OTT vs TV: Celebs feel TV has become progressive, will always rule

 While the pandemic posed a threat to the TV industry when the shooting of shows were stopped, OTT emerged as an even bigger threat. The audience moved from TV to OTT not just because they had fresh content available, but also because it explored various genres. Having said that, can OTT replace TV? Here's what these celebs have to say about that:

Director Ashish Shrivastav (Tera Mera Saath Rahe): OTT has a variety of content but TV has evolved and is evolving too. OTT is mainly targeted by adults, while TV is a mass medium with more of a family audience watching TV together. The concepts of TV soaps are progressive. From thriller to extramarital affairs to extreme revenge all is shown in TV soaps.

Producer Yash Patnaik (Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi): Television and OTT audiences are very different. Television audiences are more settled and expect a daily dose of their appointment content, primarily woven around families and familiar characters and conflicts. Whereas, OTT audiences are more evolved and expect more experimental and disruptive stories, characters and plots. OTT is certainly a big threat for television in the long run unless television upgrades its content and scale. The biggest handicap of television is its rating system which influences its content regressively. There should be different currency for different content.

Producer Sanjay Kohli (Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan and Jijaji Chhat Parr Koii Hai): TV has a very loyal audience, and I don't think anything can ever beat it. But having said that I agree OTT has become popular of late, especially because of the lockdown. When the shoots were stopped the viewers were glued to OTT because it had a plethora of content available. TV serials had a limited bank of episodes, and since OTT has a short format of everything, they don't need a bank as such. We were ahead of it as we had a huge bank and no break. But since OTT has become so popular now, I think TV serials are also trying to make more innovative content though not on the same lines as the content on OTT. We try to bring in twists and turns in the show which are unexpected but relatable at the same time. Also, the content on TV has evolved and we are now making content that keeps the audience more engaged.