ShemarooMe Box Office
Shemaroo Entertainment launched ShemarooMe Box Office, India’s first transactional video-on-demand (TVoD) OTT platform, designed to recreate the theatre-going experience at home.
ShemarooMe Box Office
In July 2020, Shemaroo Entertainment launched ShemarooMe Box Office, India’s first transactional video-on-demand (TVoD) OTT platform, designed to recreate the theatre-going experience at home. At a time when theatres were shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ShemarooMe Box Office offered audiences first-day-first-show movie releases via a pay-per-view model. Strengthened by a strategic partnership with BookMyShow and bolstered by a multi-platform PR and marketing campaign, the launch successfully positioned ShemarooMe as an innovative player in the OTT space.
Background & Challenge
The Indian OTT ecosystem had grown rapidly in the wake of COVID-19, with audiences consuming more digital content than ever before. However, the absence of new theatrical releases left a significant gap in consumer entertainment. Producers faced monetization challenges for unreleased films, while audiences longed for the cultural thrill of watching “big screen” movies.
Shemaroo Entertainment identified this gap and launched ShemarooMe Box Office as a TVoD platform, allowing audiences to buy movie tickets online and enjoy premieres at home. The challenge lay in educating audiences about the TVoD model, establishing ShemarooMe Box Office in an already crowded OTT market, and ensuring strong recall amidst high-profile OTT releases.
Strategy & Approach
Alphabet Media crafted a strategy focused on storytelling, media impact, and consumer engagement.
- Positioned the platform as “Theatre ka Mazza Ghar Par”, reinforcing nostalgia for the movie-going ritual while adapting it to the “new normal.”
- Strategic alliance with BookMyShow, India’s largest ticketing platform, to replicate the thrill of booking cinema tickets digitally.
- Targeted PR outreach across consumer, trade, and entertainment media, driving narratives around ShemarooMe’s innovation and the benefits of its pay-per-view model.
- Influencer and critic engagement to legitimize the platform and spark conversations around the films.
- Experiential partnerships like Coffee Culture to complete the “food + film” theatre-at-home ecosystem.
Execution
The launch kicked off with “My Client’s Wife”, a critically acclaimed crime thriller, followed by films like Scotland and The Least of These. The campaign was executed through:
- Press Releases & Media Engagement: Trade and consumer announcements, leadership interviews (ET Now, India Today, Gulf News, Hindu Business Line), and continuous storytelling around the TVOD model.
- Movie Promotions: Star-cast interviews, gossip features, and film reviews in leading portals, ensuring content-led amplification.
- Digital Collaborations: Instagram Lives, critic reviews, and marketing tie-ups with cultural brands to engage younger audiences.
- Crisis Management: Proactive curation of interviews and email interactions to navigate actor unavailability and negative stories.
Results & Impact
- 400+ media exposures in 60 days across print, online, radio, and electronic media.
- 10M+ readership reach and 7+ billion impressions across metro and non-metro markets.
- INR 65M PR value and INR 22M ad value generated within the first two months.
- Successfully established ShemarooMe Box Office as a credible pay-per-view cinema-at-home platform in the post-pandemic landscape.
Results at a Glance
Media Exposures in 60 Days Across Print, Online, Radio & TV
Readership Reach & 7+ Billion Impressions Across Markets
PR Value & INR 22M Ad Value in First 2 Months
PR Value for “My Client’s Wife” Movie Campaign
Ad Value Generated for “My Client’s Wife” Movie Campaign
Media Coverages for “My Client’s Wife”
ShemarooMe Box Office Recognized as Pioneer of TVoD in India