Changing Market Approach towards Web Series--Shweta Patil

India’s media and entertainment industry today is booming, and is expected to achieve the USD $100 billion mark in couple of years. But the scene was a lot different a few decades ago, when the means and modes of entertainment were quite different from now. There were fewer films released annually at single screen theatres. Radio sets brought in the daily dose of news and entertainment into households. Families would eagerly gather around the radio set and listen to news and songs for hours. Television meant a couple of Doordarshan (DD) channels which had fixed show timings and did not run 24x7. Some of the finest content came on air in the form of ‘Hum Log’, ‘Buniyaad’ and ‘Tamas’. In the later years we saw the Indian epics ‘Mahabharat’ and ‘Ramayan’ holding the people glued to television on Sunday mornings.

Then came an era when music players and cassettes were in vogue followed by Walkman and Videocassette Recorder (VCR). However, no new medium had a life altering impact like the one brought about by the cable television which brought hundreds of private channels into the living rooms of Indians, altering choices, tastes and arguably their culture. Direct To Home (DTH) then, altered the entire concept and experience of television watching in India. The concept of ‘infotainment’ had arrived with news and entertainment channels vying for viewership through various strategies.

What took the whole entertainment business to the whole new level was the introduction and soaring use of the Internet. The growth of this unconventional sphere was slow but with increasingly affordable handheld devices and data plans changed the whole market. With the introduction of 4G, the online content creation and consumption exploded. The very dynamic Over the Top (OTT) entertainment space is evolving every day. It proves that there is a new world beyond television where consumers can access a whole new buffet of entertainment of their liking. It is a world where one does not have to wait for a show’s next episode.

Global entertainment players—including Amazon and Netflix—now take the Indian markets extremely seriously. Both the entertainment giants have barrelled into the entertainment business in the world's second-most populous country, investing millions of dollars to develop Indian series. Their strategy has evidently been to start early and capture the digital renaissance in India.

Recent entry of newer players on the horizon indicates that there is enough space for multiple players in this sector which will only grow further due to the fact that India's digital infrastructure is improving at a fast pace. According to the consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY), India had 160 million digital video viewers at the end of 2016. With increasing broadband penetration, promotional offers by the new telecom and cheaper mobile data plans, this number is rapidly growing.

A new breed of content creators has evolved over the past three to four years. Creators who are conjuring up content exclusively for digital audience with web series production have broken away from  conventional methods of entertainment (read films and television), driven massively by the younger audience. It has created a new age of celebrities and digital content creators who are not averse to exploring themes and issues as yet uncharted in the sphere of entertainment, story-telling and expanded their outreach to global audience. Content writers began to earn comparable or even better fees as their film industry counterparts who had grappled with opaque budgets and the excessive focus on celebrity directors and actors. YouTube in fact, became the game-changer. It unlocked the creative potential of obscure, unknown people who gained not only acceptance and popularity but also became digital superstars in a short span of time. It provides an opportunity for an average Indian to showcase his/her talent to the world audience. Also, it helps the content creators to earn from their creativity and make a living out of it.

With time, the Hindi film industry and its actors realised the potential in the sector and soon found the need to mould themselves according to the changing trends and evolving times. Earlier the web was not exactly the place where mainstream actors would want to be associated with. But one can see that things have changed rapidly.

Mainstream commercial films have usually served topics according to the tastes of the conservative audience. Additionally, it has to undergo a censorship scrutiny. Online content sharing then allows tremendous creativity, flexibility and freedom to filmmakers with no censor board breathing down their necks. They can decide their audience; cater to their wider, dynamic needs and still remain unique and exciting. As a consequence, we see the introduction of new cutting edge and innovative concepts in the area of original programming with increasing experimentation in formats, casts, storytelling, etc. New segments are identified each day to cater to the different needs of viewers, placing the viewer/consumer at the pivotal position. Exceptional web shows came to be introduced in 2017 which gained instant viewer approval, making ‘binge watching’ a commonly known term.

