"Going pay while offering only Bengali content, Hoichoi was considered to be a laughable proposition four years back": Vishnu Mohta

Amidst all the players with deep pockets and international content, who would pay for Hoichoi, is a question that the co-founder says he was often asked at roundtable discussions and industry conventions.

Park Street, Rajarhat, Gariahat, EM Bypass, VIP Road... from Puja pandals to bus stops to billboards at every busy destinations in Kolkata, there is hardly a corner where Hochoi hoarding is not screaming at commuters. The video-on-demand streaming platforms completed four years of operation in September. It has announced a new slate of content with aim to acquire more subscribers. The bombardment of hoardings now is an aim to garner scale.

Four years back when Netflix was signing Rs 100 crore plus cheque to commission 'Sacred Games' or Amazon Prime Video was promoting 'Inside Edge', 'Breathe' - all big-budget shows, quietly in Kolkata, Shree Venkatesh Films (SVF) announced the launch of Hochoi. SVF is a powerhouse when it comes to media and entertainment business in the east. It is one of the largest film distributors in the region, owns screens, it even makes chartbuster shows for Star Jalsha, Zee Bangla and also produces movies. There is one thing that SVF never ventured into and that was direct to consumer media channel. Hochoi is just that.

Hoichoi announced that it will be an "only paid" proposition and will target Bengali-speaking people all across the world. "Many thought it was a laughable proposition," recalls Vishnu Mohta, co-founder of Hoichoi. Amidst all the players with deep pockets and international content, who would pay for Hoichoi, is a question that Mohta says he was often asked at roundtable discussions and conventions. Four years since "We are over those discussions," he smiles. Hoichoi announced it gets 40 per cent of its direct subscription revenue from international markets.

Today, there are OTT platforms in Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra and other parts of the country offering content in regional languages. Most of them believe that going pay is the best option. Reports suggest that these Indian independent OTT platforms are giving a hard time to Netflix and the likes. At the end of the day, there is only that much one can watch.

In an interview with afaqs! Mohta talks about the lessons learned in the last four years and the road ahead.

Edited Excerpts: