VIJAYAWADA: As many as 2,000 theatres across the State will stop screening films from March 1, opposing the exorbitant Virtual Print Fee (VPF) levied by UFO and QUBE Digital Service Providers (DSPs), said Ambika Krishna, chairman of AP Film, Television and Theatre Development Corporation Limited (APSFTV&TDC).
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Ambika Krishna said that over the past two weeks, the producers’ council had conducted talks with UFO and QUBE to resolve the issues and avert strike. The discussions began in Chennai, then moved to Hyderabad, and finally to Bangalore. At the recently concluded meeting in Bangalore, QUBE’s final offer was rejected by the producers’ council, and therefore, they will go ahead with strike from March 1, he said.
‘’For a regional film, the DSPs are collecting around `27,000 each per screen from producers. This includes the cost of hiring and delivery of content via digital distribution in theatres,” Ambika Krishna said. When it comes to screening of Hollywood films the life-time fee is around `10,000 per film.
Moreover, the DSPs and theatres are making money by sharing advertisement revenue from the screens, but that amount is not shared with the producers. Now, the producers are demanding VPF amount to be more than halved, he said.
The South film industry demands complete waiver of VPF and weekly rentals. ‘’If the DSPs don’t agree to our demands, industry will go on strike from March 1,” he said.