50-Days OTT Deal Practically Impossible

Releasing films on OTT platforms after two or three weeks post the theatrical release has become a routine for Telugu films. This kind of OTT diversion is killing theatre footfalls for all movies.

To cut off this culture, the Telugu producers council decided that any film would be released on the OTT platform only after fifty days from the date of its theatrical release. Reportedly, the condition will be applied to all the films scheduled to release from July 1st.

But according to the trade experts, such a scheme wouldn’t work. The members of the active producers guild might abide by this rule, but small-time producers cannot be expected to follow this rule. There are many who aren’t regular producers, and this kind of policy may not work with them. They come to make one or two films just out of passion or just to be labeled as a film producer, and then they try to sell their product as early as possible.

Many producers take loans from various sources to finance their films. They need to pay back the amount to financers as soon as possible, and for them, OTT deals are like a boon. They can’t afford to release their films 50 days after the theatrical release.

On top of that, a few filmmakers nowadays are making films keeping only digital revenues in mind and are least bothered about the theatrical run of their respective films.

So many say that this 50-days OTT deal might look on good on paper, but it will not work out in real time.