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Tag: Lionsgate

  • Liam Neeson & Nimrod Antal discuss Lionsgate’s Retribution ahead of theatrical release

    Liam Neeson & Nimrod Antal discuss Lionsgate’s Retribution ahead of theatrical release

    Mumbai: Tick, tick, BOOM! Matt Turner must fight for his kids’ life in Lionsgate’s Retribution starring the iconic Liam Neeson. When a mysterious caller threatens to blow his family, it forces Matt Turner to abandon all that he knows and loves and begin a wild goose chase to get to the truth. Helmed by director Nimrod Antal, this action thriller will see Liam Neeson go through a range of emotions as he is stuck in a sticky situation, one that he must fight tooth and nail to get out of. Surrounded and backed into a corner, Liam must find a way to protect his kids and save his own life. With the clock ticking, can he find a way out?

    Talking about the film, Liam Neeson said, “The concept of it is so immediate and engaging. It’s got themes that really resonate, like money and greed.”

    Further adding on, Neeson said, “For me, that’s it. What’s really important is sometimes you need to remember to take the time to smell the roses, to sit back and enjoy things. So that’s my advice on this. Sit back and enjoy it.”

    Also talking about the film, director Nimrod Antal said, “It really is a rollercoaster ride, and all of the actors elevate the story and take it to a whole other level. You see how vulnerable these characters are and what they’re dealing with beyond what’s happening in the car.”

    Catch Liam Neeson star in Lionsgate’s Retribution on 25 August in theaters near you.

  • International streaming service Starzplay rebrands as Lionsgate+ in 35 countries

    International streaming service Starzplay rebrands as Lionsgate+ in 35 countries

    Mumbai: Starz has announced that its premium international streaming service, Starzplay, will rebrand as Lionsgate+ in 35 countries. This coincides with a new brand look and graphics package, rolling out globally on 29 September 2022.

    The new brand look, with its graphics package, colour palette, and design elements, will be deployed in the U.S. and begin rolling out in the majority of Starz’s 63 country footprint. Starzplay will rebrand to Lionsgate+ in 35 Starz markets, excluding the US and Canada, where it will remain Starz. Brand names for Starzplay Arabia, along with South and Southeast Asia’s Lionsgate Play, will also remain in place.

    “We recognised the potential of the global OTT market early, and over the last few years we have built an incredible global streaming service, which has become a destination for audiences seeking premium, provocative programming. Operating under Lionsgate+ internationally brings a distinct and differentiated identity in an increasingly crowded international marketplace and builds on the brand equity in the Lionsgate name that our extensive research has proven is strong around the world. Even with the separation of STARZ and the Lionsgate studio business, the Lionsgate brand will continue to be valuable to the ongoing success of our international platform,” said Starz president & CEO Jeffrey Hirsch.

    “Our commitment to delivering bold, curated stories where we push boundaries and defy expectations remains the same. We have built strong relationships with our viewers and look forward to continuing providing them with premium storytelling as Lionsgate+,” said Starz president of international networks Superna Kalle.

    Lionsgate+ subscribers have access to a library of exclusive, premium content, including original series premiering globally on the same day as the United States, such as the political thriller Gaslit; period dramas in its royal collection, such as the upcoming series Dangerous Liaisons; and a series set in the universe of the blockbuster Power franchise. Lionsgate+ is also home to Spanish-language original series such as the drama Señorita 89, sci-fi thriller El Refugio and crime drama Express, and offers first-run series on television, including the genre-bending series The Great, and the action-thriller series Gangs of London, plus a collection of movies added to the platform every month.

    Starz established itself as one of the first US linear channels to enter the global market upon launching its global SVoD service, now Lionsgate+, in 2018, offering audiences access to what it calls bold, curated storytelling. Since its initial launch, coupled with its Starzplay Arabia joint venture, Starz’s global footprint has expanded into 63 countries throughout Asia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, MENA and Southeast Asia.

    With the rebrand in effect, below is the breakdown of service names across the 63 countries where SVoD has a presence.

