OTT Shocker: Zee5 Splurging Big On Tollywood

Back in 2016, when Amazon Prime Video started acquiring Telugu films, a hero who used to charge around ₹2-3 crores remuneration per film leapt to almost ₹10 crores remuneration. That’s how the OTT money was pooled into the industry and led to a rise in budgets, remunerations and much more.

After wooing Tollywood with high prices for years, both Amazon and Netflix have finally given up that process. They now want to see the release of a film, gauge its box office performance and then offer something. At this juncture, former big player of the satellite market, Zee5, through its digital arm, is splurging big on Tollywood.

At a time when Netflix and Amazon Prime have drastically cut down their investments, thereby not acquiring big projects of Tollywood, Zee5 is quick to lock movies like Anil Ravipudi’s next with Venky and Kalyanram, Balakrishna and Gopi Malineni’s #NBK111, and Naga Chaitanya’s delayed film Vrushakarma, which have been acquired by the OTT platform. They are likely to acquire many other big Telugu films that are in production. However, the question is, for how long?

All these movies that are now acquired by Zee5 were, in fact, rejected by Netflix and Amazon, for reasons unknown. Though Zee5 is putting lots of money on these projects, many in the industry are wondering if this OTT also gives up, then there is no option for Tollywood but to cut down the budgets. Currently, Zee5’s move is a shocker, and we have to see how long it will last.