Mumbai: The rise of regional OTT platforms in India is reshaping the country's digital entertainment landscape by offering hyperlocal, culturally resonant content. These platforms excel through a deep understanding of regional traditions, nuances, and viewer consumption patterns. By focusing on a single language and fostering connections with local creators, they cater to specific communities, building long-term viewer loyalty.
Ultra Media exemplifies this trend with its ventures like Ultra Jhakaas, a Marathi OTT platform offering a vast library of films and shows at affordable rates, which has seen significant growth. Expanding further with Ultra Play and Ultra Gaane, the company taps into nostalgia, providing classic Hindi films and songs. Moreover, Ultra's investment in the digitization and restoration of classic films showcases a commitment to preserving cultural heritage, while its vision for the future includes adding value-driven services to enhance the viewer experience.
Indiantelevision.com’s Suman Baidh caught up with Ultra Media & Entertainment chairman and managing director Sushilkumar Agrawal and COO, director Rajat Agrawal to discuss the company's expansion into regional OTT platforms, their efforts in film restoration, and their vision for the future of digital entertainment in India and beyond.
On the rise of regional OTT platforms shaping the future of India's digital entertainment landscape
Sushilkumar Agrawal said Regional OTT Platforms are proliferating, because of the deep understanding of their region’s traditions, culture, geographies, nuances & consumption patterns. Though it is a fragmented market, their USP lies in their profound insight into the viewer’s consumption pattern, regional nuances & the local network of creators & producers. Their dedication to 1 language is a hyperlocal strategy that provides value to the consumers in the long run & aids in retention. These platforms have been providing their viewers with engaging content in their preferred local languages, hence forging a deeper emotional connection with them.
On the evolution of Ultra Play and Ultra Gaane play
Rajat Agrawal commented We have been quite successful in our endeavours in this direction. “Ultra Jhakaas” an exclusive Marathi OTT SVOD Platform launched by Ultra in 2023 currently streams 1500+ Titles & 3000 + Hours of the best of Marathi Cinema, Popular TV Shows, drama & Original Content to audiences worldwide. With a nominal subscription plan of just Rs 199 per annum, it has garnered 7 Lakhs + downloads & 80 per cent of watch time from Maharashtra & 20 per cent globally. Our 2 new platforms Ultra Play & Ultra Gaane is a Tribute to Hindi Cinema & Music this festive season, wherein viewers can watch films & songs across different genres & in a very good quality ranging from 1940 to date. Here too our focus is to provide our viewers with engaging content from a nostalgic point of view & at affordable price points that are reasonable to cater to these masses. All our 3 OTT platforms are their own respective “One Stop Shops” where viewers can watch the content, they like without going to different platforms searching for it
On Ultra Media investing heavily in the restoration and digitisation of classic films and songs and the challenges and successes that you've experienced in this journey
Rajat Agrawal said Ultra is into digitisation and restoration since the last three decades and upgraded themselves as per the technology available worldwide. The biggest challenge in digitization and restoration is the availability of proper source material which the producers unknowingly did not preserve with the good techniques. We were finding many scratches, green patches and other problems in most of the available source material and to restore them was the biggest challenge and the same with the audio source of such content.
On the belief of the next big trend in VOD platforms in India and positioning Ultra Media to stay ahead of the curve
Rajat Agrawal added The next emerging trend in VOD Platforms is going to be both exciting & challenging. A simple Hygiene VOD will not be something that will get the viewers excited. They would look out for a host of other new value-added services that will entice them to sample & even revisit a particular VOD platform again and again. Features like: Electronic Programme Guide: which will help the viewer navigate through channels and programs effortlessly with intuitive and detailed EPG. Interactive Games: Engage users with a variety of interactive games, hence enhancing the viewer's experience. Loyalty Programme Integrations: Incorporate loyalty & rewards programs. AI Driven Personalisation: Utilise AI technology to offer personalized content recommendations hence ensuring a unique and relevant viewing experience for each user. Content Delivery Network Optimisation: Ensure smooth & efficient content delivery with CDN solutions by minimizing buffering and enhancing the quality of service etc.
