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Is prime-time a “house of cards”?
India is not yet ready for the kind of digital revolution that is happening in the US – but it is a question of when, not if as to how Internet will influence TV and cinema. Indian movies are already streamed into theatres by satellites. N Madhavan writes.
A small step for NetFlix last week may turn out to be the start of a giant leap in the world of media. Last week the online movie-streaming service won Emmy nominations for its political drama “House of Cards” starring Kevin Spacey. Now, imagine what a television industry award nomination means for an Internet site.
“House of Cards” has never been broadcast on television!
Earlier this year, Kamal Haasan, ever the man to experiment with the future, decided to release his latest movie, “Vishwaroopam” in direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast networks a week after its theatrical release, but after protests from movie hall owners, he dropped his plans.
Also, this year, Indian online TV site, iStream.com, shut down citing lack of funds after it gained six million unique visitors per month!
These examples show that India is not yet ready for the kind of digital revolution that is happening in the US – but it is a question of when, not if as to how Internet will influence TV and cinema. Indian movies are already streamed into theatres by satellites.
The whole idea of TV “episodes” to be watched at an appointed hour of the day or week comes down, well, like a “house of cards” when you can upload shows and make people watch them whenever, wherever. TV serials are already available on YouTube as well.
The coming of 4G telecoms and smart, cheap TV platforms will hasten the irrelevance of prime-time or appointment viewing on TV.
