NEW DELHI: Yahoo! India has launched ‘Yahoo! Video, a dedicated premium video destination that offers original content across multiple genres such as news, entertainment, lifestyle and movies.
The internet giant has currently partnered with 35 content producers including NDTV, Star TV, Shemaroo, Headlines Today, PVR Pictures and Ultra.
Yahoo! says that that video platform would be a high quality video experience, free for all Internet users in India guaranteeing a trusted and safe environment for publishers.
The launch of Yahoo! Video is aimed at meeting the growing appetite of Indian online users. According to a recent ComScore report, over 30 million unique users in India watch online videos each month and on average each user consumes about 58 videos a month.
Yahoo! India MD Arun Tadanki said, "Online video consumption is growing at a rapid pace, however, what the Indian market lacked was a safe and piracy free destination delivering high quality and strictly original content.
"Yahoo! Video is a bold step and redefines the online video category through licensed, original and diverse content promising an unparalleled experience to Indian users."
Yahoo! Video offers content acquired from original sources, spanning short and full-length movies, video capsules across news, entertainment, lifestyle, sports, providing access to an archive of thousands of videos.
Yahoo! India had recently launched Movieplex - a destination where users can watch licensed full-length movies for free.
Yahoo! Video also provides opportunity for advertisers to connect with their target audiences through a range of video and display advertising solutions.
NDTV Convergence deputy CEO and managing editor Suparna Singh said, "We are excited about this partnership with Yahoo!. NDTV doesn‘t believe in walled gardens in the rapidly-expanding digital space. Early diagnosis has shown that Yahoo! does not cannibalize our business - it provides an additional audience and a new video platform that we believe users will enjoy. Yahoo! has shown respect and understanding for real news, and we look forward to increasing our reach together."
Star India VP - Digital Lalit Bhagia said, "Yahoo! is the biggest web portal in the country with more than 38 mn unique users. What I like about Yahoo!’s video strategy is the whole concept of “content in context”, which is the real differentiator. With Yahoo! Mail, editorial, chat, news and now video it completes the picture for the consumer. As a broadcaster, it potentially becomes a place to build affinity to our shows and characters as well as sample new content. We plan to start with short form content and work on possible new show launches through the partnership."
Shemaroo Entertainment director Jai Maroo added, "Our association with Yahoo! India is a harbinger of the exciting possibilities and potential in the digital entertainment space. We are working together to not only serve diverse audiences but to also provide a legal video content alternative. The association started with Shemaroo being one of the launch partners for Yahoo!‘s Movieplex and we pushed the innovation quotient higher with our recent tie-up for the exclusive online premiere of "Super K" on the Movieplex platform on Yahoo! Movies."