  • Liongate Play’s June offerings: Cosmic Sin to Blood Circus

    Liongate Play’s June offerings: Cosmic Sin to Blood Circus

    Mumbai : Lionsgate Play, one of the fastest-growing OTT platforms in India, is now showing unmatchable content across various genres in June. Lionsgate Play has announced an impressive line up of the biggest blockbusters for the Indian audience. 

    Indiantelevision.com presents you with a list of six movies that audiences may watch on the OTT platform. 

    Cosmic Sin

    Cosmic Sin is a high voltage sci-fi action thriller starring Bruce Willis and Frank Grillo in lead roles.  The film is set in the year 2524, where humans have colonized other planets. At this point in time, retired general James Ford gets called back into service following a hostile alien fleet attack on soldiers located on a remote planet. The threat against mankind soon escalates into an interstellar war as Ford and his team of elite soldiers try to stop the imminent invasion before it is too late.

    Directed by Edward Drake, this movie is produced by Corey Large. Apart from Willis and Grillo, the film also stars Brandon Thomas, Corey Large, Perrey Reeves, CJ Perry, and Lochlyn Munro in other prominent roles. Cosmic Sin is available on Lionsgate Play in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. 

    Unlocked

    Another action thriller from the Lionsgate store is Unlocked. Directed by Michael Apted, this British-American film revolves around CIA agent Alice Racine who fails to apprehend the terrorist behind a Paris attack that claimed dozens of lives. She is then working under cover in London when her mentor drafts her into an operation in which she has to stop a deadly terrorist attack. 

    Written by Peter O’Brien,  Unlocked stars Noomi Rapace, Orlando Bloom, Michael Douglas, John Malkovich, and Toni Collette in lead roles. 

    Warm Bodies

    Warm Bodies is an American paranormal romantic film directed by Jonathan Levine. The film is based on Isaac Marion’s 2010 novel by the same name, which in turn is inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. 

    Starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, and John Malkovich in lead roles, the film is set in the backdrop of a terrible plague that segregates the population between zombies and humans. 

    Liberty Stands Still

    Blade hero Wesley Snipes’ 2002 movie Liberty Stands Still is a high voltage crime thriller. Directed by Kari Skogland. The movie revolves around the life of Liberty (Linda Florentino), a gun manufacturer’s wife who is held hostage by Joe (Wesley Snipes) who has lost his daughter in a high school shooting incident. 

    Liberty Stands Still will be available on Lionsgate Play on 25 July. 

    The Glass Castle

    The Glass Castle is an American biographical drama directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. The movie narrates a heart-wrenching story about a dysfunctional family. The Glass Castle stars Brie Larson, Naomi Watts, and Woody Harrelson in lead roles. 

    The film will be available on Lionsgate Play on 18 June. 

    Blood Circus

    Directed by Jacob Cooney, Blood Circus is an American action film that revolves around the life of a retired MMA fighter caught up in a deadly underground fight club called Blood Circus. To protect his family, the MMA fighter has to win the fights against deadly enemies. The film stars Jamie Nocher, Tom Sizemore, and Robert La Dardo in lead roles. Blood Circus will be streamed on Lionsgate Play on 11 June. 

    The app is available on :

    Desktop- https://lionsgateplay.com/

    IOS- https://apps.apple.com/in/app/lionsgate-play/id1532066585

    Android- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lionsgateplay.videoapp

  • Lionsgate Play eyeing collaborations to get ahead in Indian market: Rohit Jain

    Lionsgate Play eyeing collaborations to get ahead in Indian market: Rohit Jain

    KOLKATA: In December 2020, Hollywood studio Lionsgate rolled out its independent video streaming app Lionsgate Play here and later expanded its presence in Indonesia. Distribution, payment mechanism, flexible strategy around ARPU – will be the three key factors to make a significant presence in emerging markets in India, according to Lionsgate South Asia and networks- emerging markets Asia managing director Rohit Jain.

