Entertainment industry’s future is digital-first, says Viacom Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats
The Viacom18 MD said that launch of Voot Select has been yet a milestone in the 'digital-first' direction.
By ET Bureau |
BCCL
On the sidelines of the launch of Voot Select, Viacom18’s subscription video on demand service, we caught up with the network’s group CEO and MD Sudhanshu Vats.
Earlier in the day, Vats had created quite a flutter after he announced that tentpole TV content would now be available first on Voot Select.
As we sat down to talk to him, he had the air of a man who knows he is disrupting the TV and digital sectors with a calculated risk.
Excerpts from an interview:
Voot, Voot Kids and now Voot Select. How is your latest offering different?
As a network, we have been on a ‘digital-first’ journey and the launch of Voot Select has been yet another milestone in this direction. We commenced with Voot’s emergence as one of India’s largest OTT platforms with 100 mn MAUs and 100 billion watch minutes.
With Voot Kids, we have already seen 2.5 mn+ downloads in just three months. Voot Select makes us a future-ready and pipeagnostic storyteller. We are offering a compelling proposition with content 24 hours before TV, 30 multi-lingual originals, international content through global partnerships, 1,500+ blockbuster movies and live streaming of over 35 live TV channels. Priced at Rs 99 per month or at Rs 999 a year with introductory price of Rs 499 per year, Voot Select is available for Android, iOS and for web.
Aren’t you late to launch a paid service?
Actually, we are the first to create an ecosystem of content on digital, like we’ve done on TV. And we are first to launch 24 hours’ advanced windowing, thereby making our entire content philosophy digital-first. As Voot is the second largest OTT player in the country and Voot Select is a subscription service that is hinged on the base Voot app, it provides us with a large target base for conversion to the paid service.
Earlier in the day, Vats had created quite a flutter after he announced that tentpole TV content would now be available first on Voot Select.
As we sat down to talk to him, he had the air of a man who knows he is disrupting the TV and digital sectors with a calculated risk.
Excerpts from an interview:
Voot, Voot Kids and now Voot Select. How is your latest offering different?
As a network, we have been on a ‘digital-first’ journey and the launch of Voot Select has been yet another milestone in this direction. We commenced with Voot’s emergence as one of India’s largest OTT platforms with 100 mn MAUs and 100 billion watch minutes.
With Voot Kids, we have already seen 2.5 mn+ downloads in just three months. Voot Select makes us a future-ready and pipeagnostic storyteller. We are offering a compelling proposition with content 24 hours before TV, 30 multi-lingual originals, international content through global partnerships, 1,500+ blockbuster movies and live streaming of over 35 live TV channels. Priced at Rs 99 per month or at Rs 999 a year with introductory price of Rs 499 per year, Voot Select is available for Android, iOS and for web.
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Aren’t you late to launch a paid service?
Actually, we are the first to create an ecosystem of content on digital, like we’ve done on TV. And we are first to launch 24 hours’ advanced windowing, thereby making our entire content philosophy digital-first. As Voot is the second largest OTT player in the country and Voot Select is a subscription service that is hinged on the base Voot app, it provides us with a large target base for conversion to the paid service.
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