By Vishnu Makhijani
New Delhi, Jul 20 (IANS): It was an idea fuelled by the pandemic, "when content consumption increased by almost 300 per cent in every household due to the lockdown". Today, ABC (All Bout Cinema) Talkies, which describes itself as the world's first cinema market, has on board 450 filmmakers, 10 Channel Partners, 400-plus films, and 50,000-plus registered users as it serves as a stepping stone and go-to platform for young talented filmmakers.
"We call ourselves cinema marketplace and not a film marketplace. A film marketplace deals or trades only in films and is at best a subset of the cinema marketplace," ABC Talkies co-founder and CEO Shalibhadra Shah told IANS in an interview.
"When we look at the marketplace connected to cinema, they are all scattered based on various aspects of film/AV production. You will find some marketplaces are only talent-focused, some are concentrated on production services, some on music and voice, while others are focused only on types of equipment and none on finance, crowdfunding, curating, etc. The other thing about most marketplaces is that the quality of data is not uniform or verified.
"We bring all stakeholders on a single platform; provide a robust rating and verification system for all registered service providers and talent, and most importantly finance through various means, loans, project finance, corporate sponsorships, producer funded, crowdsourcing or micro-financing through escrow accounting," Shah explained.
The idea got fuelled during the pandemic when content consumption increased to almost 300 per cent in every household and multiple mediums like phones, laptops, television were used by members of a family to watch various kinds of content on various platforms.
This was the period when Shah and ABC co-founder Siddharth Sinha realized that "there is a hunger to explore new content every day but platforms had a set pattern of showcasing content that has been there for years. We only get to see what the platforms intend to show us but we have the power to see beyond that".
"On the other hand, there are so many talented filmmakers across the world who have some interesting content but they haven't got lucky enough to convince the buyers (OTT's, theatres and satellite TV) that their content is good enough to be commercialised, and in the bargain, as consumers, we have not experienced or been exposed to more interesting content that is around us but never got a chance to experience it," Shah elaborated.
And that's when the idea came up of starting a model of the marketplace for cinema where the buyer (consumer) can buy a ticket from the seller (filmmaker) "and our new age consumers get a chance to explore some never seen before content without the worry of paying any additional subscription to explore our platform. Also, our filmmakers can now, without worrying about losing their copyright, directly showcase their films on a PPV (pay per view) format and start earning from the first viewer that they get for their film".
"As a brand, we don't just restrict ourselves to only this but do a lot more to create a commercial validation for our independent filmmakers and give consumers more and more futuristic experiences in content consumption," he added.
For instance, India is one of the world's largest producers of films, but the ratio between monetized and non-monetized content is almost 10:90. This means that out of every 10 films produced, only one film is able to monetize through theatre, Satellite/DTH, OTT or other means. Nine films either get canned or a few make it to platforms like YouTube.
"There are many streaming platforms available for these filmmakers to stream their content and some even allow them to monetize, but all these platforms have a recurring cost. This was a big void or rather the opportunity in the sector.
"There was no in-between hassle-free and cost-free film focussed platform till ABC Talkies came along, that allowed filmmakers to upload their films, decide their earnings, and showcase their films just like other OTT platforms. Besides this, it provides several value-added benefits to the filmmakers.
"We do not discriminate between filmmakers or the quality of content as long as it adheres to government guidelines. Filmmakers of any stature, genre, or language can without any hesitation or fear of rejection come and upload their films on the platform. ABC Talkies is a stepping stone and go-to platform for young talented filmmakers from across the country, especially the northeast which has otherwise remained isolated for long," Shah explained.
There is also a Channel Partner Program to accelerate the network of filmmakers across regions and bolster content
"Regional content consumption in India is growing fast and so is the regional content production industry. To reach out to these local filmmakers, it is imperative to connect with local content aggregators," Shah said, adding: "Our Channel Partner Program allows these local content aggregators to bring local filmmakers on board and in the process become a partner in growth with monetary benefits. The channel partner benefits are directly linked to the sales of the film and also regular performance-based incentives."
Shah also clarified that ABC Talkies is not an off-the-shelf SAAS (software as a service) product but a complete ground-up development.
"It is an entirely Made-in-India but Made for the World platform. India and Indian content is just the starting point. We have already signed an MoU with an Africa-based studio to explore the possibility of starting ABC Talkies Africa by early 2023," Shah said.
How does he view the future in both the short and long terms?
"In the short term, the growth and focus of most OTTs and film platforms is purely going to be the quality and diversity of content. However, in the long-term it will be the way consumers experience and consume film that will take centre-stage and a whole new industry will come into existence. It will be nothing short of a revolution in the world of cinema," Shah concluded.