Instead of playing bold and creating content that may create controversy, Makers of web show as well as Over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platforms are now shifting their focus towards family audiences.
In the light of controversies revolving around TV shows such as Tandav and Mirzapur 2 and the reaction from government as well as court, it has dawned upon that at least in the short term these filmmakers that time tested and safe fare for the families must be created.
No Controversial or Risqué Content & Focus On Family Shows
A senior official working with a streaming platform confided on the condition of anonymity that at least for a year-and-a-half now, chances of creating a content which is controversial or risqué is unforeseen looking at the present circumstances and more and more platforms shall go the TV way. Also he added that any decision to not take the content a notch down, will make it difficult for such platforms in long term.
In line with the mood of the nation, increasingly nationalist as well as historical content has taken over the platforms and studios.
VP, films and television, Saregama India, which also owns boutique studio Yoodlee Films, said that increasingly they are getting more scripts that have to do with Independence movement or some part of forgotten history or cater to the idea of the nation. He added that filmmakers are currently trying to map as well as predict audience preferences.
Film maker Samar Khan, who has worked on web shows such as ALTBalaji’s The Test Case said looking at the past of Nationalist or patriotic subjects, that if they are delivered in a right way they resonate with audiences and become hits like Border and Gadar.
Currently a show is being developed on RSS founder K.B. Hegdewar by Marathi filmmaker Akshay Bardapurkar. The film maker said the content shall do well as it is line with the mood of the nation. In addition to the macro scene, there are local stories that need to be taken to children who are studying in English-language academic institutions. These stories are also great for syndication as they can be reproduced in many languages by dubbing, remaking which shall make them more relatable.
Catering to the children is also what many platforms are doing with shows like The Legend of Hanuman brought by Disney+Hotstar in January.
Looking at the diversity of India, Nimisha Pandey, Head, Hindi originals, ZEE5 India advocated the need to have a content slate that can cater to the audience’s diverse preferences across languages.
Major stars like Akshay Kumar and Shahid Kapoor have been roped in by web originals Amazon.
OTT Being Democratized As People Watch It In Big Group
Ajit Thakur, chief executive officer of Telugu streaming service aha Video said that even though people watch the shows on OTT platforms individually, unlike TV, but still increasingly the OTT is being democratized and more and more members are watching the show together.
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