The digital platforms have been dictating their own rules and they are dominating Indian cinema. Several producers are left in stress as the release plan is decided by the OTT. Even the digital deals are slashed and the payment structure is revised. Gone are the days when the OTT platforms used to acquire the digital rights of a film on the day when the film got launched. They are now waiting for the real buzz of the film to lock the deal. The OTT platforms are also delaying the payments. They are now paying 25 percent as advance and the next 25 percent is paid after the film’s theatrical release.
The digital players are taking six months to clear the pending 50 percent and this is a huge stress for the producer. The makers have to clear all the dues before release and with the delay in the payments of the digital deals, they are left in stress. As the digital players have written their own rules and dictating them, the producers are tight-lipped and they are not able to demand the money in advance. In some of the cases, if the film did not fare in theatres, the digital players are also slashing the price and are also stretching the final payment to a year from the release date. This is extremely painful for a producer.
Apart from these, the digital players have also implemented a new rule of finalizing the digital deal based on the theatrical performance of a film and this is a shocker for the producers. The digital deals for 2026 are also slashed down by 30 percent and the OTT platforms are quite selective. On the whole, the digital platforms and their deals have turned out to be painful for the Indian producers.
