Tune.pk

Tune.pk Pvt (Ltd.)

Screenshot of Tune.pk homepage
Type of business Pvt. Ltd.
Type of site
Video hosting service
Founded January 1, 2012 (2012-01-01)
Headquarters Lahore, Pakistan
Area served Worldwide
Founder(s)
  • Arslan Hassan
  • Jahanzeb
Key people Arslan Hassan (CEO)
Jahanzeb (COO)
Industry Internet
Video hosting service
Parent Integrated Units Pvt. Ltd.
Slogan(s) Jeevay Pakistan
Website Tune.pk
Alexa rank Increase 2,946 (Global)
Decrease 39 (Pakistan)
(July 2016)[1]
Registration Optional (not required to watch most videos; required for certain tasks such as uploading videos, viewing flagged (18+) videos, creating playlists, and posting comments)
Launched January 1, 2012 (2012-01-01)[2]
Current status Active
Content license
Uploader holds copyright (standard license); Creative Commons can be selected.
Written in Python, PHP[3]

Tune.pk is a popular video sharing website not only in Pakistan but also in the South-Asian region and is serving millions of videos daily all around the world. Tune.pk is a platform where users can upload, watch and share videos.

Unregistered users can watch, share and even comment on any video. Registration is required for uploading and rating a video.

Tune.pk aims to promote the local and regional talent of Pakistan, nationally and internationally. The video sharing portal aims to be an intermediary between the artistic individuals of Pakistan.

The website uses ClipBucket video sharing script along with a combination of HTML5 and Adobe Flash Video to display a variety of user generated video content.

History

The Idea

Tune.pk started off as a team of two; Jahanzeb Hassan[4] & Arslan Hassan,[5][6] in a small room of their own house. With continuous hard work and dedication the duo was able to create something that is being used not only by the Pakistani market but the international market as well

But as it is faced by every startup, Tune.pk also faced a lot of problems after its launch. When it was created, the main focus of the website was to promote Pakistani music which later evolved into creating a complete video sharing platform. Here is how the site evolved over the years

Development over the years

2007–11

When TPK was launched for the first time in 2007,[7] the site was using customized third party software’s, which backfired after a total of 4 days and the site was taken down by the hosting provider. The reason for take down was unauthorized script. The whole fiasco prompted the making of ClipBucket[8] in a whooping 30-day time span. The basic aim behind the coming into being of ClipBucket was to own a script that would help in bringing back Tune.pk. Tune.pk was launched again in 2008, but the site could not take off due to the inexperience of the team. Then again, in 2009, the site was relaunched but couldn't work because of lack of technical resource. Then again the site could not take off in 2010 and 2011 due to inconsistent traffic and insufficient funding respectively.

2012–13

2012 was the year when a major[9][10][11] video sharing platform was banned from Pakistan on accounts of blasphemy. While that was happening, the team of Tune.pk was ready to launch the website once again. Upon relaunch TPK's iOS[12] application was introduced to the users for the first time. Other than that the idea for video delivery network (VDN) was also conceived in the same year.

In the beginning of 2013, the first traffic milestone was achieved by TPK and the site started receiving an inflow of 100K visitors a day. Also a dedicated video delivery network (VDN) for the site was created in real time. The site also started offering pre-roll ads to the local brands of Pakistan which in turn opened gates for digital advertisement in the country. In June 2013, TPK went cross border compatible and also launched its android[13] application. Moreover, in the same year TPK's video encoding was re-engineered, a new interface was launched for the site with an added custom playlist feature and by the end of 2013, the visitor inflow on site reached to a 1 million[14] user daily.

2014–15

In 2014, Tune.pk was restructured so that it can cater to the global market. Other than that work was started on proprietor stats server ‘Tune-Lytics', Tune.pk's application for Windows[15] was launched along with TPK's ad server. Afterwards pre-filtering and moderation technology was introduced into the system. Later on the statistics server for the site went live so that the user can keep tabs on views and other video related numbers. Tune.pk also entered into a digital partnership with Qubee.[16] Towards the end of the year, TPK shifted to a HTML5 player, caching was successfully applied at TW in Pakistan and a better optimized version of TPK was launched.

2015 was all about partnerships and entering into new liaisons for Tune.pk. Tune.pk shook hands with Dot republic media[17] and Kaymu[18] in the first quarter of 2015. One other major partnership was that with ismart films as digital media partners for Pocket Cinema Film Festival (PCFF),[19] the first one of its kind to be held in Pakistan. Tune.pk also upgraded its player to be VAST and VPAID compliant, became cross compatible with HTML5 technology and got approved on the Sizmek platform. Live streaming services were offered by the site in May of the same year. Other than technical enhancements, a couple of BTL activities were initiated by the brand to gain market recognition and to create awareness among the general masses. One noteworthy step taken by Tune.pk was the launch of their Pakistan Timeline on 14 August 2015. In September 2015, Tune.pk completed its 3 years[20][21] of operations and the site was upgraded and a new design[22][23][24] was introduced, complete with new features. Other than that 60+ hosted streaming machines were added to the system to upgrade services. With its new design, Tune.pk also added the white hat[25] system to the website. 17+ Ad networks were added to the websites list of advertisers.

