<\/p>\n
Experts said while the investments are risky considering the amount of time and patience they require for monetization to kick in, it gives actors control and ownership over stories and formats, especially in the niche spaces of audio and short-form video. Their presence brings credibility and visibility to the platform in a deeply crowded market.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn an increasingly cluttered <\/span>OTT<\/a> landscape, several prominent stars have ventured into launching their own platforms, driven by the strategic advantage of brand-led distribution,” said Chandrashekar Mantha, partner and media and entertainment sector leader at Deloitte India. \u201cThese initiatives are less about scale at inception and more about directly engaging audiences by leveraging the inherent brand equity of the star, thereby keeping customer acquisition costs relatively low.”<\/p>\n Star-owned platforms benefit from built-in visibility and loyalty, while content produced or owned by celebrities helps seed and strengthen the content library, Mantha added. Beyond audience access, these ventures offer greater control over intellectual property and enable diversification across multiple revenue streams, including subscriptions, <\/span>advertising<\/a>, licensing, syndication, and ancillary formats.<\/p>\n A star\u2019s personal audience and fan base emerge as powerful intangible assets, capable of being monetized through owned digital ecosystems rather than third-party platforms, he pointed out.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr Rashmi Jain, associate professor of marketing and international business at K J Somaiya Institute of Management, emphasized that the OTT ecosystem is no longer limited to subscription-led models. AVoD (advertising video-on-demand), FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV), freemium, OTT aggregators and telco or DTH (direct-to-home) bundles are widening access for price-sensitive viewers, besides improving discovery for smaller and newer OTT services.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, new formats\u2014short series, cinematic audio stories, podcasts and regional-first content\u2014are expanding consumption occasions. What looks like clutter is actually format diversification,” Jain said.<\/span><\/p>\n For actors, the value goes beyond near-term ROI, she said. Firstly, OTT allows a shift from being talent-for-hire to IP owners and franchise builders.<\/span><\/p>\n Secondly, platforms create direct-to-fan relationships, data access and repeat engagement, which films and television rarely offer. Finally, many of these investments are strategic option bets: today\u2019s niche platform can evolve into a studio, IP engine, talent incubator or licensing business, Jain added.<\/span><\/p>\n While agreeing that many other consumer brands that celebrities are known to invest in have clearer demand and faster monetization, Jitendra Hirawat, co-founder and CEO of TITO Films, an advertising company, said that content platforms need patience, capital and scale. The upside, though, can be significantly higher if the platform builds a loyal niche or becomes acquisition-worthy.<\/span><\/p>\nFormat diversity<\/strong><\/h2>\n