There is not much gap between a film’s theatrical release and the digital release date for South Indian films. In North India, an eight week OTT gap is strictly implemented for all the films which is a wise move. But this is not implemented in South. Several top Telugu producers met several times to discuss about this but they could not get a common stand and implement an eight week OTT window.

The South Indian Exhibitors have met in Bengaluru recently and they decided to implement the eight week OTT window on a strict note. But the biggest question is if the producers will agree and implement it. With the digital players dominating the show and inking deals for four week OTT release, the producers have to bow down to get decent digital deals. This is the major reason why the eight week OTT window is never implemented. At the same time, the exhibitors are demanding a percentage model or a revenue sharing model instead of a rental system among the single screens.

The discussion for the same has been going on for years and a possible resolution was never found. There are a lot of controversies due to this in the Nizam region and the debate did not see light again. After the meeting, the South Indian Exhibitors are now mounting the pressure on producers to implement them and it is in the hands of the producers now. We have to wait to see if the eight-week OTT window rule will be strictly implemented for the survival of the theatres.