Tata Sky's latest offering may bring a new lease of life for local Indian theatre

• In an interview, Tata Sky’s Chief Commercial Officer said they are looking at bringing regional theatre content online.
• Tata Sky had launched Tata Sky Theatre in 2018.
• Hotstar already has Cineplay where it offers viewers Indian plays online.

Indian theatre has long seen dwindling audiences since the advent of commercial cinema, cable television, and the recent onslaught of OTT or video streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar.

But now, OTT is making space for the local Indian theatre on their platforms. Tata Sky which introduced Tata Sky Theatre last year now plans to bring regional plays on board.

This will be a big boost to Indian regional theatre giving them the chance to move beyond logistical problems and offer their content to viewers across the country, online.

Tata Sky Theatre was launched at a monthly subscription price of ₹75 and is still in its initial phases. "This is just the beginning. We are taking baby steps now. We are now looking at regional content,” said Pallavi Puri, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Sky in an interview.

The concept of bringing Indian theatre on OTT platforms took off after theatre artists realised the need to broaden the audience for their plays, also given the pressure from these online platforms and the numerous shows they produce.

Actor and theatre artiste Nandita Das launched Cineplay in 2014 in association with Hotstar to make Indian plays available online. Through this, viewers already have access to plays like “Between The Lines,” “Dance Like a Man” and more. Indian theatre groups are also attracting audiences online by creating trailers for their plays.

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