Come November 25 and millions of Indians will root for Sacred Games Season 1, Lust Stories and Radhika Apte as they fight it out at the International Emmy Awards finale. An international award means a lot for not only the film and television industry but also millions of Indian audiences, who share a lot of the credit for the success of these shows. However, when it comes to international recognition, awards have always eluded India, a country that boasts one of the largest film and television industry in the world.
That said, online streaming platforms are giving original Indian content a new identity in the international arena. And at the same time they are giving the Indian film and television industry a run for their money. A large number of online streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime are investing large amounts of money on producing original Indian shows. Add to it Indian streaming giants like Hotstar, Zee 5 and ALT Balaji and a host of regional streaming apps, certainly is giving the film and television industry stiff competition. And this is also heating up the entertainment streaming war with more players jumping on the bandwagon.
Needless to say, Indian audiences are lapping up everything that is being offered by these online streaming services. Online streaming platforms certainly have its set of advantages — fewer ads, longer running time, option of binge watching and more room for creativity. These factors mean a lot to the audiences that have led many to watch films and shows on online streaming platforms than in theatres or television.
Back home, the scene is no different. The online streaming fever has gripped youngsters who till some time ago preferred going to movie theatres or watching television shows. This has also seen an increasing number of mainstream Hindi film directors and actors exploring the digital space with original content and big-budget shows. And the audience can expect more with big brands like Disney and Apple too gearing up to foray into the online streaming space in November. Sunday POST tries to explore the growing craze of online streaming platforms with original content among youngsters in the state.
Much like in most parts of the country, online streaming companies are witnessing a considerable jump in subscription in Odisha too. Twenty-four-year old Kaanchan Patnaik, a Pune-based IT engineer, says she stopping watching television a while ago because the show timings clashed with her busy work schedule. On the other hand, online streaming platforms give her the flexibility to watch shows and films at her convenience. “Moreover, I also get to watch original content, which also most of the time has better production quality. Also, my constant fight with my brother for the remote control has stopped. He watches his favourite shows on his mobile phone, while I do the same on mine,” she says.
Kaanchan is also excited that a few more OTT platforms will be launching soon, as this will give her not only more options but also give her the opportunity to watch more original content. “OTT platform gives me a lot of options,” she says, adding “Although many people download movies from Torrent sites, it’s illegal and at times one has to also compromise with the quality. But watching content on OTT is hassle free. Moreover, the ticket prices of many big-budget films are exorbitant at multiplexes. Many of these films premiere on OTT within a month of their release. I can watch these films by paying a one-time annual subscription,” says Kaanch, who is a subscriber of Amazon, ZEE5, while for international shows, Netflix is her preferred choice “Hotstar has a great collection of regional content and has a huge library of both films, television shows and web series,” she adds.
Given the demand for original content in India, not only domestic but also international online streaming services are investing a lot in Hindi and regional content. Last year, Netflix spent $13 billion on content and this year it is likely to go up to $15 billion. One reason Netflix is continuing to make big investments now is that it’s going to face serious new streaming competition from media giants like Disney, WarnerMedia and Apple, which will start offering its services later this year.
“With mobile phone connections increasing at a fast pace in India, data consumption too has increased. This is primarily because many people are shunning television and film theatres and going for video streaming platforms. This has also seen a massive jump in OTT subscribers. India is emerging as one of the top 10 largest video streaming markets in the world. Lower Internet price is also one of the major reasons behind the growth of OTT market in India,” says Bhubaneswar-based Jajati Keshari, who watches English, Hindi and regional only on his mobile phone.
“TV demands a particular time schedule, which young people find difficult to adhere to. To be sure, TV has always been and will always be household device where as mobile is personal. Hence the nature of storytelling on TV will always be “family” oriented rather than “personal” which is only possible on mobile phones. Today, youngsters want to be entertained with stories made for them and consumed on devices, time and place of their choice, another reason behind the popularity and growth of OTT platforms in India.
Slick production and well-known faces from the film industry is a combination that seems to be working for OTT platforms. Sacred Games, for example, was shot in Nairobi, Cape Town and Johannesburg — a first for an Indian OTT original show. Per a KPMG report, 2019 is likely to see an investment of around Rs 600 crore by Netflix in original content in India. Amazon Prime Video, on the other hand, had said that it would pump in Rs 2,200 crore over a three-year period for its originals in India in 2017.
Netflix is believed to have shelled out Rs 100 crore on the production of the latest season of Sacred Games. Moreover, it has a spate of tentpole shows in its line-up that boasts names like Bard of Blood, an adaptation of Midnight’s Children and Baahubali: Before the Beginning. On the other hand, domestic players like Voot, Hotstar and Zee5 — invest Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore per episode of their web series which comprise eight to 10 episodes per season.
Original content certainly has been the biggest game changer for OTT platforms. Prabhudatta Das, 28, a freelance musician from Cuttack, doesn’t like watching television anymore. Although he watches shows on Amazon Prime and Netflix, he was not a regular subscriber to the two services. He was fond of stand-up comedy and used to binge watch Stranger Things. However, later with the release of shows like Sacred Games, Family Man, Mirzapur and TVF Pictures, he has started subscribing a few services. “These series have innovative content and high-production value. Most of the times, they are even better than big-budget Hindi films. Moreover, you can these shows according to your convenience. All you just need to do is put on your earphones and start streaming them. I still remember how I watched three episodes of Family Man on Amazon Prime while I was in a Cineplex for a movie which was boring,” says Prabhudutta.
Moreover, OTTs have an edge over television channels and films given that they have a global library and an international audience. Having a wide global audience offers greater promise of monetisation to online streaming platforms, unlike television channels, which explains their generous investment. And with more players coming in, investment is only likely to escalate in the coming days. Disney+ is likely to launch with 400-500 movies. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video plan to offer more content. Also Apple TV+ will launch in November in more than 100 countries. The services will be available free for one year to up to six users simultaneously on new Apple devices.
Bhubaneswar-based Sandip Tripathy says, “The ad free content is the best part of such platforms. You can watch your favourite shows like you are playing it on a CD player at your home with facilities of pause, forward and play facilities. The sharing of user Ids is another advantage of such platforms. You don’t have to pay big bucks like we are paying for DTH services. So, younger generations are more fascinated towards such platforms. You can download some of the movies or series you like and watch later when you have no internet connections. These platforms have a wide array of shows and movies including old and new categorically which makes it easier to even search a particular film or show.”
“Whenever I get free time, I watch movies of different languages as most of these films have English subtitles with language change options. One can find many movies with audio of different languages. So if you like a movie or series then the language will not be a barrier for you,” he adds.
SOYONG, OP
