South Indian film producers address existing industry ecosystem, advise not to issue any commitment on OTT release terms

Leading film producers from the Producers’ Associations and Guilds of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala met to address the critical challenges.

The South Indian film producers on Sunday pushed back against proposed OTT window mandates without mutual consultation. In a meeting held on Sunday (April 19) at Hotel Dasapalla, leading film producers and representatives from the Producers’ Associations and Guilds of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala met to address the critical challenges threatening the film production sector.

South Indian film producers assembly have unanimously condemned any unilateral decisions.

Producer Sreenivasa Kumar has taken to his X account to share the official statement and keynote on the meeting. It was issued by The Steering Committee, South Indian Film Producers Association (SIFPA).

The assembly unanimously condemned any unilateral decisions taken by other stakeholders of the industry regarding theatrical terms or 8 weeks OTT window terms, without mutual consultation. It was emphasised that the existing film-making ecosystem, which supports thousands of livelihoods, cannot be disturbed overnight, as such sudden shifts would create chaos for projects at various stages of production.

Key Outcomes of the Meeting:

Formation of South Indian Film Producers Association: To ensure long-term protection of producers’ interests, the participants have unanimously agreed to form a dedicated South Indian Film Producers Association (SIFPA).

Steering Committee: A high-level steering committee, comprising representative members from each of the four South Indian language film industries, has been established to oversee immediate challenges and facilitate frequent coordination among the four language industries and Producers.

Advisory to Producers: All Producer members are advised to continue with their current processes of film-making, sale terms of various rights and release schedules on their own, without any controls or terms imposed by any Association.

Stand on OTT Windowing: Producer Members are specifically advised not to issue any letters of commitment regarding OTT release windows at this stage to any Association or Sector. Any such terms must only be decided through collective consultation to ensure the financial viability of the production sector.

The newly formed Steering Committee of SIFPA will meet frequently to ensure that the Producer, the primary risk-taker of the industry, remains a sovereign stakeholder in all decision-making processes.