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YuppTV is an OTT video platform for South Asian content that offers live TV, catch-up TV and movies on-demand in 14 languages across the globe

Emerald Media, a Pan-Asian media and entertainment platform established by global VC firm KKR, has acquired a significant minority stake in YuppTV for US$50 million.

YuppTV plans to expand its global footprint, expand its content library through original productions and acquisitions, and grow its paid subscriber base.

Based in India and Atlanta, YuppTV is an over-the-top (OTT) video platform for South Asian content — offering live TV, catch-up TV and movies on-demand in 14 languages across the globe.

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The firm claims to have a reach of more than 400 million households and five million monthly visitors across the world.

YuppTV offers 250-plus South Asian TV channels, 5,000-plus movies and 100-plus TV shows to worldwide audiences, with a focus on the US, the UK, the Middle East, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean.

The company has gained popularity in India having recently launched in the market. With an initial focus on south India, the company has gradually expanded to the rest of the country. It has also recently implemented advanced analytics-based real-time recommendations on Live TV, to make content more discoverable.

YuppTV has clocked over 10 million mobile app downloads, in addition to 50 million pre-installs on Samsung TVs worldwide and 300,000-plus downloads on LG Smart TV.

Uday Reddy, Promoter and CEO YuppTV, said, “YuppTV is a content distribution platform with a strong consumer connection, and Emerald Media has global media relationships. We hope to leverage their relationships and existing assets Endemol, OML, Fluence and Graphic India to create original programming and make this platform a next generation distribution and content powerhouse.”

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Rajesh Kamat, Managing Director of Emerald Media, said, “Emerald Media believes in driving change and value-creation by providing a distinctive combination of capital, domain knowledge and management bandwidth. The world is moving from traditional consumption to multiscreen delivery mediums. YuppTV provides a unique combination of technology, strong content relationships and revenues of scale and will be an anchor to our vision of building a new age media company.”

In September 2015, YuppTV had raised its Series A round of funding from Poarch Creek Indian Tribe of Alabama.

Emerald Media is a Pan-Asian platform established by KKR to invest in the fast-growing media and entertainment industries across Asia for which the parent has committed up to US$300 million its second fund. It looks to invest approximately US$15-75 million per investment to acquire control or significant minority positions in growing public and private media companies.

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