    Jain was speaking at Future of Video India 2021 organised by the Asia Video Industry Association. “Globally our view is that streaming is eventually going to settle into a three-tier structure which is no different from linear structure. Technologies will change and that makes it convenient for consumers to sort of watch content but the segmentation of customers and their behaviour don’t change,” he said.

    He further revealed that Lionsgate Play is looking to position itself around the mid-tier. While a large network might be looking at 250-300 million subscribers, it may target 70-75 million subscribers. The OTT platform currently has around 30 million subscriptions worldwide.

    “It is important to let go of the fixation around ARPU. It’s a very incomplete metric unless we look at volumes parallel to that,” Jain commented. Emerging markets like India have huge volume unlike markets like the UK, the US, the platforms don’t have to look at standalone metrics always, he detailed.

    In addition to that, distribution is a key factor in these emerging markets as they are more fragmented markets with mobile-first consumers. Jain stated that distribution has to be far more layered compared to developed markets as the platforms need to work on various factors like b2c app, devices, collaboration with telcos, aggregators.

    Lionsgate Play’s distribution strategy in India does not revolve around reach or access. The platform looks at how it can reach consumers as complementary services through collaborations – how the platforms come together, create data bundles, a-la-carte models etc.

    Additionally, a large part of consumers in these markets are not frequented with net banking, credit cards. Hence, the workaround payment mechanism also becomes far more complicated, Jain noted. “In a sense, these markets will teach you more than western markets,” he added.

    In terms of content strategy in India, the global ethos of cinema scale premium content, edgy, untold, provocative storytelling remains the same. Moreover, its content strategy is based on curated content rather than offering an ocean of content. Lionsgate Play is also looking at a well-rounded content slate for India focusing on multiple genres.

    “Global productions will have audiences but you can’t take away the value of local productions especially in India where local language content always has been very strong. There are multiple things we can do starting from dubbing. We localise our content across seven to eight languages in India. Local originals are also important. Everybody at the end of the day wants to watch local stars. That market will be 10X larger than Hollywood content,” Jain noted.

  • BBC Studios looks to partner with local platforms to bolster India presence

    BBC Studios looks to partner with local platforms to bolster India presence

    MUMBAI: India has become a fiercely contested territory for major streaming players as they look to drive sub-growth outside the maturing North American and western European markets.  

    BBC Studios, from the stable of the British public service broadcaster, recently unveiled a new content catalogue deal with new kid on the OTT block, Lionsgate Play. Under the agreement, five of BBC Studios' scripted dramas have been selected for the streaming service, with the shows subtitled into multiple regional Indian languages. The new deal, while bolstering the premium Lionsgate Play content portfolio, is tweaked to suit the tastes of the vastly diverse Indian audiences.

    BBC Studios South Asia distribution VP Stanley Fernandes revealed that the partnership with Lionsgate Play was nurtured when the pandemic was at its peak.

    “This augurs well for the state of the OTT industry. It’s good to see that there is demand and a growing audience for quality English-language entertainment. BBC Studios as a brand attracts its own set of audiences and we are happy to see that our programmes will now settle into Lionsgate Play amongst a rostrum of popular US shows,” said Fernandes.

    At the heart of good content is storytelling, for which the BBC is well-known. The series covered under the deal are an eclectic mix of contemporary genres, including Brexit: The Uncivil War, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which dives into the activities and strategies behind the 2016 "Vote Leave" campaign in the U.K. Also included is the eight-episode series Class, set in the universe of Doctor Who; Les Misérables, starring Dominic West and Oscar winner Olivia Colman; Pure, about a 24-year-old woman coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder; and the epic period drama SS-GB, which tells an alternative history set in 1941, where the Germans have won the Battle of Britain.

    Fernandes is confident that the line-up will attract, engage and be appreciated by the discerning Indian viewer on Lionsgate Play. Said he: “We cater to a global audience and our aim is to bring world-class entertainment, with British sensibilities, to audiences locally. Thus far we have been successful with our content partnerships, branded blocks, and with our own branded channels which are appealing to Indian audiences. Our content is particularly viewed and enjoyed by audiences who invest time and money into their interest in content. This is a segment of the audience that Lionsgate is reaching out to, and we are confident that our content profile proposition will make for a successful partnership.”

