Aamir Khan’s OTT Stand on Sitaare Zameen Par: A Brave Call or a Misguided One?

 

Aamir Khan recently stirred the pot with his announcement: Hindi movies should not be released on OTT platforms for at least six months after their theatrical release. Bold move, Aamir — but perhaps it's time to come down from the high horse.

Let’s be clear: if your content is good, audiences will show up at the theatres. You don’t need to impose artificial delays or windows. And let’s not forget, you can’t force people to consume content a certain way — be it in theatres or on streaming platforms. Audiences have choices now, and they’re using them.

Let’s take a quick reality check. Movies like Laal Singh Chaddha and Agent bombed at the box office — and later failed to spark interest even on OTT. No amount of release window manipulation can fix weak storytelling or lackluster content. On the flip side, Lapataa Ladies, produced by Aamir’s ex-wife Kiran Rao, found critical and popular acclaim only because of its release on OTT. It likely wouldn’t have made a dent in theatres.

OTT platforms have become an integral part of how audiences consume content. Trying to delay or deny access isn’t going to reverse that trend — it only risks alienating the very viewers who might have watched your film from the comfort of their homes. And let’s face it, Aamir: there’s no shortage of content. There are thousands of movies and shows available across platforms, and nobody is sitting around waiting for a film that’s stuck in a six-month theatrical limbo.

Even within the Hindi film industry, such a rigid model won’t hold. There will always be producers who choose to break the six-month embargo and go for quicker OTT releases — especially if it means recovering their investment. Down South, the model is already leaner. The OTT window is often just one month.

Take Thug Life, for instance — a case worth examining. Amazon reportedly agreed to a two-month OTT window. But the movie still flopped. Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam, recognizing the sinking ship, opted for an even quicker OTT release. Amazon complied — with a ₹25 crore cut. Business decisions always trump idealistic notions.

So, here’s the takeaway: OTT is not the enemy — it’s the reality. Those of us with home theatres and high-quality viewing setups won’t be swayed by a longer wait time. If you want us in cinemas, make grand, compelling, cinematic experiences that pull us in. Otherwise, it's Tata, goodbye.

Aamir, we appreciate the conviction — but practicality matters. Let your next film prove your point, not your pronouncements.

The Cloak and Dagger world of OTT platforms!

 

Picture Credit https://pixabay.com/photos/secret-top-stamp-spy-army-3037639/

 

Covid-19 pandemic has triggered the OTT wave in India. What was a trickle, turned into a flood and later into a raging tornado. The OTT penetration which was first thought of and dismissed as an urban city phenomenon took the country by storm. 

OTT has become all-encompassing and threatens the very existence of a deep-rooted film distribution and viewing industry that includes the omnipresent cinema halls or theatres. Many theatres are shutting down and especially single screens will soon be like the Indian tiger, a fast-disappearing species unless special protection status is accorded!

The OTT platforms boost a surfeit of content. The major OTT platforms like NETFLIX, AMAZON PRIME, Disney Hotstar, Sony LIV, ZEE 5, AHA, and many others have so much content that it is mind-boggling and even mind numbing. The content is so much that no viewer can watch even 10% of it, even if he/she were to watch it for the entire day.

Apart from the surfeit of content, no one knows exactly how the OTT platforms operate. Figures of hundreds of crores of rupees are thrown about for getting a movie onboard but no one knows for sure.

There are whispers that most movies are on the platform on a free basis and that the moviemakers are paid according to the number of views just like KDP (Kindle Direct Publish) where the authors get paid according to the number of page reads!

Unlike the movies that are released in theatres, aired by satellite channels, or through YouTube no one knows exactly how many have actually viewed a movie. The only indicator is the IMDB ratings that a movie generates. And with the huge Indian population, IMDB rating can be skewed and can be boosted by encouraging the viewers to give higher ratings. And ratings are not a good indicator as many do not rate a movie and non-raters might even be a majority. Generally, ratings are given by viewers who either have loved the movie or have hated it. The fence-sitters are not really bothered!

The OTT platforms even though driven by technology are loathe to share numbers. I suspect that they do not want to admit that they carry Duds (movies with hardly any viewership). So, the entire viewership issue is swept under the carpet.

It must be disconcerting for the producers, directors, actors, and technicians not to know the exact viewership details of the movie in which they have invested so much money, time, and energy. At least YouTube is transparent and anyone can know the viewership details with a mouse click.

