ShortsTV secures Airtel Xstream deal
February 26, 2021
By Colin Mann
Short form video entertainment network ShortsTV has formed its first partnership with a major mobile network operator which will see it offer the ShortsTV video-on-demand service to Airtel’s 340 million subscribers in India to watch on mobiles or TVs through Airtel Xstream.
ShortsTV through Airtel Xstream has launched an expansive catalogue of quality short movies that includes nominated and winning shorts from the Academy Awards, Cannes and BAFTA. The service offers a specially-curated library of over 4,000 international titles spanning comedy, musicals, documentaries, thrillers, drama, and animation, as well as short movies in English, foreign, and local Indian languages.
The Airtel partnership follows three years of investment in the development of ShortsTV’s proprietary Service Delivery Platform which has been designed specifically to suit short form viewing behaviour. The platform is easy to integrate, enabling ShortsTV to roll out its video-on-demand services in a matter of days to any mobile or TV operator in the world, with streaming capability for all devices including mobiles, tablets, smart TVs, set-top boxes and laptops.
“This is the first major mobile network operator deal for ShortsTV and it is in exactly the right place,” notes Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive, ShortsTV. “India has witnessed an unprecedented increase in content consumption on digital platforms and is a true mobile-first society for scripted entertainment content. ShortsTV is already present in over 60 million TV households in India, and our partnership with Airtel Xstream will bring us to Airtel’s 340 million subscribers who are always on the lookout for unique content to watch on either their mobiles or TVs. ShortsTV has developed a revolutionary Service Delivery Platform that is uniquely suited to short form content, and which we are positioned to roll out to mobile and TV operators anywhere.”
ShortsTV through Airtel Xstream is available at a subscription of INR 99/- (€1.11) per month and INR 499/- for a year.