Ever since streaming platforms have become a huge part of our lives, the entertainment world is constantly evolving with new content. The past few years have been exciting for the makers as well as the audience with regards to content on OTT, with 2022 promising an even more exciting time. Filmmaker Rohan Sippy, who has produced shows like the Indian version of The Office and most recently Aranyak. OTT is well on the way for digital platforms to develop engaging content and widen their audience base.
The future of OTT medium in 2022
Time is very exciting. The kind of options we have, it’s incredible. The best of Indian and world entertainment is at our fingertips. It also means that you have to set the standards higher and higher. Our very own series is in the company of the likes of Aranyak Squid Game, The Witcher, Money Heist and Decoud. This is a great snapshot of such options on a single platform. This is only a good thing for the creative community. It’s a chance to tell our stories and reach us in incredible ways. This keeps on increasing.
And not every platform will target the same consumer. Some are driven by advertising and are going for more comprehensive content, while others are niche and subscription based. This gives the consumer a choice as well as the manufacturer as to how wide an audience they want to reach. Regional content is also coming more and more. International shows are being adapted here and many more are being released as dubbed versions. There is a huge amount of churn going on and the best part is that good stories are getting prominence from mouth to mouth and everyone tunes in.
It’s someone’s time you’re targeting. I have seen that cinema halls are also getting expensive. If you move your family to a good multiplex in a big city, you’ll probably get all subscriptions for all platforms for the year. It makes a lot of difference. Cinema has now become a part of the ‘mall experience’ where you are ready to spend 6-7 hours of your day in one go and indulge in many other activities like shopping, eating and then watching movies. Surely there will be some titles that get those blockbuster openings but it will be a challenge for those dramas or films that used to do well earlier. Audiences are now used to getting great content at home, be it Hindi movies or shows. It will be interesting to see whether audiences move to ‘normal films’. There is definitely an appetite for big event films. Meanwhile, regional films have returned to a better position. The next six months will be crucial to bring back the confidence with Hindi films. For new stars to be born, they have to have a theatrical release. They have to start building a new generation fan base. This is the next big challenge for Hindi cinema.
What Defines Hit or Flop on OTT
With the digital medium, unfortunately, there is no transparency. Just like there is a box office report of a theatrical release or TRP for a TV show, till date there is no statistic on the platform as to how many people watched a series or movie. For better or worse, the only metric right now is whether there’s a season two coming. This shows whether there is confidence in taking the platform forward or not. Apart from this, we are also following social media and we are getting a sense of the response to it. But just as box office figures give you a sense of achievement or failure, the report card is quite clear. Even in TV medium, GRP and TRP system gives you a clear picture of reach and acceptance. We don’t have access to that kind of clarity yet.
What is keeping young actresses away from OTT?
You have to find a topic that excites you as an actor. Their schedules, I’m sure, are very busy. Even though you are trying to make the same quality as the movies, the working conditions are much tougher. For example, you have to do 3-4 films in the same amount of time. On a movie schedule, if you miss a day, you can make up for it. In one show, a day or two goes out of control, the whole show is in complete disarray. It takes a lot of commitment from an actor. You just can’t do anything quickly and pass out. You have to be part of a team. Like Raveena Tandon was with us on an outdoor schedule for three months. But that kind of commitment is needed in the show. For a young actress with existing commitments, this may not be possible.
Looking at the response women are getting on OTT, I think there is an incredible opportunity for young actresses, if they are committed, to really make a mark. This is a much larger audience than your theatrical release target. It is fast becoming one of the biggest mediums. Right now there are not many young actresses here but older actresses are doing some great work on OTT.
Trends that are likely to emerge on OTT in 2022
The initial phase of OTT was without the shadow of censorship. Then the issue of not being able to say certain things on screen was not really there and innovation was there. Now, drug abuse, explicit language, and sex among other topics were explored. But what we didn’t realize was that the wider audience is not comfortable with it. It’s not that they can’t handle it but you don’t want to see it in every show. Maybe 5-10 percent of your content but if you look around the world, most of the content is something you can teach with your family. I’m hoping that will be the next trend because there are so many more opportunities out there. I’ve done a lot of shows and people come up to me and say, “I was able to watch it with my family and my parents.”
Earlier OTT was more associated with edgy content. This doesn’t mean that there is a need to compromise on storytelling. You can suddenly open up to three to four times your audience base by becoming more aware of your audience’s tastes. Second, regional development will continue. Third, I really hope that the comedy also comes in a big way. If you look around the world as well, half the trending shows are comedies. Writing is an important aspect in this, but if you get it right, comedy is comparatively easier to execute as compared to action and other genres. And there is a repeat audience for these shows. A new generation of comedy-centric content that could be a staple for these platforms for many years to come.
Formula to get comedy content right for OTT
The formulas are really great characters. Shows like The Big Bang Theory, Seinfeld, The Office etc are hits that don’t focus much on the plot. The characters are memorable and the writing is sharp. You need to create characters that you can spend some of your time with, which can be your comfort zone. The power of great humor is getting good actors and giving them great content. This will set the groundwork for comedies that people will want to tune in.
Mainstream stars increasingly turning to OTT
With the release of Aranyak, I realized the difference Raveena has made. With her career in the film industry, many people saw it, which could not have happened otherwise. They may have sensed that it might be obscene. Ranveena gave us the ticket and assured the Hindi audience about our show. Actors like Manoj Bajpayee and Pankaj Tripathi have created stardom in this medium. It’s good to see other stars making an impact too and the balance is maintained. You can have great actors and stars who are also good actors. Both help widen the net and bring more people in.
We can expect changes on OTT
I hope the channel continues to experiment. We don’t have a formula and no one can be 100% right about anything. But if you allow the makers to make something and have faith and belief in them, you never know where a new genre might come from. It can be fantasy or animation or anything else. There are many things that have to be explored. In the West, they create content targeted to young adults. It didn’t come from here. In the West, there is a dedicated slate of this kind of programming. As storytellers, we have to take the responsibility of actually getting there and making the most of it. I hope all these things will open up in a year or two.
(As reported to News18.com)
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