Union Broadcasting and Information Anurag Thakur stated that OTT, which emerged as one of the most important platforms during the COVID-19 period, has transcended geographical borders.

He stated that with the disappearance of boundaries in OTT, the likelihood of content from around the world being accepted by a global audience has expanded, using Korean content as an example.

“Soft power has no boundaries.” “The Covid-caused lockdown accelerated the emergence of the OTT platform significantly,” he stated at an awards ceremony here on Saturday night.

He said Bengal, the land of a visionary and poet like Rabindranath Tagore, a film icon like Satyajit Ray, a new direction giver filmmaker like Ritwik Ghatak, a new age singing sensation like Arijit Singh can win the hearts of OTT audiences in the world with new content in near future.

In this context, Thakur emphasised the need of stakeholders deciding whether or not to regulate OTT material PTI reported from Kolkata.

“The content will be viewed by family members.” “On the subject of regulation, I will keep the question before you,” he stated.

The union minister also stated that the number of individuals who watched IPL matches on mobile phones in recent days greatly outnumbered those who watched on television.

“This reaffirms how streaming contents are being watched more than other mediums like TV,” he says.

In terms of Indian content receiving more attention in the entertainment industry, he stated that the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song and The Elephant Whisperers’ documentary on OTT have both been recognised in the Academy Awards 2023.

He congratulated prize recipients in several categories, saying, “It is a recognition of your contribution in the fields of art and entertainment.” In his statement, TV9 Network MD and CEO Barun Das stated, “Art is the only man-made concept that unites people.”