ShortsTV signs a content deal with Viacom18 Studio to expands its Indian short films portfolio

 ~ Wins South Asia distribution rights of 15 popular short films produced by Tipping Point such as Maya, Geek Out, The Epiphany, Glitch, Red Velvet among others ~

Mumbai, 14 May 2020

ShortsTV, the world’s first 24/7 channel dedicated to short films has inked a content deal with Tipping Point, the digital content production arm of Viacom18 Studios. As a part of the deal, ShortsTV has bagged the South Asia distribution rights of 15 short films featuring some of Bollywood’s top actors and directors.

ShortsTV’s depth of films is unrivalled, drawing from a growing catalogue of more than 13,000 Indian and international short films. With this new partnership, ShortsTV has added to its bouquet top Indian short films such as Maya, Geek Out, The Epiphany, Glitch, The Daughter-In-Law, Grey, Red Velvet, A(U)N Usual Day, On the Road, Joy Ride, Teaspoon, Tea, Kill Me with Love, Hidden Cricket and A Twist in Love. These boundary-breaking stories, featuring popular actors such as Vicky Kaushal, Sayani Gupta, Mona Singh, Fardeen Khan span across genres as diverse as drama, thriller, adventure and mystery and are produced by Tipping Point.

Commenting on the partnership, Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive, ShortsTV said, “In line with our endeavor to bring the highest quality short entertainment to film buffs, we are delighted to partner with Viacom18 Studios’ Tipping Point to add the most popular Indian short films to our growing library. During these unprecedented times when people are indoors and looking for new entertainment options, ShortsTV is ready to deliver content extraordinaire from across the globe, to be enjoyed from the safety of our homes.”

Commenting on the deal, Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Studios, said, “In just over a year, Tipping Point as a young digital content brand, has managed to create content that cuts across demographics, set genres and formulas. Our latest association with ShortsTV for our widely appreciated short films is a step towards deepening that connect with discerning consumers. From licensing our content to top Indian OTT players like VOOT or global platforms like Netflix & ShortsTV – we will continue to connect stories to audiences across the globe.”

Debuting in India in 2018 first on Tata Sky, ShortsTV is now available across all leading DTH platforms reaching over 60 million households, providing short filmmakers an excellent platform to showcase their work. ShortsTV is available ad-free on Dish TV and d2h as ‘ShortsTV Active’ (channel 135), on Airtel Digital TV as ‘Airtel ShortsTV’ (channel 259) and on Tata Sky as ‘Tata Sky ShortsTV’ (HD channel 112 and SD channel 113).

In addition, ShortsTV has founded the Best of India Short Film Festival inviting filmmakers to make their submissions aiming to qualify more Indian short films for Oscar consideration. This year, the festival has already received more than 1000 entries.

ABOUT SHORTSTV:

• ShortsTV is the first and only 24/7, linear and OTT HD TV channel dedicated to short form video entertainment, including movies and series.
• Distributed globally, the channel is available in 100 million homes across the US, India, Latin America, the Netherlands, Belgium and Eastern Europe.
• With over 13,000 titles, ShortsTV has the largest catalogue of quality short form video entertainment, including award-winning and star-studded live action, animated and documentary shorts from filmmakers around the globe.
• In addition to the channel, ShortsTV distributes a significant catalogue of on-demand shorts through video-on-demand on iTunes in 92 countries, Amazon Instant Video (UK, US and Germany), Google Play (US and Canada), and Verizon and Frontier (US).
• Since 2006, ShortsTV has exclusively presented the ‘Oscar Nominated Short Films’ theatrical release in cinemas across the US and Canada, South America, Europe, India, Australia and South Africa.
• ShortsTV has developed and is in beta testing in the US with AT&T, the first app to use a similar machine-learning algorithm to Spotify, giving audiences the power to create their own channels in the short form video entertainment space.
• ShortsTV is operated by Shorts International and is headquartered in London, England with offices in Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Mumbai. The company is led by Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive, and is owned by Shorts Entertainment Holdings, with AMC Networks as a significant minority shareholder.

ABOUT VIACOM18 STUDIOS

Viacom18 Studios is India’s finest fully integrated motion pictures studio that has emerged as a force to reckon with by delivering a stream of critically and commercially successful films. Offering differentiated and meaningful cinema, some of its iconic releases include Andhadhun (2018), Padmaavat (2018), Toilet – Ek Prem Katha (2017), Lucknow Central (2017), Drishyam (2015), Gabbar is Back (2015), Margarita with a Straw (2015), Manjhi – The Mountain Man (2015), Mary Kom (2014), Queen (2014), Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), Madras Café (2013), to name a few. Viacom18 Studios is also one of the few studios to have successfully ventured into regional films across languages like Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi and from the South. The Studio has also backed path-breaking and much-appreciated creative work in the form of hits like Bombay Talkies, Gangs of Wasseypur I and II, OMG – Oh My God! amongst others.

The strategic alliance with Paramount Pictures to market and distribute PPI line-up in the Indian sub-continent has seen blockbusters like Mission Impossible: The Fallout, Transformers: The Last Knight, Baywatch, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Allied, Rings, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Star Trey Beyond, Ben-Hur, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Paranormal Activity, Terminator Genisys and Hercules to name a few.