How would the last six months have passed without TV streaming services? I imagine they would have been very bleak. With people forced to be in lockdown at home, having a vast selection of Indian and international films ready at hand, proved very useful. Where traditional mediums of movie-viewing such as cinema halls and TV channels suffered tremendously, OTT or over-the-top platforms jumped at the chance to expand their audience and began releasing top-quality movies with varied subscription options.
They succeeded in increasing their user base but for the consumers, it became confusing to browse through and buy different plans of varying amounts, to access movies of their choice. However, things are set to change significantly, as a new movie streaming model has arrived on the scene.
The now-familiar QR code used for downloading tickets and making payments, has been modified to allow us to stream and watch films on a pay-per-view model through retail cards. This innovative technology has been created by an entertainment industry start-up known as FilMe. From what I have read on it so far, their QR-based streaming services are set to change the way we consume cinematic media at home. Read on to know why this system promises to be beneficial for consumers:
1. NO NEED TO PAY MULTIPLE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
With this service, viewers don’t have to pay multiple subscription fees or sign on for cumbersome monthly or annual commitments. Further, viewers do not need to search through hordes of apps on their smartphones to enjoy a particular movie they have set their heart on watching on that day or occasion.
2. ECONOMICAL PAY PER VIEW CONCEPT
Inspired by the concept of renting movies via DVDs and tapes for a fixed period of time, this pay per view model, allows the viewer to rent and stream the film by scanning a QR code through the camera of their mobile phones. This essentially means that people can watch films without downloading any apps or logging in to any service, in just a matter of seconds. Each film can be viewed for a throwaway price of Rs 30 per film. At this lucrative pricing, this unique streaming rental service offers the best value for money in a competitive market that has some big players involved.
3. MULTIPLE VIEWINGS WITHIN A SET TIME-FRAME
The movies ‘rented’ can be viewed multiple times over a 7-day period for a flat price. The movies are capable of being played on televisions or any device of one’s choice. A very handy aspect of this technology is that it allows the consumer to share the movie with friends and family in the 7-day time frame they have paid for. This enables socially distanced movie viewings which can be followed by interesting discussions of the movies.
4. AVAILABILITY OF CONTENT IN THE LANGUAGE OF YOUR CHOICE
Despite being introduced to the market only in September of this year, FilMe Ikon has already acquired the rights of many recently released and highly rated Bollywood films such as Badla, Kamyab, The Sky is Pink, What are the Odds, and Pihu, among others. They are also building their library of quality content from other regional and international languages.
5. EASY AVAILABILITY OF QR CARDS
The service is quickly rolling out its retail cards for a country-wide distribution, which will soon be available in mobile retail stores, electronic superstores, cafes, stationery stores, booths at shopping centres, and departmental stores. Consumers can also buy them online on Amazon, Paytm, and BookMyShow as well as through the company’s own website. FilMe’s innovative streaming service is set to change the way we stream and view films. It specifically addresses the costly monthly and annual subscriptions that consumers pay for OTT platforms, without actually using them to their optimal level. Another important aspect is the dispensation of the need to browse thousands of titles to arrive at one you like. Now you will be able to watch what you want, whenever you want, wherever you would like to watch it.
The writer is a lawyer who pens lifestyle articles on her successful blog www. nooranandchawla.com. She can be found on Instagram @nooranandchawla