ALTBalaji direct subscriptions up 35% QoQ and quarterly revenue at

                        ALTBalaji direct subscriptions up 35% QoQ and quarterly revenue
                                            at Rs 21crOriginal show library at 86
Balaji Telefilms announced its financial results for the quarter ended 30^th June 2021.

ALTBalaji remains one of the most consistent hit content creators for OTT adding 6 shows in the quarter taking the overall library to 86 shows. The company sold 1.8m subscriptions during the quarter and currently has an active direct subscriber base of over 2.4m. This excludes subscribers on partner apps where the content continues to do well. The Company continues its strategy to drive deeper audience engagement by creating content that is targeted at mass India seeking differentiated stories. The platform has over 86 shows and some of the hits launched this quarter include Punchh Beat Season 2 and Broken but Beautiful 3

TV business has continued at normal levels as daily show production was ensured with pandemic restrictions. During the quarter the company produced 174.5 hours of content across 6 shows for 4 broadcasters. 5 new additional shows, including one regional show in Marathi, have been signed and should commence shortly. 

Movie business resumed production and the company made good progress with film shooting. The Company continues to wait for availability for theatrical launch windows and looking at deals across direct to digital as well. As part of its strategy the company continues to control investments in movies and pursue pre sales and co-production deals where feasible.

Mrs. Shobha Kapoor, Managing Director, Balaji Telefilms Limited said, “ALTBalaji continues to drive subscription growth and we added 1.8m subscriptions during the quarter. We added 6 shows in the quarter and now have a very strong line up for the rest of the year. Our strategic content sharing deals will ensure we maintain control on the cash spend while driving overall profitability. Our TV business has shown good recovery in terms of production hours and we hope to improve this momentum as 5 new shows commence. In the movie business, production for some of the exciting projects are at various stages of completion and we are closely monitoring the availability for theatrical releases as well and direct to digital launches. Overall, the year has started well and we will build on this momentum through the year.”

OPERATIONAL and FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 ·         ALTBalaji total subscriptions sold for the quarter at 1.8m vs 0.9m in Q1FY21, direct subscription revenues at Rs 17cr vs Rs 13cr

·         Current active subscriber base at 2.4m and 86 shows live on the platform

·         TV business continued at normal in Q1 with 174.5 hours of production across 6 shows and strong pipeline for the year

·         Movies current pipeline include 5 exciting projects

·         Overall financial performance for the quarter

o   Group revenues at Rs 65cr of which ALTBalaji contributed Rs 21cr

o   Group EBITDA loss at Rs 30cr and Loss after tax at Rs 34cr

·         Group liquidity and balance sheet with current cash and cash equivalent balance at Rs 138 cr

Social taboos get ready to be quashed, AGAIN! ALTBalaji launches four

Social taboos get ready to be quashed, AGAIN! ALTBalaji launches four new engaging episodes 

in Hai Taubba Chapter 2!

 

Link: http://bit.ly/HaiTaubba2

On May 6, ALTBalaji's creative den released yet another scintillating and entertaining drama, that just like its title, made everyone go Hai Taubba. The show – an anthology, was released with not much fanfare. Despite the low buzz around its release, it became one of the most trending shows on the streaming platform. The viewers were already asking for more, and it seems the makers were already prepared for the same. After announcing the second chapter of Hai Taubba, the makers have finally launched the show on the streaming platform.

Like its predecessor, the show will have four disruptive stories .. and this time, the makers are calling it four imperfect stories. Who says life is perfect and hai taubba stories echo the same imperfection. These stories and their protagonists will challenge social stigmas and taboos. Just like the first chapter, the episodes from the second chapter are also named after colours – Blue, White, Pink and Silver. This time the show will tackle unspoken topics like imperfect love to imperfect marriages. ALTBalaji's Hai Taubba is a compilation of 4 mature adult stories, representing emotions symbolized by a distinct colour of love.

With 'Hai Taubba', makers have always spoken about how society reacts to the issues that we don't talk about but are deeply ingrained in our lives. Taking inspiration from the infamous saying, "Kuch toh log kahenge, logo ka kaam hai kehna" which essentially means that people will have something or the other to say, no matter what, Hai Taubba has always stayed true to what it has committed.

This season as well, the cast will comprise of some known and some fresh faces. TV actor Gautam Vig, model and reality show contestant Tapan Singh will be a part of the gay drama in the story silver. Atmadeep Ghosh, Bibriti Chatterjee, Akshay Bindra, Sidhant Mahajan, and kashish Rai are the other actors in the show.  Actor Shruti ulfat has lend her voice for a virtual character called ardhangini in the opening episode 'pink.'

While talking about the show Gautam who will be seen in the episode titled Silver, said, "Hai Taubba has always remained true to its intentions. I was excited to be a part of this series, so it was a no brainer. It is also my first digital show on such a big platform, so I'm so excited about it." Gautam has been part of several hit TV shows like Naamkarann and was also seen in Agni Vayu.

Bibriti Chatterjee, who will be seen in the episode titled White, was too elated talking about the show. "It is going to be my first big project in the Hindi diaspora, and I'm so excited that finally, the show is hitting the tubes. I was waiting for it for a long time. And finally, the time has come that I can watch it. I can tell you all one thing that the story I am part of is so interesting that we had a ball while shooting it."

The show is conceptualized by ALTBalaji's creative director Baljit Singh Chaddha. The stories are written by renowned film writers like Purva Naresh (known for films Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), Krrish 3 (2013), and Dum Maaro Dum (2011)), Rohan Ghosh, (best known for Kaali 2), and ajaydeep singh  (popular for writing virgin bhasskar). Baljit Singh Chaddha has been credited for shows like His Storyy, Fixerr, and Paurashpur, to name a few.

