Continued from page 14 The public voting lines stay open between February 14 and March 8. There are 14 separate categories to choose from, making it the most comprehensive web awards in India, that takes place on March 19 in Mumbai.
What got built over it is called OTT.u201d And which is the sort of industry that everyone in the room, barring Ridhima Lulla from Eros Now being much younger, became migrants to, having spent years in various other media, namely films and television. What was that unique u2018 unlearningu2019 they had to go through to adapt to the fresh platform industry? While it doesnu2019t seem so, it is less than four years old! The first learning Vijay Subramaniam, content head, Amazon Prime Video, points out is that, u201c Every customer [ here] is her own programmer. Itu2019s one- on- one [ relationship].u201d According to Nachiket Pantvaidya, COO, Alt Balaji, u201c The [ viewership] data is precise, which was not true for TV.u201d Or, as Gaurav Verma u2014 whou2019s worked extensively in the multiplex business, currently heading Red Chillies, that recently produced The Bard Of Blood on Netflix u2014 puts it, u201c The film/ multiplex business has been about the individual going to the neighbourhood.
Srishti Behl Arya of Netflix India, says, u201c[ You have to make way for] both guilty pleasures, and your conversation pieces.u201d What doesnu2019t change though, as Lulla weighs in, is writing: u201c All the engagement lies in the writing.u201d Subramanian reiterates, u201c The writersu2019 room is where battles are fought and won. Bar on creativity is steadily rising, thanks to series/ long- format.
This coexistence, even cross- pollination, appears natural to Abundantia Entertainmentu2019s Vikram Malhotra, whou2019s paving Akshay Kumaru2019s entry into web for Amazon, besides having produced Breathe ( with R Madhavan), the second season of which stars Abhishek Bachchan: u201c The presence of traditional stars can be reassuring for audiences who havenu2019t tested the medium yet.u201d This is besides that OTT platforms are simultaneously creating their own stars. u201c Stories are creating stars now.
This is as true for newer stars in cinema as well,u201d Malhotra says. That OTT platforms, through instant access, have in fact given a fillip to films from different Indian regions, let alone international content, canu2019t be denied either.
u201c If you wanted to watch a Tamil film, youu2019d hope that itu2019s playing in [ one theatre] Aurora [ in all of Mumbai]. You can click on [ Vetrimaranu2019s] Asuran right away instead,u201d Pantvaidya rightly points out. Which is the reason Hitlist Awards also has a category for non- Hindi [ Indian] film available on web.
Great time for consumers.
Check. Lifetime to binge.
Check, although thatu2019s not new for Indians, since they have, on average, been watching four hours of TV anyway, Nair says.
But what about the cheque at the check- in counter, on your TV/ phone? There are currently 42 OTT platforms, still more on the way, with multiple monthly bills, running into thousands, when cable bills until recently, were all of a couple of hundred bucks. Shakeout expected soon? Nair reasons, u201c Nobody couldu2019ve predicted 600 TV channels in India either. This is growth phase for OTT u2014 early evening at a Diwali party; high rollers will stay until late. There will be rise and fall.u201d Malhotra butts in, u201c The caterers are happy [ either way] though.u201d More importantly, Malhotra emphasises, u201c Thereu2019s been so much disruption in such short time u2014 technology, data [ rates] dropping, smart phones, younger demographic, proliferation of content, new mechanisms, content changing on filmu2026 Unsure if the audience will remain the same five years from now.u201d Well we know where you were all of last year. And hope youu2019ll arrive at what you loved most on OTT platforms to pick winners of Hitlist Web Awards, 2020. Happy voting. And no EVM jhol u2014 thatu2019s a promise! u2018 Stories creating starsu2019 u2018 When you demand so much time from people over a long format series, it better be good. The controls are really in her [ audienceu2019s] handu2019 Vijay Subramaniam, director and head, content, Amazon Prime Video Shrishti Behl Arya, director, international originals, Netflix u2018[ You have to make way for] both guilty pleasures, and your conversation piecesu2019 Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment u2018 Nobody couldu2019ve predicted 600 TV channels in India either. This is growth phase for OTT u2014 early evening at a Diwali partyu2019 Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO, Alt Balaji u2018 If you wanted to watch a Tamil film, youu2019d hope that itu2019s playing in [ one theatre] Aurora [ in all of Mumbai]u2019 Ridhima Lulla Eros Now CCO u2018 All the engagement lies in the writingu2019 Vikram Malhotra, founder and CEO, Abundantia Entertainment u2018 Thereu2019s been so much disruption in such short timeu2014 technology, data [ rates] dropping, smart phones, younger demographic, proliferation of content, new mechanisms, content changing on filmu2019 Gaurav Verma, COO, Red Chillies Entertainment u2018 The film/ multiplex business has been about the individual going to the neighbourhood. This gets reversed [ on web platforms], where you go [ with your content] to the individualu2019 ( From left) Mayank Shekhar, editor, Hitlist, Ridhima Lulla, CCO, Eros Now, Vikram Malhotra, CEO, Abundantia Entertainment, Gaurav Verma, COO, Red Chillies Entertainment, Shrishti Behl Arya, director international originals, Netflix, Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment, Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO, ALTBalaji, Vijay Subramaniam, director, content, Amazon Prime Video
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