OTT streaming: Kerala film body maintains status quo of 42-day period for now

The Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) has decided to maintain the status quo of allowing OTT streaming of movies after 42 days of their theatrical release.

The apex body of the Malayalam film industry had taken up the issue for discussion among the stakeholders after the Film Exhibitors’ United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) had demanded extension of the release window to 56 days. It had stated that the audiences were staying away from cinemas after some of the producers released their movies on digital platforms after four weeks of their theatrical release.

Explaining that a final decision on fixing the release window would be taken later, G. Sureshkumar, KFCC president, said the association of producers had sought further time to discuss whether OTT streaming should be extended beyond the existing 42-day period.

“Such discussions are progressing among the stakeholders in other States too. The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce had recently suggested allowing OTT release of big-budget movies only after eight weeks of theatrical release,” he said.

K. Vijayakumar, president of FEUOK, said many prefer watching a movie on OTT platform in view of the short gap between the theatrical release and digital streaming. “This was especially affecting the box-office collections of small- and middle-budget movies,” he said.

On whether they would prefer extending the present window of 42 days to 56 days, M. Renjith, Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) president, pointed out that the association would take the lead in organising discussions among its members before taking a final call.

“We are planning to discuss the issue with the representatives of various OTT platforms. The association is also looking at the discussions being held in Tamil and Telugu film industries,” he said. The Hindu