, including the largest - HDFC Bank - have integrated their systems with the Bharat Bill Payment Systems (BBPS) for receiving credit card repayments via third-party applications.
As quick commerce gains ground, emerging direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands are betting big on digital channels to drive growth. According to Aman Gupta, co-founder of wearables brand BoAt, new-age brands in India have been expanding at a much faster pace than expected, driven by digital channels like quick-commerce. "Investors doubted the potential of D2C brands when we started, but today there are multiple brands in the startup market that are growing on the shoulders of these digital channels," Gupta said while addressing a session at Razorpay's D2C and Retail Summit recently.
