Vuclip’s video on demand service, Viu has entered the regional content space with the launch of Originals, both in long and short form, beginning with Telugu. Viu has partnered with Annapurna Studio, a production house for film and TV content and Tamada Media to co-produce a youthful urban entertainer in Telugu titled Pilla directed by Pavan Sadineni. The show is scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2017. The company will use this partnership to also co-produce a wedding comedy with the working title Pelli Gola. It is a show set in rustic Amalapuram to be directed by Mallik Ram. Partnering with Tamada Media and Whacked Out! Media respectively, Viu will also launch two short-form original shows titled ‘Munching with Mahathalli’ and ‘Cinema Pichollo’ in Telugu on 18th February centered around the ‘fandom’ of Tollywood cinema. Launched in March 2016, Viu is a freemium video on demand service that charges Rs 99 per month for a subscription to provide ad-free viewing of content and access to exclusive content. The free content comes with a 30-day free access to premium content which is available only to paid customers otherwise. The payment options include Paytm, carrier billing, Google billing, Maxis billing, credit & debit card and in-app billing for iOS. Viu is currently present in India, Malaysia and Indonesia. The platform claims to Asian content in 34 different languages from more than 270 top content providers around the world. Other original content deals by Viu: In January 2017, Viu had commissioned two original shows by film…
