MUMBAI: One of the early movers in the Indian over-the-top (OTT) ecosystem set out on its quest to reimagine the business in the latter part of 2019. Starting with a rejig in leadership last year, SonyLIV has now brought one of the most noticeable changes to its look: content strategy.
Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) on Tuesday revealed a brand new look of its digital arm.
A video on its social media gives glimpses of the redesigned logo which will replace its yellow background logo with a vibrant colourful one. The new logo emphasises the ‘liv’ part in a bright yellow colour in contrast to a colourful background with streaks of purple, blue, orange. Compared to the earlier one, it looks thinner and more refined reflecting warmth.
Although being one of the oldest contenders, the platform has not been able to create much buzz lately. The ecosystem has not only grown but also the competition from both homegrown and international players. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have started upping their investment in local content aggressively. Another giant player Disney+ also made its much-awaited entry into the market in March. Other broadcast-led players like ZEE5 and VOOT have also brought premium content to woo users, the former going deeper into the vernacular market. Amidst all these ambitious players, a reimagining was required to make a mark and stand out.
Better late than never. Along with re-designing, its content strategy is also set for an overhaul. Earlier, the new faces of SonyLIV spoke about the plan of focusing on originals. As the video reveals, the platform is going to bring original stories from the well-known storytellers in the country including Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, Ajay Monga, E Niwas, Hansal Mehta, Samar Khan, Nikkhil Advani, Nitesh Tiwari, Saumya Joshi, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Sachin Pathak, and Vir Das. It will also premiere international series including For Life, The Tudors. However, it promises to stay committed to the core strength, and sports content, too.
The platform has struck a deal with Applause Entertainment announcing a content licensing deal of four premium drama series: Your Honor, Avrodh, Undekhi and Scam 1992. It has started its gradual rollout of its refreshed SonyLIV 2.0. app with the new visual identity and a distinct user interface.
SPNI rejigged its digital team last year, with old-time SPNI executive Danish Khan leading it, with added responsibilities as business head of its leading GEC Sony Entertainment Television. Khan roped in his A Team who worked with him at SET, Ashish Golwalkar and Aman Srivastava, to also help him out to revitalise SonyLIV. The new faces revealed the wish for a rekindled focus on subscription-based service which just took off last year.
Before this overhaul in brand identity, SonyLIV went through a change in 2016, after three years of its launch. The latest change comes at a time when all the OTT platforms have seen a huge surge in the viewership due to ongoing lockdown.
At the time of publication of this story, the platform was reached for more details, but denied response.
