Streaming service Lionsgate Play is making a push to broaden its audience and drive new subscriber growth. Rohit Jain, president of Lionsgate Play for Asia, shared details about new content expansion plans and an upcoming promotion.
Starting October 18, Lionsgate Play will allow all viewers in India free access to its entire library for one week leading up to the major holiday Diwali. This “Gatecrash Lionsgate” promotion aims to build awareness and let more people sample its content. During the period, the new action film “Paris Has Fallen” starring Medhi Meskar and others will premiere exclusively.
Currently focused on Hollywood movies dubbed into multiple Indian languages, Jain said viewers are increasingly interested in horror and popular Korean shows and films. “We will likely invest more in Korean content next year,” he noted, pointing to its rising popularity after Hollywood films in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Philippines where Lionsgate Play has seen strong growth.
In addition, nonfiction programs and sports may be added going forward. This diversification seeks to engage a broader range of viewers. Currently reaching 25-30 million people in these countries, Jain said Lionsgate Play successfully converts a “double-digit percentage” into paying subscribers each month.
Along with Hollywood franchises like “John Wick” and “The Hunger Games,” the library offers original series, awards shows from Emmys to Golden Globes, and recent hits such as “Normal People” and “Tokyo Vice.” The primary age range is 25-45, with slightly more male than female viewers.
Looking to expand its reach to 50 million people total, Jain highlighted India’s local language film industry is larger than Hollywood. Lionsgate Play partners with services in India and abroad like Amazon Prime Video, Tata Play Binge, and telcos in Southeast Asia to solve for both discovery of content and expanding its audience base.
