'TV has vast reach and even as third window it has enough market to showcase films'

The traditional windowing strategy for Bollywood films has undergone a sea change with the emergence of streaming platforms. While theatre continues to be the primary window for releasing films, OTT is largely emerging as the second window, followed by TV. During the pandemic, a lot of films got released directly on OTT platforms since the cinema halls remained shut. Speaking to exchange4media, ZEEL Cluster Head (Hindi Movie Channels, Film Licensing and Syndication) Ruchir Tiwari said that this is a temporary phenomenon. He feels that theatre will continue to be the first window for films, followed by OTT or TV.

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What's the thought behind the same day release of 'Haathi Mere Saathi' on Eros Now and Zee Cinema on the same day?

All Eros movies go on Eros Now because they don't have a movie channel, but they have an OTT platform. In the past also, Eros movies have been shared by ZEE5 or Eros Now. Here it is a same day release after TV, and they will also show it on their platform. That has been happening for long. Some movies go on TV first, some go on OTT first, that's quite common.

These days, the trend is that the movies are premiering on OTT first?

That trend is mainly due to the pandemic because of the non-availability of theatrical window. So the first window becomes TV or OTT, or both. There are hybrid releases, there are same day releases and sometimes there is a gap of a few days between OTT and TV releases. Obviously, OTTs have been premiering a lot more of it because they are in the expansion phase and want to acquire new customers.

Are the digital premieres on OTT impacting TV viewership, although the former has a lower reach than movie channels?

There are three windows. Theatres have the first window, followed by TV or digital. Every screen has to build its own audience. Some people are theatre going audiences, some are digital consumers, some people are TV consumers. Every medium has its own loyal audience. TV has a vast reach and even as a third window it has enough market to showcase films.

Will TV become the third window for film releases, going forward?

As it is, the gap between digital and TV has never been large. The thing to watch out for is whether theatres will make a comeback or more films will release on OTT. Theatres will have to remain the premiere window because that's where the ultimate experience is and that is also a financially feasible model. Films have to be universal in appeal so that they can attract as many audiences as possible. Films that are niche in nature do well on OTT because it is a very individual kind of viewing and TV is a wholesome family viewing experience. So more universal content works on TV. All kinds of content are shown on TV and everything has a market. TV audiences have also changed, and they also want to watch newer types of content, and unique stories.

Will the movie viewership get fragmented between TV and digital?

There will be an overlap because it depends on the window. Newer films obviously have an overlap, but after that every medium has its own loyal audiences, and it's more about habits. People who watch a lot of movies on TV will catch the premiere on TV, and people who don't have time to watch movies will watch during the weekend sometimes. TV has daily viewing, with viewers spending a few hours every day on one genre or the other. On OTT, it's a different kind of consumer who is looking for things which are not available on TV.

What is Zee's Hindi movie content slate for 2021?

We started 2021 with a bang. We premiered 'Krack', 'Master', and 'Coolie No 1'. Then we followed it up with 'Radhe' on 15th August, followed by 'Haathi Mere Saathi' on 18th September. Then we will do 'Toofan' and then some time around December we will have 'Rashmi Rocket'. We will have a lot more fresh content as and when theatres across India open up. There are 10 to 20 ready films which have not taken the OTT route.

Who is your core target audience?

Movie channels continue to be skewed towards male 15-34 age groups kind of an audience. The genre is male skewed because of the action films, South dubbed films, which do very well. However, movie is a family genre rather than being a male genre. In some time bands and in some phases, males do have a higher decision-making power. That said, there are changes in movie consumption habits. Today, a lot of women also watch action genre. Movie watching is getting more inclusive nowadays.

ZEEL has a lot of segmented channels in its Hindi movie portfolio. How has that strategy worked for the company?

It's a very product and a portfolio led strategy where each channel has a core value proposition. We have Zee Cinema, which is universal, big blockbuster kind of channel. &pictures is a bit younger and so it shows urban younger type of content. Zee Bollywood is a hardcore Bollywood channel. Zee Classic is the golden era of Indian cinema. Anmol Cinema is for rural audiences. Zee Action is a small little action channel which caters to that genre.