Entertainment
Reality shows too real for me: Ssharad Malhotra
Mumbai: Be it dancing, acting, cooking or singing — reality shows have become an integral part of TV entertainment. But actor Ssharad Malhotra is not attracted by it.
“Reality is too real for me and somewhere, I’m scared. I’m happy and content with my reel-life. Everyone has different shades and sides (to them), so I think sometimes reality bites,” Ssharad told.
While the actor took part in a dance reality show “Yeh Hai Jalwa” back in 2008, he seems to have weaned off the trend.
“I did a dance reality show in the past. But I feel there is a lot of ‘dirty politics’ involved in it and it gets messy after a while,” he said.
“Bigg Boss” has become an embodiment of such a reality show. The show, in which celebrities are locked inside a house for about three months, clocks high ratings and has also garnered attention due to its infamous controversies.
But Ssharad has made the show his “retirement policy”.
“(I have) No hard feeling against anyone who has participated in ‘Bigg Boss’, but for me, it’s like a retirement policy. I may do it when I am out of work,” the actor said.
Meanwhile, the actor, who returned to the small screen after 2009 with historical Sony TV drama “Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap”, is basking in the appreciation that has come his way for the portrayal of Maharana Pratap, a Rajput ruler.
“Being part of a show, which is larger than life, is great. I think more than that, it’s a big responsibility on your shoulders. People are looking up to you especially when you are coming back after four to five years. There is an added responsibility and pressure,” Ssharad said.
The actor started his career with hit serial “Banoo Main Teri Dulhann”, but went on a hiatus after that to ‘rejuvenate’ himself.
“My first show did about 1,000 episodes. After that, there was need for ‘me time’ as I was drained out emotionally and physically. I went to New York Film Academy to do a course. I wanted to get back with fresh perspective and rejuvenate myself,” the actor, who did a film titled “From Sydney with Love” in 2012, said.
Entertainment
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
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