Aditya N
Aditya N
Amazon Prime Video India has gained a substantial market share, particularly in the southern region. Nevertheless, recently, Prime executives have started offering select titles for rental in the initial weeks. Consequently, these films are not included in the subscription package, requiring users to rent them for viewing.
Ajay Devgn’s recent film “Maidaan” has garnered positive feedback from critics, generating anticipation among OTT viewers for its release. Prime Video decided to offer it for rent, leading to the swift availability of HD copies on piracy websites within a few hours. Prime will release the content to their subscribers within a week or two. However, by that time, a majority of movie enthusiasts who were eager to watch it would have already viewed it through online sources. Consequently, this will likely lead to a notable decrease in viewership once Prime officially offers it to its subscription base.
One may question the benefits that Prime is truly reaping from this. The buzz surrounding the new movie will also fade away. This tactic is not limited to just “Maidaan”; Prime often employs it. Online users hope that Prime executives will understand how the Indian market works. Very few viewers will be willing to shell out additional funds to watch a movie when they are already subscribers to Prime Video. Such pay-per-view concepts only dissuade viewers and promote piracy. Hopefully, they will come to this realization promptly.
