Mumbai: Eros Now, a leading South Asian streaming entertainment service owned by Eros STX Global Corporation (NYSE: ESGC), a global entertainment company, announced today that STX films’ ‘Greenland’ will be available exclusively in India on the Eros Now platform starting in March 2021. With this exciting announcement, Eros Now also expands its content strategy with the launch of a new offering called ‘First Day, First Show’. ‘First Day, First Show’ is a Premium Video-On-Demand (PVOD) offering which will offer premium film content to Eros Now subscribers in India at an additional cost of INR. 149 per film.
The hit action movie Greenland starring Gerard Butler opened #1 in theatres in 27 territories around the world, through STX film’s network of international distribution partners that led an international-first strategy. The film, about a family fighting for survival as a planet-decimating comet nears Earth, is coming to Eros Now as the first film of ‘First Day, First Show’ in March 2021.
The digital release date for Greenland comes as Indian movie theatres face a crisis brought on by the pandemic. The pandemic has led to a surge of digital content consumption across genres and platforms, which is a very encouraging indicator for content creators and providers. The launch of Greenland on Eros Now is also a perfect preview to the launch of ‘First Day, First Show’. In addition to Greenland, other marquee content from STX Films such as Horizon Line, Queenpins, Copshop, American Sole, The Marsh King’s Daughter, Run Rabbit Run, Devotion, Every Note Played, and Memory will also be launched on Eros Now in India over the next 18 months. In addition to these premiere films, First Day, First Show will also include premium programming from multiple content partners across languages. The ‘First Day, First Show’ offering is separate from the Eros Now Prime English-language service which will be launched shortly. ‘First Day, First Show’ and Eros Now Prime together will allow us to target Indian consumers with higher disposable incomes, particularly in larger cities, which will improve our net effective ARPUs in India.
Commenting on the release, Pradeep Dwivedi, Chief Executive Officer, ErosSTX India said, “With cinema halls working on the best possible ways to open doors for movie enthusiasts amidst the pandemic, ‘First day, First show’ on Eros Now provides an opportunity for viewers to opt for the best of entertainment in the comfort of their own homes. The Eros STX merger enables us to offer premium content for our global audience base and Greenland is a first of many such exciting titles to be presented this year.”
Explaining the business strategy behind this approach, John Friedberg, President, ErosSTX International said, “Eros Now’s new IP ‘First Day, First Show’, reiterates our commitment towards providing real value to our audiences. We want to continue bringing compelling content, expand audience engagement and add novelty to the platform by refreshing the service continually. ‘First day, First show’ is yet another initiative towards our promise of a one stop destination for all things entertainment.”
