In the ocean of the internet, there are platforms both small and large that provide and release content for a wide range of audiences. And given the fact that millions of hours of content are pushed online every day, it is no surprise that it is hard for service providers and platforms to comply and follow censorship guidelines all the time. Regulating content on OTT platforms has become a new trend across nations to control or eliminate content against their morals, traditions, or culture.
Content censorship and regulating laws have their drawbacks; first and foremost, it restricts and denies the freedom of expression to both the creator and viewer, restricting and limiting the creator’s ideas and thoughts of what he wants or hopes to show the world. It affects freedom of creativity, the rawness, and the originality of the content. This kind of regulation practice also hampers the evolution of cinema or content in general; it doesn’t allow a creator to show or create something unorthodox, thought-provoking, or something that does not fit the current agenda or narrative of the government of a nation.
The main advantage of OTT platforms is that the content available on them is watched in a private space. It allows a creator to deliver unconventional storytelling, and this leads to an enriched viewer experience. Whether it is curse words, nudity, graphic or obscene events in a scene, they serve to tell an essential part of the story, and the entire story should not be restricted due to the content of the scenes.
Amidst all the commotion, the greater concern is whether the government is restricting content creators’ artistic expression by controlling OTT. Would the moral policing of such shows detract from the platform’s uniqueness? The whole point of OTT platforms was to provide viewers with unique and diverse content that was not controlled by any government agency. Furthermore, if content available on the Internet is subjected to the same degree of scrutiny as satellite TV networks, it arguably destroys the “free” Internet’s artistic freedom as well.
The viewers of the 21st century aren’t easily pleased; they demand content that is versatile yet original. Hence, not every plot can be family-friendly, nor it should be since some stories might be immoral or unethical but essential for viewers to see. Not everyone will like or approve every kind of content they come across; there will always be someone who will disapprove, but this doesn’t mean the content should be removed or censored altogether, compromising its quality. Instead, it should be the viewer’s choice and judgment whether he wants to watch that piece of content or not, whether he wants to promote it further. It is the maturity of the viewers that should decide the fate of the content available to them.
In conclusion, regulating content on the OTT platforms is fine if there’s something genuinely objectionable or unacceptable in a story, and it should be used as a last resort without taking away the fundamental freedom of choice of the viewers. And all kinds of new and good content of such OTT platforms should be encouraged and appreciated since, for many, these platforms and their content helped them go through tough times like an entire year of lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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There’s been a lot of debate and discussion on whether content on OTT platforms should be regulated or not. Let’s dig a little deep into it.
Alice Martin arrived on the cyber security scene in the early 2000s when virus and malware were still new and slowly evolving. Her longtime affair with writing with an interest in the cybersecurity industry, combined with her IT degree, has contributed to experience several aspects of security suite industry such as blogging at norton.com/setup or mcafee.com/activate or office.com/setup