Introduced in 2018, the homegrown OTT platform ULLU is known for its bold and edgy content with the prime target being Tier 2 and 3 audiences. However, the brand plans to push the envelope in days to come with a few inventions and introductions.

%u201CAs a brand, we are planning beyond the OTT app; we are looking forward to launching ULLU merchandise from a brand point of view. Everything from Fashion to Accessories will be available under this merchandise. It should be launched by the first quarter of this year, which will be available for the audience online.

%u201CThe interface and pattern of buying have been kept quite simple keeping in mind our target audience of Tier 2, Tier 3 & Tier 4 cities too. Diversification is the key to the success of the brand and we are striving hard to succeed it. One other aspect that we are looking at is the launch of ULLU telecommunication. Not disclosing much about it, we are surely going to get the viewer something unique out of this too,%u201D  Vibhu Agarwal, CEO, and founder of the brand told Opoyi in an interview.  

The name ‘Ullu’ in Hindi refers to an owl and is often used to address someone of questionable aptitude.

Talking about the idea behind the name, he said, %u201CI realized that the name of the brand, the entity of the brand has to be something that people could relate to or are accustomed to in everyday life and should be catchy enough to stay on their mind.

%u201CSome of the various reasons why we thought that ULLU name is very apt and fits perfectly well for an OTT platform is because usually, people spend their free time in nights by watching web-series or movies on OTT platforms.” The second reason is that the bird is seen as the vehicle of goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) and from both the points of view, the team decided to come up the name %u2018ULLU%u2019.%u201D

The platform was launched in December 2018  and according to the founder, the footfall exceeded to about 220 percent more in the pandemic than that they received during the previous years.

He also says that the most unique element that they researched and found out while creating and launching the app is the timeframe of the series.

%u201CA viewer has an attention span of an average 20-25 minutes after which they switch to other content or app, which gave us an idea to have content which is 25 minutes or under 25 minutes, be it web series or short films. The other most different elements of the platform is that we are solely dedicated to creating exclusive original content, not including any feature film or dubbed series/film,%u201D he said.

The founder is planning to get a 2.0 version of ULLU as an app.

” A lot of hard work, research and dedication have been put into this. We have our IT team dedicated to it rigorously. We had plans for launching this over Diwali last year but due to technical glitch, we had to postpone the launch. The 2.0 version will now also have AVoD model where consumers can watch content for a minimum amount on ad models,%u201D he said.

But what about censorship discussions for OTT platform that might come as a trouble point for such mediums?

%u201CWe shall always respect and amend by the rules stated by the government. Even though censorship comes into stand; it should neither affect the viewership or content in any form.  People who wish to portray the content in negative space will speak about it whether or not the content is censored.

%u201CA lot of Bollywood movies and songs were criticized even after being censored. Social media has become a rage and right of speech has been in the hands of people. OTT platform always had a creative liberty to showcase content which shall be withheld with censorship coming into radar,%u201D he said.

So what are the investment plans?

%u201COn the investment front, I wouldn%u2019t like to share the exact figures. But we are very happy with the progress of the help as it has received appreciation from various parts of the world. This gives us the zest to perform even better and give content that the audiences will love. The management is also planning to expand its content and reach across geographies including UK and the USA.

%u201CWe don%u2019t make our investments plans on the basis of other OTT platform; we believe in our own charts and models,%u201D he sums up.