Non Bollywood content could flourish in a digital environment

Submitted by ITV Production on Feb 16, 2013
Indiantelevision.com

MUMBAI: Non-Bollywood content in India could benefit from the advent of the digital environment. This was the view expressed at a session during the Fusion 2013 conference organised by IMC.

The topic was ?The Brewing Content Battle: Who is Transforming Content and Consumer Experience for the Better??

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra said that content creators would be the biggest gainers along with the audience. He lamented the fact that everything is too Bollywood centric.

"If that is the case, then where does Bollywood take its inspiration from? Digital will resurrect other content. It will create an alternative to Bollywood. Audience tastes will rise and content creators will do interesting work," he said.

He added that while digital does not mean that you get up and do anything, exclusivity has gone. With digital there is technology available to make films and one can also learn how to make films. "So potential is unleashed more. Earlier only a certain kind of person could make films."

Undercover Productions founder, CEO Abhigyan Jha noted that not everybody should make videos. "In India an opportunity is being missed in music as we only market Bollywood. Even the winners of Indian Idol are not marketed. Abroad songs by American Idol winners top the charts," he said.

Jha gave the example of Korea where three independent companies are required to produce a star every month. India has not produced one pop star on the other hand.

A lot of field work goes into this. He also noted that digital will bring people together. He called it the age of imagination, adding that this age started with Twitter."Twitter is the starting point. We are consuming what is in each other?s minds on that platform."

EduMediaIndia.com executive director Tabassum Modi said that for the next generation they are used to YouTube and other new media platforms. What is new for them is going back to basics and watching content on television or on the big screen. So her company makes short films that are shown in classrooms. That offers students the chance to learn and it is unusual for them to consume content in that manner.

Modi also noted that niche content needs to be created in different genres apart from education. "We shouldn?t only rely on broadbasing content," he said.