MUMBAI: While a majority of the broadcasters and media houses are coming up with their standard news applications, one player has taken an unusual path. After rolling a kids app followed by a comedy app, nexGTv, a subscription-led video entertainment app, has announced the launch of its exclusive news app.
Breaking free from the traditional story telling perspective, the app will provide news coverage in audio/visual formats in major Indian languages that include Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, etc. The app is open to experiment with more languages.
nexGTv says that the app will provide 360-degree coverage of the latest reports and happenings from across genres like politics, sports, movies, business, lifestyle etc. For starters, the app will curate and enable news content from more than 40 top regional, national and international channels. It will air real time popular shows like Nation at 10, Aaj Tak Live News, India Reports at 10 and News Now at 11, etc, as a part of its Live TV bouquet. The other news offerings such as interviews, Mann Ki Baat and the topical political cartoon humour -- So Sorry can also be viewed through VoD.
“We want to explore content which caters better to our consumers through news articles and videos. With creating this app a go-to-go platform for all Indian users across boundaries, we are just exploring news content that often gets buried under GEC news. The niche can relate to this app. We have our own data system in India so I don’t see bandwidth as a major constraint. ,” says nexGTv COO Abhesh Verma.
Following a 'freemium' model, most of the news channels are available for free to the end users though there is some content behind the paywall. The news apps has been bundled with nexGTv’s other apps beyond the subscription screen at Rs 35 a week summing to a monthly payment fee of Rs 125.
With timelines crunches, users are often unable to stay updated with the latest information about their areas of interest. To put an end to this, the app will aggregate and deliver video news content from leading TV news channels, revolutionizing through enhanced accessibility, the way news is currently consumed in the country.
Treating people who like staying up-to-date with the latest news and developments from the national and global arena, the app will identify the niches which are undercover right now.
Pointing out the difficulties faced by users in the extremely fragmented viewing experiment, Verma points out how viewers often sit through advertisements, weather reports and repetitive news programmes to consume news. He adds, “This gap in news content delivery and consumption is what we are trying to address with the nexGTv News app. Having been amongst the leading platforms for content aggregation in India, we are now looking to add greater diversity to our news content offerings by partnering with channels that help us cater to our viewers’ specific needs. This will not only boost the quality of our end-user offerings, but will also allow news channels to maximise their consumer outreach through our platform.”
The VOD player is focussed on enabling a holistic and relevant digital news-viewing experience for the end-consumer and adding value through technology. It has integrated several innovative features that augment and enhance the viewer’s browsing experience. While on the one hand non-stop news will be showcased through news bulletins from leading TV news channels under a single tab, VoD news capsules will give users a brief rundown of the top news highlights of the day in just a few minutes.
The resume feature allows viewers to pause live streaming and pick up where they left off, while nexGTv’s Advanced Search with Integrated Electronic Program Guide (EPG) helps browse through genre and language-specific news. Other features, such as Quicky, can find the best news content that fits the time available to users, while the Data Saving Mode assists them in managing their data consumption while streaming videos. This integration of technology results in great value addition for users and allows them to watch news content that suits their viewing preference in a convenient and hassle-free manner claims nexGTv.
“The nexGTv News app leverages state-of-the-art technology to enable features such as VoD news capsules and on-the-go news content. This allows for the delivery of a seamless, on-the-go, and highly relevant 360-degree digital news-viewing experience to our users. With digital video consumption in the country growing in demand, we are confident that the launch of our News app can potentially disrupt the way video news content is viewed in the country,” adds Verma.
Given that the target audience is mass, a smart marketing strategy has been planned to promote the app. While notifications will be sent to their already existing consumer base about the new addition, social media will be used extensively to make the app visible. It will also be promoted through traditional modes of communication.
With more features such as interactive UI, minimised player window, reminders, TV guides and Social Connect on offer, the nexGTv news app is already available on Google Play Store. It has also submitted an application to iOS and is awaiting a confirmation in a couple of days. The player plans to unveil few more apps in the coming days.
