OTT platforms have been very cautious in choosing the type of film they want to stream. The focus is to have on board, as many potentially good films as possible. That’s the reason there is always a strong bidding/streaming war going on in the digital world.
But this does not happen for any and every film whose maker’s approach the platform for a quote price. The conditions, at times, are such that none of the streaming platforms want to stream certain independent films. This undoubtedly leads to a situation of financial distress for the filmmakers of such movies for whom theatres, operating at 50% capacity and looking for big starrer blockbusters, are not an option.
Though in a competitive digital environment as today’s, we can’t blame the OTT platforms much for being picky. That in no sense means there can’t be a middle ground, where its a good bargain for both ends.
One such understanding can be reached if OTTs allow certain filmmakers to opt for ‘Pay for Performance’ model for their films whose streaming rights remain unsold. This would help such filmmakers to get their projects rolling and start getting return on their investment.
The OTT platforms too don’t loose anything on their part with this model of video streaming as they don’t pay heftily for it and make profit over time, depending on the film’s performance.
The ‘Pay for Performance’ is also advantageous for independent filmmakers in terms of a morale booster. It will give them that ounce of confidence and courage that helps enhancing the creative freedom and lets them hedge the bet on their films without any interference.
More so, as the theatres have opened now, the upcoming big titles would opt for it rather than a direct OTT release, leaving the slots open for creative independent films. If it’s still not feasible for OTTs to stream a particular category of movies, the above mentioned ‘Pay for Performance’ model is definitely worth checking out.
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