Many perceived the boom in the digital world as a threat to the big screen and television. With time, however, the lines between the mediums seem to be blurring. As films adapt to the changing entertainment landscape — with OTT releases and collabs — the small screen, too, has found itself taking a similar path recently.
A number of popular TV shows have made their way to various digital platforms. Take, for instance, the latest season of the chat show Koffee With Karan, which aired on a streaming platform after years of being televised. Bigg Boss OTT is another example. Similarly, Anupama: Namaste America — which is a digital spin-off of the popular TV show Anupama — and web series Qubool Hai 2.0 starring Karan Singh Grover and Surbhi Jyoti, Pavitra Rishta 2.0 starring Ankita Lokhande from the original and Jamai Raja 2.0 that starred Ravi Dubey and Nia Sharma— which are digital versions of TV shows of the same names — have been loved by audiences.
With the success of these digital versions, makers seemed to have realised the profitable side of web avatars of TV shows. Nandita Mehra, director of Pavitra Rishta 2.0, says, “ Hit TV shows are tried and tested and have had a good run. [Their digital versions are] a way to get loyal TV viewers to watch OTT. In fact, at times, new web shows take more time to get the buzz going than the digital versions of TV shows. So, I see a possibility of makers churning out more content in this manner.”
A Synergy of Mediums
This kind of collaboration has benefitted both platforms. While OTT gets more viewers in the form of loyal TV show viewers, the digital space has helped expand the reach of TV’s content. Manish Kalra, chief business officer, ZEE5 India, says, “This trend is beneficial for everyone who is an active part of the content consumption landscape. Therefore, it is important to understand that the different mediums of content consumption shall co-exist in the entertainment sphere, and are not in competition.”
Myriad Experiments
All the channels have made web shows of their most popular TV shows, remarks producer Gul Khan of Qubool Hai 2.0 fame. She says, “Everyone was trying to figure out what will be TV and what will be web and this was a good experiment.”
She shares that a new format has emerged in the digital world, called ‘daily web series’, where an episode is streamed daily for the audiences. Speaking about season two of her show Aashiqana, which recently dropped on OTT, she says, “It is promoted on TV with trailers and teasers, but aired on OTT. Such an experiment hasn’t happened anywhere in the world. The idea is to get the TV audiences on the web. Our show is made in the TV format, but levelled up in terms of mounting and story content. It is bridging the gap between TV and OTT.”
Another format loved by audiences is that of dropping episodes on the web before they are televised. Audiences have been lapping up fresh episodes of ongoing TV shows streaming online with subscribers get first dibs. Now, it seems imperative for TV audiences to have an OTT subscription as it means growth of both mediums that are constantly changing. Kalra adds, “The popular TV serials on OTT platforms undoubtedly act as a magnet to attract more audience onto the platform and the large number of audiences for catch-up TV content helps in increasing the engagement on the platform.”
Rajan Shahi, producer of shows such as Anupama and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, says there are statistics to prove that a huge number of audiences watch shows on OTT platforms before they are televised. As subscribers get first dibs, it is slowly becoming imperative for TV audiences to have an OTT subscription. “I have seen studies which show that many daily soaps perform better than original digital content. With TV shows doing well on daily prime time and on OTT, it becomes a win-win situation for the broadcaster as well as the streamer. Now, we, as producers, are making content for two platforms in a way. And that’s why to attract more audiences on OTT, spin offs and digital versions of popular shows are made. Not just TV but Anupama is a hugely successful show on digital as well so to capitalise on it, Anupama: Namastey Amercia. We gave fresh content with the same cast which was one of its kind. I am proud that we were part of this historic decision.”