LionsgatePlay Review: Should you subscribe to the platform?

LiongatePlay was launched in India in 2020. The platform brings Hollywood’s finest collection of movies and TV shows to your screen, as well as Indian regional content in a limited capacity.

Platform supported by: Android, iOS, and Desktop

Download and Onboarding experience: The size of the Android app is 32 MB and the download experience is pretty straightforward.

Subscription Plan:

The subscription plans for LiongatePlay are as follows:

A 14 day free trial is offered for newly registered users.

What to expect:

LiongatePlay has the following sections:

• Home
• Movies
• Shows

The ‘Home’ section is divided into carousel of movies/shows and widgets for the following:

• India’s Top 10
• Recently Added
• What Millennials are watching
• Binge Worthy Box sets
• High Octane Action
• LionsgatePlay Originals
• Popular in Hindi
• Mystery Files

The ‘movies’ section is further divided into a carousel of movies and widgets for:

• India’s Top 10
• Recently Added
• Blockbuster Franchises
• Sci-Fi Movies
• Romance
• Popular on LionsgatePlay
• Popular in Hindi
• Trending in Tamil
• Comedy

The ‘shows’ section is further divided into a carousel of shows and widgets for:

• India’s Top 10
• Recently Added
• LiongatePlay Originals
• Drama
• Comedy
• Action and Crime
• Thriller
• Critically Acclaimed

There is also a ‘watchlist’ section with the list of movies and shows that the user has bookmarked to watch later.

Design and experience:

The design of the User Interface (UI)is simple and uncluttered, divided into a plethora of widgets. This makes searching for content from the widget of your choice effortless .

The ‘Movie Detail page’ has the following elements:

• Poster
• Genre
• Certification
• Year of Release
• Runtime
• Language
• Crew
• Cast
• Trailer
• Synopsis
• Add to watchlist

• Download
• Share
• Similar movies

The ‘Show Detail page’ has the following elements:

• Poster
• Genre
• Certification
• Season Number
• Year of Release
• Language
• Crew
• Cast
• Episodes
• Trailer
• Synopsis
• Add to watchlist
• Download
• Share
• Similar shows

Recommendation Engine:

The platform does not account for the user’s preferences and there is no recommendation engine to suggest any movies, shows, live content or songs personalised for the user, based on their preference or watch history.

Search:

• Users can search for movies, shows, people and genres
• It has a fairly robust search engine unlike a few other popular platforms that have issues to iron out.
• It also suggests results even if only a few letters of the title are keyed in
• The search also displays the closest match to the letters keyed.

Sign in/Sign up:

One can sign in or sign up at any point using:

• Phone number and Password
• Email ID and password

Pros & Cons:

Pros

1. The platform has sections that are divided into widgets, thus making it easier for users to find the content of their choice
2. There are various subscription options that a user can choose from
3. The platform allows users to download movies and shows to watch offline
4. The UIis easy to navigate

Cons

1. There are no filters for language, genre, year of release, etc. which makes it difficult for a user to filter out content, based on their preference
2. There is no “See all” option on widgets which could help the users discover more content from a particular genre/category.

Suggestion for the platform:

1. The platform can add IMDb ratings t so that users can make an informed decision while choosing what to watch
2. The catalogue can be increased so that users have more options to choose from, especially with respect to regional content..
3. Adding latest movie releases on the platform can attract more subscribers
4. The platform needs to have filters for language and genre mainly so that the users are aware of what kind of content is available.

Why should one subscribe?

1. The platform has a pretty good catalogue of movies and shows along with regional content from Hindi and Tamil languages

Rating:

Weighing the pros and cons, the platform is rated 7/10.

A LionsgatePlay subscription is recommended for those who want to watch some of the finest English movies and shows, Lionsgate Originals, as well as some regional content.