Honouring innovators in entertainment

To honour innovators in the OTT industry and digital space, the "Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT and Digital Content Awards 2021" was unveiled yesterday.

The awards -- presented by The Daily Star and Ispahani -- will be the first major attempt in the country at honouring ground-breaking content creators in these spheres of entertainment.

"Content creators, in this era, have access to endless possibilities -- they have the freedom to make projects within the scope of their budgets," said Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star.

"The most wonderful part about OTT is its ease of access and distribution. It takes a lot of determination and courage to open your own OTT platform, and gain popularity within a short period, as many have done. We are proud to be partnered with Ispahani Tea Limited, who are also helping us promote the talented individuals and stars of the digital arena," he added.

Omar Hannan, general manager, marketing at Ispahani Tea Limited, said, "OTT platforms are somewhat new for our audience. Amidst the pandemic, many Bangladeshi contents have done well in the streaming platforms. We felt like these content creators need to be rewarded, and thus, we took the initiative alongside The Daily Star."

Didarul Hasan, head of marketing at Ispahani Tea Limited, talked about the importance of segregation in categories in this event.

"We should not confine OTT within the genres of just music, drama and cinema. Entertainment could be anything -- starting with travel vlogging, kids' shows and sports. We want to highlight all the positive changes that are happening in the digital space. We want to motivate people to create content, which brings changes in society," he mentioned.

Shuvashish Roy, head of business, The Daily Star, talked about the various categories of the OTT awards.

"There are a total of 37 categories, starting with 'Best film and Dramas,' 'Individual Category,' 'Critics Choice,' 'Director's Choice' and 'Music or songs'. People who have uploaded songs on YouTube can also apply in the music and songs category. The eminent jury and audiences will determine the winners from the nominees," said Shuvashish.

Sakib R Khan, Hoichoi's country head, and Ajoy Kumar Kundu, COO, Mediacom Limited, also spoke at the event.

At the unveiling programme yesterday, renowned directors, media personalities and celebrities were also present.

Ashfaque Nipun, Taneem Rahman Angshu, Shawki Syed, Shankha Dasgupta, Shafayet Mansoor Rana, and Shohel Rana, launched the jingle of the OTT awards at the programme.

Prominent actors, including Shohel Rana, Nazifa Tushi , Moutushi Biswas, Khairul Basar, and the cast of Bachelor Point season 4, including director Kajal Arefin Ome, Mishu Sabbir, Ziaul Haque Polash and Chashi Alam were present at the event.

Artists will have to submit their nominations through ottdcawards.thedailystar.net, and they can submit as many nominations as they want. Any content released between the period of July 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021 is applicable for the awards.

The last date for submission is May 10, 2022.