HYDERABAD: Non-availability of Telugu movies on online streaming platforms has become a concern for many, as the audience has to resort to poor quality dubbed movies that are not in Telugu language.
Research called, ‘From Single Screen to YouTube: Tracking the Regional Blockbuster’, has found that some 76 Telugu films were more watched in Hindi dubbing and had garnered more than 10 million views on YouTube, in over a time period.
The research further said, “One of the reasons for the popularity of Hindi dubbed films on this online streaming site is (whether of films originally produced in India or abroad) the non-availability of their original versions on the platform. Typically, films of major Tamil and Telugu stars releases on YouTube earlier in Hindi than in their original language.”
The research was done by academicians of Bengaluru-based University, done in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Delhi. It further claimed that when it searched for ‘Hindi movies’ or ‘Bollywood movies’ on YouTube, films dubbed from Tamil or Telugu were among the first then results that turned up. It was also found there was a difference in preferences of viewers on Youtube to that with movies released on big screen. Copyright infringement is another problem on these online streaming sites.
The research found that there is a rising problem of low-budget dubbed movies on these sites that copy all movies tittle, font and size to gain views. Quoting producer Venkat Somasundaram, “The direct-to-Youtube release of films is a development that bears close resemblance to theatrical B circuit in terms of brilliant strategies used to promote films.”