OTT, film channels stare at content drought

Satellite movie channels especially have had a tough time lately with most eyeballs having moved to streaming and with even big titles failing to give returns on TV. Experts said such channels could even be headed for a price correction if things don’t get better.

“While it is tough to predict the business and incorrect to write the year off so soon, it does seem like there could be a potential vacuum created by the non-availability of films starring names who generate big numbers," Shariq Patel, chief business officer, Zee Studios said.

It is time for other actors like Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, both of whom have multiple releases this year, to step up, Patel said. The hope also is that sleeper hits will emerge to fill the void created by the absence of big titles.

A senior executive at a streaming platform agreed that while all major OTT platforms are investing in web shows, the dull line-up of movies will be a challenge this year.

“The advantage with big films is that services don’t have to spend additionally on promotion and marketing because there is already great buzz around them," the executive said on condition of anonymity. “It is crucial to have a regular supply of big titles, and all platforms will suffer on that account this year."

Manish Shah, founder and director of Goldmines Telefilms, which owns TV channel Dhinchaak (renamed to Goldmines Movies), said southern dubbed films could take advantage of the absence of big Bollywood films this year. Titles like Ram Charan’s Game Changer, Prabhas’ Kalki 2898 AD and Jr NTR’s Devara are lined up for release.

To be sure, all broadcasters and streaming platforms have anyway begun to exercise caution when it comes to acquisition of films, not chasing producers demanding astronomical rates and buying individual titles instead of whole catalogues.

The threat is even more pronounced for satellite channels that have not only seen a dip in viewership, but also faced a situation where mid-budget, experimental and slice-of-life films are not finding favour with family audiences over the past few years. While some of these titles like Badhaai Ho and Queen struck big at the box office especially in big cities and multiplexes, they are hardly a saviour for broadcasters when it comes to single TV households across India.

“Movie channels were, at one time, drivers of reach, but that isn’t the case anymore," said Neeraj Vyas, business head–Sony Entertainment Television, Sony SAB, PAL and Sony MAX Movie Cluster. “There have been many FTA (free-to-air) launches that take eyeballs away from the pay TV universe. That is coupled with the advent of OTT with films only becoming available on TV 100-120 days after release, by when piracy goes up."

Even big films are no longer lasting long among TV audiences and premieres don’t guarantee big ratings either, Vyas said. “This year, however, is going to a bigger case study of just making do with whatever you have. If there aren’t many releases, the market will head towards significant price correction," he added.