    Asked how he plans to distribute the content, he quipped that it’s not about mass appeal, rather it’s about targeted appeal. “It is a partnership – it’s a two-way process. As owners of our intellectual property, we know our content best and our partners understand their audiences. Finding that right mix of shows to not only attract audiences but sustain them is what makes a deal successful.”

    Fernandes pointed out that BBC Studios’ content spans the bandwidth of, without being limited to, drama, comedy, natural history, science, children, lifestyle, documentaries, among others. This range of genres assists the content studio in supporting its partners to curate the right mix of shows that will garner audiences to their platforms by meeting targeted viewing requirements.

    “In India, for now, our business plans are to align with local platforms and it’s in these platforms that we see our best partnerships. Having said that, this is an ever-evolving space and we are always on the lookout for opportunities to increase our brand outreach and audience share,” he explained.

    But is the studio planning to target other Asian countries like Bangladesh, which is another big market in terms of content consumption? Fernandes shared that the aim is to reach out to as many audiences as it can, across platforms and territories. He further revealed that local partnerships in other South Asian markets are in sight.

    “However, currently there is so much to focus on in India; our key business agenda is to grow existing partnerships and create new relationships across both linear and digital services with India as our priority market. Having said that, most of our licensing deals with key partners extend to territories within South Asia, covering territories such as Bangladesh, reaching out to our audiences within these bases,” he detailed.

    BBC Studios is vaunted for its premium shows; it has a huge content library and due to the pandemic, there has been a surge in content consumption. Thus, investing in the streaming platforms is an obvious step, reasoned Fernandes. He pointed to BBC iPlayer in the UK, launched in 2007, and which can be accessed by all license fee payers in the UK. Subscribers of BBC Channels in Singapore and Malaysia have been given access to BBC Player. More recently, it launched BritBox in the US and Canada, followed by Australia in the last couple of months. BritBox is its JV partnership with ITV, bringing the best of British content to one dedicated service. 

    Additionally, BBC Studios all is set to launch a new, ad-free subscription streaming channel, BBC Select, in early 2021 on Amazon Prime video channels and the Apple TV app. BBC Select will offer a rich range of programs from the UK covering three main topics – culture, politics, and ideas. 

    Apart from Lionsgate Play, the studio is in talks with content players in both the digital as well as the linear space with new and innovative deals and business models. These deals are under contractual discussions and will be unveiled when formalised. For now, Fernandes mentioned the studio’s content is well received across both of its operated channels –CBeebies, which provides fun learning through play for pre-school kids, and on its JV partnership channel Sony BBC Earth, showcasing the best of factual entertainment. BBC Studios’ content is also seen across various digital platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Discovery Plus, Disney+HotStar, Hungama, Tata Sky, Voot, and Voot Kids.

    Shedding light on licensing and merchandising, Fernandes highlighted that content sales over the years have changed from pure fixed-fee license deals. Audiences know and understand content and brands, a key factor for BBC Studios’ businesses. For him, it’s all about adding value. In India, BBC brands and branded content are important to its audiences. The studio’s branded blocks such as BBC First on Zee Café, the cult following for shows such as Top Gear on Discovery Plus, Doctor Who on Amazon Prime Video attract core fan audiences. BBC Studio will also adapt BAFTA-nominated series One of Us in Telugu for Disney+ Hotstar.

    He concluded, “Branded partnerships have been key in shaping our businesses, bringing our audiences closer to the best of world-class, bold, British entertainment in India.”

  • Lionsgate expands Rohit Jain’s role in Asia

    Lionsgate expands Rohit Jain’s role in Asia

    KOLKATA: Global content leader Lionsgate has elevated Rohit Jain as managing director, South Asia and networks – emerging markets Asia.  

    With the promotion, Jain is responsible for shepherding growth across all of Lionsgate’s South Asian businesses and expanding the Starz premium subscription platform throughout the emerging markets of Asia. He joins a group of dynamic and entrepreneurial Indian executives taking on expanding regional and worldwide roles within their global companies.

