Eros Now

Eros Now
Type of business Public
Type of site
 Web portal (entertainment, video streaming, video on demand)
Available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Malyalam, Punjabi, Marathi
Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Area served Worldwide
Owner Eros International
CEO Rishika Lulla Singh
Industry Media & Entertainment
Website http://erosnow.com/
Registration Required
Users 1.5 billion
Launched 2012


Eros Now (launched in 2012) is Eros International Plc’s premiere subscription video on-demand South Asian entertainment network. The platform is accessible on most Internet-connected screen including mobile, web and TV. The product features of Eros Now include HD videos, subtitles in multiple languages and movie downloads.

History and Growth

Founded in the year 1977, Eros started its business with movie acquisitions and within a few years it went on to become India’s first distributors of VHS. Since then, the Eros Group has acquired, co-produced and distributed some of the most recognized and successful Indian films across theatrical, television, digital and other formats. In the year 2012, when Eros launched Eros Now, its digital on-demand entertainment platform, the company got transformed into a fully vertically integrated studio. Eros Now targets the 1.5 billion population of Indian Entertainment world over. In the initial launch phase, Eros Now started with films and music videos as its primary content. From 2012 to 2018, it has added content such as short films, web-series and specially curated content under the originals bouquet. Eros Now has also tied- up with various leading telecom and content players to stay ahead of the curve.

Content Library

Eros Now has more than 11,000 digital titles that include movies, television shows, music videos and 250k music tracks. The platform has blockbuster films like Bajirao Mastani, Tanu Weds Manu, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Shubh Mangal Savdhan, Mukkabaaz, Munna Michael, Ki&Ka, English Vinglish, Sellvandhan, Zindagi Virat Hain, Maine Pyaar Kiya and Padosan amongst many other titles across 10 Indian regional languages. The digital on-demand platform has a collection of international shows which are aired on Hum TV and ARY TV.

Eros Now also has web-series and films like Kitchen Politics, Salute Siachen, Black & White interviews and more in their segment called E- Buzz.

In January 2018, Eros Now premiered their first short- film ‘Toffee’ starring Ayushmann Khurrana. In February 2018, Eros Now made an announcement of rolling out its original content in the second half of the year, which would include films, series, features and short-format films. In April 2018, Eros Now released its first direct-to-digital film Meri Nimmo.[1] And in September 2018, Eros Now launched it’s first original show ‘Side Hero’ [2]directed by Rohan Sippy and starring Kunaal Roy Kapoor, Gauahar Khan, Gopal Dutt, Arjun Kanungo. Followed by the launch of flag ship original web show ‘Smoke’ in October 2018. Smoke was the only Indian web series to be showcased at the coveted annual event MIPCOM 2018 at Cannes in France under Made in India Originals category. [3]

Subscription & Subscriber Base

Eros Now’s business model is subscription based with three types of streaming membership plans. The basic plan (in India) includes access to standard definition quality streaming without functionality at INR 49.The plus plan (in India) allows unlimited access and functionality to streaming including access to HD streaming and features such as offline download, watch lists and playlists at INR 99. The premium plan (international) includes access to high definition and a full feature set. The pricing varies across countries i.e. USA $7.99 USD per month, UK £4.99 GBP, UAE DHMS 20, Malaysia MYR10.(please confirm the pricing- have taken it from the website)

As on date, Eros Now has 113 million registered users and 10.1 million paying subscribers worldwide. (Total paid subscribers may include those who are on a paid, free-trial or via minimum guarantee as long as a method of payment has been provided.) Ramping up its original content offering, Eros Now will soon release originals across genres. A selection of upcoming titles includes Smoke, Blue Oak Academy, Dashavatar amongst many.[4]

Partnerships

When Partnership Details
August 2014ZEE TVContent from ZEE was made available to Eros Now members with no extra subscription costs
December 2014Salman Khan FilmsEros Now collaborated with Salman Khan Films for the global distribution rights to Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Hero
September 2017Dharma ProductionsEros Now secured the licensing rights to two of Dharma’s then latest releases, Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Ok Jaanu along with 11 catalogue films with global digital distribution rights for these films on a non-exclusive basis

Telecom partnerships

When Partnership Details
January 2016Idea CellularEros Now offered Idea’s 4G subscribers access to Eros Now’s premium bundled services including movies, music, TV content and Eros Now originals
April 2016Maxis and U MobileEros Now entered the Malaysian market by this partnership. As part of the partnership with Maxis, Eros Now was included within a range of Maxis’ prepaid and post-paid data plans, offering various promotions to the telecom subscribers. The deal with U Mobile enabled the telecom’s pre- and post-paid customers’ access to Eros Now’s premium subscriptions
August 2016Reliance JioThe initiative allowed consumers to access the high quality Eros Now service within the Jio ecosystem. This partnership helped Eros Now with the opportunity to acquire new subscribers throughout urban and rural India
November 2016VodafoneEros Now announced a distribution partnership with Vodafone or integration with Vodafone Play. With this partnership, Vodafone Play users were able to access Eros Now’s Bollywood content offering
February 2017BSNLEros Now announced its association with SpeedPay – a multi-purpose offline wallet and Indian state owned telecommunications provider, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL)
November 2017Telecel Global PtyEros Now entered the South African market through a strategic partnership with leading telecommunications provider Telecel Global Pty
June 2018Dialog Axiata PLCThe association allows Dialog Axiata PLC users to seamlessly browse through over 20,000 hours of original Indian content in over 10 languages

