Kerala launches country’s first government-backed OTT platform ‘CSpace’

Kochi: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched India’s first state-run over-the-top (OTT) platform ‘CSpace’ in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
The platform, which will be managed by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), will feature award-winning films, short films, documentaries and other content that have not received a wide theatrical release but have great artistic and cultural merit, said people aware of the matter. Those screened at major international film festivals will find an opportunity to be screened on CSpace.
A curator panel of 60 eminent experts has been chosen by the KSFDC to evaluate content submitted to the platform. A panel of three members will judge each piece of content and decide whether it is worthy artistically of being screened through the platform, said the people.
In the first phase, 42 films, including 35 feature films, six documentaries and one short film have been admitted to CSpace and will be available to the public for streaming. CSpace is available for download on both Andriod and iOS.
The platform will operate on a pay-per-view basis. Users are required only to pay Rs.75 to watch a film and even less amount to view short films. Half the amount the public pays for a piece of content goes to its creator.
In January this year, KSFDC chairman and renowned filmmaker Shaji N Karun, told HT that CSpace was a parallel cultural move.
He said CSpace would stream the kind of ‘varied’ or ‘different’ films made in Malayalam that deserve to reach a global viewership. “Our objective is to improve the quality of our audience. Right now, Tamil and Telugu films are the highest grossers in theatres, in Kerala. We want to help change the behaviour pattern of the audience,” he said.
CSpace was launched at a time when the Malayalam cinema is finding resonance in different parts and corners of India and the world thanks to the existing OTT giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Known for realistic storytelling and content-driven scripts, Malayalam films led by its new-age actors and technicians can transcend language barriers and cultivate new fans.
“There is a cost of almost 50% we are bearing to ensure technical aspects of a film, rental cost, quality upgrades, website maintenance etc. The remaining 50% of the revenue from a film being streamed will go to its producer. If it’s a director who got a state or national award, a share of the revenue will be given for intellectual rights of the film as well. This is a creator-friendly platform in that sense where we are giving them a slice of the revenue,” Karun has earlier said.