Sun NXT as an OTT platform has a good quality of content. However, it has never been considered a serious contender for the OTT Market leader. But did things change? Is Sun NXT getting into direct competition with biggies like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar?
The OTT platform has usually kept out of the noise of big acquisitions. While Netflix, Prime Video, and others undertook big purchases to attract audiences, Sun NXT had kept itself away from the noise by mainly keeping the digital rights of the films Sun Pictures had produced, on the platform. Sun NXT seems to have an arrangement with Netflix since it usually shares the digital rights of Sun Pictures’ film productions with Netflix, with the latest films that saw this joint acquisition being ‘Annaatthe’, ‘Etharkkum Thunindhavan’, and ‘Beast’. But have things changed?
Interestingly, the same arrangement with Netflix is not seen with Sun Pictures’ latest release that has gotten the ticket counter ringing- The Dhanush and Nithya Menen starrer ‘Thiruchitrambalam’. This time, Sun NXT is keeping the exclusive digital rights for the film. Is it a silent announcement of its intention to be seen as a serious contender in the Indian OTT space?
With the Indian OTT market growing at an enormous pace, new platforms are popping up each trying to carve their niche with some being highly successful like Allu Aravind’s Aha Telugu. Sun NXT keeping the rights of the ‘Thiruchitrambalam’ will get it sizable subscribers. We wonder if it’s a war horn to the other OTT platforms that want a piece of the huge OTT audience, one such platform being Aha Tamil which has come up in Sun Pictures’ own backyard.
One of the very few OTT platforms that have started making a profit already, Sun NXT reportedly earns most of its revenue on the contractual basis of content sharing with the partnership of network companies. This may be the beginning of Sun Pictures’ strategy of building its brand and platform with aim of increasing its paid subscribers instead of earning income directly from its deals with network companies.
Sun Pictures’ two upcoming film productions include VJS 46 and superstar Rajinikanth’s next titled ‘Jailor’ with Nelson. It would be interesting to see if Sun NXT will do the same with these two films as well or if it will continue the supposed arrangements it has with Netflix and this action was just a one-time decision. With the Indian OTT space growing, it is only natural for the company to widen its influence and improve its competence. With a huge portion of the Indian OTT market controlled by American Companies, it would be interesting to see desi companies giving them a run for their money.