Kerala To Launch India's Very First State-Owned OTT Platform

Kerala's government stated on Wednesday that the state's own over-the-top (OTT) platform, dubbed 'CSpace,' will be launched on November 1. At an event in Thiruvananthapuram's Kalabhavan Theatre, Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cheriyan disclosed the name of the OTT platform through video conference. The site will provide viewers with a diverse selection of films, short films, and documentaries.

Cheriyan stated that this facility will be administered by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) and is mainly meant for film fans to witness not only films from here but also world-class films. He also added that CSpace is India's first-ever state-owned OTT platform, which will promote Malayalam cinema's development. In 2021, he discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic hadaffected the Malayalam cinema industry. He mentioned thataround 85 films were not streamed on any OTT platform, while only about 70 were released theatrically.

To provide new movies a fair chance and avoid a crisis in the film industry, Cheriyan also stated that films will be streamed on CSpace only after they have been released theatrically. Aside from Malayalam features, short films, and documentaries, the platform would also stream films with 'artistic worth,' regardless of box office success. The website will broadcast internationally acclaimed award-winning films as well as the greatest films exhibited at the biennial International Film Festival of Kerala (IIFK).

Registration for films to be streamed on CSpace will commence on June 1, with all essential provisions completed at Chitranjali Studio and the KSFDC headquarters. N Maya, the Managing Director of KSFDC stated that, unlike certain other OTT platforms, CSpace allows the facility to watch a certain film by paying for it alone. She went on to say that a portion of the money paid for the film by the audience will go to the producer, who will be paid when people watch it.