T.K. Devasia / 5 March 2013
TRIVANDRUM - Film buffs can now watch Malayalam movies online without fear of being caught by the law enforcement agencies.
Three companies engaged in the marketing DVDs of films have decided to stream films online at the same price the DVDs are sold. The three firms, Movie Channel, Cyna and Star Vision, will be uploading the films on the Internet as soon as they get the DVD rights. They will be streaming the films through http://www.myindiashopping.com, a Trivandrum-based online films library.
The charge for the new films will be between Rs90 and Rs125. The viewers will also be free to download the film. The three companies have come forward to take the films online following failure by the authorities to check the rise in the film piracy. Though the police have stepped up action against piracy, the menace continued to thrive due to difficulties in initiating criminal action against all those who have viewed films illegally.
As the films go viral after it is uploaded on the Internet, the police will be faced with the gigantic task of taking action against thousands of people, which is not practical. According to film industry sources, more than three million people illegally viewed the film Ordinary on the net. Another film Grand Master was seen by 1.2 million people. In the first major case initiated by the police, it could register cases against only 1,010 out of more than 30,000 people, who illegally downloaded or viewed Bachelor Party within 10 days of its release. This was the biggest crackdown on Internet piracy of an Indian film. Investigations were conducted with the technical support of a Cochin-based firm, which specialises in cyber patrolling. The culprits were spread across the country and outside like the US, the UK, South Africa, China and Uganda.
The Malayalam film industry has been complaining that Internet and video piracy is a grievous problem faced by it. The illegal uploading and downloading have been causing severe financial crisis to the industry as a whole. The CD companies have also been suffering huge loss due to piracy. The three firms have come forward to take films online hoping that a large majority of the people who view the films illegally will be encouraged to do it legally by paying a fee.
Industry sources say that the biggest chunk of people viewing the films illegally on the net are non-resident Indians, who usually do not get immediate access to the CDs of the films soon after they are released. The sources believe that the current price fixed by the online portal will be affordable to the NRIs and if a majority of them see the films through legal channels, it will give a big boost to the industry as a whole.
Three companies engaged in the marketing DVDs of films have decided to stream films online at the same price the DVDs are sold. The three firms, Movie Channel, Cyna and Star Vision, will be uploading the films on the Internet as soon as they get the DVD rights. They will be streaming the films through http://www.myindiashopping.com, a Trivandrum-based online films library.
The charge for the new films will be between Rs90 and Rs125. The viewers will also be free to download the film. The three companies have come forward to take the films online following failure by the authorities to check the rise in the film piracy. Though the police have stepped up action against piracy, the menace continued to thrive due to difficulties in initiating criminal action against all those who have viewed films illegally.
As the films go viral after it is uploaded on the Internet, the police will be faced with the gigantic task of taking action against thousands of people, which is not practical. According to film industry sources, more than three million people illegally viewed the film Ordinary on the net. Another film Grand Master was seen by 1.2 million people. In the first major case initiated by the police, it could register cases against only 1,010 out of more than 30,000 people, who illegally downloaded or viewed Bachelor Party within 10 days of its release. This was the biggest crackdown on Internet piracy of an Indian film. Investigations were conducted with the technical support of a Cochin-based firm, which specialises in cyber patrolling. The culprits were spread across the country and outside like the US, the UK, South Africa, China and Uganda.
The Malayalam film industry has been complaining that Internet and video piracy is a grievous problem faced by it. The illegal uploading and downloading have been causing severe financial crisis to the industry as a whole. The CD companies have also been suffering huge loss due to piracy. The three firms have come forward to take films online hoping that a large majority of the people who view the films illegally will be encouraged to do it legally by paying a fee.
Industry sources say that the biggest chunk of people viewing the films illegally on the net are non-resident Indians, who usually do not get immediate access to the CDs of the films soon after they are released. The sources believe that the current price fixed by the online portal will be affordable to the NRIs and if a majority of them see the films through legal channels, it will give a big boost to the industry as a whole.
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