ALTBalaji, a homegrown Over-the-Top (OTT) platform on Monday announced a strategic partnership with PayPoint India. The company with over 60 original shows including Ragini MMS Returns, Bose, Code M and Apharan said that the partnership enables users to perform offline recharge, a “first-of-its kind industry initiative.” PayPoint, a offline-to-online (O2O) company is said to offer over 100 services including bill payment, recharges for mobile and Direct-to-Home (DTH) operators. PayPoint is said to have over 45,000 retailers across India with more than 80% of its users said to be spread across rural and semi-rural markets.
ALTBalaji and PayPoint Engaged in Strategic Partnership
The initiative is said to be targeted at the rural and semi-rural markets “with a set of viewers who require digital-assistance and offline subscription payment options.” PayPoint said that the partnership will aid ALTBalaji to tap the rural and semi-rural markets by making its content “more accessible” to users. “Our increased focus towards creating desi originals for our Bharat audience has led to the massification of content,” Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO of ALTBalaji, said in a release. “It has resulted in the rise in viewership and time spent on the platform from these regions. Hence, our association with Pay Point is a strategic step in the right direction that aligns us perfectly to establish a strong foothold in these rural and semi-rural markets.” Under the partnership, ALTBalaji users will receive “seamless assistance” at PayPoint offline stores for activation along with subscription payments and renewals. “For ALTBalaji like alternatives to mass entertainment, there is a huge fan following in the rural districts of India,” Ketan Doshi, managing director of PayPoint, said in the release. “However, for lower digital-savvy fans activating the service, and doing an offline recharge is a hindrance. This partnership will be a boon for the population to do an instant activation and renewal recharge.”
ALTBalaji Witnesses Spike in Subscriber Addition During Lockdown
ALTBalaji said that the company is noticing a “strong uptake” of subscriptions in the current pandemic. The company is said to be witnessing an average of 17,000 subscriber additions per day post lockdown as compared to an average of 10,600 in March, representing a 60% growth. ALTBalaji said that the partnership with PayPoint will enable the company to “take the OTT space to the masses and aggressively increase its viewership by reaching every corner of the country.” The company has two subscriber packs with the base plan priced at Rs 100 enabling users to watch ALTBalaji content for three months. Further, top-tier pack priced at Rs 300 enables users to watch AltBalaji content for 12 months.
