Content is no doubt the key to hold the audience attention. The demand for video content with the proliferation of TV, OTT and other platforms vying for consumer connect is set to boom. Therefore and rightly so access to content is key to any successful venture in the Entertainment and Media space.
The expansion in the content marketplace has not only led to new content producers but also significantly added to the quality of content that would be availiable. Platform players while they would be happy with more productions will also have to contend with higher cost. Producing content both for web series, short movies and movies for OTT is vastly different from the massy advertisement led content produced for TV at least in India. Therefore the content costs have risen or are set to rise exponentially over the next few years. Without the comfort of advertisement and the level of subscriptions low and not growing in tandem, is the industry in danger of outspending itself into oblivion?? Problem is very real with only a likelihood of a few winners and many losers.
The Producers on the other side are likely to multiply as they sense a lucrative opportunity over the next few years. With platforms like Netflix , Apple,Amazon, Hotstar , MX2, budgeting huge amounts for acquisition of content it’s clearly boom time.
However Indian content houses have typically done TV content on a cost plus basis and that too massy as well as not of particularly high quality. To improve and deliver in the new world will require origination skills besides pure production not to mention the ability to sell. Much of the value for content lies in their IPR’s which presently are not retained by the content producers. They will need to keep that in mind if they are to create wealth for their stakeholders.
Will be interesting to observe how the business models develop. However both the platforms and the content producers will have to work at the ‘Economics‘ to create value!
eye on media blog 