In today’s world, where attention span is shorter than ever, and instant access is easier than ever, new media technologies that allow people to access various platforms have contributed to the development of “on-demand” culture, which is characterized by individuality and mobility. These new media technologies have also made a new film distribution field available by building new methods and income prospects.
Consequently, the conventional distribution business has gone through a digital transformation. In Turkey, also a new way of access has become available on online platforms to watch films and other types of content, which has been developing itself detached from the traditional cinema platform. In this instance, a distinction must be made between online and digital distributions. In today’s cinema industry, movies are distributed through their physical forms, which are film rolls in this case, being carried to the movie theatres or digital discs that contain the original film to be carried physically.
Online distribution” can be described as the direct sharing of the movie with the consumers through specific internet platforms, without having to deal with the physical challenges. In light of this, distributing the films digitally and offline is “digital distribution” while sharing them online with the consumers “online distribution”. This transformation in the cinema business shows that the digital economy is now taking the scene and that the movie industry should build new business strategies in order to adapt to this new economic realm. As these new technologies improve, new business models have also come into being with the impact of these unique and easily accessible platforms.
Online distribution is characterized through over-the-top technology, OTT, in short, that uses different revenue models. In the most basic sense, OTT is a digitally formed for traditional home entertainment systems’ value proposition. In technological terms, OTT is, streaming video content through mobile or cable networks instead of broadcasting through TV or via a single cable, fiber, satellite supported system. From many aspects, OTT resembles traditional media services that aim to the consumers. OTT and traditional TV are getting improved in even more different ways by the content creators that join the field. By removing the barriers on the ground and content distribution, OTT has made it possible for different types of content creators to exist in the area.