Friday, October 27, 2006

Online video rental companies in India

There has been lots of activity in the space of Online Video rental. The value proposition is of course convenience in the process of renting movies. Subscribers can order / queue the movies they want to watch and the movie rental company will despatch the movie by courier to their home. Once the movie has been watched the courier will collect back the same, saving the hassle of going to a movie rental shop and browsing through loads of photo albums with movie covers. The online library is of course searchable & browsable making the task of selecting movies easier!

I have done a deeper analysis of their offerings:

www.Seventymm.com

Area of operation: Delhi & Bangalore
Number of Titles : 10,000+
Membership options: Rs 199/599 ; 4/ Unlimited DVDs in a month
Number of movies at a time: upto 2
Viewing Time: No limit
Registration : Rs. 499
Security Deposit: Rs. 999

www.clikflix.com

Area of operation: Mumbai (selected areas)
Number of titles: Several Thousand (?!)
Membership options: Rs 399-999 / 1-2 discs out at a time/ 6-unlimited DVDs in a month
Viewing Time: 3-7 days
Security Deposit: 1500 / 3000

www.catchflix.com

Area of operation: Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi & NCR, Mumbai
Number of titles: Thousands (?!)
One DVD Rs 99, 2 DVDs Rs 149
Viewing Time: 3 days
Security Deposit: None

www.CineSprite.com

Area of operation: Delhi & NCR
Number of titles: Not specified
One DVD Rs 399, 2 DVDs Rs 499; unlimited / month
Viewing Time: Unlimited
Registration: 150-250

www.fridayboxoffice.com

Area of operation: Bangalore
Number of titles: Not specified
Limited (2 DVDs) - Rs 100 / Unlimited movies Rs 400 per month
Viewing Time: Unlimited
Registration: 1500-250

www.Homeview.in

Area of operation: Delhi, Gurgaon & Noida
Number of titles: Not specified
Rs. 699 pm to Rs 999 pm ; 1 movie at a time
Viewing Time: Unlimited


Related links

http://www.contentsutra.com/online-dvd-rental-company-seventymm-gets-7-million-from-matrix-partners-india#comment-7441

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1510994.cms

Excellent post by Webyatra

http://www.contentsutra.com/entry/more-online-dvd-rental-companies-to-get-funded-in-india/


With so much of Video piracy in India, an interesting aspect to be seen is will these players be able to create a sustainable and profitable business model for themselves?

I am sure there will be few other players whom I would have missed out. I invite readers to help me update the list.

Update

Another online video rental company to get funded: Madhouse.in

Monday, October 09, 2006

Web 2.0 Companies in India

There has been a lot of interest of late in the Web 2.0 space. Of course there are global biggies like MySpace , YouTube , LinkedIn, Ryze , Hi5 , Orkut , Filckr , Del.icio.us , Blogger, Digg etc etc.

A recent news of great interest in this space is Google’s interest in acquiring YouTube. Read Washington Post’s article

There have been loads of Indian Companies foraying into the Web 2.0 space. One of the recent more high profile joinees of the bandwagon is MIH with Ibibo (I build I bond)

I just wanted to compile a list of the Web2.0 companies, I am sure this will not still be a comprehensive list and I encourage readers to contribute to make it as exhaustive as possible. I could not resist adding Indian Search Engines to this lot though they are not Web 2.0 play. Well here it goes:

Social Bookmarking

Yahoo My Web 2.0
Indiagram
PutVote
HumDigg
ForumsofIndia
NewsCola
IndianPad
IndiaMarks
Rambhai
IndianBytes
Jhanki

Photo Sharing / printing

Yahoo India Photos
Ibibo Albums
MeraSnap
PhotoBaaz
PicSquare
Windlows Live Spaces


Blogging

Indiatimes Blogs
Rediff Blogs
Burrp
Windows live Spaces
TechTribe
Ibibo Blogs
Gandhigiri
Expressindia Blogs
IBNLive blogs
Moneycontrol Blogs
NDTV Blogs


Social Networking

Rediff Connexions
Yahoo Groups
Indiatimes Clubs
HumSubka
Sixer – Social networking for cricket fans
Wah India – Social networking for bollywood fans
Yaari – Social networking for youth (Hi5 of India)

Indian Search engines

ByIndia
Guruji – Yet to be launched
OnYoMo – Short form for On Your Move - Local search with maps.


Even globally, the Web 2.0 companies have not yet defined a very clear revenue model and path to profitability for themselves. So it will be very interesting to see who survives and thrives amongst the clutter of the Web 2.0 companies in India.

Related links

http://www.contentsutra.com/more-indians-join-the-web-20-bandwagon
http://www.watblog.com/index.php?content=detail&id=149
http://www.indianpad.com/view/10167
http://www.alootechie.com/liveserver/news_detail.asp?id=1545