SVF launches Bengali digital content platform

SVF (formerly Shree Venkatesh Films), Eastern India’s largest entertainment and film production company, has launched its Bengali only digital content platform ‘Hoichoi’.

The digital content offerings will be in the lines of Amazon Prime and Netflix with a host of original content (short films, web series and so on) and Bengali movies.

The subscription-based, advertisement-free platform will be available on major mobile phone operating systems such as Android.

“We are in talks for acquisition of content from various production houses. Right now, we would look at monetisation of the platform through subscriptions,” Vishnu Mohta, CoFounder, Hoichoi and Executive Director, SVF, told reporters after the launch.

Apart from original content and web series, HoiChoi will have a host of movies from the SVF stable and other Bengali classics. It will also have Bengali movies from competing production houses. Songs (audio streaming option) will be introduced at a later stage. The Bengali film industry in India produces close to 100 films a year with annual revenues running to ₹100 crore, while the television industry (Bengali) has a turnover of around ₹200 crore.

In Bangladesh, the other major Bengali speaking market, around 80-odd films are produced every year. At a later stage, SVF would look at content catering specifically to Bangladesh.

Apart from Hoichoi, ‘addatimes’ is the only other web portal that has offerings catering specifically to the Bengali audience.

According to Mohta, the platform is expected to break even in four years. By the fifth year, Hoichoi intends to to have 1,000 hours of original or exclusive content.

“SVF should ideally be producing around 5 to 10 per cent of the original content. Or at least that is what we intend to,” he added.

Incidentally, players such as Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, Netflix, ALTBalaji, Voot and others are said to be investing in creating and distributing original programming in Hindi and regional languages.

If market sources are to be believed, there is a significant rise in the number of regional language Internet users in India.

This has made over-the-top content platforms to bet big on original regional content in the hope that lower data charges, coupled with rising smartphone penetration, will see Indian language Internet users drive the next phase of adoption here.