Talkies
Launching a regional OTT platform for Karnataka with over half a million users in 4 months
Role
Co-founder - Product & UX
timeline
January 2020 – February 2022
The challenge
Mainstream OTT platforms in India focus almost entirely on Hindi and English content, with only recent attention to Telugu and Tamil. Karnataka's rich regional entertainment, including Kannada, Tulu, Konkani films, and traditional art forms like Yakshagana, had no dedicated digital home. The pandemic made the problem urgent: productions were halted, on-stage artists lost their livelihoods, and audiences were stuck at home looking for content. We saw an opening to build the first OTT platform for Karnataka's regional languages, but we had to move fast, with limited resources, and for an audience predominantly in tier 2 and 3 cities with varying levels of tech comfort.
The process
I co-founded Talkies and wore both the founder and designer hats throughout. I designed the end-to-end user experience, prioritising mobile-first since that was how the vast majority of our audience consumed content. We shipped a production-ready MVP in under two months using React Native, choosing speed over polish and leaning on early user feedback to iterate. As the platform grew, I led the shift from a per-title rental model to tiered subscriptions (Gold, Classic, and Yakshagana plans) after the rental approach proved unsustainable against a growing content library, designing the pricing and purchase flows around the financial realities of our tier 2 and 3 user base. When data showed growing Smart TV adoption among users, I designed a TV app that paired with the mobile app, turning the phone into a remote control and keeping the TV interface minimal, a pragmatic solution that let us ship a big-screen experience without rebuilding the full interaction layer.
The outcome
Talkies launched globally in four months during lockdown and grew to over 500,000 app installs and 100,000+ subscriptions sold. The subscription pivot stabilised revenue while keeping content accessible for price-sensitive audiences. The platform now releases 12 web series per year and targets one premiere per month. The Talkies YouTube channel grew to 310,000+ subscribers, earning a Silver Play Button and serving as the primary promotional engine for app content. What started as a lockdown bet became Karnataka's leading regional OTT platform.
What follows is a curated selection of final UI shots. For the detailed case study, get in touch. Also, check out Talkies.
Other work at Talkies
To reach users in tier 2 and 3 cities where online payments and UPI adoption were low, I designed a Partner Network, a web application that enabled authorized Talkies partners and operators to sell subscriptions offline through in-person interactions. Partners were incentivized per transaction, bridging the gap between the digital platform and audiences who needed a trusted, familiar point of contact to get on board.
I also led the launch of Talkies Originals, a program designed to give emerging filmmakers and artists a platform to create and distribute work, particularly those hit hardest by the lockdown. Alongside this, Talkies Premiere introduced a revenue-sharing model where producers could release exclusive content on the platform, including the ability to sell tickets offline for online viewings, a first in the industry. The Kannada film Kanasu Maratakkide launched as a pilot under this model and sold over 10,000 tickets on release day.
Request a case study
Want to learn more about this project? Get in touch
