Kanccha Lannka has become a go-to place for premium entertainment content for Odisha viewers in recent times. It is an aspirational OTT platform in the pursuit of disruption in the state’s entertainment industry with premium services offering a tastefully curated bouquet of original web series and select films in Odia language. Helmed by the creative mind of Bibhu Prasad Rath, managing director, the streaming platform has scripted many successful stories in Odisha’s OTT landscape by offering a mixed platter of original content developed in a variety of genres including crime, thriller, romantic, and comedy. In a conversation with OrissaPOST, Rath shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey.
1. Please brief us about your early life. What made you enter the OTT industry?
During my over 30-year-long corporate career across sectors from manufacturing to service to entertainment, I played a key role in redefining the satellite television industry in Odisha. Under my leadership, a host of Odia satellite channels across genres were created and distributed statewide. While digital viewing was still in its infancy, I set up a full-fledged platform, anticipating the shift. Realising that consumers’ viewing behaviour was rapidly moving away from linear TV to digital platforms, I co-founded Kanccha Lannka — Odisha’s first premium OTT platform — in 2021 with Akshay Parija and CR Nayak, bringing high-quality content to viewers worldwide.
2. OTT space has witnessed a boom after Covid-19. Do you also see this craze among Odisha viewers?
Yes, the OTT boom has reached Odisha as well. Post-Covid, there’s been a significant rise in digital content consumption across the state, driven by affordable high-speed internet, increased smartphone penetration, and the growing preference for regional storytelling. Platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and Jio Hotstar have gained traction, but there’s also a noticeable demand for content in Odia-language including different dialects on the homegrown platforms like Kanccha Lannka. The success of the Odia web series on our platform indicates that viewers are looking for stories that resonate with their culture, language, and sensibilities.
3. Yours is one of the prominent streaming platforms in the state. What are the leading challenges that the industry is facing?
Our biggest challenge is creating differentiated content that appeals to viewers. Today, audiences have countless options across languages like Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, English, and even Korean. Odia viewers naturally compare our content with these global standards, making it essential for us to deliver unique storytelling with high production values, ensuring our content stands out and keeps audiences engaged.
4. How has your journey been so far? Do you have any new shows in the pipeline?
Our journey is satisfactory overall. We have 13 lakh app installations and 4.25 lakh activations across 17 countries. Kanccha Lannka serves both Android and iOS through Play Store and App Store respectively. Besides, Kanccha Lannka’s is also available on TV OS platforms like Android TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, and FireTV. To make the product easily available to customers, we have partnered with aggregator/bundling platforms such as Jio, Vodafone, OTT Play, Play Box etc. We are streaming 118 titles including web series, movies, short films and documentaries. Some of our unique offerings have been Gangs of Puri, Barang 1999, Okha Express, Hello Ravana, and Bhubaneswar Night. Gangs of Puri, a web series based on gang wars in the holy city of Puri has been well appreciated and is the highest viewed content on our platform. Season 2 of Gangs of Puri is expected to be streamed next month. Another high-octane series Sachiv: The Man in a Hurry is likely to be streamed by this year’s end. And of course, there is something or the other every month.
5. Being a successful entrepreneur, what advice will you give to the new entrants in the entertainment industry?
In the digital age, content creation has become both globalised and democratised. Our competition is not confined to Odisha — it’s worldwide. With mobile phones in hand, even an individual creator can challenge large organisations. To succeed, stay aware of these shifts and focus on storytelling that stands out. A unique perspective, combined with a local touch, always makes a difference.
PNN
