Dubai: Ditch the DVD and the DVD player ... if you haven’t done so already. Online is where the action is for cinema buffs who want to get a view of the movies that recently completed their run at the cinemas. And they can do so within three to four months of the theatrical release.
“It used to be that this time frame of three to four months used to be enjoyed by DVD releases ... but, now, that doesn’t exist as much of an option any more,” said Emad Morcos, Chief Content Officer at OSN, the pay-TV broadcaster. These days, that window of opportunity is shifting online, whereby these movie titles are available for buying and downloads three to four months after the original release. At the same time, viewers can even pre-buy the movies while these are still playing in the theatre.”
It takes on average six to 12 months — depending on their blockbuster credentials — before the movies are ready for broadcast on pay-TV channels. This is why immediacy counts, and, right now, the three- to four-month is the closest that prospective viewers can get to see a movie after it goes off the cinema.
It was last year that OSN launched an online store for movies as well as TV series, with the titles being available from $13 to $22. All of the major Hollywood studios have signed up to offer their titles — ”Being the largest entertainment platform in the region, we have long-term agreements with the leading studios. It would be a miss for them if they didn’t use our reach.” (As of now only OSN subscribers can access the online store, but that is likely to be changed to allow even nonsubscribers as well.)
With the plethora of international web TV providers — Netflix, Starz, et al — and such as Apple’s trying to gain more air time in these markets, who gets to show the latest movies at the earliest opportunity can score a hit with viewers. “More so, because in a territory like Saudi Arabia where you have no cinemas, online access within three-four months for first-runs is absolutely vital,” said Morcos, who was there at the formal launch on the OSN platform of NBCUniversal-owned Syfy channel.
Some time next year, OSN will be announcing an alliance with a third-party vendor for a cloud service feature being made available to the online store buyers. This would empower viewers with the option of being able to watch the bought content on multiple platforms and on a when-required basis.
Also in the works are deals to extend the store’s content to Arabic titles, while negotiations are on with Bollywood studios for Hindi movies. Tagalog-language features too will be on offer.
According to industry sources, the US crackdown on piracy/torrent sites should also generate traction in favour of licensed platforms as more viewers are forced to go “legit”.
Some of that traffic should show up in future OSN subscription numbers for its core pay-TV services. “We have had a good six years of growth, and now we can see a new wave of subscribers coming in on the back of the digital way of consuming entertainment,” said Morcos. “Our push is to get the new movie content as early as possible as the first run for this region ... and with TV series nearly on the same day as the US broadcast.
“It doesn’t matter to us whether this content is viewed on a TV screen or on a mobile platform — on the latter, with OSN Play we have seen a 10 per cent growth in consumption. We remain platform-agnostic.”