Bongo BD facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bongo Holdings PTE LTD

Trade name	Bongo BD
Industry	Digital media, video technology, YouTube services and content production
Founded	2013
Founder	Ahad Mohammad, Navidul Huq and Fayaz Taher
Headquarters	Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bongo established in 2013, holds the distinction of being Bangladesh's pioneer and largest video-on-demand streaming service. The platform's journey commenced with the streaming of classic content on its YouTube channel, starting in January 2014. Since its inception, Bongo has played a pivotal role in shaping the country's digital entertainment landscape, offering audiences a diverse range of video content to enjoy at their convenience. With its early foray into the online streaming domain, Bongo has become a leading destination for Bangladeshi entertainment, catering to a wide audience and cementing its position as a key player in the industry.

History

Bongo BD was established in 2013 by Ahad Mohammad and Navidul Huq, and later collaborated with Grameenphone to introduce the Bioscope over-the-top media service in 2016. By February 2017, Bongo BD boasted an extensive collection of over 25,000 titles available for streaming, encompassing classic films, contemporary blockbusters, documentaries, original shows, and live sports. The platform's popularity was evident through its impressive daily visitor count, surpassing 1.5 million across all platforms.

In August of the same year, the Bioscope live TV and video-on-demand app was launched, gaining rapid traction to become the number one app in Bangladesh's Google Play Store with 3 million unique users. Subsequently, Bongo BD's exceptional achievements were acknowledged with the prestigious BASIS National ICT Award in the Media and Entertainment Technology category in October.

Initially, Bongo BD operated on a subscription revenue model complemented by advertisement income. However, in a commendable response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the platform made all of its content free for users in Bangladesh starting in March 2020. This move garnered substantial success, leading to over 100 million subscribers and an impressive 1 billion monthly views by May of the same year. In July, Bongo BD reintroduced its subscription fees, offering a compelling blend of free and premium content.

Fast-forward to June 2023, Bongo BD experienced remarkable growth, boasting more than 6 million monthly active users on both Web & App platforms. Additionally, the platform achieved substantial followings on various social media channels, including 11 million subscribers on their YouTube channel, 10.3 million followers on Facebook, 224k Instagram followers, and over 5 million app downloads from the Play Store and Apple Store. The platform's success extended beyond Bangladesh, with satellite offices established in Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, and the Middle East, managing a vast network of YouTube channels and influencers spanning five countries.

Bongo's success can be attributed to its proprietary technology for Live TV and Video On Demand, empowering other platforms like Grameenphone's Bioscopelive.com, Axiata's Robi TV, and Airtel TV. Moreover, the platform's robust data center and satellite down-linking, with support from partners like Jadoo Digital, have enabled seamless content delivery.

With a studio-led approach, Bongo supports over 400+ content creators in Bangladesh, Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka, providing assistance in managing their social media channels and helping them monetize their content while offering legal support. The platform is committed to technological innovation, enabling users with low-end devices to enjoy videos with minimal data consumption. Partnering with over 1100+ ISP providers in Bangladesh and utilizing a network of CDN servers, Bongo ensures fast and efficient content accessibility for mobile users.

Bongo's focus on technology is evident through its exploration of peer-to-peer delivery for Live TV and Video On Demand, achieving significant success in handling high concurrency during large sporting events. Additionally, Bongo actively works on optimizing video content by developing byte-size content and implementing compression processes to reduce bandwidth consumption. Through continuous innovation and expansion, Bongo has solidified its position as a leading startup in Bangladesh and beyond, catering to a diverse audience with a rich collection of captivating video entertainment.

Contents

Bongo OTT Content Categories

• Live TV
• Original Web Series
• Original Drama
• Telefilm / Telefictions
• Non Fiction Shows
• Turkish Drama
• Indian Movie Dubbed
• Chinese Drama
• Kids
• Shorts

Bongo original series

Dubbed Series

Popular Drama and Telefilm

Sports

South Indian Movies Bangla Dubbed

Awards & Recognition

• Bongo wins CJFB Performance Award for the Most Popular Streaming Platform. The 19th edition in July 2020 .
• Bongo's Reality Show 'Ma Vs Bou' nominated for 9th Annual American Reality TV Awards 2022 alongside "Big Brother" and "MasterChef" among others, in the "international reality" section. All the other networks present in this competition are world leaders including Netflix, HBO,NBC, ABC, FOX, TLC, Discovery, Starz, etc.
• Kisloo Golam Haider Director of Laboni (Bongo Bob Original Season 1) wins Best Director nominated by Critics in Meril-Prothom Alo Award 2021
• Manoj Pramanik wins Best Actor (Critics Choice) Award for Laboni (Bongo Bob Original Season 1) in Meril-Prothom Alo Award 2021
• Mehzabien chowdhury wins as best actress Joyee Award for Freelancer Nadia at WE Summit 2022
• According to The InCap Based on popularity, quality & achievement Bongo becomes one of the Top 10 OTT Platforms in South Asia 2022.

Tech partnership

• Shikho
• GP
• Robi Airtel
• Astha

Content Partnership

• Chingari (India)
• Walton
• Chorki
• Bioscope
• Haier

Innovations

• BongoWal (An exclusive content portal for Walton)
• Shorts (App/Website embedded mini contents)