Long hours of boredom are something that travellers often have to endure when journeying large distances. Thanks to the growth of IT and cheap access of technology, smartphones and tablets have made it easier to pass time during such situations. Gurgaon-based start-up PressPlay is now taking this access as a massive business opportunity to revolutionise entertainment services by bringing travel into the picture.
PressPlay was founded in December 2013 by ex-Zomato employees Anand Sinha and George Abraham who caught on the vision of providing portable entertainment services to Indian travellers. The thought of such a service came to their minds when they themselves had to endure long hours while travelling city to city.
The initial idea was based on providing audio-video entertainment to commuters on long haul buses. To execute such a plan, PressPlay provided tablets to travellers with pre-loaded video and audio content for a nominal price. While this was a successful model, the rapid growth of the business and target of expansion needed a much wider access and perspective.
Today, PressPlay has changed its model and is monetizing on the access and affordability of smartphones in India. The start-up provides WiFi which travellers can use to locally download an app and locally stream movies, music and other media content for Rs.10.
“We are already on 1000 buses across India and have already started talking to low cost airlines. We want to be in your house, cafe, hotels, hospitals and even cars. We are very bullish on short term content and very inspired by the shift in trends towards the mobile,” says company co-founder Anand Sinha.
PressPlay has created a niche for itself by being a pioneer in travel entertainment. The rise in both the IT business sectors as well as services is creating new venues for tech start-ups to grab opportunities.
(With inputs from The Economic Times)
This My Big Plunge exclusive also appeared in The Economic Times. Check out the story here.
