Eros Now, the over-the-top (OTT) platform owned by Eros International Plc, is looking at becoming a mass entertainment network in two or three years, with various sub-brands. Eros Now Prime, which it launched recently to enter English language content, is to be hived off into a separate brand at a separate price point by early next year, making it the first of the many sub-brands it intends to create.

“The next two-three years is an exciting time for Eros Now,” Ali Hussein, CEO, Eros Now, told BusinessLine. “ We have been looking at ways to include more sub-brands, and the larger vision is to convert Eros Now from a mass entertainment service to an entertainment network of sorts. We want to look at building individual audiences. We want to make sure that we are creating a network of brands. So, just like Eros Now Prime, we will be launching a bunch of other sub-brands over a period.”

While Eros Now Prime is currently available within Eros Now at the same price point of ₹49 per month, it is looking at offering it as a separate channel or brand at a different price point within the same app in a year. “People who want to subscribe only to Eros Now Prime can do that. But there will also be a bundle, if you want to subscribe to both — there would be subsidised pricing for it,” Hussein said.

Eros Now has traditionally catered to what it identifies as ‘middle India’. It is seen as a popular service in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

Eye on metros

With Eros Now Prime, it is looking at improving its penetration in the metros, while also looking at how it can use technology to increase the audience size for English language content across the country. The latter it will achieve by using language filter, dynamic dubbing and subtitling, and concomitantly using “digital as a medium to proliferate English language content”.

“The premise is looking at English as a vertical by itself and looking at how we are able to increase the audience size using language and voice as a primary filter. For instance, there could be somebody in Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat who might actually want to watch English content with dubbing or subtitling in their respective languages,” said Hussein.

“With this technology, we can actually increase the overall viewership for premium English content...whether it's a show like Suits , or New Amsterdam , in which Anupam Kher was there — it's not restricted to English speaking audiences. There are larger audiences across the country that would potentially like to associate with good stories,” he explained.

This will also ensure that consumers get access to the content they like, in their choice of language, he added.

Leveraging technology

Last year, Eros tied up with software giant Microsoft to develop an enhanced online video platform. It is leveraging this partnership to create a brand new architecture for non-English speaking audiences, Hussein said. It will be rolling out the first part of this platform by June, with the rest of the features set to be rolled out through 2020 and 2021.

Present in over 135 countries, Eros Now is now eyeing new markets worldwide. It is also looking at consolidating in a couple of markets, particularly West Asia, South-East Asia and China. How it will create a more solidified presence in these markets is part of a larger strategy for the next financial year, Hussein said.

With 26.3 million monthly paying subscribers and 186.9 million registered users currently, Eros Now is looking at amassing over 50 million monthly paying subscribers in two or three years.

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