Small-film producers split streaming rights to maximize revenue

Small southern films such as Martin and Naradan are now streaming on more than one platform, often in the same language, as producers look to maximize revenue and OTT players baulk at paying high prices to buy movies or retain exclusive rights of small and mid-budget movies.

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"It is a chance for a producer to unlock greater aggregated value across multiple platforms rather than have it stream exclusively on one service," producer Tanuj Garg said.

He added that smaller films can pretty much come at throwaway prices for one platform, and that both OTT players and film-makers are trying out different business models in the interest of monetization.

Independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai said several of these films, especially the small and mid-budget ones, are bought by platforms on revenue-sharing terms and for a limited duration. Many such deals are struck only after the film has released in theatres and has crossed a certain box office threshold.