We target to premiere 55-60 titles until March 2022: Lionsgate’s Amit Dhanuka

Lionsgate Play was the new kid in the block. It was early this year that Hollywood studio Lionsgate launched Lionsgate Play, its streaming service, in the highly competitive and lucrative Indian market. The journey has been great so far, says Amit Dhanuka, Executive Vice President, Lionsgate India. The streamer recently released its first Hindi-language original dramedy series, ‘Hiccups & Hookups’, with Lara Dutta and Prateik Babbar in the lead. 

In an exclusive interview to to Adgully, Dhanuka further said: “With each passing month, we have seen growth in our subscription base. We knew India was ready and searching for premium content and our product met with the demand, which resulted in a phenomenal response from the Indian audience for the exclusive content that we have on our app.” Excerpts:

It has been one year since Lionsgate Play was launched in India. How has the journey been so far for the streamer?

The journey has been great so far. With each passing month, we have seen growth in our subscription base. We knew India was ready and searching for premium content and our product met with the demand, which resulted in a phenomenal response from the Indian audience for the exclusive content that we have on our app. Lionsgate Play released its first Hindi-language original dramedy series, ‘Hiccups & Hookups’, with Lara Dutta and Prateik Babbar in the lead. The series, which showcases sibling bonding and dating in the digital world, was well received by the audience and critics.

What are your targets (growth projections, subscriber base, etc.) for 2022?

While majority of our viewership is still metro-centric, we have seen a steady rise of customer acquisition from other parts of the country, where audiences are seeking contemporary content with great storytelling. We want to keep up with the momentum and release edgy, urban content every week through our weekly premieres that happen every Friday. We have targeted to premiere 55 to 60 titles until March 2022, which is in the process. As of now, we have released 60% of the titles. After the success of the first original series, Lionsgate Play will be launching our second original series in the first quarter of the coming year. You can expect a few more announcements with regard to the original series by the brand.

What were the key trends that shaped the Indian streaming ecosystem in 2021 and what will be key dynamics for the next year?

In 2021, we witnessed the changing dynamics of the entertainment industry. Many big high-budget movies saw direct OTT releases and more content was made specifically for the OTT industry. 2022 is going to be an eventful year for OTT players as the content pipeline will be more robust than ever. Today’s viewers are constantly looking for exceptional stories. Lionsgate Play has always said that good content is the ultimate winner. The OTT industry will be more competitive, which will result in a great content library for cinephiles.

What are your plans, including content strategy and audience engagement, for 2022?

Lionsgate Play’s core DNA is edgy and engaging content. With each of the originals, we are diving into a new genre with unique stories. We are backing on great storylines. Last year, the world broke the barriers of language. Dubbed content from countries like Korea, South America, Europe saw a huge jump in viewership. As a part of our weekly Friday releases, we will premiere premium content not only from Hollywood, but also from other parts of the world.