STAR Launches Downloadable Video Service in India

HONG KONG/MUMBAI, January
18: STAR Group’s Internet portal indya.com has launched a downloadable video
service featuring content like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii from its Indian networks.

The content available on
the platform will be culled from STAR’s various services in the market. In
addition to the hit soap Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, indya.com will offer The Great Indian Laughter
Challenge and the talk show
Koffee With Karan, among others. indya.com
is also working with other content providers to bring the best of Indian documentaries,
films and music online.

The service is available
worldwide and is targeted at broadband-enabled South Asian audiences in the
U.S., U.K., Canada and Southeast Asia. Users can access the service at http://broadband.indya.com/, which is powered by Direct2Drive, Fox Interactive
Media’s digital retail store.

Purchased content can be
downloaded to a PC and is then played on up to two Windows Media compatible
devices, including portable players. Single episodes are now available for free
on a trial basis. Additional
episodes are priced starting from US$0.99 per episode, with discounts for
bundled purchases. indya.com also delivers exclusive recap episodes for top serials,
chronicling an entire week of events in a 45-minute episode.

“This is the first time an
Asian Internet portal has made this kind of scale of entertainment content
available online,” said Ajay Vidyasagar, the EVP and head of interactive media
at STAR India. “We are very pleased to be able to launch the service with a
number of STAR’s popular properties and look forward to working with other
content providers in order to offer broadband enabled South Asians the world
over the best entertainment content for download.”