Advertisers Are Still Looking At Platforms Where There Are Paid Subscribers: Krishna Menon, QYOU Media

QYOU Media has launched direct-to-consumer free app called Q PLAY. The app is designed to consolidate all five channels right from Hindi GEC to Marathi GEC, animation channel, comedy channel etc, under one roof. The app is an offering that helps to leverage our audience scale and employ a direct relationship with them. The aim of Q Play is to reach out to the cord-cutters beyond the metro cities.

Krishna Menon, Chief Operating Officer at QYOU Media India shares his thoughts on the same.

Excerpts from the Interview:

Q. What are the marketing strategies behind launching the app?

From an OTT standpoint, Q PLAY will be heavily promoted through performance marketing, growth marketing, and affiliate marketing. Considering the values of QYOU Media as a creator-led media platform, we will also focus on raising awareness through TTL activities with our creators, geeky, tech-savvy influencers, and a few affluent celebs in the tech and entertainment space. We are a hassle-free app that will simulcast free content from all of our top channels, including The Q, Q Marathi, The Q Comedistaan, The Q Kahaniyan, and Q GAMEX, with the goal of providing content with a plethora of enjoyment.

Q. Who are the target audience for the platform? Is it Millennial and GenZ focused?

For Q PLAY, our target audience is both the existing TV audiences and also reaching out to a new audience base that consumes digital content. For the existing audience, Q PLAY gives viewers the freedom to watch QYOU Media India’s TV channels on any device, be it a phone, tablet, etc., from anywhere – while traveling or at home. We are also trying to reach out to a new audience set that does not watch TV anymore and is leaning towards digital. Our channels cater to the youth beyond the metro cities, where there is limited digital access. With Q Play, we aim to bridge the gap through our content. 

Q. How is QYOU Media India strengthening India's Digital distribution strategy?

To drive synergies between linear TV and digital and capture newer and wider audience segments, we have strengthened our presence on Connected TV through partnerships with major players. With an intent to augment our content distribution, QYOU Media India recently partnered with OnePlus, giving OnePlus TV users access to its IP channels – The Q, Q Marathi, The Q Kahaniyan, and The Q Comedistaan. As a young entertainment brand, making digital-native content available for viewers on linear TV, provides us with an opportunity to open doors to millions of viewers and give our content a place and platform of its own.

Q. How can advertisers make the most of the new medium?

Q PLAY is yet to start advertising. Advertisers are still looking at platforms where there are paid subscribers. They have started experimenting with free platforms. But the interest is yet to mature to a level where they can add us to their campaigns. Currently, it is more of a push than a pull, strategy.

Q. QYOU Media India recently partnered with Amagi to grow its viewership and ad-based revenue in India. What is the strategic role behind the partnership play?

We partnered with Amagi to monetise our content effectively. QYOU Media India relies on Amagi’s Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI) solution with advanced analytics. Amagi’s extensive and impressive channel creation, distribution, and monetisation capabilities have helped us grow our revenues steadily while enabling us to engage viewers across a vast network of linear and OTT platforms. The network is using Amagi’s cloud solutions to create and distribute its channels, The Q Kahaniyan, The Q Comedistaan, and most recently, Q GAMEX to platforms such as Samsung TV Plus, Cloud TV, TCL, Jio TV, MX Player, and more. With effortless access to our large library of content across channels, we aim to make entertainment, a click away.

Q. QYOU is doing some interesting initiatives like the gaming channel. What are some unique innovations we can see from the network in the near future?

When it comes to CTVs in India, we are on the cusp of an explosion. This entire ecosystem will become a big play over the next year. We want to ensure that by the time it reaches its peak, we should have at least 10-15 fast channels. We are working on channels for social commerce, food, travel, etc. Over the next 2-3 months, we are hoping to launch a couple of channels. Recently, QYOU Media India acquired a mobile gaming enterprise Maxamtech Digital Ventures, a six-year-old India-based venture creating technology and games for the mobile gaming industry. At QYOU Media India, we aim to continue to expand and diversify our offerings beyond providing entertainment. Acquiring the talented team at Maxamtech Digital Ventures is another strategic step towards this goal. The acquisition will continue to push QYOU Media India to ramp up its portfolio of direct-to-consumer products as it moves into 2023. This includes recently launched the Q PLAY app which will reaffirm our commitment to delivering unique and innovative experiences to our 125 million weekly young viewers while also demonstrating our sustained emphasis on bringing meaningful innovation to the industry. Strengthening our capabilities with Maxamtech, we look forward to entering 2023 with greater opportunities to reach out to our audiences with new products driven by innovation and interactivity.