It is known that the Andhra Pradesh State Fibernet Limited (APSFL) has announced the roll-out of a new service named 'first day, first show' in Vizag. The service will make a debut on June 2 in Vizag alone. APSFL, which is owned by the AP government, last year bought five million set-top boxes.
What is it about? As per the feature, anybody can watch the latest box office release from the comfort of their homes. It will be a movie-on-demand service. This means that customers will have to pay a certain sum of money to subscribe to the movie for 24 hours. It's akin to OTT platforms' pay-per-view service.
But the program is expected to run into trouble. It's a non-starter for several reasons. 'Taxiwala' producer SKN has predicted that no noteworthy producer will agree to the service. Distributors, too, will be reluctant, he added.
Prasad Nimmakayala, who is associated with Zee Studios, said that only films that fail to make it to theatres and OTT will choose the new service in order to make some money. "The program may help a few films that are looking for sampling to create buzz. Just like previews," he adds.
