Heena Sharma Blog

  Leading video streaming platform Netflix has launched a TikTok-rival called Fast Laughs that gives mobile users an instant, full-screen feed of funny clips from its huge comedy catalog. Fast Laughs, currently only available for iOS device owners in select countries, looks and feels like TikTok or Instagram Reels. "Different short clips -- taken from shows like Big Mouth or stand-up specials from comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Ali Wong -- play directly within the Netflix app. If one of the shows, films, or specials sparks interest, people can add said title to their saved list to watch later," Netflix said in a statement late on Wednesday. Fast Laughs offers a full-screen feed from films (like Murder Mystery), series (Big Mouth), sitcoms (The Crew) and stand-up from comedians like Kevin Hart and Ali Wong. Read More

Accelerating its efforts to increase access to high-quality entertainment for every Indian, Amazon on Wednesday introduced Prime Video Mobile Edition - a mobile-only plan at an introductory price of Rs 89. Prime Video Mobile Edition is a single-user mobile-only plan, providing SD quality streaming to customers which is created especially for a mobile-first country like India. Prime Video is collaborating with Bharti Airtel ("Airtel"), India's premier communications solutions provider, for the first roll-out of Prime Video Mobile Edition. "Given high mobile broadband penetration in the country, the mobile phone has become one of the most widely used streaming devices. With the launch of Prime Video Mobile Edition we look forward to entertaining every Indian with our Exclusive and Original content," Jay Marine, Vice President, Amazon Prime Video Worldwide, said in a statement. Read More  

  The central government has said that digital current affairs and news portals along with online content providers such as Netflix and Hotstar have been brought under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, presently headed by Prakash Javadekar. And this shall come into force at once. The government has issued a gazette notification for the same, with the President of India approving the order. Read More

  Digital current affairs and news portals along with online content providers such as Netflix and Hotstar have been brought under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Central government said in an order. Presently, India does not have an autonomous body that governs online content. The notification, which was signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, detailed that films, audio-visual programmes, news and current affairs content online platforms be brought under the ministry of information and broadcasting, presently headed by Prakash Javadekar. The print media is currently overlooked by the Press Council of India and the News Broadcasters Association represents television news channels in the country. Films are monitored by the Central Board of Film Certification. Read More

Netflix is offering a HD subscription at Rs 349 per month, as a part of its new test plan. The new subscription plan supports smartphone, tablet or even computer but can be used one device at a time. Since the plan is currently in testing so everyone may not see it. The new test plan spotted by Android Pure is much affordable than the Netflix's basic plan. At Rs 499 per month, the basic plan offers Standard Definition streaming on any phone, tablet, computer or TV at a time. Its rivals including Prime videos by Amazon and Disney Hotstar offer subscriptions at different prices.   Prime videos provide monthly subscription at Rs 129 per month. Disney Hotsar, on the other hand, offers its premium non-refundable plan at Rs 299 per month. However, some shows are free to watch. Read More

Netflix Inc on Tuesday reported a surge in new sign-ups as audiences stayed in their homes to help fight the novel coronavirus and binged on series such as "Tiger King," but the company predicted a weaker second half of the year if quarantine orders are lifted. The world's largest streaming service gained 15.8 million paying customers in the first three months of the year, bringing its global total to 182.9 million at the end of March. That nearly doubled the average Wall Street expectation of nearly 8 million, according to FactSet. The company warned, however, that it expected fewer new customers from July to December compared with a year earlier. Read More

With the penetration of mobile phones, the reliance on the device has increased many folds. Be it shopping, gaming or banking, there has been an immense growth in the hours people spend on their mobile phones. According to App Annie's latest report, TikTok and PUBG Mobile continued to dominate the mobile space in India. TikTok was the breakout social app of 2019 in the Indian market, while PUBG Mobile saw the highest consumer spend in games in the country. PUBG Mobile remained a distant third in breakout games of 2019 in terms of downloads as Carrom Pool clinched the top spot, followed by Free Fire. However, it bagged the top spot in the same category from consumer spend point of view. The rankings are based on year-on-year growth in both Apple’s iOS and Google Play downloads. While TikTok was ahead of all social media apps in India, according to AppAnnie, the larger trend was that hyper-local social apps grew in demand with consumers looking for smaller circles rath...

E-commerce platform Flipkart, in partnership with Finnish technology company Nokia, on Thursday launched a 55-inch smart television. Named Nokia Smart TV , it is a Nokia-branded television that will be manufactured and serviced by Flipkart and its affiliate groups. Priced at Rs 41,999, the smart television will be available on Flipkart from December 10. As for the launch offers, the company is offering flat 10 per cent discount on prepaid transactions. Moreover, it is also offering its complete protection plan -- three years warranty against manufacturing defects and accidental damage -- at a subsidised price of Rs 999. Nokia Smart TV specifications: The Nokia Smart TV has a 55-inch screen, which the company claims to use an advanced in-plane switch (IPS) panel. The screen has 4K resolution and supports Dolby Vision. It has a peak brightness of 400 nits, according to the company. Additionally, the screen supports adaptive dimming to automatically balance the screen contrast...

Streaming giant Netflix on Wednesday announced a long-term partnership with Karan Johar's digital arm Dharmatic Entertainment to create a broad range of new fiction and non-fiction series and films exclusively for its viewers. Johar, who first collaborated with Netflix on the 2018 anthology film "Lust Stories", is also directing "Ghost Stories" and producing "Guilty" for Netflix. The reach of "Lust Stories", he said, made him realise that "sky is the limit" with such partnership. "What we have decided to do is basically come together to create content to empower not only ourselves, but also the consumer, and to make sure that we can create diverse content across genres, and engage not just an Indian or diaspora audience but an Asian audience," Johar told PTI in an interview. His brush with Netflix, the filmmaker added, led to the setting up of Dharmatic. Having grown up in the lap of mainstream cinema, Joh...

Aiming to come close to its rivals like Amazon Prime and Hotstar in India, American video streaming giant Netflix on Wednesday unveiled a mobile subscription plan for India at Rs 199 per month. The plan will enable users to view content in standard definition (SD) on one smartphone or tablet at a time. This is Netflix's fourth Indian plan, in addition to the existing basic, standard and premium plans which are priced between Rs 499 and Rs 799. "Our members in India watch more on their mobiles than members any other country in the world -- and they love to download our shows and films. We believe this new plan will make Netflix even more accessible and better suit people who like to watch on their smartphones and tablets -- both on the go and at home," Ajay Arora, Director, Product Innovation, Netflix, told reporters here. "Indian consumers watch on the go. And you can't beat that feeedom." According to a FICCI-EY 2019 report, Indians spend 30...