Indian OTT is going through a major shift. Do you remember when these platforms were new then they talked about their series and how they will keep on bringing more of such?
Unfortunately, they are gone by the day. The focus of the streaming platforms is not films but series. Thus, we are seeing streaming platforms making original films. Netflix has always been active in making films but the same can’t be said about Prime Video. They are now debuting in the film space through Madhuri Dixit’s Maja Ma which will release in the first week of October.
Even Zee5 came up with Forensic and Atithi Bhooto Bhava which are original films.
The reasons behind this are a little disappointing. It is a universal fact that a series needs much grippier writing than what is required in films. While watching a series, people must have a reason to stick for a longer investment of time. For a season of around 8 hours, if it is not giving something extraordinary then people would be wanting for something extraordinary.
Currently, we do not have active writers in the industry who bind the viewers. Also, licensed films stay on a platform for only a few years while original films stay forever.
We have a great proof of this claim as we can frequently see Indian films showing up in the Global Top 10 most watched non-english charts on Netflix but series are extremely rare to observe.
Thus, making original movies are also more cost efficient and recallable than licensed films.
Thus, these are the factors leading Indian OTT space to become film centric.