How OTT platforms changed entertainment for good

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns saw public entertainment across Bangladesh grind to a standstill. With cinema halls, music concerts, plays, and other events closed – and new releases and productions put on hold – audiences flocked to over-the-top (OTT) platforms. Investors are seeing the potential in these services, as the market is growing rapidly. 

OTT platforms in the country are in their transition period, and so, the need of the hour is for key investors to think about new ways to make promoting them more profitable, as streaming becomes more common and cheaper for everyone with subscriptions. 

Many streaming services were dropped from the Bangladeshi market with time. Only a few have survived because of their smart, forward-thinking strategies.

Hoichoi widened their territories in Bangladesh in the last five years. They have produced "Taqdeer" and "Mohanagar", two of the most widely acclaimed Bangladeshi web series of recent times.

"Hoichoi has always been keen on producing good content, and with time, we have improved the quality of our productions," says the company's Business Lead, Sakib R Khan. "Nowadays, people are genuinely interested in good content, but streaming service providers in Bangladesh have to face the challenge that piracy will occur, and audiences will take time to get into the habit of subscribing."

Initially, to play on the safe side, local platforms tried to follow international streaming services, especially those in India. Over time, investors observed that thriller films and series are more appealing to the audience than other types of content. 

But, although thrillers are trending in the country, there has been an overflow of this genre in recent times on OTT platforms, and the storytelling of such films and series have become rather monotonous.

Some directors have gone against the tide, and proved that productions on local OTT platforms can be original and well-made. "OTT platforms are not yet the most popular medium of entertainment, and so, there is room for experi-mentation."

— – Mizanur Rahman Aryan

It is worth mentioning that there were a few failed attempts by Bangladeshi platforms to create 'sensational' content, leading to much controversy.

That being said, some directors have gone against the tide, and proved that productions on local OTT platforms can be original and well-made.

Chorki started out in July 2021. Every month, the platform releases a new film and two originals, including premium content. They have produced some of the most talked about web projects of last year.

Mizanur Rahman Aryan's romantic drama, "Networker Baire", and Adnan Al Rajeev's dark comedy, "YouTumor", both released on Chorki, were widely appreciated films.

"Since 'Networker Baire' was initially going to be my first silver screen project, I was not very concerned about a particular genre," says Aryan. "When we planned it as a web film, I was not focused on following any trends. OTT platforms are not yet the most popular medium of entertainment, and so, there is room for experimentation."

Similarly, Adnan went with a dark comedy film for his debut web project, as he simply did not want to follow the trend of thrillers. He asserts that variety in storytelling is important. "An engaging story can be told in any genre — the key is to keep the audiences hooked till the end," he says. According to Adnan, local OTT platforms need more careful marketing and content curation to flourish.

Renowned filmmaker Redoan Rony, also the Chief Operating Officer of Chorki, shares his insights on curating content for the platform. "While developing Chorki, first and foremost, we evaluated what our audiences were interested in," he says.

"We release new content every Thursday at 8 pm. Our regular subscribers habitually log in to check out our catalogue. Even if we don't give any announcements, they don't forget to check."  Chorki also plans to make sequels of their popular originals, along with experimenting with new projects. "We are working with the analytics carefully, to understand the market demands," Rony adds.

Ashfaque Nipun’s “Mohanagar”, released on Hoichoi. Photo: Star

According to him, subscription pricing for OTT platforms should always be competitive.

"It depends on the quality and quantity of the content," he shares. "Our audiences have faith in us. Most of our subscribers are enrolled for six months as of now, which is a positive sign. We are still working on making the functions of the platform more user-friendly."

Chorki also started a project for people outside Dhaka. "Our series, 'Shaaticup', was a part of this initiative," explains Rony. "The entire cast and crew are from Rajshahi. There are many young, talented artistes out there, and not everyone can come to Dhaka to explore opportunities. We will continue to work with them through decentralisation."

"Nowadays, people are genuinely interested in good content, but streaming service providers in Bangladesh have to face the challenge that piracy will occur, and audiences will take time to get into the habit of subscribing."

— -Sakib R Khan

Bongo is one of the pioneering streaming services in the country. Senior Content Executive of the company, Yeassir Arafat, shares that they are improving their market with different projects and also making their subscriptions more user-friendly. They have two modes available: advertisements based on video demand (AVOD) and subscription-based video on demand (SVOD).

"Since the pandemic hit in March 2020, our management decided to make the platform available on AVOD mode to encourage people to stay indoors, which has increased our users by 100 times. It was a major turning point for our marketing," says Arafat.

"We have also made some popular movies available for free, which no other platforms will offer. Shakib Khan's films like 'Don', 'Password', and 'Moner Moto Manush Pailam Na', are in our catalogue, for free."

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s “Ladies & Gentlemen”, released on ZEE5 Global.

Subscribers can also download content of their choice from Bongo's library to watch offline on the app.

Bongo's series, Based on Books (BOB), featuring adaptations of popular, contemporary novels, was widely appreciated.

"I believe we are the first local streaming service to raise awareness on digital copyright acts, through broad marketing. Producers were unaware of their ownership rights. Through our multi-channel networks, we brought in 600 partners, including some prominent channels," explains Arafat.

ZEE5 Global has also been performing well in Bangladesh.

Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, discusses their strategies. "Since we have entered the market, we have received strong responses from audiences for our content in Bangladesh," she shares. "We have consciously made an exception to keep premium, original Bangla content free for local viewers. We have seen significant viewership growth as a result."

Archana believes that by giving people easy access to hours of quality content for free, ZEE5 Global is able to combat piracy.

"We have produced and launched many Bangla originals with award-winning directors in Bangladesh. These stories have reached audiences in over 190 countries across the globe," she adds.

Kisloo Golam Haider’s “LabonI”, released on Bongo BD.

These strategies not only led ZEE5 Global to increase their viewership in Bangladesh threefold, but also gain appreciation from audiences in the  US and UK, among other markets.

Streaming services were experiencing slow growth when the Covid-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst for rapid transformation of this medium. Although OTT platforms have not fully jumped onto mainstream entertainment across the country, they are slowly winning over audiences. Adoption of improved technologies, budget-friendly subscription options, investments in original and locally relevant content, among other factors, will aid in furthering growth in the Bangladeshi OTT space.

Mizanur Rahman Aryan’s “Networker Baire”, aired on Chorki.

The author is a Reporter, Arts & Entertainment, The Daily Star. Email: sharmin@thedailystar.net.