Horror comedy 'Phone Bhoot' is now available on Amazon Prime Video

 

This April, Amazon Prime Video announced the launch of the Prime Video Store, a transactional video-on-demand (TVoD) offering.

New Delhi: The horror comedy Phone Bhoot is now available to rent on Amazon Prime Video. The film stars Katrina Kaif, Ishaan Khatter and Siddhant Chaturvedi. This April, Amazon Prime Video announced the launch of Prime Video Store, a transactional video-on-demand (TVoD) offering that will allow Prime subscribers as well as non-subscribers to access movies to rent. Users have to click on a separate tab on the app and website to access the pay-per-view service, which costs from ₹69 to ₹499 for one-time access. The film will be available for 30 days, but must be viewed within 48 hours.

To be sure, the pay-per-view model remains niche in India. Media industry experts point out that these services offer a limited choice of content, making it less attractive. Also, since most consumers have resumed outdoor entertainment activities and many have ongoing annual OTT subscriptions, pay-per-view has not emerged as the preferred mode for content viewing. It is also unlikely to challenge the subscription or free model in terms of access.

TVoD services are still considered niche in India as they are not as widely available as other video content platforms like SVoD or AVOD. TVoD services are offered by specialized content providers rather than generalist platforms. This may mean that they have a more limited selection of content, which may make them less attractive to users. SVOD and AVOD stand for subscription video-on-demand and advertising-based video-on-demand, respectively.

As concerns about the pandemic have subsided, consumers have largely returned to old habits. Today, Indian audiences are visiting theaters for the ultimate movie watching experience, and most consumers already have ongoing subscriptions to all major OTT platforms. TVoD is more premium and thus, by definition, not mass-market and unlikely to challenge subscription or free distribution models in terms of reach.