Dekkho Raises $1.2M in Seed Funding to Disrupt the Video Streaming Space in the Country

Dekkho, a new-age streaming platform, has raised $1.2 million from seven marquee angel investors in one of the largest seed funding rounds in India. The company offers a viewing experience that is uncluttered and curated, has high-quality content sourced from leading content providers from India and abroad, consumes less internet bandwidth, offline viewing facility, offers exclusive access to new content, and – above all – is free. Established in March 2016, Dekkho is the brainchild of Tanay Desai and Vinay Pillai.

Dekkho currently has over 12,000 hours of programming, which is made available by partnering directly with top digital channels such as Sony Music, Being Indian, Zee Music, Blush, Miss Malini, Times Group, ScoopWhoop, AIB, East India Comedy and Culture Machine. Content from national and international artists such asColdplay, Beyonce, Badshah, Papon, ArjunKanungo, Micheal Jackson, Sia and Chain Smokers is also available on the platform, as is regional content in six Indian languages. By making such a diverse content catalogue available for free, Dekkho gives its users an opportunity to enjoy entertainment across the board without worrying about the costs of multiple OTT subscriptions.

Speaking on the launch, Tanay Desai, Co-founder, Dekkho, said, “Smartphones have become the first screen for new-age Indian viewers, especially when it comes to fresh entertainment. We are looking to revolutionise the way entertainment is consumed and delivered in India and create India’s first social video network, where users are closely connected to their favourite content creators. Indian consumers are far from paying for online content. We aim to create a sustainable, three-way ecosystem for content producers, advertisers, and users through a free-to-use service. We feel premium consumption will be primarily driven by three key factors – content diversity, user experience, and availability before anywhere else. Moreover, users will no longer have to find a compromise between quality and affordability with the launch of Dekkho.”

“Content producers will eventually have to rely on a third party aggregator with stronger technology expertise. With a strong focus on young Indian viewers and their entertainment requirements, Dekkho will be the perfect platform for content developers to deliver their content to their target audiences. Through our team’s extensive global OTT experience, we understand the pulse of a young Indian viewing audience. This makes us confident that we will soon become the default destination for all online video-based Indian entertainment content across Android, iOS, and web platforms,” adds Vinay Pillai, Co-founder, Dekkho.

Dekkho reaches out to 2 million social media users on a monthly basis prior to launch. It has partnerships with several premium content developers who benefit from greater discoverability, better monetisation, and cost-saving on tech investments enabled by it. Strategic partnerships with brands such as Paytm, Mobikwik, Lava, LeEco, and Micromax allow Dekkho to extend its diverse array of rich entertainment content to users in its partner ecosystems. The long-term vision is to create a video streaming culture through adaptive transcoding and subsidised data tariffs with multiple telecom service providers over the next five years.