OTT (Over-the-Top) platforms have revolutionized the service of watching TV with web content on the Internet. OTT offers users an alternative way to watch their favorite TV shows, movies, and other content. Nowadays, different local OTT platforms have become increasingly popular in Bangladesh. The emergence of new forms of Bengali serials following the trend of international web series is giving a power boost to the entertainment industry. In his legacy, the Bangla OTT platform Binge offers a wide range of available content.  The popular playwright and director Vicky Zahed's first web series 'Silence' is going to be a more blazing example of this evolution. The web series stars a bunch of popular and talented actors from old to new generations. Let’s get updated about this thriller series which is waiting to be released on Binge screen in the upcoming February month. Vicky Zahed: A Storyteller Who Plays with the Psychology of his Audience The birth date of Vicky Zahed is August 29, 1990. He spent his entire childhood and adolescence in Dhaka. Although he studied textile engineering, he went straight to visual media after his studies from the Bangladesh University of Textiles. Taking this new career turn was not very pleasant. On the other hand, he had to fight a lot with himself and his family in addition to pursuing his career against the tide. Read More: Angela Bassett’s Oscar nomination for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” first acting nod for a Marvel movie After several works, 26-year-old Vicky Zahed finally got the limelight in 2016 for the short film 'Moments'. In line with its popularity, 'Maya', 'Doyal', 'Durbin', and 'Aaj Amar Pala' were released one by one. Through these works, he basically tried to understand his audience as well as taught himself. With 'Dwitiyo Shuchona', 'Priyo Adnan', and 'Kaikobaad', he continued to redefine the thriller genre in Bangladesh. Each of his creations comes with fresh themes, concepts, and storylines which have entertained the fans of the Bangla thriller genre. The drama 'Chirokal Aaj' and the web film series ‘Punorjonmo’ finally marked a long milestone in his career. Vicky became the focus of patronage for many prominent figures in the entertainment industry. Punorjonmo-3 became one of the most viewed videos on YouTube within just 12 hours of its release. Even those who did not know Vicky till then watched the film and went back to watch its first parts. Read More: Top 10 Upcoming English TV Shows on Netflix in February 2023 Now, Vicky Zahed’s creations come first, when it comes to crime, thriller, supernatural, and suspense dramas or movies in Bangladesh. This is very obvious for him to be a devoted fan of Alfred Hitchcock, the father of the modern thriller genre in Hollywood. He candidly admits his interest in playing with the psychology of the audience. Even to critics, he is unabashed, straightforward, and spontaneous in his storytelling.

Telecom operator Robi's digital entertainment platform Binge has expanded its reach to the global audience. Viewers from more than 120 countries will now be able to enjoy the online video streaming over-the-top (OTT) platform's content, including live TV, web series, movies, dramas, and originals. Read: Walton brings Arc CPU liquid coolers  Binge has come up with two subscription plans for the global audience. They can avail of the service in monthly and yearly subscription plans for $3 and $12. Smartphone users with android or IOS operating systems both can enjoy the service. Google's video-sharing platform YouTube recently awarded a silver play button to Binge for reaching the landmark of one lakh subscribers, according to a media statement. Read BBS partners with Robi to deliver Bangladesh's 1st digital census data

Like the speakers of other languages, Bengali people have been enjoying the Bengali OTT Platforms lately. But what is this OTT, and what does it have to do with your enjoyment? OTT stands for Over-The-Top. OTT media platform is a system by which you can see the broadcasted media over the internet on any compatible device. Here you don’t need a satellite dish or dish cable. You just have to ensure the internet connection through the broadband internet cable connection or buying an internet pack on your smartphone. Simply to say, what you saw earlier on your TV now you can enjoy on your smartphone. The history and potentials of OTT platforms OTT is, in fact, a direct impact of the fourth industrial revolution. Everything surrounding us is IoT (internet of things). If you