New Delhi Media experts said premium streaming platforms are increasingly relying on Bollywood’s innate desire to find and reach audiences to expand their subscriber base.
It’s good news for the likes of Shahid Kapoor, Siddharth Malhotra, Kareena, with the successful debut of Ajay Deekan, Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit on broadcast platforms, with star-studded shows attracting audiences from across metros as well as theatres. Kapoor sir and their Khan, Anrish Kapoor Shah Khan and Akshay Kumar are set to make their OTT debut.
Devgn: While Devgn: The Edge of Darkness is Hotstar’s most watched VOD show, the second most watched Hindu web series on Netflix is Dixit Glory. Khan’s Radha garnered 8.9 million views in its opening weekend in India.
“Celebrity appearances are definitely eye-catching and interesting around the release of a show or film. The relationship between film stars and OTT is symbiotic – while stars bring audiences to the stage in the form of their fans, access to streaming platforms helps stars reach a larger group,” says Chief Commercial Officer Manish. Clara said.ZEE5 India.
Apart from Radha, Zee5 also screened Taapsee Pannu’s Rashmi Missile, Akshay Khanna and Abhishek Bachchan’s Bob Biswas starrer State of Siege, shortly after its debut alongside Tamil superstar Mohamad.
Karthik Aaryan-starrer Tamaka reached the world top ten for non-English movies for several weeks on Netflix, and was in the top 10 in 10 countries. Dubino Thomas’ superhero film Minnal Murali was in the top 10 in 30 countries. On Netflix, including Argentina, Brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. It has been in the top 10 non-English movies in the world on Netflix for four weeks and has been watched over 25 million hours since its release.
“Big stars have the ability to attract new subscribers because their shows and movies are always more valuable,” said Shils Kapoor, founder and CEO of Ormax, a media consultancy that studies the popularity of TV shows and networks.
From a marketing standpoint, these properties give platforms visibility among a wider audience, especially outside metros, he said. Ashwin Padmanabhan, President, Partnerships and Trade Group M, said, “Big stars at shows help in the raw sampling of content, which can be seen in movies that hit theaters in the first weekend.”
He added, “Although the cost of the program may rise because of the star, most sites value it as an investment that should attract more viewers and keep existing subscribers coming back.”
“Star-studded content is a definite attraction, and the challenge is whether it can keep consumers interested. OTT is a level playing field, where consumers can pause and play or decide otherwise depending on the content delivered. Viewers may be hooked (with the presence of stars) but not committed to the entire duration of the film (with stars). It’s important to understand the return on investment that Shakti brings,” said Deepak Kumar, India Head, The Story Lab, Tenzu’s content arm.
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