'Pricing will be a key factor to attract viewers'

This is the first time a producer has come forward to broadcast a new movie through the direct to home (DTH) platform before its theatrical release

Airtel Digital TV, one of the first companies that confirmed its deal with producer and actor Kamal Haasan for broadcasting his new movie Vishwaroopam, has said pricing could be a factor, which might restrict subscription of the movie to a limited number in the model.

“It is a very interesting and novel idea from the producer and the production house to come up with, that was our first impression when we first heard it,” said Shashi Arora, CEO of Airtel Digital TV. This is the first time a producer came forward with an idea to broadcast a new movie through Direct-to-home (DTH) platform before its theatrical release.

However, if the pricing is very steep, it might have its impact on participation of more viewers. Unlike the perception that the DTH subscribers are urban population, almost two-third of the customers are in the semi urban areas, he added.

Kamal Haasan has announced Vishwaroopam would have a one-time show on the DTH platform before its theatrical release, and the subscriber has to pay around Rs 1,000 to watch the premier.

Arora said broadcasting of the premiere was like any other latest movie it airs after the theatrical release under its pay per view show and the company was, in a sense, just a “distributor” of whatever content there is in the movie. The company has around 30 per cent of the Tamil Nadu DTH market.

Allaying apprehensions that the movie could be copied from the DTH, he said any pay per view show could be stored by the subscriber only for a maximum 24 hours and beyond that it would get automatically erased.

All the movies shown on the DTH platform has to have U/A certification and no A certified movies could be broadcast through the platform. This ensures it is for the family audience, he said.