Malayalam thriller Kishkindha Kaandam, led by Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali, is confirmed for release on Disney+ Hotstar in December. The film explores the gripping story of a woman unearthing family secrets, and after two successful months in cinemas, is set to reach a wider audience with its streaming debut. Fans can expect availability in multiple Indian languages.

The merger between Reliance Jio’s Viacom18 and Star India Private Limited is expected to reach its conclusion this week. Ahead of the anticipated completion, a new website has surfaced which could allegedly be the home of the new OTT service formed courtesy of the amalgamation of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar — two popular streaming services in India.

The merger between Reliance Jio's Viacom18 and Star India Private Limited is set to transform India's streaming landscape. This collaboration will introduce a new OTT platform, likely named Jio Star, combining JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. The domain jiostar.com is live, hinting

Disney+ Hotstar has introduced an AI-driven video optimization technology to enhance its streaming service. This advanced encoding feature adjusts video quality based on user habits and scene complexity, offering a tailored viewing experience. The new technology promises sharper visuals while using

JioHotstar Domain: पिछले कुछ दिनों से रिलायंस जियो अपने JioHotstar को लेकर काफी चर्चा हो रही है। कुछ समय पहले ही दुबई में रहने वाले भाई-बहन जैनम और जीविका ने दिल्ली के एक ऐप डेवलपर से JioHotstar डोमेन खरीदा था। हाल

India vs Pakistan match during the Asia Cup 2023 garnered 2.8 crore viewers on the platform.

Dubai-based siblings have seemingly decided to offer the domain to Reliance free of charge, according to their website.

Disney+ Hotstar introduces pause ads for a seamless ad experience on Connected TV, leading the way in innovative advertising

The leadership has yet to decide if JioCinema will continue as a separate app, said two of the sources, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, as the discussions are private

The newest comedy special to drop on OTT trains its scathing jokes on bosses and discontent at the office

OTT platforms are sexing up their original content library with bigger budgets, foreign locales and slick production values

Will partnerships such as these be the norm in the digital entertainment market in India?

Last seen in Welcome to New York (2018), Lara Dutta Bhupathi is back on the scene with the web series, Hundred, which marks her digital debut. "It just fell into place. I wasn't actively looking for anything. I thought it would be interesting to be part of the web culture."

The offer landed in her lap rather suddenly. "Though I have known Ruchi [director Narain] for years, we never spoke about working together. I always wanted to be directed by a woman. I like her work, so, I thought I'd give it a shot when she made the offer." At odds with the roles she has played in Bollywood till date, her character in Hundred was age-appropriate. Dutta's Soumya Shukla is a cop, a part she has never played before. "The experience was educational. I needed to get the body language and nuances on point. I even met a couple of women DCPs to get a better insight."

Digging deep into her character, Dutta says she hasn't explored a role that is as layered as this one. "[She is] ambitious, unapologetic and frustrated, and also faces issues in her marital life. There were so many aspects to her persona that intrigued me." What also drew her to the show was co-star Rinku Rajguru, best remembered for Sairaat (2016). "We are generations apart. I thought we would make for an interesting combo. We come from different worlds."

Shooting for the Hotstar web series in different locations of Mumbai was an eye-opener.

"Despite living in Mumbai for 25 years, I didn't realise how much more there is to the city. I got to see the gritty underbelly as we shot in real locations." Despite hubby, tennis champ Mahesh Bhupathi, being her sounding board, she refers to daughter Saira as her biggest critic. "She is excited to see me on screen, but also keeps critiquing."

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Bollywood Hungama had earlier reported that multiple Bollywood films are gearing up for a direct to OTT release, owing to the on-going coronavirus pandemic. We have now exclusively learnt that Akshay Kumar’s horror comedy is set for a direct to digital release in June. “Akshay Kumar, Vijay Singh (Fox Star Studios) and Tusshar Kapoor (Producer) along with the officials of Disney+Hotstar have been interacting over video calls for last 3 weeks, and it was only on a meeting on the evening of May 4 that everyone reached a common ground to get the film to release directly on the OTT platform,” revealed a source close to the development.

The source further added that everyone has now given a green signal to give up on the theatrical release as the stakeholders don’t expect cinema halls to open before September this year. “The principal shoot of Laxmmi Bomb was wrapped up in November last year, with some patch-work and reshooting done more recently in February. Director Raghava Lawerence is currently working on the final edit and post production of the film from Hyderabad, while Akshay is expected to send his dubbing tapes digitally to the director in a couple of days,” the source added.

The makers have cracked an umbrella deal by renegotiating the satellite and digital rights with Star network and Fox Star Studios. “The combined value of the deal from the sale of digital and satellite rights is estimated to be around Rs. 90 to 100 crores, in addition to the income from music rights. Major chunk of the money goes in Akshay Kumar’s pocket, as apart from acting, he is also one of the producers on the film,” the source explained.

While an official confirmation is still awaited, we hear that this will be among the first major films to arrive direct on OTT. “A lot of films will follow suit, it’s just a matter of time before things are made official.”

Also Read: Radhe – Your Most Wanted Bhai and Laxmmi Bomb to miss their Eid release this year due to Coronavirus lockdown

Hooq, a five-year-old on-demand video streaming service that aimed to become “Netflix for Southeast Asia,” has shut down weeks after filing for liquidation and terminated its partnerships with Disney’s Hotstar, ride-hailing giant Grab, and Indonesia’s VideoMax. Hooq Digital, a joint venture among Singapore telecom group Singtel (majority owner), Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros Entertainment, discontinued […]

लॉकडाउन के दौरान ओटीटी (Over The Top) फ्लेटफॉर्म पर यूजर की संख्या और यूजर इंगजेमेंट दोनों बढ़ी है

If you need a break from crime and thrillers, Out of Love should be accommodated on your watchlist before year end.

Reliance Jio has recently joined hands with Star India to provide free premium membership of Hotstar through JioTV. This means Jio users will get access to watch all Star TV shows along with Disney cartoons and Movies. Jio TV

On May 10, here’s a list of Indian movies and TV shows you and your mother can binge together (virtually) — that celebrate the matriarch — and will make the lockdown slightly more bearable