    Since Lionsgate opened its first office in India in 2018 under his leadership, Jain has overseen the growth of its Asian operations by launching the Lionsgate Play streaming service across multiple emerging Asian markets including India, establishing strategic partnerships with major telcos, broadband services, OEMs and global streaming platforms. He has also been instrumental in establishing a robust South Asian licensing and distribution business to strengthen Lionsgate’s footprint in the region. 

    “Rohit is an entrepreneurial and innovative executive who has gotten our Indian operations off to a great start with the successful launch of Lionsgate Play,” Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said. 

     “He has created a forward-looking blueprint for growth in one of the world’s most important territories. As he expands our streaming initiatives into additional emerging Asian markets, he will be an important part of moving our global platform forward, ” he added further. 

    “This is an exciting time for all of us at Lionsgate as our newly launched SVOD service has received a phenomenal response from Indian viewers,” Jain said.  

    “The entrepreneurial culture at Lionsgate, a global company with the soul of a start-up, is what keeps me excited. I am thankful to Lionsgate’s visionary leadership team for creating this wonderful opportunity,” he added. 

  • Lionsgate Play enters Indian streaming arena with SVoD model

    Lionsgate Play enters Indian streaming arena with SVoD model

    KOLKATA: Another global player makes its official foray in India with the rollout of Lionsgate Play. After running on partnerships for more than a year, Lionsgate has now introduced its independent streaming service. Along with international premium content, it will also deliver high-budget Indian originals. Like other global streaming services, Lionsgate Play will also run on subscription model.

    The service has two pricing points – Rs 99 per month, and Rs 699 per year, which is very competitive compared to other OTT services in India. The app will be available to download across a broad array of platforms and devices including Google Play store, Apple app store and Amazon firestick.

    The platform anticipates continued strong growth in the Indian OTT ecosystem and is capitalising on this opportunity by bringing a host of “new, provocative, and edgy movies and web series”  to the country.

    Starz (a subsidiary of Lionsagte) president and chief executive officer Jeffrey A Hirsch said, “India has always been a key market for us. The large and diverse population, increased data usage in urban and rural markets, and adoption of OTT across all demographics created an exciting opportunity for us to launch Lionsgate Play. We’re confident that our unique, exclusive and exceptionally curated content will generate a great response from Indian audiences.”

    Lionsgate South Asia managing director Rohit Jain added, “We are thrilled to launch the much-awaited Lionsgate Play app in India. We want to provide the finest, never seen before content that will captivate our audiences with bespoke entertainment drawing on the most exciting current releases and our premium library.”

    Talking about content slot, Jain added that it will  be launching Indian originals in the coming months, featuring untold edgy urban stories from some of the best creative minds in the Indian film industry. Jain mentioned that it tied up with the famous B-Town faces like  Anil Kapoor, Mukesh Bhatt, Kunal Kohli and studios such as Endemol Shine, Jar Pictures.

    Starz first launched internationally with its Starzplay international premium streaming platform in 2018. This month it will expand  its global footprint into 55 countries throughout Europe, Latin America, Canada, Japan and India, aiming to become one of the most widely distributed and fastest growing premium OTT services worldwide while entertaining millions of users with bold and curated content.

    The Lionsgate Play app features a broad portfolio of content ranging from the best of original feature film and television dramas, romances, comedies, thrillers and action favourites and premieres, bringing world cinema and television series directly to Indian audiences.

  • SonyLIV and Lionsgate sign IAMAI’s self regulation code

    SonyLIV and Lionsgate sign IAMAI’s self regulation code

    KOLKATA: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) today announced SonyLIV and Lionsgate as the latest leading online curated content providers in India to sign the Universal Self-Regulation Code.

    The code has already garnered wide support from the industry and has onboarded 15 of the leading Online Curated Content Providers in India like ZEE5, Viacom 18, Disney Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, MX Player, Jio Cinema, Eros Now, Alt Balaji, Arre, HoiChoi, Hungama, Shemaroo, Discovery Plus, Flickstree.

