Viu, an Over-the-Top (OTT) video-on-demand (VOD) service from Vuclip, a PCCW Media company, and the leading premium video-on-demand service for emerging markets, launches today in India. The largest freemium video on demand service in the region is aimed at winning the hearts of India’s ever connected and always ‘on-the-go’ youth with fresh and high quality video content.
Viu has forged content partnerships with top production houses and content owners such as Reliance Big Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., Sony Music, Zee Digital Convergence, Tips Industries Ltd., Balaji Motion Pictures, Rajshri Entertainment, Unisys Infosolutions, Shemaroo, Anand Audio, and BBC Worldwide to keep its viewers entertained.
Viu content features will include:
· 17,000+ hours of fresh Bollywood and Indian regional movies in 10+ languages. 70% of Rs. 100 Crore Club movies are on Viu.
· Also includes popular English serials such as The Kennedy’s, Allo Allo, Critical, Olympus, 19-2 and The Clean Break, among others
· 3000+ hours of the latest music videos, the largest collection offered in India
· Unlimited downloads and streaming of all content on the mobile app
· Viu Collections - Thematic videos curated based on video consumption insights
FreeCharge will be a preferred payment wallet partner for Viu and will offer a free one-month trial subscription as well as offer cash back deals for premium subscribers.
eBay India Pvt. Ltd. has also signed on as a strategic distribution partner and will offer various packages and bundles related to Viu.
Nickhil Jakatdar, Founder and CEO, Vuclip said, “Our mission is to entertain the one billion plus consumers in India by providing them with a service that they can fall in love with. We will strive hard to push the boundaries of technology, media and experiential design through our state of the art design and technology centers in US, India and Beijing and our global teams in over 10 countries.”
Vishal Maheshwari, who was recently appointed as Country Manager of Vuclip India commented, “We are dedicated to tailoring our offerings to Indian consumers. In a country which has 25+ languages and data cost sensitive consumers, this means accurate discovery, ease of payment and ability to view videos more than once. Additionally, our Global Video Insights studies show that freshness of content, as well as variety in content catalog are considered to be the most important to Indian viewers. All of this is what Viu delivers as entertainment for all and not just for the elite few.”
Viu, built on Vuclip’s patented Dynamic Adaptive TranscodingTM technology, leverages Vuclip’s eight-year history of providing streaming video on demand entertainment experiences to emerging markets. These eight years have provided a wealth of consumer insights, as well as a best in class approach to content editorial and curation for ease of discovery and consumption. Content is kept highly secure using world class digital rights management technologies integrated with industry leading service providers Verimatrix and Vualto.
Viu launches as a freemium service, with Indian consumers having access to thousands of hours of content for free. Consumers can also subscribe to a premium portion of the service which includes an ad-free experience, as well as access to additional premium content for Rs. 99 per month.
Viu is accessible via mobile phones and tablets as well as desktops by downloading the Viu app on Google Play or by typing in www.viu.com on a desktop browser. Available in the Apple store soon.
