Niche streaming services embrace sensitive subjects
2 min read . Updated: 31 Oct 2022, 11:22 PM IST
Premium- These platforms do not face similar pressures and controversies, given the minimal hype around them
NEW DELHI : Small homegrown streaming platforms, many making regional language content, are using their niche appeal and limited audience base to their advantage to attempt some risky themes and subjects. While technically operating under the same IT Rules umbrella as foreign OTT giants, these platforms do not face similar pressures and controversies, given the minimal hype around them.
As a result, services such as Planet Marathi, Baba Play and MX Player, among others, have been able to touch upon subjects dealing with religion, caste or politics that may have spelt irreversible trouble for more prominent companies. Small platforms say the lack of a clear government mandate is leading to much confusion on the kind of content that can pass muster. So while bigger players have gone into self-censorship mode, small entities are going ahead with shows given that their audience base is small and their investments are low, meaning they can afford to take bigger risks for now, even though they remain accountable and sensitive to their target groups.
“Most scrutiny remains around foreign OTT platforms today, and while small and mid-sized players have their own problems, such as to do with budgets, the latter’s investments are much higher, as is the noise around them," said Akshay Bardapurkar, founder of Planet Marathi. The platform recently premiered a show called Raanbaazaar, centred on the fictional political machinery of Maharashtra that it was apprehensive about, Bardapurkar added. “The whole idea behind OTT content is to be edgy, so anything can offend people today, be it the title of the show, the dialogues or the background score. But most attention is geared towards foreign services, which also benefit from controversies and are able to drive subscriptions. But this is a price they have to pay," Bardapurkar said.
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Indian law, including the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, or IT Rules 2021, does not differentiate between foreign OTTs and domestic or regional OTTs, said Pranav Srivastava, a partner at law firm Phoenix Legal. “However, the compliances and scrutiny may appear to be greater on foreign OTT platforms because of their greater brand recognition and larger viewership.
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