SonyLIV offered only one original series, one licensed series, and a couple of licensed flicks to its viewers in July 2023. This scenario again highlights the lack of content on the streaming platform, which has also been mentioned in our June 2023 report on the streaming service.
SonyLIV excels at bestowing the right kind of content to its viewers. The platform’s quality content, user-friendliness, and reasonable subscription prices are some of the reasons why people love binge-watching their favourite content on SonyLIV. However, the current shortage of original content is adversely impacting the streaming platform’s reputation in the Indian OTT market. Not only has this scenario made it hard for SonyLIV to distinguish itself from other rivals, but it also has significantly augmented its reliance on licensed content.
Here are the shows/movies bestowed by SonyLIV to the viewers in July 2023!
Hawa (Film/Licensed) – Hit
Streaming release date: July 7, 2023
Helmed and written by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, Hawa was one of the most popular Bangladeshi films of 2022. The movie received acclaim for its performances, score, colour grading, and cinematography. Though, some critics criticised the quality of dialogue in the film. It was even sent to the 95th Oscars for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category by the Oscar Committee Bangladesh. In addition, the film was released in many regions of West Bengal. It revolves around an all-male fishing team who somehow manages to catch a beautiful yet mysterious young girl and then face the world of men along with the girl.
Farhana (Film/Licensed) – Miss
Streaming release date: July 7, 2023
Farhana received a mixed critical reaction upon its release in May this year. The film’s slow first half may end up testing your patience. It consists of some impressive performances though, particularly from Aishwarya Rajesh. However, it suffered some criticism mainly for its immature characterisation and ‘not so refreshing’ plot. In other words, this film can be summarised as a straightforward tale that relies heavily on the performances of its cast. It tells the tale of a middle-class mother who accepts a call centre job due to her family’s financial difficulties. This scenario gives her the freedom to express her feelings but also puts her in all sorts of trouble.
College Romance Season 4 – Hit
Streaming release date: July 14, 2023
College Romance Season 4 is easily one of the best offerings from TVF this year, apart from Sandeep Bhaiya. Fans loved the finale and the rest of the final season. The fourth entry succeeds in invoking strong nostalgia and delivers some powerful tear-jerking scenes, serving as a satisfying conclusion to the overall series. Once again, we see Gagan Arora stealing the spotlight as Bagga in Season 4. The rest of the cast, including Keshav Sadhna, Apoorva Arora, Nupur Nagpal, Janhvi Rawat, and others, also do brilliant jobs. Overall, Season 4 is a breezy, playful, and satisfying watch.
Twisted Metal – Hit
Streaming release date: July 28, 2023
Led by Anthony Mackie, Peacock’s Twisted Metal serves as a dumb, fun, violent, and thoughtful (sometimes) entry in the post-apocalyptic genre. The show offers plenty of engaging action sequences and cartoonish violence. Overall, it is a fast-pacing show which benefits immensely from Mackie’s charm and fine performances from the rest of the show’s cast. Apart from Mackie, the show stars Stephanie Beatriz, Samoa Joe (AEW wrestler), Will Arnett, and Thomas Haden Church. The series has ten 30-minute episodes.
SonyLIV’s success score in July 2023 (only in terms of the quality of content) – 75%. Stay tuned for more updates.