Netflix, Amazon ramp up regional content as language-specific OTTs gain scale

NEW DELHI: India’s top three video streaming players are bolstering their regional content as language-specific streaming sites such as Hoichoi and Aha Video gain scale. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have announced original films in Tamil, and also anthologies.

On Netflix, Paava Kadhaigal, will feature shorts by popular filmmakers like Gautham Vasudev Menon, Sudha Kongara and Vetrimaaran featuring Kalki Koechlin, Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi and others. Amazon Prime Video will have a anthology of five short films with Rajiv Menon, Suhasini Mani Ratnam and Karthik Subbaraj and Disney+ Hotstar is readying to acquire its first regional language film that is skipping theatrical release due to covid-19.

Although VoD service offer regional language content acquired from studios and producers, the new titles are all originals commissioned exclusively by the platforms.