MX Player to be India’s entertainment super app with its diverse offerings:Nikhil Gandhi

“We are not just a catch-up television content platform; we have a unique and differentiated content library that viewers do not see anywhere else. We are amongst the only few Indian platforms that enable content for our customers from across the globe and make it available in different languages for them, including Turkish, Korean, Ukrainian, Spanish and American content dubbed in local languages,” said MX Media COO Nikhil Gandhi. He further added that being a multi-lingual platform, the platform will introduce more languages with varied genres to cater to the ever-evolving choices of our consumers.

In an interview with Adgully, Nikhil Gandhi dwells at length on the uniqueness of the homegrown OTT platform, its content strategy, and the trends in the field. Excerpts:

How has 2021 been for MX Player? What were the key trends that shaped the streaming ecosystem?

From a technology standpoint, MX Player is recognised as an India-first product. Innovations such as H266, our ability to collect and analyse user data across multiple touchpoints (OTT, SV, gaming, music, etc.) have set us apart from other players in the market. MX targets the masses, and our content architecture is based on local tastes, emotional relevance and cultural preferences.

The ongoing pandemic has resulted in extended lockdowns with people confined to their homes. This, in a way, provided them with ample time to surf and search content that is available on traditional mediums vis-à-vis various OTT platforms, and eventually, make the shift towards the latter due to the diversity available in terms of formats and storytelling. Today, consumers are spending around six and a half hours on an average on both short- and long-format video platforms, out of which three and half hours are dedicated only to OTT platforms.

This has resulted in an exponential growth in our user base that currently stands at over 280 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs) and we continue to grow on other metrics as well – be it watch time for shows, time spent on the app or overall platform engagement.

This paradigm shift in the time spent in content consumption is due to two main factors: the growing popularity of these platforms as well as the developing creator eco-system that is churning out engaging content. We now have a user base of around 200,000 creators and they have the potential to grow to million creators in the years to come.

In 2022, we will see innovation with new technologies at play – AI, ML and data science will be adopted by companies at a much faster pace, and we will see that Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality will have the potential to go mainstream.

Additionally, entertainment companies will focus more on developing fresh content in varied genres and languages to cater to the diverse user base that we have in India. The nascent players in the industry will go mainstream and several new players will make a debut in this segment as Indians will demand progressive, coming-of-age content.

What was the USP that differentiated MX Player from the rest?

Unlike the other players, we are a very consumer-centric platform and have an India-first approach. Our focus is to remain a technology-forward business in the market, while providing quality content to our viewers. We are the only platform globally to have deployed disruptive tech innovation such as H266 which enables our users to save up to 70 per cent of their data with a premium viewing experience.

Our content is based on three different layers that power our user base – Technology, Diversity and Ability – to target users who want to watch quality content. We are the only free-to-watch Indian OTT platform that offers such a wide range of content to viewers in different genres and languages.

At MX Player, we have been able to ensure that the consumer growth journey is continuously evolving, where the passive consumer becomes an active consumer, who eventually becomes a loyalist. Additionally, we are not just a catch-up television content platform; we have a unique and differentiated content library that viewers do not see anywhere else. We are amongst the only few Indian platforms that enable content for our customers from across the globe and make it available in different languages for them – including Turkish, Korean, Ukrainian, Spanish and American content dubbed in local languages. MX is poised to be India’s entertainment super app with its diverse set of offerings – be it online video streaming, audio music, short videos, or games and that is what makes us favourite with the consumer.

What will be your content strategy for 2022?

Introducing original and diverse content formats along with upgradation in new technologies – AI, ML and Data Science – to make our platform more user friendly will be our focus in 2022. India is a melting pot of cultures and has a diverse audience base. Indian audiences are passionate about cinema and entertainment and it is really important to address this passion of our users coming from different parts of the country with fresh narratives, strong performers and budding talent as well as joining hands with good writers/ directors to bring these stories alive on our platform. With OTT penetrating into the Indian hinterlands, it will be critical for us to identify the new taste-clusters and what people would like to watch on our platform.

We are already a multilingual platform and we will introduce more languages with varied genres to cater to the ever-evolving choices of our consumers.

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