are in the Z generation (age range of 6-24 years old by now), you are already living on this. The Y generation people (25-39) are learning to cope up with this. Although the internet was just a toddler during the third industrial revolution, the dream went beyond the sky. That’s why the OTT platform has given you the digital kingdom as a contribution of IAAS (Infrastructure As A Service). IAAS is an online service that assembles all services in a platform. Now it has become a trendy business of online-based companies. Eventually, you are now spending hours online. Just see, only in this one OTT platform, you are watching movies, music videos, tv drama, web series, and many more. Even you can access them from anywhere you want. It’s like a cineplex, theater, music cafe, altogether are in the palm of your hand. It seems that you are going to live in the Utopian future. Whether it is science fiction or not, everything poises as easy to grasp within no time. Read: Stories by Rabindranath Tagore - Entertaining Drama to watch on Netflix during Coronavirus home quarantine Popular Bengali OTT Platforms Let’s unfold some popular OTT services where you get your favorite show in Bengali. 1. Bongo - Starting year: 2013 - Company name: Bongo Holdings PTE Ltd - Subscription fees - Free trial: 7 days - Monthly: BDT. 66 - Annually: BDT. 400 Entertainment items: Movies, web series, dramas, music videos, kids videos, telefilm, waz, documentaries, award-winning shows, live TV, and other video content Compatible device: Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, Android, IoS, iPad device Bongobd is the pioneering video streaming service provider in Bangladesh. Ahad Mohammad and Navidul Huq started the company with the vision to deliver Bangladeshi content to the Bangladeshi people all over the world. They have YouTube channels including influencers in five countries with 500+ channels. Apart from a huge base of 83 million+ subscribers, they reach 210 million+ unique audiences every month. Most importantly, you can enjoy Bong content from anywhere in the world. Read Top 10 latest horror movies to watch in the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021 2. Bioscope - Starting year: 2016 - Company name: Grameenphone Bangladesh - Subscription fees - Free trial: 7 days - 3 days: BDT. 9 (For Bangladesh) - Monthly: USD. 2.99 (For abroad users) - Annually: USD. 29.99 (For abroad users) Entertainment items: Movies, web series, dramas, music videos, live TV, live cricket match, live football match, and other video content Compatible device: Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, Android version 4.4+, IoS version 8+, iPad device Bioscope first brought out the live TV in Bangladesh. Only Grameenphone users can get their both app and web version. By purchasing the GP internet package, you can have the access to all Bioscope premium offers. Unlike the other OTT media services, Bioscope has no subscription charges for Bangladeshi users. You just need to log in with your GP number and buy a certain internet package. To activate it you have to dial at *121*3400#. You can enjoy Bioscope from any edge of the world by the way. Read Bill Gates’ Ex-Girlfriend and the Billion Dollar Worth Love Story 3. Hoichoi -Starting year: 2017 -Company name: SVF Entertainment Pvt Ltd -Subscription fees -Monthly: BDT. 450 -Annually: BDT. 630 Entertainment items: Movies, web series, dramas, music videos, short films, and other shows Compatible device: Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, Android, IoS, iPad device Hoichoi is one of the best popular Bengali OTT platforms in India. However, it has crossed the border for good and spread all over the world. The founding members are Vishnu Mohta, Mahendra Soni and Srikant Mohta. Hoichoi, by far, is the first worldwide Bengali content focusing OTT platform. Along with the other amazing content, you can have Bengali dubbed popular movies here. Hoichoi updated the content library every month where its original web series are most anticipating. There are subscription cards available at all Meena Bazar in Bangladesh. You can get the 3-month top-up card at BDT. 199 and 1-year top-up card at BDT. 499. Also read: Best Iranian Movies 2021 to Watch during Ramadan Fasting 4. Banglaflix -Starting year: 2016 -Company name: Banglalink Digital Communication Ltd -Subscription fees -Daily: BDT. 2.67 with free 2 MB (auto-renewal applicable) -Weekly: BDT. 13.33 with free 10 MB (auto-renewal applicable) -Monthly: BDT. 39.98 with free 30 MB (auto-renewal