MUMBAI: The inaugural edition of the Times Mic Drop concert by Gaana and Times Prime that was held on July 3 exclusively for Gaana subscribers and featured the iconic musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was a runaway hit with more than 100,000 paid viewers - the highest ever recorded attendance on any premium digital event in India! This event marks the beginning of a new era of premium professionally managed paid digital events aimed at India’s massive entertainment-loving audience.

Hundreds of thousands of Indian music fans around the country thronged Gaana and Times Prime as they grooved to some of the most popular tunes from the past decade including ‘Its The Time To Disco’, ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ and ‘Mitwa’ among others.

Setting new benchmarks in the entertainment industry with its high production value and grand concert experience, the inaugural concert saw a viewership that consisted exclusively of Gaana subscribers & Times Prime subscribers. The event hosted more viewers than most live events, and got music fans to experience a connection with their favorite artists as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy sang and interacted with the emcee to answer audience questions, performed live on the songs that were requested by many users. The grand success of the inaugural event is a testimony to the bright future of digital concerts within the realm of digital entertainment, setting the stage for Gaana’s upcoming series of sleekly-produced digital concerts.

“We are delighted at the success of the inaugural event of the Times Mic Drop series, and the benchmark it has set with its record 100,000 paid viewers. We can confidently assert that Indian consumers are willing to become longer term paid subscribers once they see innovation in products and programming, and this live concert is a testimony to it. The scale, the production quality, the level of interactivity in the digital events will definitely excite artists & content producers.” said Gautam Sinha, CEO - Times Internet.

Speaking after the Times Mic Drop concert, legendary Bollywood singer-songwriter Shankar Mahadevan of the popular trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy said, “I have performed in countless concerts, and the feeling of performing for music lovers is always indescribable. We hope our fans had a lovely time at the concert, and look forward to entertaining them in the near future on Gaana. The world is increasingly moving towards a digital-first reality, and I sincerely believe the music industry needs more valuable partners like Gaana to enable musicians like us to reach their fans in this new digital milieu.”

A truly unique online entertainment experience, the Times Mic Drop series of digital concerts offer legendary musicians the opportunity to bond with fans at a personal level and enables the users to experience the extravagance of live concerts at home, along with their friends and family. With more innovations on the way from Gaana in the next Mic Drop event, it holds the promise to triple the viewership and emerge among the most popular digital event series in India.