Location

The head office of Tune.pk is located on M.M.Alam Road, Lahore, Pakistan. Previously the company was headquartered in Sialkot and all the operations were based in there. Even though major operations are being handled from Lahore, the company has its offices in Sialkot and Karachi as well.

Platforms

Tune.pk's video-sharing application is available for iOS,[12] Windows,[15] and Android[13]

Criticism

In January, 2015, Tune.pk was criticized by a leading Pakistani Blog[26] for aggressively marketing itself as a platform to access YouTube videos. They also demanded blocking of TPK along with YouTube for giving users access to YouTube content through Tune.PK chrome extension. In response[27] to this criticism, Tune.pk changed course and accepted responsibility for diverting from its main objective which was a positive sign. The service was immediately retracted and a new model was introduced for content uploaders.

Global Blackout

On 6 February 2016, Tune.pk faced a global blackout because of Google DNS. The services remained suspended for a total of 4 hrs and the problem could not be tracked. The users had to face inconvenience due to the whole scenario.

Tune Trailers

In 2016, Tune.pk launched a page dedicated solely to trailers, teasers and clips related to movies and TV series so that the audience can find all the latest content in one place. Tune Trailers[28] hosts content from Lollywood, Bollywood and Hollywood, so it is a one stop access for movie buffs to know what's latest and what is yet to be released. The page can be accessed at the following link: http://tune.pk/trailers

Tune With Mustafa

Tune with Mustafa[29] is an in-house production initiative taken by Tune.pk. It is a social media-based interview show that aims to create a bridge between the celebrities of Pakistan and the general audience. Other than celebrities, national heroes are also interviewed through the medium to familiarize the audience with the struggle of the people who are heroes in real life and whose efforts are not yet appeared on the forefront. The interview is released on tune.pk exclusively and can be accessed here: http://tune.pk/user/tunewithmustafa

References

  1. "Tune.pk Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  2. "Tune.pk - Info". Facebook. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  3. "ClipBucket – Free Video Sharing Website Script, Youtube, Daily-motion Clone, PHP Video Script, Media Sharing CMS, Best PHP Solution for Social Networking". Clip-bucket.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  4. "Jahanzeb Hassan | LinkedIn". pk.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  5. "Arslan Hassan | LinkedIn". pk.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  6. "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  7. "About the team | Tune.pk". tune.pk. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  8. "ClipBucket - Free Video Sharing Website Script, Youtube, Daily-motion Clone, PHP Video Script, Media Sharing CMS, Best PHP Solution for Social Networking". clip-bucket.com. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  9. "Breaking: YouTube Banned in Pakistan". Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  10. "Pakistan to Open YouTube Only if Blasphemous Videos Get Blocked". Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  11. "YouTube Blocked in Pakistan due to Anti-Islam Film - Web.PK". Web.PK. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  12. 1 2 "Tune.pk on the App Store". App Store. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  13. 1 2 "Tune.pk - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  14. "Tune.PK, a Pakistani Video Sharing Website, Crosses 40 Million Playbacks per Month". Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  15. 1 2 "Tune.pk – Windows Apps on Microsoft Store". Microsoft Store. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  16. "Qubee and Tune.pk Join hands in Partnership". Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  17. "Tune.pk & Dot Republic Becomes Official Partner | Tune.pk blog". blog.tune.pk. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  18. "Kaymu.pk Partners with Tune.pk to Boost Pakistan's E-commerce Sector". Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  19. "Aspiring Film Makers Unite! Pocket Cinema Festival to Be Held Next Month". Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  20. "In Pictures: Tune.pk Celebrated its 3rd Anniversary | Tune.pk blog". blog.tune.pk. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  21. "Tune.pk celebrates its 3rd Anniversary whilst YouTube mourns three years of Ban in Pakistan | Tune.pk blog". blog.tune.pk. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  22. "'Tune.pk' introduces new features on its portal". www.hipinpakistan.com. 2015-10-10. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  23. "Tune.pk Brings Amazing New Features and Upgrades". Brandsynario. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  24. "Tune.pk Continues to Flourish in the Absence of Youtube". Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  25. "Prior to Reward Program – Application Security | Tune.pk". tune.pk. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  26. "PTA, Please Open YouTube or Ban Tune.PK Too!". Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  27. "Tune.pk is not a youtube clone | Tune.pk blog". blog.tune.pk. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  28. "Tune Trailers | Tune.pk blog". blog.tune.pk. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  29. "Tune with Mustafa | Tune.pk blog". blog.tune.pk. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
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