Visakhapatnam: ‘First day, first show’ now from home

Visakhapatnam : It is an unfulfilled dream for those residing in remote villages to watch a movie on the date of its release. But, not any longer.

Their dream came to reality as Andhra Pradesh State FiberNet Limited (APSFL) launched its ‘first day, first show’ service for the viewers who can watch them from the comfort of their home.

By paying just Rs 99, people can watch the new movie with their loved ones at home within 24 hours of its release. With the film ‘Nireekshana’ getting stream through FiberNet, movie buffs cheer the entertainment platform offered by the triple-play service.

Many wait to get their favourite movies streamlined through Over-The-Top (OTT) platform. But this is the first time the ‘first day, first show’ service is made available through a cable network in the country.

Launching the maiden service in Andhra Pradesh, IT minister Gudivada Amarnath said that the APSFL has 9.5 lakh subscribers. “The target is to reach out to 50 lakh subscribers in a few months from now. Currently, the network is in 8,000 panchayats across the state. People residing in remote villages can now watch new releases through the platform,” Amarnath explains.

Of the 100 movies, 20 per cent go for a theatrical release. Rest of the films confine to the studios and labs for various reasons. APSFL is going to provide a huge relief to such low budget movies as publicity expenses will be borne by the service provider itself.

Appreciating the move, president of Telugu Film Producers’ Council C Kalyan informed that such a platform will not come in the way of exhibitors and distributors. “Moreover, it will give a new lease of life to small budget movies,” he reasons.

Another major advantage of the platform is that the technical team will upload the new releases without giving any scope for pirated content.

Sharing details, APSFL chairman P Gowtham Reddy says that 55,000-km optical fiber cable would be laid for the network service, covering all remote villages, including Paderu and Araku. At present, 38,000-km optical fiber cable has been covered in Andhra Pradesh. Once the experiment turns out to be successful, there is a scope for streamlining big budget movies as well.