Hoichoi TV is celebrating its 5th year of existence in the Indian OTT space. On the occasion of the happy landmark, Hoichoi TV has announced a massive upcoming slate of films and web series for the rest of 2021 and 2022. Alongside the slate announcements, the exclusively Bengali OTT platform has also revealed its growth figures in the streaming space, and its ambitious expansion plans going forward.
Hoichoi TV has announced that its subscriber base has witnessed a 2X growth in the number of its active monthly subscribers, and a 2X growth in its overall Watch-Time rate, not only in India but also in Bangladesh. Even the Monthly Subscription numbers in Bangladesh have doubled per month, within a year.
Hoichoi TV has also announced that it plans to double its current investment on the creation of brand new content for its streaming service. It has revealed a massive slate of 20 new Original Shows that it will premiere in its 5th year of existence, with a target to reach 100 Originals by the end of 2022. Along with that, the platform has also lined up 5 World Digital Premieres. Hoichoi also promises to release at least 30 new Originals in 2022 along with 12 World Premiere Movies, with works delivered from Srijit Mukherji to Anjan Dutt.
The platform already has an impressive catalogue of 80+ Original Shows. The 20 titles announced today will help the platform reach the coveted 100 titles landmark soon enough. Out of these, around 7-9 titles will be from Bangladesh, conceived and executed in that country. By working with some of the biggest creators and local talent from Bangladesh, Hoichoi plans to bring bigger and better Originals for the Bangladesh Market. Additionally, the Bengali streaming platform plans to add 50 new curated movie titles to its current 600+ movie library.
To add to its user base, Hoichoi TV has also introduced the concept of ‘Freemium’, which allows users to stream some branded content for free. The platform has tied up with high-profile jewellery brands to release shows under this section.
Besides this, Hoichoi TV has declared its ambitious expansion plans, where it will leverage innovative ways to tap into a larger audience worldwide. Hoichoi already operates in UK, US, Bangladesh and Canada. Now it plans to expand to South-Asian Countries like Malaysia and Singapore and also in those of Middle East, to deepen its presence among the large Bengali population residing in these countries. The platform also plans to launch digital gift cards, with special focus on festive occasions such as Pujas. The cards will offer special discounts on streaming to users, thereby helping Hoichoi to scale up customer acquisition. While the concept of Digital gift card is quite popular in western countries, Hoichoi plans to be the first OTT platform to introduce the concept in India.
Lastly, Hoichoi TV plans to introduce releasing dubbed versions of its popular content in other languages such as Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. The platform has already met with success with its Hindi dubbed content. This is a strategic move from the platform to build a connect with the non-Bengali audience base of India and outside.
Hoichoi has also announced a huge upcoming content slate. Some of these are as follows –
Indu
A family drama from the makers of successful series, Hello and Paap. It stars Ishaa Saha and revolves around a grand wedding and a ‘bonedi’ household.
Eken Babu 5
The 5th in the Eken Babu series, revolves around a theft of an antique diamond followed by a suspicious death, set in the backdrop of Shantiniketan.
Byomkesh 7
Season 7 of the popular detective series, Byomkesh 7 is based on the story ‘Chorabali’. Anirban Bhattacharya returns as Byomkesh, with Arjun Chakrabarty, Ushasi Ray, Chandan Sen & others joining the cast.
Srikanto
After Charitraheen, here is another modern retelling of a classic tale by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Srikanto, featuring Rishav Basu as Srikanto and Sohini Sarkar as Rajlokkhi.
Gora
A new detective created by Sahana Dutta. It is the digital debut of Ritwick Chakraborty who plays the role of a disabled detective called Gora.
Rudrabinar Obhishaap
Vikram and Rupsa, etched in our hearts as Alaap and Shruti, are coming back with a new musical adventure in Rudrabinar Obhishaap. Saurav Das and Dwitipriya Roy come on board this season, which unfolds more mystery, an unspoken legend and an ancient curse that will change everyone’s past and what they know about themselves.
Mandaar
Based on Macbeth, Mandaar, is the first addition in the new category of Hoichoi World Classics, where the aim is to bring forth timeless tales from around the World. Versatile acclaimed actor Anirban Bhattacharya will be marking his debut as a director & creator in this series.
Montu Pilot 2
Saurav Das, will be returning as the fan favourite Montu in the new season of Montu Pilot 2, helmed by Debaloy Bhattacharya.
Boli (Bangladesh)
Boli is an action-packed story of the famous father-son duo of Rustom and Sohrab, featuring the famous duo from Taqdeer – Chanchal Chowdhury and Shohel Mondol Rana.
Kaiser (Bangladesh)
Created by Tanim Noor, Kaiser is about a homicide detective of the same name, who is scared of blood, and is addicted to video games, and this unhealthy habit raises many complications in his personal and professional space.
Bodh (Bangladesh)
Amitabh Reza Chowdhury’s new series revolves around a judge and the awakening of his conscience after his retirement.
Mahabharat Murders
Mahabharat Murders is about a serial killer considering himself Duryodhana reborn in the 21st century, on a hunt for the Pandavas and Draupadi.
Troilokkyo
The series tells the tale of India’s first recorded serial killer, that too, a Bengali woman. Adapted from ‘Raar Kahini’ by Debarati Mukhopadhyay.
Karagar (Bangladesh)
A jailhouse. A cell numbered ‘501’. It has been shut for years because of a series of suicides. One morning, the jailer finds a prisoner inside who claims he has been there for 200 years. A thrilling narrative by Syed Ahmed Shawki, after the super success of his previous show, Taqdeer.
Khyapar Shohor
Anjan Dutt’s second web series after the successful Murder in the Hills. Set in the underbelly of Kolkata, revolving around a gang-war between cops.
Tiktiki
Marking director Dhrubo Banerjee’s venture into web series, Tiktiki is set to star two eminent actors Kaushik Ganguly & Anirban Bhattacharya challenging the viewers to choose between black or white.
Sabrina (Bangladesh)
After delivering a series being celebrated by all, Ashfaque Nipun is bringing ‘Sabrina’, a spine-chilling story of two women, a realistic take on the oppression of women, irrespective of their social strata.
Uttaran
Adapted from ‘Bottola’, written by Sukanto Gangopadhyay, Uttaran is about how one MMS leak drastically changes the life of a simple married woman. Starring Madhumita Sarcar, this plot unveils the truth of society.
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