The acceptance of political satire and musical parodies has set the digital economy rolling worldwide. Back home, it is touted as the future of entertainment, finds out KaranBhardwaj
Not even in wildest dreams, neither Alok Nath nor we, who have grown up seeing ‘Babuji’ blessing kids on screen and solving family issues, had imagined the actor in a rapper avatar. But that’s what online entertainment is all about. It is revealing, fascinating and surprising. Babuji Sanskaari Rap feat not only gave a fresh lease to Nath’s career but also made him a youth icon. If Babuji left you in splits, the previous mashups involving news anchor Arnab Goswami, Gana Wala Song, Gangs of Social Media, Nayak II and several others took Internet by storm. Spoofs, musical parodies and tongue-in-cheek satire in online videos are being touted as the future of entertainment.
Alternate entertainment
“People are done with TV. The repeat of movies, sequels of daily soaps and uncountable editions of reality shows prove that the medium has reached its saturation point. Now people are looking for a change. That’s why the online entertainment is a huge hit among masses,” says Arunabh Kumar, founder of The Viral Fever (TVF), an online production house. Apart from TVF other popular sites are mainduck Shorts, Okay Potato and longyTV.
Kumar launched TVF after he faced rejections from TV channels. “I was fed up with similar style of programming. So I tried to experiment and made College Q-tiyapa, a show which was rejected by channels. So I released it online and it became an instant hit. It consolidated my conviction and I started producing more such shows,” he says. Today TVF has become India’s biggest YouTube network for original content for youth and positions itself as the ‘disruptors of Indian media and entertainment industry’. The online channel of TVF has more than half a million subscribers and has registered over 30 million views. The success metrics of its reach and impact could be measured by average views per video that it registers, which is over 6,00,000.
Change in taste
Take All India Back*** (AIB) videos that offer a daring take on social issues. Their video It’s Your Fault which starred actress Kalki Koechlin and VJ Juhi Pandey was a satirical response to statements made by several public figures, blaming women for the sexual assaults and rapes in India. It was a sensation. “We were appreciated by youngsters who were fed up of such reactions to rapes and assaults. Rather than simply airing views, we happily showed women accepting the blame which surprised fans and critics alike,” says Gursimran Khamba, co-founder of AIB. The online entertainment is mostly popular among metros with high Internet connectivity. However, the audience base is expanding in tier-II cities. “Our latest research was quite a revelation. We were surprised to learn that a big chunk of our viewership belongs to tier-II cities. It was myth busted for us that our audience lies only in metro cities,” says Kumar.
But not everybody understands these videos. Out of fear, a lot of spoofs are created using anonymous identities. “There are people who just can’t take the satire. So the best way is to hide the identity. There’s a minority who has a disliking to good humour but that’s not a problem for creative people,” says Rohit Pereira, founder of Okay Potato who also believes that the digital entertainment is at cusp of revolution.
Economical edge
Spoofs are bringing good revenue to digital companies as the content of these videos is one-of-its-kind. In West, the online networks register high-value transactions. DreamWorks Animation has acquired Awesomenesstv for $33 million. If earnings targets are met, DreamWorks could pay up to $117 million more by 2015. Another website named Collegehumor is estimated at $493,000,000. They reportedly churn out profits of Rs 20 million every year. Back home, TVF’s current fiscal year is pegged at Rs 1 crore. “We are definitely growing. Financially, we are at par with MTV India’s online business. Many brands are investing in commercials with us. TV channels are approaching us to create content for us. We are doing something for MTV India and Bindass. In the past, we have worked with groups like Dharma Productions,” said Kumar. Optimystix, that makes shows such asCrime Patrol and Baal Veer, will launch their digital channels dedicated to food, comedy and music.