What’s in store for marketers in 2021?

2020 was a busy year for Disney+ Hotstar. This simply means that there’s a lot for marketers to look forward to in 2021. The Hotstar Marketing Platform has rolled out a slew of new initiatives to cater to every marketing objective. Here’s a look at the highlights for 2021:

Ad Formats & Targeting

The platform offers a bevy of innovative advertising solutions for marketers to choose from. For instance, geo-targeting via Billboards: advertisers can reach their target audience at scale based on where they are. The brands can be the first thing audiences see as they fire up the platform. 

Further, innovations such as Pincode Targeting helps brands can get hyperlocal when reaching out to viewers. 

 Narratives are the key to achieving brand objectives. On the Hotstar Marketing Platform, brands can now communicate their stories through an industry-first ad format that has a skip option after 60 seconds at the pricing of 30-second format.

 Brands looking to engage movie buffs can leverage retargeting of multiplex viewers – a highly engaged and affluent audience. 

Engaging Content

The platform has led the curve not just in terms of eyeballs and technological innovation but also with industry-leading content. In 2021, the Hotstar Marketing Platform has raised the bar even further – which means new avenues for brands to achieve their marketing goals. Regional content is the key to success in India given the audience engagement levels, and Disney+ Hotstar has upped the ante in this respect. 

Outlined below are some of Disney+ Hotstar’s upcoming premium impact content, live sports and innovations that marketers can look forward to:

Tamil Multiplex

Disney+ Hotstar’s Multiplex has enjoyed significant success and viewership. 

Take Mookuthi Amman, for instance. The movie – Disney+ Hotstar’s first regional release on Multiplex (Tamil, in this case), has garnered some stellar numbers. Here’s a quick look: 

• 2 million views with 115 minutes of average watch time per user, after just three weeks of launch
• 10 million video views

Mookuthi Amman’s resounding success has made way for the Tamil Multiplex. Here, Disney+ Hotstar will present direct-to-digital films – ‘Bhoomi’ and ‘Teddy’ – releasing in February 2021. Marketers now have the opportunity to advertise on these direct-to-digital releases with first-time exclusive and brand sponsorship opportunities.

Bigg Boss

Waiting in the wings is ‘Bigg Boss Malayalam – Season 3’, which is tentatively scheduled to launch in February. With National Award winner and big-screen legend Mohanlal as the host, the show is sure to attract and engage fans like never before.

Star Singer

January saw more treats for the Kerala audience – ‘Star Singer Season 8’ – the blockbuster Malayalam singing reality show, and the just-launched ‘Super Singer Tamil’. Both shows are an opportunity to engage with a hooked audience.

 Live sports

On the sports front, England’s Tour of India is scheduled from February 5 through March 28. In India, there’s no draw bigger than cricket – as is seen with the Dream11 IPL 2021. Cricket fans can also look forward to the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup later this year. The passion of cricket fans is unmatched, and no other platform can offer greater brand awareness and favourability through the wide variety of advertising formats.

Viewers of sports apart from cricket also need to pencil in several other live tournaments – the Pro Kabbadi League, the English Premier League, the French and US Opens, and the Wimbledon – into their 2021 planners, because it’s going to be an action-packed year!

With these exciting regional content and live sports properties on offer, one thing is for certain: very few brands can afford to leave the Hotstar Marketing Platform out of their marketing mix, especially in 2021.