Analytical sites like Social Blade furnish jaw-dropping statistics about videos uploaded on YouTube but are totally silent on content hosted on OTT as there is no data shared in the public domain.

The OTT annual charges are ridiculously low. Maybe the OTT platforms are treating the first few years' subscription charges as invitation pricing. Invitation pricing is a low price that would hook the viewers and once the viewers are hooked and addicted the prices can be jacked up. Time to open up and share information, OTT platforms!!!

TRAI Recent ruling, Broadcasters cry foul while Hotstar, SONY LIV, Amazon Prime and Netflix Rev Up to cash in the content streaming (OTT) platform Craze

The recent report about the TRAI trying to rein in the service provers (TV channel and DTH service providers) is quite amusing. This shows how hopelessly TRAI and service providers are outdated and how much they are wallowing in Marketing Myopia. Both TRAI and the service providers are inward-looking, not focused on customer needs, self-preening and have fallen in love their products services and are blissfully unaware that customer views, preferences and viewing habits have changed drastically. 

TRAI proudly claims that viewers’ cable bills would be down by 12% on an average and that each channel will be available at Rs 12 instead off Rs19 per month? Excuse me, in what time are you living TRAI? The days of Cable operators and service providers holding the customers to ransom are a thing of the past. The bouquet pricing that the broadcasters had thrust down the unwilling customer’s throat is outdated and no longer neither welcomed nor appreciated. 

Let us take an example. A viewer wanting a sports channel has to pay Rs 19/- a month irrespective of whether he watches the channel for a day or a month. One channel in a year will cost 228/-. Only one channel! And all major sports get broadcast on different channels of Star Sports, Ten sports etc. 

The viewers end up shelling out a lot for the live telecast of Cricket, Football matches like the world cup, Euro Cup, EPL, La Liga, Grand Slam tennis, Olympics, Athletics and other major sporting events. 

If one were to cut the cord (I did) the experience is liberating. Cutting the cord is cutting the umbilical cord (the cord that the viewer attaches to the television, like the cable wire or the DTH cable) that tied us to the TV. 

With the arrival of the streaming services, Cable TV and DTH are slowly but surely becoming obsolete. And with entertainment being consumed personally and in private, it might prove quite detrimental to the Cable wallahs and the DTH operators unless they become market savvy and adapt to changing market scenario.

The cost of a Hotstar VIP service is Rs 365/- per year. One rupee per day! Hotstar beams live all the Indian cricket matches and also live telecasts the EPL matches! Rs 365/- a year is quite a steal. Add to that the movies and the TV shows and the viewers' cup floweth full! 

Similarly, Sony LIV has a Rs 499/- package for one year only for Indian content and for cricket telecasts that feature the Australian, English and other cricket team matches played outside India. It also telecasts live the LA LIGA (Spanish Football) league. 

Movies and TV show lovers can avail Amazon Prime available at Rs 999/- per year and Netflix at 2400/- per year. All put together the total comes to Rs 4263/- per year and Rs 365/- per month (Hotstar, Rs 365/-, Sony LIV, Rs 499/-, Amazon Prime, Rs 999/- and Netflix, Rs 2400/-). 

If one is prudent and wants to cut down costs and subscribe only to only Hotstar, SONY LIV and Amazon Prime the costs come down to Rs 1863/- per year and Rs 155 per month. And if one is interested only in sports, the cost can be further be pruned down to Rs 864/- which comes to only Rs 72/- per month. 

The pluses are many. The telecast is in High definition; one can watch at their convenience. We need not be tied to the television, and viewing can happen when one is mobile or from multiple locations. The viewer can watch the same content on multiple devices like TV (with Amazon Firestick, Chromecast), Mobile phones, laptop, desktop, I-Pad etc. three to four people can watch different content as many steaming sites allow multiple sign-ins. 

We can watch the latest movies and shows from the comfort of our homes. We can watch with time-lapse and binge-watch too! 

The viewership figures displayed on Hotstar when India plays T20I or ODI are mouth-watering. On many occasions, the data rake up to 8 million or more. Eighty lakh people are watching only on Hotstar and that too only in India. The shape of things to come!

Of Course, some disadvantages do exist. The viewers have to pay extra for either a broadband connection or opt for a mobile service provider who provides good internet speed. In recent times Reliance JIO mobile speeds have slowed down to a pathetic level. But the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages by a very long shot!