DIGITAL SCREENS AND SHIFTING REVENUES: AUDIENCE ACCEPTANCE OF OTT PLATFORMS IN POST-PANDEMIC TAMIL CINEMA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i1.2026.7213Keywords:
OTT Platforms, Tamil Cinema, Post-Pandemic Media, Audience Acceptance, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Uses and Gratifications Theory, Hybrid Release Model, Digital Revenue Transformation, Media Economics, Streaming PlatformsAbstract [English]
The change that has befallen Tamil cinema after the pandemic has increased the pace at which the distribution and revenue ecosystem of the industry is adopted by over-the-top (OTT) platforms. This paper explores the acceptance of the audience to OTT channels and its implications on the switch to new revenue models in post-pandemic Tamil cinema. It bases its study on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), Diffusion of Innovation Theory, and Platform Economy lenses to structure the conceptual framework of understanding behavioral and economic aspects of digital adoption. The methodology used was on a quantitative survey basis and the data was gathered on the audience of Tamil cinema on various demographic groups. The results indicate that convenience, entertainment gratification, and perceived usefulness are the factors that have a strong impact on the intention to adopt OTT, whereas social influence has a relatively low impact. Most of the respondents indicated their favor toward the OTT watching, yet theatrical experience has not yet lost its cultural value, especially when it comes to large scale commercial films. Also, OTT adoption was reported as positively related to the perceptions of revenue sustainability, which gives reason to believe that online platforms are perceived as stabilizing factors in the sector. The findings suggest that the move to the digital screens is a structural change instead of a transitional pandemic reaction. The introduction of hybrid release models as a strategically rational compromise between theatrical spectacle and the digital accessibility is possible. The research has implications to the literature of media economics and regional cinema as it empirically forms connections between audience behavior and changing revenue architectures. The results are strategic implications to producers, distributors, exhibitors and streaming platforms that are operating in the converged arena of digital and theatrical film distribution in Tamil cinema.
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