It’s a well-known fact that OTT platforms have taken the whole satellite cable system by storm and a sharp shift to digital platforms have made channels to think about their existence. In the wake of this, Star India is pulling the plug of its English entertainment channel, Star World which has led us to ask about the fate of Indian original shows. A media report suggests that most shows which aired on this channel would take direct release to Disney+Hotstar, the digital arm of the network.
The decision to axe the channel has been done considering it’s poor performance in the wake of the OTT boom in India and according to a report by Mid-day, a source confirmed that due to most international shows commissioned on OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, the viewership of the channel was dropped considerably.
The source also added in the same report that Hotstar is in talks with makers of shows like Koffee with Karan and Masterchef India, which would now directly take to digital platform which is now amalgamation with Disney.
Mid-Day quoted a source as saying, “With many of Star World’s international series available on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, the viewership had dropped considerably. Now that Disney has entered a joint venture with Star, changes are being made to the content slate. The top brass of Hotstar are in talks with the producers of Indian originals, including Koffee with Karan and MasterChef India. While the next season of Karan Johar’s chat show is not slated until next year, the upcoming edition of the cooking reality show will stream directly on Disney+Hotstar. The suits at the streaming service are also initiating new tie-ups to bring more shows to the roster.”
Well, if you are still someone who is stuck with cable, it’s time to make a shift, because ultimately we do not want to miss our favourite shows anyway.