Last week, I sat with a young producer and a debut director at a café in Andheri. Not star-struck. Not chasing fame. Just two creators — tired, determined, and quietly hopeful. One of them said something that stayed with me: “We don’t want to gamble crores on the first film… we just want a fair chance to be seen.” And that one sentence perfectly captures the shift in the entertainment industry today. A few years ago, launching in Bollywood meant glittering premieres, red carpets, and box-office battles. But today, even Aryan Khan — son of Bollywood Superstar Shah Rukh Khan — chose to skip theatres and make his directorial debut on Netflix with The Ba*ds of Bollywood web-series Earlier, a newcomer’s success was measured by ticket sales and theatre footfalls. Now, it’s about global reach, digital impact, and storytelling freedom. According to an insightful India Today report featuring Girish Johar and Pankaj Tripathi, OTT has completely reshaped the rules of a successful debut. Why newcomers are choosing OTT over theatres Let’s face it — the economics, audience behavior, and creative freedom all point in one direction. 1. Global reach, instant visibility As Pankaj Tripathi said, “We can’t release our films in 200 countries through theatres. OTT has made that possible.” Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar give creators instant access to a worldwide audience. That’s something traditional cinemas can’t match. 2. Creative freedom & safer experimentation For newcomers, OTT acts as a “training ground.” “Actors, writers, and directors are gaining experience on OTT first,” says Karan Johar. “They want to brush up their skills, take risks, and perform without box office pressure.” 3. Lower financial risk for producers Launching new talent theatrically means heavy marketing, distribution, and P&A costs. But OTT platforms cover up to 70–80% of a project’s cost, making it easier for producers to experiment. 4. Audience preference is shifting India’s digital audience is massive — over 500 million active OTT users, growing at ~13% YoY. This young, mobile-first audience consumes content on demand — choosing creativity and convenience over cinema halls. OTT: A Launchpad, Not Just a Platform From The Archies to Mirzapur — OTT has become the first step for many new-age creators to gain experience, build audiences, and tell original stories. Theatres may still be the litmus test of stardom, but OTT is where stories are discovered and content reaches millions — instantly Opportunity Ahead — Powered by Mogi I/O Mogi I/O helps filmmakers, production houses & media studios build their own OTT platforms (no Netflix & Hotstar dependency), stream globally & keep 100% of the earnings — hassle-free. Because the future of stardom won’t be released in theatres… It’ll be streamed to the world Call: +91 7017235483 Visit: https://mogiio.com #OTT #EntertainmentIndustry #FilmProducers #Filmmaking #ContentCreators #Cinema
