Eros Now

Eros Now is an Indian subscription based over the top, video on-demand entertainment and media platform, launched in 2012. It is owned and controlled by Eros Digital, the Indian digital media management arm of American multinational media company ErosSTX. The network offers media streaming and video-on-demand services.[2]

Eros Now
Type of site
OTT platform
Available inHindi, English, Bangla, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Malayalam, Punjabi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Urdu
Headquarters
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Area servedWorldwide
OwnerErosSTX
CEOAli Hussein
Key peopleLokesh Chauhan (CTO)
Industry
Products
Services
URLerosnow.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired
Users211.5 million (36.2 million paid)[1]
Launched2012 (2012)
Current statusActive

History and growth

Founded in the year 1977, Eros International plc started its business with movie acquisitions and within a few years it went on to become India's first distributors of VHS. 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 12,000 digital titles that include movies, television shows, music videos and 2.5 lakhs music tracks. The platform has blockbuster films like Cheeni Kum, Happy Bhag Jayegi, Manmarziyaan, Bajirao Mastani, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Goliyon ki raasleela Ram-Leela, Rockstar, Shubh Mangal Savdhan, Vicky Donor, 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.

Original Programs
See also: List of Eros Now original programming

In January 2018, Eros Now premiered their first short- film ‘Toffee’ starring Syna Anand and Sammaera Jaiswal. 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 India's first direct-to-digital film Meri Nimmo.[3] And in September 2018, Eros Now launched its first original show ‘Side Hero’ [4] directed by Rohan Sippy and starring Kunaal Roy Kapoor, Gauahar Khan, Gopal Dutt and Arjun Kanungo. Followed by the launch of flag ship original web show ‘Smoke’ in October 2018 starring Tom Alter, Jim Sarbh, Mandira Bedi and Kalki Koechlin. 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.[5]

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

In December 2018, Eros Now further expanded its content strategy with the launch of Eros Now Quickie, a short video format segment. The first two Eros Now Quickies were Date Gone Wrong, Paise Fek Tamasha Dekh, started streaming on 19 December 2018.[6] On 6 January 2019, Eros Now launched its third quickie, The Investigation which featured digital debut of television actor Hiten Tejwani playing the role of a Mumbai Crime Branch officer investigating a murder while Leena Jumani (Kumkum Bhagya and Punar Vivah) played his onscreen wife.[7] On 12 January, the fourth Eros Now Quickie, Tum Se Na Ho Paayega was launched and featured Aakashdeep Arora and Juhi Bhatt in the lead role. The show was a light-hearted content which revolved around a small town boy, Bala, and his inability to deal with inter-gender behaviour of the progressive world.[8]

Eros Now launched its next original, Operation Cobra on 15 February. It marked the digital debut or television actor Gautam Gulati playing the role of a R.A.W. agent Karan Singh while Ruhi Singh and Nyra Banerjee essayed the role of MI6 agent Riya Sharma and terrorist Tahira Shaikh respectively.[9] On 3 March 2019, Eros Now launched its next original, Metro Park.[10] The show is directed by Abi Varghese,[11] and stars Ranvir Shorey, Purbi Joshi, Vega Tamotia, Omi Vaidya and Pitobash.

Subscription and 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 US$7.99 per month, UK £4.99 GBP, UAE DHMS 20, Malaysia MYR10.

Eros Now has 128 million registered users and 30 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.) [12]

Eros Now has 18 million subscribers on YouTube and it is one of the Top 100 most subscribed YouTube channels in India.[13]

Partnerships

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.[14]
April 2016Maxis Communications 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.[15]
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.[16]
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.[17]
February 2017BSNLEros Now announced its association with SpeedPay – a multi-purpose offline wallet and Indian state owned telecommunications provider, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) [18]
November 2017Telecel Global PtyEros Now entered the South African market through a strategic partnership with leading telecommunications provider Telecel Global Pty.[19]
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[20]

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 US, 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 (US$7.99)
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).
November 2018FreesatThe partnership with Freesat allows Freesat consumers (across the UK) for a subscription fee of £5.99 per month.
December 2018Axiata GroupThe partnership with Axiata Indonesia allows the consumers for a subscription fee of Rp 26,000 ($1.79) monthly and Rp 260,000 ($17.93) annually.[21]

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.[22]

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.[2]

Content 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
January 2020Ooredoo QatarEros Now signed a partnership with Ooredoo Qatar that allowed Ooredoo's customers to view Eros Now's content