For the unversed, Hai Taubba is a collection of stories that were distributed in two chapters. The first Chapter one went on air on May 6 and all these stores had a common emotion of love. There's love between two men, there's love between two females, and then there's also the adolescent love alongside a man who believes, "40s is the new 20s".  On the other hand, the second chapter, again with four stories, will stream from today. While they may be edgy for others, one cannot deny that life isn't perfect at the end of the day, and our imperfect lives reflect that. And that is the spine of ALTBalaji's latest chapter of  Hai Taubba.

Stream the show right away, only on ALTBalaji!

 

Badass Devika wins hearts in ALTBalaji and ZEE5’s Dev DD 2,

Badass Devika wins hearts in ALTBalaji and ZEE5’s Dev DD 2,
a must watch without doubt.

OR

You cannot miss ALTBalaji and ZEE5’s Dev DD 2
where daring becomes endearing with Devika Dharam Dwivedi

OR

Dev DD 2 from ALTBalaji and ZEE5 is a series you can’t take your eyes off of,
bringing a fresh perspective on Devika Dharam Dwivedi

ALTBalaji and ZEE5’s Dev DD Season 1 set the stage, but season 2 of its drama, shattered the glass ceiling. It brought with it a never-before-seen version of Devika Dharam Dwivedi. Season 2 finds a chink in the armour of Devika Dharam Dwivedi opening up her vulnerable side, making her very relatable to audiences everywhere. A very beautiful, vulnerable, feminine version of Devika that captures hearts.

There are switches between her reality and inner self filled with monologues from the protagonist describing her innermost thoughts but externally her agony doesn’t let her act on it. This is part of the charm of Dev DD 2. 

 

Season 1 shows us how totally badass Devika Dharam Dwivedi is and how she makes a life for herself on her terms, setting herself up for epic love and heartbreak. Season 2 shows us Devika Dharam Dwivedi at a complete loss. She is a jilted lover and forgotten friend, her hopelessness takes her home back into the arms of her parents. At home, she starts to build herself up once again against all odds and against society’s cruel taunts. There are of course new twists and turns in the story, blasts from the past and new friendships all adding to the attraction of the story. The best friend Chandni and her lover battling all odds to be together, Anurag and Aditi fighting a scam together and Devika’s humorous way of fending off society aunties and evil relatives all make for a very delightful watch.

Dev DD 2 opens with Devika Dharam Dwivedi finding herself back in her hometown in her parents’ house. Her alcoholic spiral doesn’t help her memory much. But she remembers that her best friend and her boyfriend both leave her behind without explanations. The season has Devika figuring out the why’s and how’s of all her heartbreak and her overcoming all of it and finally doing things Devika Dharam Dwivedi Style!!!

We have Asheema Vardaan playing Devika, Sanjay Suri playing Anurag her ex-lover and also her best friend’s biological father, we have the lovely Nauheed Cyrusi playing Aditi, charming Aman Uppal playing the role of Paritosh. We have the adorable duo of Rashmi Agdekar and Rumana Molla playing Chandni and Radha respectively. All the characters tie up the story really well and Dev DD 2 would just not be whole without any of them.

The series is extremely empowering not just for women but it champions people of every gender, race, religion and sexual orientation out there. The flawless acting, the clever lines, the screenplay, the dialogues, the story, the comic moments are just a few of the million reasons to watch the show. The series is filled with magical moments that give you goosebumps and also moments that tickle you till you fall off your chair laughing making the series both lovely and heartbreaking all at the same time. A season 3 is very highly likely with a beautiful story like this one.

Crashh Review

 ALTBalaji and ZEE5 set a new benchmark for quality with the latest drama Crashh

We love anything that can touch us. ALTBalaji and ZEE5’s drama, Crashh does just that. It highlights the purity of the bond of family. With every announcement that was made regarding the series, the audiences grew more excited.

 

This story was a very unconventional one which was guaranteed to be a head-turner.

 

The story of Crashh is about four siblings, who lose their parents in a car crash. The loss of family, especially family that you have a beautiful relationship with, is extremely painful, there starts the pain and suffering of these four young children. There's of course a certain amount of trauma that comes with such a sad incident. Their separation when they are adopted causes further pain. Years later the oldest sibling, who was never adopted, Kabir, played by Kunj Anand goes searching for his long-lost siblings. 

 

There's the lovely Kajal played by Aditi Sharma. Kajal is a girl adopted by a mentally disturbed and clinically depressed woman who further adds to the emotional trauma in her life. Rohan Mehra plays Rahim, who was taken in by a not so well-to-do family, Rahim has an insane passion and doesn’t lose sight of his dreams. Little Alia played by Anushka Sen, is a darling but also a spoiled brat. She is popular and feels like she has an image to maintain in the public eye.  Zain Imam plays the ever so charming Rishabh, an accomplished surgeon. All the siblings because they have been raised differently grow into such different personalities. Somehow there is this bond that exists and continues to pull them together in different ways. Of course, them coming together wouldn’t be easy.

 

As far as the acting goes, these young dynamos have killed it on screen! The hard work behind it has definitely paid off. The cast makes everything look so effortless. Every single one of them has pulled off their respective characters with such ease, the casting couldn’t have been better. Whether it is Alia’s “Diva-ness” or Kabir’s emotional demeanour, it was all portrayed so well. The direction of the series was done by Kushal Zaveri.

 

Through the series, you are reminded of gratitude, family, love and ambition. The series is not just an entertaining watch but also one from which you can take a few lessons from. 

 

A very different storyline than what we are used to, a fabulous watch for sure and very well executed by the cast and crew.