‘The Night Manager’, the Indian adaptation of the 2016 British series of the same name, which was based on John Le Carre’s 1993 novel, started streaming on the Disney+ Hotstar OTT platform last week. The Indian version features Aditya Roy Kapoor in the titular role of a night manager, who is pulled into a high-stakes game where he must face a dangerous arms dealer (Anil Kapoor).
On the other hand, the 2016 British series ‘The Night Manager’ starring Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie is streaming in India on the Amazon Prime Video OTT platform. The widely acclaimed show is the winner of multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.
So, in India, the British series, and the Indian adaptation of ‘The Night Manager’ are streaming on rival OTT platforms namely Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus Hotstar, respectively.
Interestingly, the official Twitter handle of Amazon Prime Video India recently ‘reminded’ its subscribers about ‘The Night Manager’ British series streaming on its OTT platform.
the night manager, we all need 👀 pic.twitter.com/JhYkPzPv7J
— prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) February 23, 2023
The smart yet subtle move was made at a time when a segment of OTT audiences expressed their displeasure about the Indian show’s abrupt ending because the first part contains only four episodes and the remaining episodes are expected to drop on Disney+ Hotstar in June.
So, the point is, if the highly rated British series is already available to Indian OTT viewers on Amazon Prime Video, how many of them will be interested in waiting for three more months to watch the rest of the Indian adaptation?
And that’s exactly why we think Amazon Prime Video has pulled off a smart & subtle move by gently ‘reminding’ Indian OTT audiences that the British series is already streaming on their platform. So, Prime Video may be indirectly pointing out that viewers don’t need to wait for a few more months to watch the full story of ‘The Night Manager’ on Disney+ Hotstar. They can watch the complete British series right now on Amazon Prime Video.
So, in a way, Prime Video has tried to capitalize on the aforementioned weakness (of discontinuity) of the Indian adaptation streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. And considering the cut-throat world of Indian OTT, there’s nothing wrong or unethical with that when major OTT platforms are all vying for the biggest chunk of subscribers in India.
Having said that, ‘The Night Manager’ Indian series adaptation has found many takers on Indian OTT despite some flaws. The show has received many positive reviews from critics and is being admired by Indian audiences. It has even achieved the distinction of being featured on the new cover of John Le Carre’s novel. Now, it would be interesting to see how the two shows match-up after the conclusion of ‘The Night Manager’ Indian adaptation.
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