Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards

Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards is an annual awards ceremony in Bangladesh that recognizes outstanding achievements in the country's "Over-the-Top" (OTT) platforms and digital content creation ecosystem. Jointly launched by the leading English-language newspaper The Daily Star and Ispahani Tea Limited under its brand "Blender's Choice", the accolades were established to honor innovations across web series, web films, and individual digital content. The awards feature numerous categories across performance, technical achievements, and individual creative domains, with winners determined through a combination of a specialized jury panel evaluation and public voting.

History

The inception of the awards was deeply catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that witnessed a massive digital revolution in Bangladesh's entertainment industry as audiences rapidly shifted toward online media consumption. Recognizing the stellar rise of OTT platforms, web content, and independent digital creation between 2020 and 2021, The Daily Star partnered with Ispahani Tea Limited to bridge the lack of formal recognition for this emerging sector. The initiative was officially unveiled at a press conference in Dhaka in March 2022 by key figures including Mahfuz Anam, the editor and publisher of The Daily Star, and executives from Ispahani and Mediacom Limited.

The inaugural EDition, titled the Blender's Choice–The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards 2021, invited submissions for any indigenous digital content released between July 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021. It debuted with 37 diverse categories, encompassing not only mainstream entertainment like web films and series but also alternative segments such as content focusing on social causes, education, health, sports, and travel vlogs. Following the successful reception of the debut event, the organizers expanded the initiative in subsequent years, announcing the second iteration in 2023 to continuously evaluate and celebrate the rapid growth, technical advancements, and shifting trends within the Bangladeshi digital media landscape.

Categories

• Best Series
• Best Film
• Best Director, Series
• Best Director (Film)
• Best Actor, Series (Male)
• Best Actor, Series (Female)
• Best Debut Script Writer
• Best Debut Actor (Male)
• Best Debut Actor (Female)
• Best Debut Director
• Best Writer
• Best Lyricist
• Best Dialogue
• Best Cinematographer
• Best Song (Music Composer)
• Best Singer
• Best Background Score
• Best Costume
• Best VFX and Editing
• Best Supporting Actor, Series
• Best Supporting Actor, Series (Male)
• Best Director (Critics)
• Best Content (Social Cause)
• Best Series (Critics)
• Best Actor, Male (Critics)
• Best Actor, Female (Critics)
• Best Content (Documentary)
• Best Freelance Web Drama/Content
• Best Content (Education)
• Best Content (Entertainment/Comedy)
• Best Content (Sports)
• Best Content (Kids)
• Best Content (Travel Vlog)
• Best Content (Animation)
• Best Content (Food & Recipe)
• Best Content (Health & Wellbeing)
• Director's Choice (Female)

Award ceremonies

The following is a listing of all Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards ceremonies since 2021.

See also

• Meril-Prothom Alo Awards
• National Film Awards (Bangladesh)
• Dhallywood Film and Music Awards
• Channel i Music Awards
• Ifad Film Club Award