Hotstar adds to streaming drama with originals
NEWDELHI: Star India’s video streaming service is counting on original programming to boost viewership. Hotstar has tied up with 15 filmmakers, including Salman Khan and Shekhar Kapur, to offer exclusive content in addition to the serials, movies and sports programmes licenced from its parent.
Titled Hotstar Specials, the exclusive shows will start streaming by the end of March. The other filmmakers Hotstar has partnered with are Neeraj Pandey, Kabir Khan, Nikkhil Advani, Ram Madhvani, Venkat Prabhu, Sudhir Mishra, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Nagesh Kukunoor, Mahesh Manjrekar, Vishal Furia, Rohan Sippy, Debbie Rao and Sharad Devarajan.
Hotstar’s foray into original programming comes at a time when rivals are focusing aggressively on this space. Netflix has announced four web series and seven feature films to be brought out in India over this year, while Amazon Prime plans to double its original content offerings in 2019 from those of last year.
“Given that Star is the leader, it has to be ahead of the curve and the competition is already intensifying,” said Abneesh Roy, an analyst with Edelweiss Securities. “Plus, as its record shows, be it Kaun Banega Crorepati or Satyamev Jayate, Star likes to do high-cost shows, so the big names are not surprising. And while sport has seasonal appeal, fiction is required to bring in family audiences and advertisers.” Hotstar’s new shows will come in seven languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali.