Netflix Signs Hoichoi Deal to Take Bengali Series to Hindi, Tamil and Telugu

Every series Bengali streamer Hoichoi launches over the next two years will stream on Netflix in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, under a partnership the two companies unveiled in Mumbai on Thursday.

The first title arrives fast. "The Cursed Temple of Kauriburi," a folklore-rooted horror series starring Jeetu Kamal, Solanki Roy and Paoli Dam, bows Nov. 6. New shows will hit Netflix in the three languages on the same day they debut in Bengali on Hoichoi. More releases follow over the coming months.

What's in the back catalogue?

Netflix will also carry 14 existing Hoichoi series. The lineup:

• "Madam Inspector"
• "Sampurna"
• "Lajja"
• "Eken Sirji"
• "Anjaan Saaye"
• "The Curse of Parnashavari"
• "Bloodlines"
• "The Adventures of Daadi & Jagga"
• "Raat Abhi Baaki Hain"
• "Achinta: Trial By Law"
• "Shaadi Ka Siyapa"
• "Queens"
• "Parineeta: A Love Story"
• "Mahanagar"

The genres run wide: crime thrillers, detective mysteries, folklore horror, social drama, courtroom drama and romance. Think of it as a regional library getting a national shelf.

Are new co-productions planned?

Yes. Netflix and Hoichoi will develop original series that rework selected Hoichoi stories, with Hoichoi Studios producing. The companies said each adaptation would bring in new creative voices. Further details have yet to be revealed.

For Netflix, the deal is part of a wider effort to supplement its originals with more licensed programming from outside producers. The streamer puts its global audience at close to a billion people, and says that scale gives studios, networks and creators a strong reason to work with it. That's the pitch. The Bengali pact suggests the pitch is landing.

How does this fit Netflix's licensing push?

The Hoichoi deal follows two other high-profile licensing moves. In France, Netflix now carries the full programming lineup of broadcaster TF1. In Brazil, Netflix struck a deal earlier this month with broadcaster Globo — a holdout that had long refused to license to the streamer in its home market, even as its content appeared on Netflix elsewhere in Latin America and around the world. Globo blinked. TF1 signed. Now Hoichoi joins them.

Who is Hoichoi?

Hoichoi launched in 2017 as the first venture from SVF's new media arm. Co-founder Vishnu Mohta runs the platform and serves as SVF's executive director. The service hosts more than 2,000 hours of programming, including over 100 original series, films, shorts and docuseries, and says it reaches more than 250 million Bengalis worldwide. It moved into theatrical production in 2023, setting up Hoichoi Studios as its film production arm.

A niche-language platform with a nine-figure claimed audience now feeds one of the world's largest streamers. If the Nov. 6 horror debut travels well in three new languages, expect more regional licensors to treat Netflix's billion-strong audience as their distribution plan.