Each web series has a different concept which only proves that there is a space for creativity to be unleashed—unrestrained. The rise of original web shows and their increasing popularity will likely change the way we view prime-time television content. It is not enough to make one good video but to keep producing good content to keep the viewer hooked. The plots have been more relatable and the content is presented in a structural form which co-relates with the present generation’s views and opinion in a better form attracting the young audience.

Before Netflix and Amazon Prime Video arrived, there was more than one homegrown video streaming service in India. But most of them were from media companies and television broadcasters to explore the new media for their existing content and offer new- age content to attract a newer, younger audience.

In terms of original content from India, Amazon Prime Video is more assertive and also leads with its marketing plans. It made news by signing up 14 comedians for comedy specials in one go and announced several India specific content made by India's leading film directors. It has already aired India's first original web series—Inside Edge. Amazon has also released several other original Indian series aimed squarely at the mass market including a drama about professional cricket, a workplace sitcom, a musical reality show, a dating programme and a slew of stand-up comedy specials—all which have received positive reviews. Amazon Prime Video, the video-on-demand platform of the Seattle based online retailer, is producing more than 20 original series in India, making India one of its leading market globally.

Netflix has announced seven local series, starting with Sacred Games—a Hindi-English language adaptation of Vikram Chandra's 2006 novel steeped in Mumbai's criminal underworld—due for worldwide realise this year. Reed Hastings (Founder & Chief Executive, Netflix) said that if viewers liked Narcos or The Crown—two of Netflix's most popular dramatic series—they would enjoy Sacred Games.

We also notice a new trend among the Indian viewer/consumer. They are now ready to pay for premium quality content. While Netflix and Amazon Prime Video may be eyeing the same market, they have a slightly different approach for the Indian market. Netflix plans are expensive, starting at $7.66 (₹500) per month, while Prime Video comes bundled with an Amazon Prime subscription that comes in at just $7.64 (₹499) per year and offers several promotional and shipping benefits on the online store. But their initial subscriber figures are low: Amazon had a little more than 6,00,000 Prime Video users at the end of 2017 while Netflix had 5,20,000 subscribers. Their paid services are competing against nearly 30 Indian streaming portals, many of which give away popular sports and local language programming for free.

Both companies have big budgets, aggressive marketing and growing libraries of Indian content. “Both Netflix and Amazon realise that, independent of their international library, local content created by Indians is extremely important in regards with India. They're pumping in quite a lot of money in creating that local library...and original programming is going to be important for both of them”, says Frank D'souza, a media and entertainment analyst at PWC, Mumbai.

The popularity of Indian local series libraries has grown significantly and it is interesting to see players from Indian film industry entering and cashing in on the digital spaces. Big actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saif Ali Khan have tried their hand at the web series genre and are venturing the unexplored territory. Platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Voot, ALTBalaji and Viu featured popular actors in their web series  A few more popular names that are now associated with web series in recent times are Sunny Leone in her biopic ‘Karenjit Kaur: The Untold Story’, Nimrat Kaur in ‘The Test Case’ & ‘Wayward Pines’, Ram Kapoor & Sakshi Tanwar in ‘Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat’, Priyanka Chopra in ‘Quantico’, Rana Daggubati in ‘Social’, Rajkummar Rao in ‘Bose
Dead/Alive’, Vivek Oberoi and Richa Chadha in ‘Inside Edge’, R Madhavan and
Amit Sadh in ‘Breathe’, Swara Bhaskar in ‘It's Not That Simple’, Lisa
Haydon in ‘The Trip’.

When it comes to the marketing, PR and the payment scale of the series and the artist working towards it, it is more or less similar like the Hindi film industry. Audience may still connect with the established actors which may presently shape the PR and marketing strategies. The pay scale in films is significantly higher than a web series but these actors have been paid significantly well as per the work schedule. An industry source reported that actors have been paid in the range of ₹50 lakhs to ₹1.5 crore for a series and far more in case of A-lister actors. Web series allow actors to stay in the minds of their audience during gaps between movie assignments while also compensating them well.

