MX Player, a popular media player mobile app, which was acquired by Times Internet last year for $144 million, has now debuted in the original content space.
In a bid to get a bigger slice of the Indian video-on-demand market, the company has announced the launch of five original web series. All five web series will be available for the users at free of cost as it will be supported by advertisements. The five new MX original series launched are Aafat, Hey Prabhu, TVF’s ImMature, Lots of Love (Tamil & Telugu) and Famously Filmfare.
Speaking at the launch Karan Bedi, CEO, MX Player, said,
Our vision is to build a platform that caters to every entertainment need of the discerning viewer starting from playing a video in any format, to watching stories across every genre and even listening to music for every mood! As more people move towards consuming content online, we want to create digital-first stories that appeal not only to the urban audiences but also much beyond. We have collaborated with some of the best talents in the industry to create our slate of MX Originals that will bring us a step closer to becoming the go-to destination for entertainment in India.
The company has picked up an interesting route by offering its original content for free. It could be a good initial strategy for price-sensitive Indian consumers. Currently, major players in the OTT segment — Hotstar, Netflix,
Apart from offering its original content for free, MX player has claimed to have sourced licensed content of over 100K hours from various content creators and partner platforms such as Alt Balaji, TVF, Arre and SonyLIV.
Ranked among top 10 Indian apps on Google Play Store, MX player has over 70 million daily active users (DAUs) and 650 million downloads worldwide. On its new app, the company has integrated offline video playing capabilities, online streaming and music streaming supported by Gaana.
Recently, Amazon Prime Video announced six new original series, which includes Bandish Bandits, a romantical musical series directed by Anand Tiwari; The Last Hour, crime thriller by Amit Kumar and Asif Kapadia;
The titles for other three series have not been confirmed yet, they are an investigative thriller written by Sudip Sharma, a political drama by Ali Abbas Zafar, and celebrities stand-up comedy talk show by OML.
