Telly
Telly, doing business as Mahatat, is a private video-on-demand streaming platform delivering premium Bollywood and Arab regional movies and series to entertainment consumers worldwide via a subscription-based web platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Telly does
Telly, doing business as Mahatat, is a privately held video-on-demand (VOD) streaming platform founded in 2007 and headquartered in San Francisco. The company curates and distributes premium entertainment content sourced from two specific verticals — Bollywood cinema and the Arab regional entertainment industry — providing on-demand access to movies and series through a web-based interface available in both English and Arabic. According to the company, Mahatat is described as one of the fastest growing VOD platforms in this niche, though the rate of expansion is not independently quantified.
The core product is the Mahatat streaming platform, delivered as a single web application at mahatat.com. It offers user-facing features including personalized watchlists, content categorization across Movies and Series, trending and "New on Mahatat" feeds, featured content sections, and self-serve account creation and management. The technology stack appears to be a standard consumer web-streaming delivery model. There is no native mobile application presence in major app stores, and no disclosed proprietary AI/ML, recommendation, or personalization engine. Marketing is conducted via organic social channels on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, with no paid acquisition or B2B distribution partnerships disclosed.
Telly generates revenue through a recurring subscription streaming model targeted at entertainment consumers in the Middle East and South Asia regions. The company operates as a direct-to-consumer service with no enterprise or B2B motion visible in the data. Across its history, the company has raised approximately $21 million in disclosed funding from 2007 through 2015, with investors including Azure Capital Partners, Cinemagic, Felicis, Lumia Capital, Wavemaker Ventures, MVI, XG Ventures, Amidzad Partners, and Plug and Play. It executed three acquisitions (Frugalo in March 2012, Cull TV in May 2012, and Sha-Sha in December 2013) to consolidate content and adjacent capabilities. Specific subscription pricing, subscriber counts, revenue figures, and current headcount growth are not publicly disclosed.
Telly firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Telly
- Legal name
- Mahatat
- Website
- https://mahatat.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Telly, doing business as Mahatat, is a private video-on-demand streaming platform delivering premium Bollywood and Arab regional movies and series to entertainment consumers worldwide via a subscription-based web platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Telly industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Streaming Services
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)
- SIC
- Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Premium Video Add-Ons & Channel Bundles (OTT Aggregators) (MPACAAAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Customer Support, CRM & Retention Tooling (Helpdesk, Churn, Messaging) (MPAHAJAM)
Keywords
Where Telly is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Telly business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- VOD Subscription/Streaming: Mahatat generates revenue through video-on-demand streaming services, offering premium content from Bollywood and the Arab region to subscribers. The platform features content categories including movies, series, trending content, and featured programming available through its streaming interface.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Telly product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Telly operates Mahatat, a direct-to-consumer video-on-demand (VOD) streaming platform that delivers premium movies and series sourced from Bollywood cinema and Arab regional entertainment to individual viewers. The platform provides on-demand streaming through a web-based interface with category browsing (Movies, Series, Trending, New on Mahatat), personalized watchlists, and English/Arabic language options. Content is offered on a recurring subscription basis to entertainment consumers in the Middle East and South Asia markets.
Product overview
Mahatat is a single-platform VOD streaming service offering premium content sourced from Bollywood and the Arab region. The platform provides access to movies and series through its web interface, with features including user watchlists, content categorization, account management, and customer support resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mahatat VOD Streaming Platform
Companies that use Telly
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Telly technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Telly partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Telly competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Shahid (MBC Group): MENA's leading subscription VOD platform offering premium Arabic series, movies, and MBC network content. Most direct competitor to Mahatat in the Arab regional content vertical.
- StarzPlay / Lionsgate+: Subscription VOD service with a strong foothold in MENA offering Hollywood, Arabic originals, and exclusive content. Directly overlaps Mahatat's Arab content positioning with much larger scale.
- Eros Now: Subscription VOD platform specializing in Bollywood and Indian regional cinema with a large movie and music video library. Directly comparable to Mahatat's Bollywood content vertical.
- ZEE5: Zee Entertainment's subscription VOD service offering Bollywood, Indian regional, and a growing slate of originals in multiple languages. A scaled direct competitor in the Indian content streaming space.
- YuppTV: Subscription VOD and live TV service focused on South Asian language content (Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, etc.) for the global South Asian diaspora — overlapping with Mahatat's Bollywood audience.
- ALTBalaji: Subscription VOD platform from Balaji Telefilms offering original Hindi web series and Bollywood content. Competes directly with Mahatat for Bollywood-focused subscribers.
Broad incumbents
- Netflix: Global subscription VOD incumbent with growing Arabic and Indian content investment. Operates broadly rather than specializing in Mahatat's niche, but increasingly encroaches on the same target audience.
- Disney+ Hotstar: Large-scale subscription VOD service combining Disney, Marvel, and significant Indian-language and Bollywood content. Broad incumbent competing for the same South Asian / diaspora streaming spend.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Telly social profiles
Digital presenceTelly financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Telly leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Telly funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Telly M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Telly
What does Telly do?
Telly operates Mahatat, a direct-to-consumer video-on-demand (VOD) streaming platform that delivers premium movies and series sourced from Bollywood cinema and Arab regional entertainment to individual viewers. The platform provides on-demand streaming through a web-based interface with category browsing (Movies, Series, Trending, New on Mahatat), personalized watchlists, and English/Arabic language options. Content is offered on a recurring subscription basis to entertainment consumers in the Middle East and South Asia markets.
Is Telly a public or private company?
Telly is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Telly founded?
Telly was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Telly based?
Telly is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Telly make money?
One revenue line is on record: VOD Subscription/Streaming.
Who are Telly's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Shahid (MBC Group), StarzPlay / Lionsgate+, Eros Now, ZEE5, YuppTV and ALTBalaji. Broad incumbents are Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar.
Does Telly have an API?
No public API is recorded for Telly.
What industry is Telly in?
Telly's product category is Video Streaming Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAAAK, Premium Video Add-Ons & Channel Bundles (OTT Aggregators), with a secondary code of MPAHAJAM, Customer Support, CRM & Retention Tooling (Helpdesk, Churn, Messaging). Its NAICS code is 5162 and its SIC code is 4841.