Dheeraj Tiwari, Times News Network, Sunday November 19, 2006
Guess what, even the reality shows on your television may soon become passé. Desi versions of YouTube.com (a video-sharing site, acquired by Google) are all set to provide Indians free passes to instant fame. Aspirants note, all you need is a camcorder (even a cell will do). And then it’s just a mouse click away.
Video-sharing sites like ApnaTube.com, MeraVideo.com, and aggregators like Infeedia.com have already started making inroads into this unlatched territory. The attraction is so huge that it’s no longer a ‘fun’ project or a nascent attempt to make some quick bucks.
“As of now we are based in the US, but if ApnaTube has to become a major video sharing site for desis, sooner or later we have to be physically present in India,” admits Amit Shah, one of the founders of Apnatube.com.
Going by numbers, it’s apparent that the popularity of these desi versions is exploding. Kanwaldeep S Kalsi, head, Braingain Entertainment, the company behind MeraVideo.com, feels that this was bound to happen.
“It’s very natural for someone to want recognition in one’s motherland. Besides, it’s better than getting lost in the jungle of international videos. Talent and creativity is best recognised by like-minded people and that’s why we are sure of our success,” explains Mr Kalsi. Today, he is close to signing a deal for $1.5 million venture capital funding for MeraVideo.com, but doesn’t want to disclose the names of the parties involved.
ApnaTube isn’t lagging behind either — in a short span they have grown into a full swing video sharing site serving over 15,000 videos a day and generating over 600 thousand hits on a daily basis. Not just music videos — even stuff like the treatment that Sharad Pawar got from the Aussies was available on Infeedia.com.
Guess what, even the reality shows on your television may soon become passé. Desi versions of YouTube.com (a video-sharing site, acquired by Google) are all set to provide Indians free passes to instant fame. Aspirants note, all you need is a camcorder (even a cell will do). And then it’s just a mouse click away.
Video-sharing sites like ApnaTube.com, MeraVideo.com, and aggregators like Infeedia.com have already started making inroads into this unlatched territory. The attraction is so huge that it’s no longer a ‘fun’ project or a nascent attempt to make some quick bucks.
“As of now we are based in the US, but if ApnaTube has to become a major video sharing site for desis, sooner or later we have to be physically present in India,” admits Amit Shah, one of the founders of Apnatube.com.
Going by numbers, it’s apparent that the popularity of these desi versions is exploding. Kanwaldeep S Kalsi, head, Braingain Entertainment, the company behind MeraVideo.com, feels that this was bound to happen.
“It’s very natural for someone to want recognition in one’s motherland. Besides, it’s better than getting lost in the jungle of international videos. Talent and creativity is best recognised by like-minded people and that’s why we are sure of our success,” explains Mr Kalsi. Today, he is close to signing a deal for $1.5 million venture capital funding for MeraVideo.com, but doesn’t want to disclose the names of the parties involved.
ApnaTube isn’t lagging behind either — in a short span they have grown into a full swing video sharing site serving over 15,000 videos a day and generating over 600 thousand hits on a daily basis. Not just music videos — even stuff like the treatment that Sharad Pawar got from the Aussies was available on Infeedia.com.Once you sign up on any of these sites, you can easily upload your own video and make a stake for your claim to fame. As of now one can find a range of content being posted on such websites. Be it the story of Satyendra Dubey, the engineer who was killed in Uttar Pradesh, Traffic Signal (a self-made video on Traffic Signals) or the latest Mallika Sherawat’s sizzlers — there’s content to suit everyone’s taste.
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