Platform alliances

When Partnership Details
December 2014ChromecastEros Now offered Chromecast customers a range of subscription offers. The offer was valid with the purchase of Chromecast in India through their then official retail partners Snapdeal and Airtel
January 2016LeEcoEros Now was integrated within the LeEco ecosystem of internet enabled smartphones and smart televisions with a one-year premium subscription to Eros Now service
May 2016Amazon Fire TVEros Now showcased its content to Amazon Fire TV users across the US, UK and Western Europe
June 2016Apple TVEros Now started showcasing its content repository across Apple TV's presence in 80 key countries including USA, UK, India, Canada, Australia, and Malaysia
June 2016MicromaxWith this partnership, Micromax’s latest smartphones came pre-installed with the Eros Now App.
July 2016Android TVEros Now made the announcement of its content library being available on Android TV across the globe
December 2016LycaTVEros Now announced that it was available on LycaTV platform. The service of the alliance were included in Tamil, Sinhala and African packages
April 2017Amazon Fire TV StickFire TV customers received a three-month free premium subscription to Eros Now
April 2017Ola PlayOla Play entered into a revenue-sharing partnership with Eros Now which enabled customers to watch Eros Now content that could be seamlessly controlled through their smartphones as well as a device mounted at the back of the seat
May 2017Sony Smart TVEros Now was available across 197 Sony devices, namely all the latest (2016-17) smart TVs and Blue-ray players worldwide
May 2017T-MobileCatering to 71.5 million users across the US, Eros Now announced a partnership with T-Mobile’s video streaming program Binge On
June 2017SmartonEros Now announced exclusive digital OTT service partnership with Smartron, a Sachin Tendulkar-backed India-based IoT start-up
August 2017Opera TVEros Now was made available on all Opera TV powered devices including Smart TVs, Blu-ray disc players and set-top boxes worldwide in.
November 2017RokuThe partnership enabled the device users to stream Eros Now’s vast content library at $7.99 per month in the USA, Canada and UK
December 2017FoxxumEros Now entered a strategic partnership with Foxxum to provide its vast library of content on the Foxxum TV App Store worldwide
November 2017LG Smart TVsEros Now was made available on webOS enabled LG smart TVs worldwide with a preferred placement for the Eros Now App on all Indian LG devices
July 2018Xiaomi IndiaEros Now will be available within Patchwall on all Mi TVs sold in India
September 2018Xiaomi IndonesiaMi TV users will have access to Eros Now’s compelling bouquet of 11,000+ Bollywood and Regional language films, entertainment shows, music videos and originals at a monthly subscription of IDR 26,000 ($7.99 USD)
September 2018iQiyiEros Now partnered with the Baidu-owned Chinese streaming giant for a content agreement to license its vast catalogue of Bollywood blockbusters that will be showcased on iQiyi
September 2018FTVEros Now subscribers have access to 12+ Linear TV channels of FTV along with 145+ hours of On-Demand Content
October 2018Etisalat – eLifeThe strategic partnership with E-Vision, a fully-owned subsidiary of Etisalat, for its SVOD offering ‘eLife Video Packs’. Eros Now further strengthens its existing presence in MENA region (Middle East and North Africa)

Online Payment Partnership

When Partnership Details
March 2018Paytm, Mobikwik and FreechargeEros Now entered into multiple significant partnerships in India with three major electronic payment platforms – Paytm, Mobikwik and Freecharge for easier and effortless transactions for its users.[5]

Advertising Partnership

When Partnership Details
August 2018InMobiThe association will enable advertisers to directly monetize on Eros Now’s video platform and a unique opportunity to experience an end-to-end playbook that spans innovative video and ad formats. Eros Now will also adopt InMobi’s disruptive mobile-first advertising platform to market content through the in-app video universe across India.[6]

Sponsorship

Eros Now was the title sponsor of Royal Challengers Bangalore in Indian Premiere League 2018.[7]

Key People

Rishika Lulla Singh – Rishika Lulla Singh[8]is the CEO of Eros Digital, which covers all of the digital initiatives for Eros including Eros Now. Rishika has been instrumental in spearheading the growth and development of Eros Now within India and internationally. Some of the key awards that she has achieved is the ‘Youngest Entrepreneur of the Year’ at Asian Business Awards 2016, 'Women Leadership in Industry Award' by 'Times National Awards for Marketing Excellence 2018', ‘Most Influential Leaders 40 under 40’ and ‘The Women's Empowerment Principles Leadership Award 2018’ at Pride of India – Celebrating the 71st Year of India’s Independence, Awards & Summit. Rishika Lulla Singh also received BW Businessworld 40 Under 40 for 2018 by BW Disrupt Magazine.

Ali Hussein – Ali Hussein is the Chief Operating Officer of Eros Digital. He spearheads Eros’ digital initiatives including Eros Now. With over 15 years of experience in the media entertainment and digital space, he has worked with organisations such as Discovery Networks, Google, Viacom18 and Hungama.[9]

Ridhima Lulla- Ridhima Lulla[10] is the Chief Content Officer at Eros, with a core focus on the creative expression for Eros Now. She has been strengthening the original content strategy for Eros Now and plays a key role in the leadership team driving the company's content strategy. In August 2018, India’s leading body of business and industry, The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), appointed Ridhima Lulla as the Head of the Western India Expert Committee in Media & Entertainment.

Awards and Recognitions

  • In the same year, Apple named Eros Now in the list of best apps on App Store
  • In June 2017, Eros Now was #1 trending app on Google Play Store

References

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