South Indian films threaten strike from Mar 1 over rate reduction squabble

Talks with digital services providers fail over rate reduction; industry could lose up to Rs 300 million a day

The film industry in south India has threatened to shut down from March 1 over Digital Service Provider (DSP) pricing. According to estimates, there would be a daily loss of Rs 200-300 million if movie makers carry out the threat across the five southern states.

After talks between producers and DSPs failed, Tamil and Telugu film makers said the strike would start on March 1. While Malayalam and Kannada producers are joining them, they have not revealed their plans. There are about 3,500-4,000 movie screens in South India.

DSPs provide an end-to-end platform for satellite delivery of movies