At present web series are not only grabbing viewer’s eyeballs but also coming to the attention of various brands and advertisers to reach out to a right set of audiences. The taste and demands of the new age viewers are constantly changing, and content providers are exploring new ways to deliver original programmes specific to the digital audience with OTT players.

As long as these digital platforms are open to fresh ideas and less dependent on legacy, formulation and big names, the content from India is set to pole vault into a world class league. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that viewership in the online space has begun to display signs of a potential future and a progressive growth is definitely brewing. It is definitely proving that the Content is indeed King.

References:

• http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-india-netflix-amazon-2018-story.html
• www.indiantelevision.com/iworld/ott-services/web-series-a-sensation-waiting-to-roll-out-fully-160425%3famp
•  www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/sacred-games-how-indias-most-trending-netflix-series-was-made/1313756
• https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/the+better+india-epaper-bettind/rise+of+the+web+series+indian+directors+on+what+it+takes+to+make+internet+films-newsid-81671008

Web Series: Flexibility, Freedom and Fetters--Akshat Tiwary

“Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.”     ― Henry Louis Gates Jr.

According to the Supreme Court of India:

‘Film censorship becomes necessary because a film motivates thought and action and assures a high degree of attention and retention as compared to the printed word. The combination of act and speech, sight and sound in semi darkness of the theatre with elimination of all distracting ideas will have a strong impact on the minds of the viewers and can affect emotions. Therefore, it has as much potential for evil as it has for good and has an equal potential to instill or cultivate violent or bad behaviour. It cannot be equated with other modes of communication. Censorship by prior restraint is, therefore, not only desirable but also necessary.’

Censorship

The reason behind the apex court supporting censorship is because the visual media impacts not only a person’s mind but also influences the thought process. It then becomes pertinent to check upon viewership of content which is usually labeled as ‘bold and strong’. This may include consumption of drugs and alcohol, depicting sex, sexuality and nudity and explicit violence. It is only right that audience with an appropriate age and maturity have access to it. We have witnessed in our country, over time the increase in intolerance with regards to not only films but also other mediums of expression as well, with two forms of censor bodies emerging, first the constitutional or statutory body (which includes bodies that have been given authority and power by the constitution or by the laws of the government) i.e., CBFC  which is tasked with “regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952’’ and the second type of bodies that have emerged are self-authorised and self-appointed organisations who take it upon themselves to decide which work of art is appropriate for the society.

Censorship is not a new concept for the people of India; Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has always been an integral part of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It was founded in 1951. CBFC certifies films for unrestricted public exhibition (‘U’); unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of 12 years (‘U/A’) or restricted to adult audiences (‘A’) on the basis of its contents. Over the years, several films have been banned whilst few are not granted U/A certification and have to be released only with ‘A’ certification the CBFC. Other movies have faced the wrath of fringe groups who have burnt posters, threatened film makers and actors, vandalised theatres going ahead with the release and showcasing a particular movie, and overall tried to disrupt the release or create a ruckus scaring the public from watching the films. These movies may then have content which offend people’s ‘sensibilities’ by critically examining governmental policies and peoples’ personal preferences such as religion.

Controversies

1.      Fringe groups, mainly in Maharashtra, protested against the title of the film ‘Billu Barber’ (2009). They found the use of the term ‘barber’ in the title derogatory, as a result of which the filmmakers decided to drop the ‘barber’ and the movie released as ‘Billu’.

2.      ‘Madras Café’ (2013) is a political spy thriller which is set with the backdrop of Sri Lankan civil war, India’s intervention, leading to the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Many pro-Tamil outfits criticised the depiction of Lankan Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Sri Lankan Tamils and demanded the film be banned. However, the movie was released by the court order.

3.      ‘PK’ (2014) is a satirical comedy-drama questioning religious dogmas, practices and superstitions. The film faced protests from pro–religious groups for hurting their religious sentiments. The film received phenomenal success on release and became the first Indian movie to gross 300 crores INR.

