Rahul Bose, while promoting his upcoming Zee5 film ’Berlin’ in a recent interview said that OTTs have not made it any better or worse in terms of content creation and the ratio of the good, the bad and the average stuff remains pretty much the same as before.
Now that’s a food for thought and one cannot help but ponder over the fact that is it really like that. Well, OTT platforms have undoubtedly made access to a large library of contents from across the globe impressively easy but has it really changed the game of content creation.
We need to get one things straight, more content does not necessarily mean better content and while OTTs have democratized access to entertainment, the fundamental challenge of creating good-quality content persists. There is constant flooding of OTT platforms with content and this has provided viewers access to both high-quality, thought-provoking shows like ‘Panchayat’ or ‘Delhi Crime’ and content that falls into the “trash” category.
On the other hand, we also cannot deny that streaming platforms have become a source of creative freedom for a whole new set of creators who now have a platform to tell their stories. Aspiring filmmakers have that opportunity where their voices are heard, and can hence deliver more diverse narratives.
Still it nowhere means that all the content made in today’s age is good, we do get a mix of bad and average now too, and hence the question remains unchanged: has OTT really altered the content game?
The answer to that is neither a straight no nor a straight yes. OTTs have definitely brought about a significant change where if you want to get recognition your content needs to be really well written as the competition is pretty tight. Mediocre writing, even if backed by high production values, won’t pull you through unless it’s bolstered by solid, engaging storytelling.
That’s a massive difference from before when star power alone could take the film to great heights. Now, poorly written content simply won’t resonate with the audience, specially on OTT, and that’s critical since the word-of-mouth circulates fast in this era of internet and can break or make a film or a show.
So yes, while OTTs have democratised content creation and tranformed the way it is consumed, the essence of storytelling remains the same even now. The quality of content still varies widely, with some groundbreaking shows mixed in with those that cater to more base instincts. And as Rahul Bose rightly said, “human beings don’t change”, and just the fact the content is being made for OTT doesn’t make one an inherently better creator. The only positive change is that good writing and storytelling matter more now than ever before. And yes, the good, the bad and the average still persist and are going to be there for a long, long time.