Kerala launches the country's first government-owned OTT platform

Kerala launched India's first government-owned OTT platform ‘CSpace’ on 7 March 2024. Its objective is to provide meaningful information to the people and take advantage of the vast opportunities of the sector.

• Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan launched the OTT platform at Kairali Theater. Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian is presiding over it.

Malayalam cinema will get a boost from 'CSpace':

• CSpace has been fundamentally created to address the growing imbalance and diverse challenges in the OTT sector in terms of content selection and dissemination.
• The Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) oversees the management of CSpace. KSFDC is a state owned company.
• It is entrusted with the task of promoting the Malayalam cinema industry on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala.
• Shaji N Karun serves as the current film director and chairman of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC).

Selection of material for ‘CSpace’:

• KSFDC has constituted a curator panel to select the content for ‘CSpace’. This panel includes Benjamin, OV Usha, Santosh Sivan, Shyama Prasad, Sunny Joseph and Jeo Baby.
• Each content presented on the platform will be evaluated for its artistic, cultural and infotainment merit by three curators on the panel.
• Only content approved by the curator will be displayed on the platform on ‘CSpace’.
• Curators have chosen 42 films for the initial phase of CSpace.
• Those films which have won awards at national or state awards will also be shown on 'CSpace'. Also, such films will be shown on it which have been screened in major film festivals.

A feature film on CSpace for Rs 75:

• On CSpace, audiences will get to watch a feature film for Rs 75 and content at much lower prices.
• That means the amount for watching a movie has been fixed at Rs 75. Half of this amount will go to the manufacturer.
• The platform launch will address a significant concern for film industry exhibitors and distributors.
• Officials state that a panel of curators assessed the presentations and selected deserving ones among them. It also represents the film complex of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation.
• Short films, documentaries, web series and other curated content will be launched on the OTT platform.

About OTT Platform:

• OTT (Over-the-Top) is a platform where videos are made available to consumers through the Internet. Initially it was named OTT because it could entertain people beyond cable.
• Nowadays, many movies are not being released in theaters but are being released on OTT platforms only. Through cable, you can watch only what your cable operator shows you. OTT platform is a medium for consumers to watch their favorite videos.
• Currently, OTT platform is quite famous for web series and documentaries. There has been an unexpected increase in its consumers in India too.