4.      More recently, ‘Padmavat’ (2018) faced protests by several groups whose members vandalised the sets while the movie was being filmed not once but on different occasions. These affected the shoot schedule and production costs. The filmmaker and several actors of the film received threats of violence. While the film secured immense support from within the film industry, many political parties relentlessly called for a ban on it. The Supreme Court dismissed a petition calling to stop the film's release citing the freedom of speech and expression.

The controversies surrounding the film re-opened the question of film censorship in India and the country's freedom of expression. Several films have had to struggle to obtain clearance from the CBFC. There are also others which never released at all or at least in India. Some of them are mentioned below:

1.      Deepa Mehta’s ‘Elements’ trilogy- ‘Fire’, ‘Earth’ and ‘Water’ is banned for public exhibition in India.

2.      ‘Gulabi Aaina’ (The Pink Mirror), a film on Indian transsexuals produced and directed by Sridhar Rangayan.

3.      The documentary ‘Final Solution’, which looks at religious rioting between Hindus and Muslims, was banned. The ban was lifted in October 2004 after a sustained campaign.

4.      ‘Amu’ faced the wrath of the Censor Board as it was based on the Shonali Bose’s book of the same name, focusing on the 1984 anti- Sikh riots.

5.      In 2006, seven states banned the release of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (and also the book by the same name), although the CBFC cleared the film for adult viewing throughout India. The respective High Courts lifted the ban and the movie was shown in the two states.

6.      The CBFC demanded five cuts from the 2011 American film ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ which depicted rape and nudity. The producers and the director David Fincher finally decided not to release the film in India.

7.      In 2016, ‘Udta Punjab’, produced by Anurag Kashyap and Ekta Kapoor among others, ran into trouble with the CBFC, resulting in a very public re-examination of the ethics of film censorship in India. The film depicted a structural drug problem in the State of Punjab, used a lot of expletives and blatantly showed scenes of drug use. The film was cleared by the Bombay High Court.

8.      In 2017, ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, produced by Prakash Jha, ran into trouble with the CBFC which refused to certify the film. The filmmakers appealed this decision to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), which overruled the censor board's ruling, thereby granting the film a theatrical release rights.

The above-mentioned names are only a few of the shockingly long list of films which have fought or are fighting their way to see the light of the day. What is even more alarming is the censorship upon an individual film-maker or a production house to curtail or curb the freedom of expression and to have to fight for it is goes on to speak volumes on the monitoring of creative expression whether it is a documentary or a work of fiction. Things are touted to change with the changing approach towards new content with the onset of the Internet.

Rise of Internet and Creation of New Platforms for Content Sharing

The rapid growth in the use of mobile telephony, handheld devices and affordable availability of the Internet brought in various video sharing platforms where anyone could upload their work. One of the most commonly used platforms is ‘YouTube’. YouTube allows users to upload, view, rate, share, report, comment on videos, and subscribe to other users. It offers a wide variety of user-generated and corporate media videos, which includes TV show clips, music videos, short and documentary films, audio recordings, movie trailers, live streaming, and other content such as video blogging, short original videos along with educational videos. Most of the content on YouTube is uploaded by individuals, but media corporations including CBS, the BBC, Vevo, and Hulu offer some of their material. Unregistered users can only watch videos on the site, while registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos and add comments to videos. Videos deemed potentially inappropriate are available only to registered users affirming themselves to be 18 years and above. YouTube membership is free of cost. However, its premium version offers advertisement-free streaming, access to exclusive content, background and offline video playback on mobile devices, and access to the ‘Google Play Music All Access’ service. While YouTube is banned in some countries, it is available in India without any restrictions.

With the acceptance of online content and the immense popularity gained in a short period of time, many indigenous entertainment content platforms have emerged such as, Arré, The Viral Fever (TVF), AIB, ALTBalaji, Zee5, Hotstar, VB on Web, Voot and Y-films to name a few following the global success and entry of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in India. Other successful foreign content providers such as Viu have also entered the Indian market.

