Multiplex owners are heading for another face-off with OTT players

Cinema owners want to return to 8-week gap between theatrical and OTT release

Multiplex chains have decided to push for doubling the gap between the theatrical release of a movie and its release on an over-the-top (OTT) platform from four to eight weeks from April 2022.

The move could bring them at loggerheads with OTT players who had narrowed the gap between the two releases to four weeks in the wake of Covid-related restrictions in cinemas hall capacities (50 per cent in many areas). Production houses without the financial muscle to hold on to a movie for long periods have negotiated deals with OTT players to reduce the gap to get a better