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MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd
(ZEEL) has called off its proposed joint
venture (JV) with Stockholm-based Voddler
as it was not satisfied with the product
being developed by the technology and
streaming company.
The two companies were to form a JV to
launch video-on-demand (VoD) service
Bollyvod in which ZEEL was to invest $5
million.
“Bollyvod is not launching because that
agreement [with Voddler] got cancelled,” Zee
Digital Convergence Ltd (ZDCL) CEO
Debashish Ghosh told TelevisionPost.com.
Elucidating further, Ghosh said that there
was a big difference in what was promised
by Voddler and what was being developed.
“The arrangement didn’t work out. Their
product wasn’t ready. What we were told
and shown were two different things. It
didn’t really work,” he said.
He further added, “The platform wasn’t
ready at all. It was tested in a very different
kind of a market. It was under a severe
laboratory conditions and therefore it just
didn’t work out.”
Former ZEEL chief corporate development
officer Atul Das, who is now president of
ZEEL’s distribution arm Taj Television, had
told TelevisionPost.com that the company
would invest up to $5 million and form a JV
with Voddler to develop a propriety
technology, provided the technology
succeeded.
“This is an in-principle approval to invest if
they develop a proprietary storage and
streaming technology. If it becomes
successful, we will be investing in the
company,” Das had said.
ZEEL’s wholly owned subsidiary Asia Today
Ltd, Mauritius was to form a JV with
Voddler.
The first consumer facing part of the
partnership was expected to be a pilot VoD
service, built and operated by Voddler,
featuring Zee premium content, offered
globally for both online and offline
consumption and was due for release in
early 2014.
In June 2014, Worldscreen.com had reported
that the JV had started the US rollout of its
VoD service Bollyvod. It was being offered
on a one-month free trial basis for
subscribers in the US.
The initial focus for the platform included
India, the USA and Indonesia, markets with
proven interest in Bollywood content.
Voddler was to build and operate a global
solution for online streaming of Zee’s
premium content. The company has a
propriety streaming cloud technology called
VoddlerNet to power the VoD service.
ZEEL calls off JV with Voddler to launch VoD platform | TelevisionPost.com
(ZEEL) has called off its proposed joint
venture (JV) with Stockholm-based Voddler
as it was not satisfied with the product
being developed by the technology and
streaming company.
The two companies were to form a JV to
launch video-on-demand (VoD) service
Bollyvod in which ZEEL was to invest $5
million.
“Bollyvod is not launching because that
agreement [with Voddler] got cancelled,” Zee
Digital Convergence Ltd (ZDCL) CEO
Debashish Ghosh told TelevisionPost.com.
Elucidating further, Ghosh said that there
was a big difference in what was promised
by Voddler and what was being developed.
“The arrangement didn’t work out. Their
product wasn’t ready. What we were told
and shown were two different things. It
didn’t really work,” he said.
He further added, “The platform wasn’t
ready at all. It was tested in a very different
kind of a market. It was under a severe
laboratory conditions and therefore it just
didn’t work out.”
Former ZEEL chief corporate development
officer Atul Das, who is now president of
ZEEL’s distribution arm Taj Television, had
told TelevisionPost.com that the company
would invest up to $5 million and form a JV
with Voddler to develop a propriety
technology, provided the technology
succeeded.
“This is an in-principle approval to invest if
they develop a proprietary storage and
streaming technology. If it becomes
successful, we will be investing in the
company,” Das had said.
ZEEL’s wholly owned subsidiary Asia Today
Ltd, Mauritius was to form a JV with
Voddler.
The first consumer facing part of the
partnership was expected to be a pilot VoD
service, built and operated by Voddler,
featuring Zee premium content, offered
globally for both online and offline
consumption and was due for release in
early 2014.
In June 2014, Worldscreen.com had reported
that the JV had started the US rollout of its
VoD service Bollyvod. It was being offered
on a one-month free trial basis for
subscribers in the US.
The initial focus for the platform included
India, the USA and Indonesia, markets with
proven interest in Bollywood content.
Voddler was to build and operate a global
solution for online streaming of Zee’s
premium content. The company has a
propriety streaming cloud technology called
VoddlerNet to power the VoD service.
ZEEL calls off JV with Voddler to launch VoD platform | TelevisionPost.com
