New Indian documentary streaming service DocuBay set to launch globally

Media and entertainment company IN10 Media, a diversified vertical of infotainment channel Epic TV, is all set to launch a new subscription-based documentary streaming platform DocuBay for India and the world this July. Beginning with a basic library of 40-50 documentaries, DocuBay will add one film to its offerings each day, across categories like nature, action, travel, culture, and science. Targeting an English-speaking population, these will include both English and dubbed content.

“In the entire space of factual entertainment, documentaries are somewhere the step-child. They have never really got the attention and spotlight they deserve, though there is a lot of short-format factual content on social media and general entertainment platforms offer it as one of the many things they do,” said Akul Tripathi, chief operating officer, DocuBay. “Nobody really focuses on documentaries as such, and we realized this was a global phenomenon when we started. We think there is a big space for it because there is talent out there making it and people watching it but no dedicated platform. And that is where DocuBay sets in.”

DocuBay enters the cluttered Indian market that is currently home to nearly 34 OTT (over-the-top) video streaming apps. According to the Ficci-EY media and entertainment industry report 2019, paid video subscribers in India grew from around 7 million in 2017 to around 12-15 million in 2018.

Tripathi said the team was curating its library in a variety of ways --- by staying in touch with individual documentary filmmakers and creators, besides sales agents and other distribution entities that have catalogues, to collate the best possible mix. While the idea is to put together a library for the initial launch, these could also translate into long-term partnerships. Given the dynamic nature of the Indian market, Tripathi said the team would commit to an actual pricing closer to the launch.

While the initial focus is on an English-speaking population, Tripathi said there are definite plans to localize content going forward, as and when they gather analytics on who is watching what and where.

“It’s a connected world and there is such a large young population discovering each other across the globe, so we have several topics and issues which are common. There are things that unite us as a tribe, be it global warming, depletion of groundwater reserves or human stories and no medium does it better than documentaries,” Tripathi said.

DocuBay will be available in India with a distinctive global catalogue for Indian audiences, and several titles exclusive to the country. The global consumer premiere is scheduled for the summer of 2019 and will include India in its first phase.

“IN10 Media’s goal has always been to deliver excellent content across genres and platforms, and we are proud to add DocuBay to our stellar class of brands. With consumers worldwide having more content choices than ever, DocuBay’s constantly expanding library of international documentary films will create its own niche through its focus on discovery and distribution,” Aditya Pittie, managing director, IN10 Media said in a statement.