Experimenting with Content and Censorship

Typically the release of a commercial film involves a complex post-production procedure from obtaining certification to finding a distributor for release and avoiding clashes with other films with equally popular actors. Sometimes the release of other films affects the number of screens and showtimes for an upcoming film.

Web series on the contrary offers immense flexibility. It is a series of scripted or non-scripted videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet and part of the web-television medium. It can be released any of the abovesaid online platforms on any day by anyone whether an individual or media corporation without any major hindrances or obstacles and reach a global audience. There is no struggle to find a distributor or a particular date and the content will be available online for the audience for ‘anytime-anywhere’ viewing as per their convenience as well as for viewing in rapid succession commonly known as ‘binge watching’.

This has provided the indie-filmmakers with an opportunity to explore and experiment with content while freely expressing themselves through their work. The online web shows explore realistic themes such as homosexuality (ALTBalaji’s ‘Romil and Jugal’, VB on Web’s ‘Maaya 2’ and ‘All about Section 377’), women issues (Y-films’ ‘Man’s world’), sexual fantasy (VB on Web’s ‘Maaya’), pressure to excel in studies (Laakhon Mein Ek), marriage and post-marriage struggle (Y-film’s ‘Bang Baaja Baraat,’ Voot’s ‘Timeout’) what actually happens behind glitz and glamour of the Indian television industry (Arré’s ‘I don’t watch TV’), mixture of corruption and glamour behind sports (Amazon’s ‘Inside Edge’) and breaking stereotypes (Voot’s ‘Chinese Bhasad’ and ‘Sinskaari’). Along with these there is Ram Gopal Varma, who launched his web show, ‘Guns and Thighs’, with a seven-minute long trailer containing frontal nudity and wall-to-wall profanity.

Major players like Amazon Prime and Netflix have guidelines when it comes to content, be it original or acquired. In the case of Amazon Prime, it was very cautious when it began its streaming video service in the country — it blurred and censored a lot of content in order to please the local laws and not hurt sentiments of any individual or groups. Apple iTunes get their contents approved by CBFC regardless of the fact that the particular film has been theatrically released or not in India. Hotstar self regulates their content which is available for the members for free, however, the premium members have access to uncensored content. Chris Jaffe, Netflix’s Vice President of Product Innovation had said, “Of course, we don't wish to flout any local laws. But we plan to take this on a case by case basis. For now, all content is uncensored on Netflix. we also have a rating system for our content and that's clearly visible when you're watching a movie or show. So we will warn a user if a content has strong language, violence etc.”

Perhaps the best contribution is by Netflix India and that has been the Netflix Hindi Originals, that has allowed for an expression not marred by incessant, and at times, irrelevant censorship, with every original, Netflix has pushed the boundaries of conventional Indian cinema and brought to the forefront intelligent storytelling and exceptional acting. Netflix India currently has three originals. Two movies—‘Love per Square Foot’ and the anthology ‘Lust Stories’, and a web series, ‘Sacred Games’. While ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ struggled to release and ran into controversies and debates, Netflix’s ‘Lust Stories’ set a benchmark by highlighting the Indian female sexual desires. Netflix further plans to introduce three new series, ranging from ‘the scary to the supernatural’ to showcase the wide diversity of Indian storytelling. Netflix’s acquired content includes movies that have been banned by CBFC, such as Q’s ‘Gandu’ and Raj Amit Kumar’s ‘Unfreedom’ which has never seen the light of the day.

Censorship of Internet

In recent times, the question of censorship of Internet in India has emerged on several occasions. Censorship in India is selectively practiced by both central and state governments. While there is no sustained government policy or strategy to block access to Internet content on a large scale, measures for removing content have become more common in recent years. Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2015 report gives India a Freedom on the Net Status of "Partly Free" with a rating of 40 (scale from 0 to 100, lower is better). Its Obstacles to Access was rated 12 (0-25 scale), Limits on Content was rated 10 (0-35 scale) and Violations of User Rights was rated 18 (0-40 scale).

