In what may be the first case of a State-owned OTT platform, the Kerala State government on Wednesday announced its own streaming service,  ‘CSpace’, which will be launched on November 1, a minister said.

Saji Cherian, State Minister for Culture and Cinema, said this at the naming ceremony of the OTT platform held here on Wednesday, according to an IANS report.

“Our OTT platform will be known as CSpace and will be under the Department of Cultural Affairs. This is the first such initiative by any state government in the country,” said Cherian.

“This facility will be managed by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) and is basically meant for film buffs to see not only films from here, but also worldclass films. The OTT platform will only showcase films after their theatrical release is over and hence there won’t be any problem for the theatre owners and producers,” said Cherian.

The OTT platform will also show short films and documentaries.

The Covid pandemic took a heavy toll on the Malayalam film industry and only around 70 films found their way to the theatres in 2021, while around 85 films were not able to find any OTT platforms to distribute their products.

With Cherian now announcing that the OTT platform will become live on November 1, the KSFDC is busy speaking to the interested bidders for the OTT platform, which will be a vendor-based platform to start with.

Cherian also pointed out that the interested producers can start registering with the KSFDC from June 1 with their films.