Other partnerships
When Partnership Details
February 2019 Foodpanda Foodpanda customers will be eligible for 70 percent off an annual subscription to Eros Now Premium, with every purchase. [23]
February 2019 Jean-Claude Biguine India Jean-Claude Biguine India customers can access Eros Now premium content through subscriptions in Jean-Claude Biguine. [24]

Sponsorship

Eros Now was the title sponsor of Royal Challengers Bangalore in Indian Premiere League 2018.[25]

Key people
  • Rishika Lulla, the CEO of Eros Digital, covers all of the digital initiatives for Eros including Eros Now.
  • Ali-Hussein-appointed-as-COO—Eros-Digital[26]
  • Ridhima Lulla, the Chief Content Officer of Eros Now[27] strengthens the original content strategy for Eros Now.
  • Lokesh Chauhan is the Chief Technology Officer of Eros[28]

Awards and recognitions
  • In 2016, The Economic Times named Eros Now as one of the 7 hottest rivals of Netflix in India.[29]
  • In the same year, Apple named Eros Now in the list of best apps on App Store
  • Eros Now named as ‘Best OTT Platform of the Year 2019’ at the British Asian Media Awards[30]

References
  1. "Eros International Plc Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year End 2019 Results". Business Wire. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. "Eros Now Announces Partnership with InMobi". InMobi.
  3. "Meri Nimmo review: An uncomplicated, charming story about childhood, first love and heartbreak- Entertainment News, Firstpost".
  4. "Eros Now launches its first original show 'Side Hero'". www.bestmediaifo.com.
  5. Smoke, Eros Now webseries starring Kalki Koechlin, Jim Sarbh, to premiere at MIPCOM 2018 in Cannes – Entertainment News , Firstpost
  6. "Eros Now Launches Quickie, a New Short Form Content Platform". www.businesswire.com. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  7. "Hiten Tejwani Shares First Look Of Web-Series The Investigation, Says 'Audience Will Be Glued To It'". NDTV.com. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  8. "Eros Now Quickie releases its originals series Tumse Na Ho Paayega – TVNews4u". Dailyhunt. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  9. "ErosNow presents first trailer of new web series Operation Cobra". The Digital Hash. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  10. "Metro Park Official Trailer – An Eros Now Original Series | All Episodes Live On 3rd March". UNP. 23 February 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  11. "Abi Varghese". IMDb. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  12. Jalen, Trisha (8 February 2019). "Eros Now has 13M paid subscribers in Q3FY19; now at 128M registered users". www.medianama.com. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  13. "Top 100 Most Subscribed Youtubers in India – NoxInfluencer". www.noxinfluencer.com.
  14. Kurup, Rajesh. "ErosNow enters into content distribution deal with Idea Cellular". @businessline.
  15. "ErosNow enters Malaysia with partnerships With Maxis and U Mobile – The Economic Times". m.economictimes.com.
  16. "Reliance Jio users to get Eros Now content on phones as companies renew partnership – ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com.
  17. "Eros Now announces distribution partnership with Vodafone". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  18. "BSNL to bundle Eros Now app for new & existing data customers". MediaNama. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  19. "Eros Now Announces Entry into South African Market with Telecel Global Partnership". www.businesswire.com. 3 November 2017.
  20. "Dialog Partners with Eros Now to Give Sri Lankans Best in Regional Content". www.businesswire.com. 28 June 2018.
  21. "Updated: After Xiaomi, Eros Now ties-up with Axiata in Indonesia". MediaNama. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  22. "Eros Now Partners with Leading Indian Electronic Payment Platforms: Paytm, Mobikwik and Freecharge".
  23. "Eros Now and Foodpanda Join Hands to Provide a Wholesome Experience". www.businesswire.com. 13 February 2019.
  24. "Eros Now and Jean-Claude Biguine India Collaborate to Offer an Immersive Experience to All Beauty and Entertainment Enthusiasts". www.businesswire.com. 14 February 2019.
  25. "IPL 2018: Royal Challengers Bangalore s title sponsors are Eros Now". 5 April 2018.
  26. "Ali Hussein appointed as COO – Eros Digital". www.afaqs.com.
  27. "Ridhima Lulla joins The Indian Chamber of Commerce as M&E Head of the Western India Expert Committee". 3 August 2018.
  29. "7 hottest rivals of Netflix in India – BoxTV". The Economic Times.
  30. "Eros Now Named 'Best OTT Platform of the Year 2019' at British Asian Media Awards". www.businesswire.com. 1 February 2019.
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