    Read more coverage on self-regulation code 

    IAMAI digital entertainment committee chairman Tarun Katial said, “I am overwhelmed with the support received on the code and delighted to welcome SonyLIV and Lionsgate as the 16 and 17 leading OCC providers in India to sign the ‘Universal Self-Regulation Code’. We already have India’s leading OTT providers as the signatories and expect more players to join the initiative in the coming weeks.”

    Sony Pictures Networks India general counsel Ashok Nambissan said, “We are delighted to join the league of signatories of the Universal Self-Regulation Code. We look to working closely with the IAMAI and other OTT players to get broader acceptance for the Code as well as the Government’s support for the industry’s efforts at self-regulation.”

    Read more coverage on IAMAI

    The Code is effective from 15 August 2020 and allows OCCPs to comply with all the guidelines in a timebound manner. Each signatory to the code has agreed to appoint an external advisor as part of the grievance redressal mechanism within 60 days from the launch of the code i.e. 4 September 2020.

  • Lionsgate Play celebrates one year anniversary, geares up to launch an exclusive app

    Lionsgate Play celebrates one year anniversary, geares up to launch an exclusive app

    KOLKATA: The global content leader and Hollywood studio house Lionsgate entered Indian OTT market in August 2019 with its premium streaming service product, Lionsgate Play. The brand launched its operations in the country by forming a strategic alliance with Vodafone Idea. With this collaboration, subscribers of Vodafone Play and Idea Movies and TV gained access to Lionsgate Play's enormous library of Hollywood content, which is populated by renowned franchises and films like La La Land, Twilight series, John Wick series, Wonder, Dirty 30, Knives Out, American Pie and many more.

     Correspondingly, for unparalleled distribution, Lionsgate Play strategically formed alliances with other telecom partners having enormous reach in India like Airtel for Airtel Xstream app and Jio for JioFiberJioTV+ to give customers of the Indian telco access to Lionsgate’s portfolio of feature film content. Further, Lionsgate Play made itself available on JioTV+ and what began as a smart phone-led content revolution transitioned and expanded to encompass consumer televisions and other large screens in the home.

     With the tremendous response received from the Indian viewers, Lionsgate Play launched Blockbuster Friday series – releasing one new film every Friday. Blockbuster Friday series showcased films from various genres such as horror, comedy, drama, action, thriller, sci-fi and romcoms. This resulted in the rise of viewership and increased stream time per user. Lionsgate Play also hosted Digital Movie Premiers of the Oscar nominated films like Knives out and Bombshell along with John Wick 3to name a few.In addition, Lionsgate Play dubbed many of its popular titles in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bhojpuri for regional-speaking cinema lovers, for them to enjoy Hollywood movies in their preferred language.

    Now having tested the Indian waters and receiving great response from viewers, Lionsgate Play is all geared up to launch an exclusive app very soon. The app will house Cult Hollywood Movies, Popular Global TV shows and a few premium Original Indian shows that are being currently developed. All and all the company is further strengthening its offering as a premium content provider to Indian users.

     Commenting on the partnership,  Lionsgate South Asia managing director Rohit Jain said,“Lionsgate Play’s collaboration with telecom partners in India has witnessed surge in viewership with each passing month. As a premium Hollywood content brand, we introduced fresh quality content for our consumers and provided content as per demands whether it was for action thrillers or romcoms. We made sure there is content for everybody. We are ecstatic about Lionsgate Play’s success on these platforms. We will continue to invest in technology and expand our library for our userbase in India.”

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • Will major studios go T-Vod in Bollywood?

    Will major studios go T-Vod in Bollywood?

    MUMBAI: Is this the shape of things to come? That’s a question most in the Indian film exhibition, production, distribution and streaming sectors are asking.

    The reference is to the deal that the world’s largest theatre chain AMC struck yesterday with Universal. It allows a crushing of the window of digital release of new films to at least three weekends (or 17 days) from the current 75-90 days following its rollout on cinema screens. 

