Ultra Media & Entertainment Group recently unveiled its latest OTT platform, Ultra Play, dedicated exclusively to streaming classic Hindi films. With the tagline ‘Har Pal Filmy,’ Ultra Play offers a nostalgic journey, bringing yesteryear’s cinema to a new generation of viewers.
Ultra Play has a curated collection of over 2,000 movies spanning from the 1950s till date. The platform features movies from filmmakers such as Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Shakti Samanta, Subhash Ghai, Vidhu Vinod Chopra & many more. As a Hindi-exclusive OTT platform, Ultra Play focusses solely on Hindi content offering what it calls ‘Har Zaamane ka Content’.
Ultra also unveiled ‘Ultra Gaane’, an OTT platform celebrating the golden age of Hindi cinema music. With the tagline ‘Dekh Ke Suno,’ it brings back the visual allure of over 4,000 classic tracks from the 1940s till date, while also showcasing new, independent artists to keep the content vibrant and contemporary.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Ultra Media & Entertainment Group CEO, Sushilkumar Agrawal and COO, Rajat Agrawal.
1) What goals has Ultra Media and Entertainment set for itself over the coming two years? What is the game plan to get there?
Rajat Agrawal: Primarily we want to expand our content library in terms of numbers and genres. We also want to boost our original content production across all 3 of our platforms. The focus also is on strong localisation of content for all of them. Additionally, we want to grow their subscriber base, for this, we have plans to initiate and roll out various strategic targeted marketing campaigns. Moreover, we also have aggressive subscription plans which we will leverage at key geographical catchment areas
Secondly, we want to provide a state-of-the-art user interface experience for our viewers. We want to offer a well-curated & engaging interface both to the fresh visitors & subscribers of our platforms in terms of user-friendly playlists, recommendations, advanced search options, cross-device options, etc. They will be methodically placed on our home page and carousel, so that the user doesn’t spend a lot of time discovering the long-tail content we have on our platforms
And thirdly, we want to increase our revenue streams from these platforms. We are planning to achieve this through tactical partnerships with content distributors like OTT aggregators, ISPs & Telco Companies. We also are planning to partner with various brand influencers to create awareness through cross-promotions & In Content branding, which will help us generate additional revenue streams
2) Is the consumption of movies shifting from traditional TV to digital?
Rajat Agrawal: As per the recent TRAI Report, the number of active Pay TV subscribers is falling year on year. The rate of decline is between 5-10%, which is a clear indication that Pay TV users are cutting chords. As per FICCI-EY 2024 report, in 2023 the Pay TV universe has declined from 120 million to 118 million subscribers. Further, Pay TV operators now do not rely solely on offering linear TV services alone and have also included OTT services in their offerings. This is just to plug the churn and retain the users. With the mobile and wired broadband penetration going to deeper pockets and 5G connections scaling up, we believe that the trend of consuming movies on digital platforms has taken over. The advantage a digital platform gives them is the flexibility to consume at their convenience and schedule
3 ) A recent Ormax report shows that OTT growth is only coming from AVod. The SVod audience has stagnated. How confident are you that users will pay for Ultra’s OTT offerings?
Rajat Agrawal: There is always a demand for older, premium content which the older generation wants to relive from time to time. Moreover, our platform offers Blockbusters, Hits, Semi Hits and well-known films across various genres ranging from the 1950s till date. The content is highly curated and covers the relevant popular genres & pop culture of every decade, thus making it an apt platform for even the younger generation to sample and watch films there. The app also is positioned as a “One Stop Shop” where viewers can watch well-known Hindi films and classics without going to different platforms searching for it. Additionally, the affordable subscription fees of Rs 199 a year & Rs 99 for 3 months also makes it a desirable destination to watch entertaining films
4) What distribution partnerships has Ultra Media and Entertainment done with telcos and OTT aggregators for its OTT platforms?
Rajat Agrawal: We want our content to be accessible to everyone globally, hence the content distribution plays a very vital role here. We are in discussions with various partners for this and will announce once we close the deals with them soon.
5) How big is the market for classic Hindi films? Is the new OTT platform targeting an older audience 30+?
Rajat Agrawal: Hindi classic films have a lot of recall value and it is consumed by not only the older generation but also the younger generation sheerly for nostalgia and first-time viewing. The TG is of course is 30 + age group. However, amongst them many timeless gems and classics are upscaled from SD to HD format, digitally mastered and some films are restored to a very fine quality. A few of them have also been converted from black and white to Colour. Going ahead to cater to the young audience, it will also stream fresh Hindi content across various genres both in terms of Web series and Films.
6) What is the platform’s tagline ‘Har Pal Filmy’ meant to signify?
