Lionsgate Play brings new season of ‘The Girlfriend Experience' series

Hollywood studio Lionsgate, which launched its independent video streaming app Lionsgate Play in India last December, will be premiering the third season of the critically acclaimed international anthology series The Girlfriend Experience on the service starting this Friday. A new episode in the series will be available each week.

The Girlfriend Experience is an American anthology drama television series created, written, and directed by Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz that is broadcast on the cable network Starz. Executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, it is based on the 2009 film of the same name. The third 10-episode season is set amid the London tech scene and focuses on a neuroscience major. It stars Julia Goldani Telles, Charles Edwards and Jemima Rooper in lead roles.

To be sure, Lionsgate Play had kicked off its slate of original and exclusive content this February with the Indian adaptation of the hit Lionsgate US series Casual, to be directed by Kunal Kohli, starring Lara Dutta and Prateik Babbar. It followed this up with its second local original, a college romance drama titled U-Special directed by Akarsh Khurana, starring Sumeet Vyas, Arjun Mathur, Parambrata Chatterjee, Rukshar Dhillon, Taaruk Raina, Gopal Datt and Ahsaas Channa, among others.

To be sure, web content creators and over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform owners fear that their local content pipeline may see a lag later in the year as lockdowns on Maharashtra and other parts of the country will delay new shows. Some experts feel platforms will have to eventually acquire content from outside.

“The rate at which local originals are being brought out will not be the same in the next six months. As quantity takes a backseat, platforms may look at international shows for fresh offerings or at older local content that may have been archived or left unsold,” Mehul Gupta, co-founder and chief executive officer at SoCheers, an independent digital agency, said in an earlier interview to Mint.