India’s First Multiplex in Metaverse! Airtel hops on a Virtual Path

Bharti Airtel launched India's first multiplex on the Partynite Metaverse platform.

Is there any day where you don't hear a company making an announcement over something new in the metaverse? Well, surely the answer is NO because every company (from fashion and healthcare to real estate and communication) wants to show its dominance and also gain a first-mover advantage. Yesterday people were talking about HTC's soon-to-be-launch metaverse phone and today we have Airtel hopped on a virtual path by announcing India's first-ever multiple in the metaverse. In the official statement, Bharti Airtel ("Airtel"), India's premier communications solutions provider, on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, unveiled India's first multiplex on the Partynite Metaverse platform. The Xstream multiplex is an extension of Airtel's Xstream Premium offering, which recently achieved a 2-million subscriber milestone within 100 days of its launch.

The official statement also contained the information on how Airtel's Xstream multiplex will be a 20-screen platform with access to content portfolios from leading OTT partners available on the application. The multiplex will enable sampling of top original shows and movies with content pieces such as the first episode of an OTT original or the initial minutes of a movie in regional languages, besides English and Hindi. Viewers can get complete access upon subscription to a plan.

The Xstream multiplex offers an immersive content experience with multiple engagement layers, which allow users to interact on Partynite Metaverse. The idea was conceived by Essence, Airtel's integrated media agency of record, and developed by Gamitronics, the creator of Partynite, a blockchain-powered digital parallel universe.

Speaking about the Airtel Xstream multiplex on Partynite Metaverse, Shashwat Sharma, Director – Marketing, Airtel, said, "Airtel's Xstream multiplex provides a larger-than-life experience, which brings together Web 3.0 apps and immersive storytelling, and an assortment of content from our partners. We all know people's love for movies and entertainment in India. Through the metaverse, we are looking to tap into a larger audience, allowing content enthusiasts to sample Airtel's Xstream Premium offering and, thus, aiding in driving higher adoption."

"We are delighted to partner with Airtel and bring alive India's first multiplex in the metaverse. Airtel Xstream Premium's multiplex experience is one of the most scalable use case scenarios for the metaverse. Future opportunities here include movies, music, live events, and premium sports streaming. Apart from the robust scope, it will also allow social engagement, open up newer methods of content delivery and, of course, provide an immersive experience at the core of it," said Rajat Ojha, Founder of Partynite (Gamitronics).

It offers an immersive content experience with multiple engagement layers, which allow users to interact on Partynite Metaverse. The idea was conceived by Essence, Airtel's integrated media agency of record, and developed by Gamitronics, the creator of Partynite, a blockchain-powered digital parallel universe.

A report by Rediffusion's Red Lab released earlier this year referred to the concept of digital twins, which will have applications in enterprise solutions. A digital twin is a digital replica of a physical entity connected seamlessly to enable the transfer of real-time data.

Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 490 million customers across 17 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company earned ₹1.17 lakh crore across its several businesses in the fiscal year 2022, while its profits lingered at ₹8,305 crores.

Bharti Airtel's shares were trading for ₹681 at 1:06 pm on Tuesday, representing a slight spike of 1.47% since market opening.