applicable) Entertainment items: Movies, web series, dramas, music videos, and other video content Compatible device: Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, Android, IoS, iPad device Banglalink GSM has brought this on-demand video streaming service to Bangladesh. Eventually, this OTT platform is accessible by Banglalink users only. They especially feature video clips from popular movies and dramas. Moreover, you also have exclusive video content only available on the Banglaflix platform. You need to activate the offers by sending SMSs to 29494 in the following ways: -START FLIX1 for the daily offer -START FLIX7 for the weekly offer -START FLIX30 for the monthly offer As they all are auto-renewable, you have to deactivate them if you wish to discontinue the offer. Just type STOP FLIX in your SMS and send it to 29494. Read Top YouTube Movie Channels to Watch Full-Length Movies Online Free 5. Binge -Starting year: 2020 -Company name: Streamotion (A subsidiary of Foxtel) -Monthly Subscription fees: BDT. 399 (Including VAT) -Device Charge: BDT. 3,499 Entertainment items: Movies, web series, dramas, music videos, live TV, documentaries, award-winning shows, and other video content Compatible device: Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, Android version 6+, IoS, iPad device Binge is an Australian Video streaming service that firstly was a TV channel on the Foxtel platform. Currently, you have to enjoy Binge content by purchasing its Android device from Robi Sheba and Airtel Care Center. This Binge set-top box will give you a wide range of large-screen content you can watch even without a single ad. Accordingly, you will need an HDMI cable and a broadband internet connection with Wi-fi connectivity. Binge doesn’t have an autorenewal stopping service. You need to unsubscribe from the plan due to do that. Read Bulbbul Netflix Review: Feminist Tale of Revenge and Honor  6. Addatimes -Starting year: 2016 -Company name: Addatimes Media Private Ltd -Subscription fees Annually: BDT. 399 (single screen) and Annually: BDT. 599 (double screen) Entertainment items: Movies, web series, dramas, music videos, short films, and other video content Compatible device: Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, Android, IoS, iPad device This is another one of the popular Bengali OTT Platforms in India. It also features Hindi content besides Bengali. Rajiv Mehra created this on-demand video streaming service intending to be with 250+ million Bengali people worldwide. Though Indians have been getting both free and paid subscriptions, the people are getting only paid models in Bangladesh. LBC media entertainment company, a concern of Agrani Holdings group, has been distributing this platform partnering with Addatimes. After its inception in 2016, Addatimes Youtube channel has got 202k+ subscribers with 43 million+ views by now. Read Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl – Story of a Winner Who Dreamt Higher 7. Cinespot -Starting year: 2018 -Company name: Inovet Solution Ltd -Subscription fees; Daily: BDT. 2.67; Weekly: BDT. 13.33; Monthly: BDT. 39.98 Entertainment items: Web series, dramas, movies, telefilms Compatible device: Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, Android, IoS, iPad device Cinespot is a web and app-based OTT media service in Bangladesh. Only Banglalink, Robi, and Airtel subscribers will be able to access this platform. Every offer is auto-renewable. To activate those, send the following SMS to 2494901: -START CD for the daily offer -START CW for the weekly offer -START CM for the monthly offer If you wish to stop them, send the following SMS to 2494901: -STOP CD for the daily pack -STOP CW for the weekly pack -STOP CM for the monthly pack  Also read: 10 Best Adventure Movies Released in 2021 Takeaways These Bengali OTT Platforms are the best case of entertainment mobility in the Bengali community. They are bringing the glamor world before you and changing your traditional lifestyle accordingly. Thus the digital entertainment media are rapidly improvising the mode of recreation and its business as well. You better keep yourself pace with this stream. 

With a staggering number of people around the world confined into their living space during the Covid-19 pandemic, many have turned their attention towards binge-watching movies or series to pass the time. More often than not, reliving the cinema experience with the company of a few delectable treats is a natural thing to do - so here is our take on some of the top snacks for a Netflix binge.