The number of female gamers is certainly on the rise

The M&E sector has been one of the worst affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. The country’s over 9,000 cinema halls/screens are shut and reportedly losing Rs 150 crore every week. Theatrical releases have been put on hold indefinitely. Production of films and original content for all media has come to a screeching halt, and nobody knows how and when it will resume. About a million people who work behind the scenes are affected. The worst hit are the numerous temporary workers and freelancers who work on daily wages or on a contractual basis. The revenue for the M&E industry this fiscal is set to nosedive by 16 per cent -- or Rs 25,000 crore. However there has been a spike in digital media and TV viewership during the lockdown. Most OTT platforms are seeing a significant rise in viewership. With theatrical releases on hold, OTTs are eyeing digital/web premieres of upcoming big-ticket Bollywood and regional films. Movie theatres are fighting back. Multiplex and single-screen owners have urged the government to reopen theatres, and share detailed guidelines and plan to ensure safety and hygiene at theatres. Even so, the bigger challenge for OTTs as well as the film and TV industry remains: How to generate fresh content?

Suggested Talking points:
- The impact of Covid-19 and the lockdown on the entertainment industry.
- The road ahead for Bollywood and the regional film industry.
- How can production houses and TV studios survive the crisis?
- When and how should movie theatres reopen?
- How can daily wage workers and freelancers -- the backbone of the industry -- be protected?
- Cinema halls vs OTTs. Should production houses wait for theatrical releases? Or, will web/OTT premieres be the new normal?
- Can OTT premieres match box-office collections?

PANELIST
- Alok Tandon, CEO, INOX Leisure Limited
- Neeraj Roy, MD, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment
- Punit Misra, CEO – Domestic Broadcast Business, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited
- Tanuja Chandra, Film Director & Writer

Moderator: Ashish Pherwani, Partner, Media & Entertainment Advisory, EY

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