Increase in OTT releases to further the menace of piracy?
Salman Khan released his Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai in India on ZEE5 and ZEEPLEX, knowing well he might suffer losses by missing out on a theatrical launch. However, it was piracy that became his prime headache-inducer. While this menace has been existing for long, experts opine with more movies diving for OTT platforms during the pandemic, it's only going to get a lot worse.
For years, cinema lovers ignored this plague called piracy and avoided buying pirated CDs or downloading prints. They rather appreciated the feel of the theaters more. But now, trade analyst Taran Adarsh says that people don't have those bounds, because of being cooped up at home, courtesy COVID-19. Hence, moving forward, piracy will snatch a 70% share of an OTT-released movie's earnings, predicted Adarsh.
Speaking about Radhe, Adarsh confirmed the obvious that the actioner will suffer substantially at the hands of illegal sharing. Thankfully, the makers knew of this danger. That's why, before its release, Khan had warned against piracy. But Radhe fell prey to piracy after all, and ZEE lodged a complaint with the cyber cell. Consequently, a Facebook user was booked for selling Radhe illegally.
Apart from this, efforts have been made to pull down Radhe's pirated version from various platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. But practically, the greater part of the damage is done. This ominous trend will only continue in the future. Explaining why, Rajesh Mishra of UFO Moviez, said that OTT platforms lack encryption, which protected the film's signal from being abused in the cinema halls.
So until digital releases aren't getting encrypted, Mishra can only think of one solution: stick to the old model of following up the OTT launch after revenue has been collected from the theatrical release. Given that this option is currently unavailable, awareness against the ills of piracy is needed along with strict laws. Troll Khan all you want, but piracy is a common enemy.
