STAR India launches a video website, startv.in

Similar to Hulu.com, startv.in will showcase the video content sourced from various STAR network channels on the Internet

News Corp is trying to replicate its success with the US based video website, called Hulu.com, in the APAC markets as well. It plans to host video content from its various channels through an online property to engage audiences in several countries.

Its Indian subsidiary, STAR India, has already launched a video site, STAR Player, available at startv.in. Very soon, the group will unveil video websites under the STAR Player brand in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

To begin with, full episodes, divided into short duration video clips of various programmes from STAR Plus, STAR One, STAR World, STAR Pravah (Marathi general entertainment channel), Channel V and its Bengali channel, STAR Jalsha, will be uploaded on STAR Player on a regular basis.

Later on, the group has plans to upload its video archives on the website. “We will upload all the video content owned and available to us, which implies that apart from uploading the episodes broadcast on a daily basis, we will also put up our video archives on the website,” Gurtej Sandhu, senior vice-president, new media and IT, tells afaqs!.

Surprisingly, STAR India also plans to offer the platform to other broadcasters to upload their video content on STAR Player. Sandhu reveals, “We are currently talking to three TV channels, including a news channel and a regional language TV channel.”

Although the video content on the website will be offered to the users for free, it is obvious that STAR India will be eyeing additional revenue by making its video content available online.

Sandhu is not ready to disclose the percentage of revenue the company is targeting to make through the website. He reveals that the content will be monetised through video advertising.

Advertisers will be offered to choose from pre-roll, post-roll, overlay and in-banner video advertising. He claims that advertisers will be enabled to serve ads based on the context of videos. For instance, if the user watches a video which has the presence of Shah Rukh Khan, or shows a conversation related to the actor, then a brand that uses Khan as its brand ambassador can showcase its ad in the video.

It is important to note that other media groups such as NDTV and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (BCCL) are also using the online medium to earn additional revenue from video content.

In February 2009, NDTV Convergence, the digital arm of the NDTV Group, launched Tubaah.com to host the video content sourced from various NDTV owned TV channels. The company claims that it earns 8-10 per cent of its revenue from video advertising.

Similarly, BCCL set up an online video arm, called Times Audience Network, in March 2009 to distribute and monetise its video clips from Zoom TV, Times Now and Times Music.

STAR India is also using the services of Nautanki.tv to make its video content available online. Nautanki.tv is an online platform which enables video content producers to upload and host their content in short duration formats, and distribute these through 10,000 video widgets owned by the portal. STAR India offers video clips from Channel V, STAR Plus and STAR One on Nautanki.tv.