Hoichoi announces 100+ hours of original content with more than 30 originals

Backed by SVF (formerly known as Shree Venkatesh Films), Hoichoi, which is said to be the largest digital Bengali content platform has redefined India’s OTT space for regional languages and emerged as the one-stop destination for anyone looking for Bengali entertainment across borders and age groups.

The company says, "in just one year of launch, Hoichoi has streamed over 240 million minutes of content." Encouraged by the audience response, Hoichoi declared grand plans to launch 30 original shows and 12 original films equivalent to 100 plus hours of original content in the upcoming year. It also announced plans to double the overall content library to approx 2800 hours in the next one year by acquiring 200 Bengali movies, 12 of which will be World Digital Premieres.

The viewers of Hoichoi will be spoilt for choice as there will be variation of content available across genres including Fantasy, Dark Comedy, Musical Thriller, Sitcom, Travelogue, Mystery, Paranormal Drama, Kids, Treasure Hunt, Psychological Horror, Detective Erotica etc. to be created by some of the finest production houses and directorial talent.

Vishnu Mohta, Co-Founder, Hoichoi said, “We launched Hoichoi with the objective of making it the ultimate destination for Bengali entertainment and we believe we have taken great strides on our way to achieving it. The fact that the average time spent in-app for Hoichoi is 60 minutes per day per subscriber is extremely encouraging, which is way above the industry average."

"We had also stated that Hoichoi wants to cater to the 250 million plus Bengalis living worldwide and expanding our footprint into Bangladesh and the Middle East is an important step in that direction. These are markets with a potential of more than 180 million customers. While expansion into Bangladesh through local payment gateways, is a natural decision to reach a wider audience, entry into Middle East is aimed at connecting with the huge migrant Bengali population living in the Arabian Peninsula nation. We will soon launch “Dhaka Metro” - our first web series for the Bangladesh audience, which will be directed by Amitabh Reza Chaudhuri - Bangladesh’s award-winning director. We intend to keep delighting our audience worldwide.”

Mahendra Soni, Director and Co-Founder, Hoichoi said, “At Hoichoi we try to keep a finger on the pulse of our audience. With almost 40 per cent of our audience coming from non-urban areas, we decided to emulate the successful telecom model and introduce Hoichoi Top-Up cards to make it convenient for our customers to subscribe to Hoichoi. This offline payment mechanism is never heard of before in the OTT industry and will help us reach the masses in Tier II and Tier III cities. One can simply purchase the Hoichoi Top Up Cards available for subscribing to our 3 months, 6 months and 12 months plans from the nearest retailer and access the largest collection of the best in Bengali entertainment on Hoichoi without having to do any online financial transaction.

Shrikant Mohta, Director and Co-Founder of Hoichoi said, “At Hoichoi we have consciously taken a decision to adopt the AD-Free SVoD model because we want to provide the uninterrupted entertainment experience to our audience. In yet another first in the Bengali entertainment space, we are now introducing the ‘Pay Per View’ feature as part of the TVoD model. We will be releasing movies on Hoichoi approximately in just two weeks of their theatrical release and the viewers will have the option to pay for the content on an a-la-carte basis”

Other key initiatives by Hoichoi include:

-Option to have Bengali app and website interface along with the existing English one.

-Some of the Original Shows will be dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Arabic.

-Hoichoi Brand Extension – now the audience can buy their favourite merchandise.

Currently, Hoichoi has a library of over 1400 hours of content including 500+ Bengali movies, 50+ hours of exclusive Original Web Series (22 shows streaming now) and 1000+ songs to serve the entertainment needs of Bengali audiences globally. It also launched its Fire TV and Apple TV apps for the TV viewing audience. Hoichoi is powered by ViewLift, the international content distribution platform and Amazon Web Services,.

Ten important features of the Hoichoi app are:

1. Content Library — the largest collection of the best in Bengali entertainment content with 22 Original Web Series, over 500 movies and more than 1000 songs.

2. Download Now, Watch or Listen Later — Offline download facility available for accessing content anytime, anywhere.

3. AD-Free Seamless Viewing/Listening Experience - Unlimited HD streaming.

4. Multi-Device Capability – Hoichoi app is available for download on Android and iOS. It supports access across all popular platforms - Mobiles, PCs, Laptops and Tablets. It is Chromecast and AirPlay-enabled and is available on Apple TV and Fire TV.

5. User Interface – Subscribers enjoy a smooth user experience, with a well-designed interface and appropriate classification of content.

6. Pay-Per-View model – Newly released movies will be coming on Hoichoi soon after their theatrical release giving national and international users an exclusive chance to watch those films, bringing theatre experience to your homes!

7. Multiple Payment Options including UPI, Debit Card, Credit Card, Net Banking, Wallets and now .hoichoi Top Up Card.

8. Programmatic Search Engine – gives accurate search results and relevant autocomplete suggestions in an instant.

9. Competitive Subscription Rates – 3 months (Rs 149), 6 months (Rs 249), 12 months (Rs 399). International Rates: Monthly - $8.99 and Annual — $79.99

10. Coming Soon – Kids content, Roku TV access.

Besides, the show offers 30 original shows — Taranath Tantrik, Baishe Srabon, Dhaka Metro, Charitraheen, 5 Phoron, Bidyut, Dupur Thakurpo 2 : Part II, Eken Babu: Season 2: E Kon Eken?, Hello: Season 2, Shei Je Holud Pakhi : Season 2, Dhanbad Blues, 6: Season 2: 6 6, Byomkesh: Season 4, Holy Faak: Season 2, VJ Bhow-Mik, The Experiment, Spiti Valley, Nishachor, Gogol S1 Part II, Tansen-er Tanpura, Bong Jononi, Cell No. 42, Nikhoj, Miss Tipsy, Money Honey, Bou Keno Psycho, Comedy of Terrors.

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