MUMBAI: QYOU Media (TSXV:QYOU; OTCQB: QYOUF) announced its partnership with Watcho, the newly launched OTT platform by India’s largest direct-to-home (DTH) TV operator Dish TV, to bring The Q India’s 24/7 linear stream of digital-first content to its subscribers. This is the fifth distribution deal for The Q India and reinforces the regional appetite for premium short form video content.
India is home to almost half a billion young Indians aged between 20 – 30. Raised in the digital era, this tech-savvy demographic is always connected, always on and wants to consume digital content whenever and wherever they are. Dish TV’s unique OTT platform –Watcho aims to target this high-value age bracket by offering over 1,000 hours of short-form content, including original shows, movies and short films. As part of Watcho’s commitment to offer fresh and dynamic programming that speaks to young Indians, it chose to add The Q India to its line-up.
Akash Tyagi, Head OTT, Dish TV India Limited, said, “What sets Watcho apart from other services is that it was specifically created with young Indians in mind. This generation is actively seeking out exciting content from the internet, and we saw there was a huge opportunity to connect and engage with them more effectively by bringing the very best of it onto one platform. We’re always looking for new ways to make our service as relevant and engaging as possible, and The Q India will enrich our offering by enabling us to showcase some of the most talented influencers and content creators the region has to offer.”
The Q India is a 24/7 linear service featuring premium curated content that launched in December 2017 and is aimed at young Indians. The service has established content partnerships that include some of the most influential and prolific digital content creators in India, including popular web-series: What The Folks and Ms. Malini as well as curated episodes from leading digital production houses in India, such as 101 India, Pocket Aces and Nirvana Digital.
Commenting on the partnership, Curt Marvis, CEO and co-founder of QYOU Media, said, “We’ve always recognized that there is a huge appetite in India for more youth focused programming and services. It is fantastic to see a DTH company like Dish TV aligned with our thinking to create a unique platform with young Indians in mind. Watcho, new OTT platform is building an exciting library of content that focuses on storytelling that’s perfect for multi-platform consumption, so it is a great honor for The Q India to be a part of it. We couldn’t be more excited about Watcho subscribers now being able to benefit from The Q India’s deep ties to the creator community in India and our ability to find, curate, and amplify some of the most exciting digital-first and short-form entertainment creators in India today.”
