With an increased adoption of OTT services across demographic segments amidst a global pandemic, content consumption today has become an individual activity. International content is reaching audiences across the globe at the click of a fingertip and understanding the growing need/ preferences of the discerning viewer - MX Player, a home-grown OTT platform has curated one of India’s largest catalogues of foreign dubbed content for its wide user base.
Dubbed in local Indian languages, this is a category that MX Player is sharply focusing on and offers viewers a varied palette of entertainment choices that includes – American, Spanish & Latin American, Turkish, Korean, Russian and Ukrainian libraries, all available to binge watch for free. Internal research indicates an equal interest between male and female users towards long-format international content, with audiences of the age 18–24 years showing a higher preference for this content category, followed by the 25-34 years age segment.
International content on MX Player caters not just towards top metros but also across a large footprint within the Tier 1 & 2 towns of the country as well. Viewers from more than 130 towns across India not only watch international content but also actively respond to us via surveys and feedback forms. These users are big on binge behaviour with high stickiness. Our consumption data shows that users watch up to 100 episodes of each show, indicating high commitment levels for the content - effectively proving that even niche content is now able to find a sizable audience on MX Player. There also exists a clear virality element within the user base that watches high engagement content such as this. Our core user base is actively involved in searching for international content outside the app as well. Almost 50% of our international viewers discover international content on social media or because it was recommended by a friend.
Elaborating on the same, Mansi Shrivastav, SVP & Head – Content Acquisition at MX Player said, “The strategy is to identify universal content that has an appeal amongst Indian audiences when offered to them in a language that is relevant to them. Long running family dramas, love stories and romantic comedies are genres that perform extremely well on the platform; it has brought alive our vision to penetrate through newer audiences by breaking down cultural/ language barriers and offering them fresh content from around the world.”
Spanish and Latin American shows are well travelled around the world but have not seen an acute focus in India till date. Changing this narrative, MX Player has inked a deal with Televisa to bring viewers Spanish titles like ‘My Husband’s Family’, ‘Italian Bride’, ‘Along Came Love’ amongst others as well as Caracol TV for shows like ‘River of Passion’ and ‘Marianna and Scarlett’. In an effort to be relevant to the Indian viewer, MX Player also localizes the name of the show as well. These will go live on the platform soon.
Hollywood dubbed content like ‘The Shannara Chronicles’ and ‘Baghdad Central’, Turkish TV shows like ‘Our Story’ and ‘Day Dreamer and Korean dramas have been a major driver in the international category that garners loyal eyeballs. The brand has signed a deal with SBS Content Hub, a leading national South Korean television and radio network for 10+ new shows and are in active conversation with other prominent players in this category. This slate includes shows like VIP, Doctor John, Where Stars Land and amongst others.