    In March 2020, Universal pocketed $100 million from consumers who watched its film Trolls: World Tour when it released it on its premium video on demand (P-Vod) platform when theatres were shut in the US on account of the lockdowns courtesy the raging pandemic.

    That move had irked AMC to the extent that it had said it would not release any of Universal’s forthcoming releases in its 1000 theatres when they would reopen fully.  And the duo had been duelling ever since then.

    The agreement between the two now allows AMC to get a piece of the PVOD revenues that Universal will stand to earn from its releases on digital.  But the duo has agreed that films should first be released at a premium price point of around $20, and could be dropped to $3 to $5 only 90 days after their cinema debut.  

    For sure, going D2C on premium video on demand is better cash earning proposition for the studios as they get to keep 80 per cent of the collections as compared to theatres where the exhibitors retain 50 per cent.  But as everyone says going to the movies is an experience that cannot be replicated at home; hence the exhibition sector does have a long-term future.

    The breaking down of the 90-day bastion raises many questions:

    *Will other studios like Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures follow suit?
    * Will other theatrical chains and independent theatres too toe the line?

    * Will this change the business model that is prevalent in India as well as far cinema exhibition is concerned, way beyond the pandemic?

    So far, Indian film producers and distributors who don’t have the holding capacity have been taking to release their films on OTT platforms like Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, Amazon or ZEE5 by selling them streaming rights as theatres have been shut for more than four months.  None of them has attempted to take the premium video on demand route. In fact, Disney+ Hotstar actually kept the premiere of the Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer Dil Bechara free for all in a bid to lure non-paying subscribers to sample the service.

    Theatre owners such as PVR and Carnival have been protesting these moves by producers and distributors and have been lobbying to get the governmental go-ahead to open the box office by August as four months of closure has weighed heavily on their financial viability. Of course, there will be severe restrictions – if and when the green flag is raised – in how many seats can be sold for every show.  Considering costs attached to every screening, opening might prove even more financially unviable for exhibitors as the movie-going audience may be loathe to go out, considering how the pandemic is spreading nationwide. Or maybe audiences might flock to the theatres only to have them shut down in case some of the screenings give rise to fresh infections.

    Ticketing company BookMyShow has launched its T-Vod platform and has already got a buy in from Shemaroo to release some of its unreleased film slate on it. None of them is an A-lister movie. Shemaroo says it will take the films onto SVOD later. At the time of writing, no other major had done so.

    However, Viacom18 Studios C0O Ajit Andhare's comments today about the Universal-AMC deal on Twitter gives a sense of the mood prevalent among producers and studios. “Important developments that will have implications for the future. T-VOD as I have been saying always is making the moves.”

    Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair responded to Ajit with his view: “True that! But as long as we, as an industry, strive to keep multiple revenue streams alive, we will adapt and change with these shifting sands. The death knell will be monopolistic gatekeepers that dictate price and access to audiences.”

    The questions that the industry will have to find answers to are:

    * Will the big producers, studios and distributors take a leap of faith and release the big banner films which have been gathering dust?

    * Will they manage to get the streamers to agree to a premium transactional window independent of AVOD and SVOD?

    * Will they be able to market smartly and get enough consumers to watch the movies online to recover their investment  (if at least partly) to make the T-Vod effort – in terms of the lower price the streamers will give them for being a second window – worth it?

    * Will a mainline theatre chain like PVR, Inox or Carnival agree to partner with a major studio in the new windowing that the pandemic disruption has imposed on age-old business models?

    Movie watchers have shown they have the appetite to go digital: 95 million or so of them watched Dil Bechara within 24 hours of its release. An actor, whose untimely death the nation has been mourning, starred in the poignant tale. He was not even ranked in the same grade by the industry as other actors like Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and  Aamir Khan though he was supremely talented.

    Numerous big banner and big budget films have been awaiting a theatrical release. The pandemic looks un-stoppable currently with nearly 50,000 fresh Covid2019 cases being reported daily. There is no endgame in sight.

    Maybe it’s time some of the majors took the T-Vod plunge.  It’s over to the industry.