Star Network to launch own VOD platform

It will be free of cost for visitors and will have a user-friendly interface, with content streaming at 64kbps

Sarmistha Neogy | Mumbai | December 2, 2014

Star Network will soon launch its own Video on Demand (VOD) platform, acting on the insight that the online video consumption is exploding. According to reports, today, 100 million people watch videos online, whereas in 2011, this number was 49 million. The number of videos viewed per month has also gone up to 6.5 billion in 2014, from 3 billion in 2011.

The platform will air 100+ TV shows from every channel of the Star Network, including regional channels in six languages. It will also air more than 300 movies, across languages. In the launch month, the network will focus on blockbuster movies such as 'Kick', 'Dabangg', 'Jai Ho' and 'Bang Bang'. In sports, the main focus will be on cricket, from India Australia series leading up to the World Cup, from live to video on demand content.

The USP of this platform is that it is free. It will have a user-friendly interface and content will be streamed at 64kbps. Content can be viewed through a website and also an app. One can also download the content to the library and view it later. Star network will monetise this platform through pure advertisements.

Currently, Star Plus uses YouTube to mainly run its promotions and teasers. So, except for content like 'Mahabharat' and 'Satyamev Jayate', full episodes of the serials don't get uploaded. So far, Star has been using YouTube as a platform for marketing, which will change with the launch of the VOD platform. It is believed that, given the wide range of the network's content across drama, movies and sports, Star hopes to capitalise on this trend instead of sharing its profit with YouTube.

Zee Enterprises Entertainment's (ZEEL) video on demand platform Ditto TV was launched in 2012, and Sony launched Sony LIV in 2013.

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