Ultra has always been ahead of the curve since its inception. We started with VHS & then upgraded to VCD & DVD. We were the pioneers in introducing DVD technology in India. We have always been nimble on our feet and strongly believe in being a consumer-first company. In the near future too we will be at the forefront in providing a host of interesting features & VAS services for all our digital products & services.
On the outline of a vision for the digital expansion of Ultra Media & Entertainment
Rajat Agrawal said Going ahead we will be launching a host of digital products. Our back end & distribution network & technology as a whole have enabled us to reach our current and new consumers seamlessly. Also, our understanding of the market and the changing tastes of the discerning viewers has helped us to know them much better. We are building & will be launching many direct-to-consumer digital products soon shortly
On highlighting some key milestones and innovations that have defined Ultra’s journey in transforming Indian home entertainment
Sushilkumar Agrawal said In 1983, we made a pivotal move by establishing a VHS - video cassette manufacturing facility with an initial investment of Rs 10 Lakhs. During that time, the industry was in its nascent stages of growth, dominated by an unorganised sector plagued by software piracy. Our breakthrough moment arrived in 1989 when we secured the video rights for the film "Maine Pyar Kiya" & strategically marketed it in India. The film's immense success turned it into a cult phenomenon and a case study within the Hindi films, video, and music industry. Throughout this period, we continued to acquire the rights to classic, old, and new films, hence building an enviable catalogue for the company. At that time, Ultra also ventured into another prosperous entertainment field by acquiring music rights & marketing audio cassettes. This led to the successful launch of Ultra's music division, "ULTRA MUSIC," which now owns the music tracks of over 25,000 film and non-film songs.
With a belief that every successful business should have a well-defined vision, we consistently embraced new technologies. We diversified into providing content in VCDs and DVDs, introducing Film VCD technology in India & pioneering the encoding and authoring of VCD and MPEG technology in the country. With a firm grip on the Video & Music trade, Ultra expanded into acquiring worldwide Television and other new media rights.
In all these years, Ultra as a brand was propelled & was established as a household name in India with active involvement in various global entertainment fields. Today, with over 40 years of experience, We hold an enviable position and have secured a prominent place in the industry. Currently, we engage in the business of copyright acquisition for various media rights of Indian & International films, Television Programs, Animation, and other content in multiple genres and languages, distributing them in various physical, non-physical, and emerging formats worldwide. The company boasts a prestigious and valuable library consisting of 3000 titles, including blockbuster Indian films, television serials, and other content. Moreover, Ultra has successfully produced and distributed more than 20 feature films in various languages and currently has several projects in different stages of development for Production, Co-Production, and Strategic Partnerships. Today, Ultra is a professionally managed Entertainment Conglomerate that offers comprehensive end-to-end solutions to the global Film & Television industry.
On Ultra Media balancing commercial success with the cultural responsibility of preserving these classics
Sushilkumar Agrawal stated The content acquired by Ultra are preserved as a heritage of the film industry and accordingly try to take care of the original source material giving back the social responsibility to society. Ultra is also through its digitization and restoration unit preserving the content of the national film archive which is the heritage mission of the Government of India.
On Ultra expanding its digital footprint, planning to position Indian content on the global stage and strategies that you implementing to cater to international audiences
Rajat Agrawal said As I mentioned earlier, Today Ultra is offering comprehensive end-to-end entertainment solutions worldwide. Our Content is syndicated & distributed on various platforms globally. Our Marathi OTT platform has garnered very good traction internationally & we are confident that the same will be the case with our other 2 new OTTs & our future digital products too. We will always provide well-curated content that is globally accepted by the Indian diaspora and the mainstream audience. In fact, our dynamic price points for our OTT & other digital services play a very key role here. We have different subscription rates for different markets. We also strategically localise our content for various international markets by providing lucid and simple subtitle features for their easy understanding.
On the most valuable lessons you have learned in building a media conglomerate
Sushilkumar Agrawal said The most important lesson Ultra has learned is to update and upgrade yourself with the latest changes in the technology and happening in the entertainment industry worldwide. This has given Ultra a good edge to perform as for the requirement of the viewers and the consumers and help Ultra further best brand building.
