Ola enhances user engagement, integrates Ola play with YuppTv

Indian cab behemoth Ola has integrated with online video streaming application YuppTv for its car infotainment service Ola Play. The collaboration will allow users to access to various television channels, including live news. The content available will be customised depending on customer preferences and ride information, including time, destination and preferred language.

The company claims that the association with YuppTv also adds value to the company’s existing products including Ola Rental and Ola Outstation.

Ola which recently raised $36 million (Rs 231 crore) from Tekne Private Ventures through the issue of preference shares, had partnered with the likes of Apple Music, digital media entertainment startup TVF, amongst others to add content on Ola Play.

A month ago, Ola had announced its collaboration with food discovery and ordering platform Zomato, which enables end users to book rides through Zomato app and pay via the company’s mobile wallet, Ola Money.

"With this partnership, Ola Play brings live TV inside a cab for the first time, by leveraging OTT services of YuppTV to bring an experience that is easily accessible through the user's mobile phone as well as the tab mounted in the backseat. We are bringing a range of TV channels to Ola Play, including live news channels that are accessible on-the-go and will certainly make travel time more productive," said Ankit Jain, head of Ola Play, Reported ET

Presently, Ola Play has footprint in six geographies, these include Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad. The company also recently announced a partnership with the Airport Authority of India to set up kiosks and Ola zones in cities including Pune and Lucknow.

To beef up its own fleet, cab major had invested ($15.5 Mn)Rs 100 crore into its leasing subsidiary Ola Fleet Technologies. The company’s decision to invest in fleet comes at a time when Ola was struggling with decline of number of drivers at its platform.

From YuppTv point of view, this integration will increase the user base of YuppTV and the association will now make Ola cab rides fun and entertaining for the commuters.

YuppTV was founded in 2007 by Uday Reddy, is a popular over-the top (OTT) Internet Pay TV platform, which can be accessed through PCs, gadgets with iOS and Android platforms and smart TVs.

In 2016, the video streaming platform secured $50 million in a round of funding from Emerald Media. Prior to that, in September 2015, YuppTV had raised its Series A round of funding from Poarch Creek Indian Tribe of Alabama followed by investment of $2.5 million (Rs 15 crore) in angel funding from Sashi Reddi, a serial entrepreneur and founder & chairman of Sri Capital.

YuppTv: Website