Rajat Agrawal Ultra Play will be providing a wholesome film viewing experience for everyone; hence the “Har Pal Filmy” tagline is the reinforcement of the same. It’s our promise to the viewer that He/she can watch and celebrate the heritage of Hindi cinema with an unparalleled collection of films spanning eight decades from the golden age to the contemporary icons of today
7) Is the Ultra Jhakaas Marathi OTT Platform looking to fill a need gap for a service that super serves fans of Marathi content?
Rajat Agrawal: Yes, Ultra Jhakaas is designed to fill a significant need in the market by providing a dedicated service for fans of Marathi content. While there are various OTT platforms available, we recognised that Marathi-speaking audiences have been under-served when it comes to exclusive, high-quality content in their language. Our platform is built to cater specifically to this audience, with a diverse range of content including films, web series, documentaries, and more, Ultra Jhakaas celebrates the rich culture, heritage, and stories of Maharashtra.
We are focussed on creating a space where Marathi content is not just an option but a priority, offering both classic favourites and fresh, original content to ensure we truly connect with the Marathi-speaking community and their unique preferences
8) What are the other languages that Ultra Media and Entertainment is focussing on for launching dedicated services?
Rajat Agrawal: Like Marathi, there are other regional language markets too which are under-served. We see a huge opportunity out there too. Case in point, the South is one such big market, similarly, there are other vernacular markets too in the North and East which can be systematically tapped for new OTT platforms offering native content.
9) What role is AI playing for Ultra Media and Entertainment?
Rajat Agrawal: Though AI has not fully matured to be adopted in the entertainment domain, we started experimenting with AI & have plans to introduce it in our workflows, mainly on two fronts. In Video Production, we will use AI to automate various aspects of video editing, such as cutting clips, applying filters and suggesting transitions. A content creator working on a video project can use AI to generate different versions of a video with various editing styles or pacing. Secondly, On the consumer front, we will implement AI in automating Metadata Production, Optimising recommendations for personalised experiences etc
10 ) Could you shed light on Ultra Media and Entertainment content creation plans ? Which are the genres and languages that it is catering to ?
Rajat Agrawal: We already are ready with two fresh new Marathi web series across various genres that will be streamed on Ultra Jhakaas during this festive season. On Ultra Play we will be soon streaming fresh Hindi content across various genres both in terms of Web series & Films. These will be produced in-house by Ultra and also in association with other production houses. Though Ultra Gaane will primarily stream Hindi songs, going ahead it also will stream entertaining Video songs in Marathi, Gujarati & other regional languages. These songs will be a blend of both the original film songs of those respective languages and also new original songs sung by fresh & upcoming singers.
11) Could you talk about how Disney has inspired Ultra to go into the merchandise business with Ultra Soft Toys?
Sushilkumar Agrawal: No entity or organization as such inspired us to get into the merchandising & Soft Toys business.
We were inspired by the merchandising of the Indian film “Koyi Mil Gaya” wherein ‘Jaadu’ was the most popular character. We prepared almost 100+ SKUs of the film including soft toys and from there we started our journey of character soft toys. However, we could not compete with an unorganized market and hence we started concentrating on general soft toys. Renowned for our exceptional craftsmanship, we produce an extensive variety of soft toys and related products that captivate both children and adults alike.
Currently, we specialise in an array of delightful items that come in various styles, sizes, and colours, including Licensed Animated Toys, Theme Toys, Educational Toys, Animal and Festive Toys, Sling Bags, Stationery Pouches and many more. Our commitment to quality ensures that each product is crafted from soft, safe, and non-toxic materials. These toys are not only durable and washable but also skin-friendly and compliant with stringent safety standards.
12 ) What trends are we seeing when it comes to the acquisition prices for films? Is there a cost rationalisation that is going on?
Sushilkumar Agrawal: The film acquisition price varies across many factors like box office revenue, content appreciation, star cast, Popularity of Songs, Franchise value ( if any ), hence there is no rationalisation of a set price range for the film. Also, the trend in terms of acquisition price strongly depends upon the demand and supply of the films across various platforms. We have been noticing for the past 40 years that there is no barometer to put a fixed price on a film. The variable factors that I have mentioned above will dictate the tentative pricing of a film
13) The merchandising business in India is not mature and has a lot of unorganized players and piracy. How will Ultra deal with these challenges?
Sushilkumar Agrawal: You are right, the market is flooded with unorganized traders. There is a huge influx of duplicate products mainly imported from China, but now due to certain restrictions on their imports to India, we can give them good competition. Moreover, in Ultra we are developing new products every day. We offer a tailored experience to meet the unique needs of our clients through Original Design Manufacturing, Private Label Production, and Special Makeup (SMU) Products. Whether they need a unique design or a custom-branded product, our team is dedicated to bringing their vision to life with precision and creativity. This is our added advantage where the unorganised players lack majorly.
