‘Female-centric social dramas are major growth drivers’

When the correspondent sat down with Soumya Mukherjee, COO of ‘Hoichoi’, she had one burning question in mind: Is the thriller genre the biggest hit on streaming services? Mukherjee replied with a chuckle and said, “Thrillers do have a strong appeal among OTT audiences, but lately, female-centric social dramas have been driving significant growth. Shows like ‘Sampurna’, ‘Bodhon’, ‘Indu’ and ‘Noshtoneer’ with strong female characters are making a big impact.”

It’s no surprise that in Hoichoi’s seventh year, all those shows are returning with new seasons. “We’ve created characters like Eken Babu and Byomkesh, who’ve become genre-defying icons. Eken Babu is our most-watched show ever. But we’re equally proud of our strong female characters.” Well, for Eken Babu fans, the new season of ‘Tungkulung-e Eken’ will stream soon.

In the last six years, ‘Hoichoi’ has become a favourite Bengali streaming platform for the audience. The platform has clocked a more than 2x rise in monthly active users compared to last year and an almost 40 percent rise in international subscriber revenue.

“In 2017, when we started our journey, we knew customers would have to pay for premium content and we still believe in that. ‘Hoichoi’ releases 6-7 titles every month, boasting the highest content refresh rate among OTT platforms in the country for one language. It’s crucial to foster a habit of viewing through fresh and premium content,” he said.

While ‘Hoichoi’ was the pioneer among Bengali OTT platforms, several others like ‘Zee5’, ‘Addatimes’ and ‘Klikk’ have emerged over the years. Acknowledging the content offered by ‘Zee5’, Mukherjee said, “From the beginning, our founders focused on being ‘unique’. Whether it’s our content approach or how often we release, ‘Hoichoi’ has maintained its distinctiveness.”

Initially, ‘Hoichoi’ was often criticised for its content, which was sometimes considered explicit. However, it has now diversified its offerings. Mukherjee explained that in the early stages, the platform aimed to provide content distinct from TV and films. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, as Internet penetration and smartphone use increased, we changed our content strategy. With more families watching together and changing viewing habits, our focus shifted to making shows that families can enjoy,” he said.