There are several instances when the government has decided to pull down content on the internet and one such instance is when BBC released ‘India’s Daughter’, a documentary film directed by Leslee Udwin, a part of the BBC's ongoing Storyville series. The film is based on the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder of 23-year-old Jyoti Singh who was a physiotherapy student. When excerpts of the film, which included an interview with Mukesh Singh, one of the four men convicted of the rape and murder, were broadcast, a court stay order prohibiting the broadcast was obtained by the Indian police. The BBC complied with the request and did not air the film in India. Yet it aired outside of India on 4 March 2015, was uploaded on YouTube, and soon went viral via shares on social media. On 5 March, the Indian government directed YouTube to block the video in India.

‘Sacred Games’ and the Question of Censorship

With the recent release of Netflix’s ‘Sacred Games’, the question of censorship and freedom of speech may have resurfaced.

The show has received a lot of flak from the right-wing organisations for its take on religion. West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee member Rajiv Sinha had filed the complaint over a scene in the series, in which the protagonist, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, uses derogatory language while speaking about late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Suresh Shyamal Gupta, the president of Youth Indian National Trade Union Congress’ (INTUC) city wing and who is also the president of All Indian Cine Worker’s Association (AICWA) lodged a complaint against Netflix, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and the producers of ‘Sacred Games’ for insulting the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Gupta also mentioned in his complaint about how the show disregarded the decision of Parliament on Shah Bano Case. The show also referred to the Bofors Scandal and Emergency excesses in India. It took a tweet directly from Rahul Gandhi—President, Indian National Congress,“BJP/RSS believe the freedom of expression must be policed & controlled. I believe this freedom is a fundamental democratic right. My father lived and died in the service of India. The views of a character on a fictional web series can never change that. #SacredGames” to have Congress workers withdraw the complaints.

A plea has also been filed in the Delhi high court for removal of certain scenes from the show. The petition accuses the show of inaccurately representing historic events such as the Bofors case, Shah Bano case, Babri Masjid case and communal riots. Not only the members of the industry but also the audience of the digital platform await the court’s verdict on this issue as the question of censoring the content available on the digital platform still remains unanswered.

Everyone has a right to freedom of speech expression and choice but in modern times it has been seen more of as a threat to someone else choices and actions. With regards to this, every individual has to keep in mind that while he is able to enjoy his rights and freedom, his exercise of rights doesn’t threaten someone else’s rights and sentiments.

Bibliography:

1.      Twitter Handle of Rahul Gandhi, President of Indian National Congress.

2.      Netflix: Sacred Games.

3.      Netflix: Lust Stories.

4.      16 Indian Web series you really need to watch, Available at https://www.buzzfeed.com/andreborges/16-indian-web-series-you-really-really-need-to-watch-asap?utm_term=.wko2PB9Ba#.diwaR7j7o  

5.      BJP and Congress spar over references to Rajiv Gandhi in web series, Available at https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bjp-congress-spar-over-references-to-rajiv-gandhi-in-web-series/articleshow/64954226.cms

6.      How are indie makers reacting to the complaints against Sacred Games, Available at https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/how-are-indie-makers-reacting-to-the-sacred-games-complaints/articleshow/64955974.cms

7.      Is Netflix going to be our savior from the tyrannical Censor board? Available at https://www.idiva.com/news-entertainment/is-netflix-going-to-be-our-saviour-from-the-tyrannical-censor-board/17077029

"The views expressed by the author are purely personal, and not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Political Science, Mithibai College."

Discussing Web-series, 'Sacred Games' and Freedom of Expression

As part of our classroom activity, we thought it would be interesting to work with Online Content. Not only is it emerging and popular but it also provides us with a range issues to discuss. While censorship restricts conventional film-making, we see film-makers and actors exploring the online platform to express ideas and issues. 

Members of the 2018-2019 batch, worked on web-based content, their market and availability as also analysed various aspects of the recently released web-series 'Sacred Games'. We will have these  immensely interesting contributions published on the blog through this week.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the published articles are those by the individual author and are purely personal. These ideas are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Political Science, Mithibai College although due care has been taken by the teacher in-charge to ensure that the contributions are factually correct.