OTTs shelve shows over content quality to avoid bigger losses

Streaming sites are increasingly at loggerheads with filmmakers over a show's or film's acceptance with target audiences

- Lata Jha

Video-streaming platforms that were long accused of indulging filmmakers who dished out long-format shows running into several hours and episodes without offering any compelling content, have now not just tightened the purse strings but are also making greater effort to ensure quality standards are met in whatever programming they put out.

For instance, Netflix, which had announced an original film titled Chakda Xpress starring Anushka Sharma, has no plans of launching it, with people familiar with the development confirming the movie exceeded the budget without turning out great.

The American streaming platform had earlier pulled the plug on a murder mystery called Penthouse directed by Abbas Mustan and Baahubali: Before the Beginning, a spin-off of the action film franchise.