From Dantakathas and folktales to web series, micro dramas and reels, storytelling has never stayed tied to one format, and Inspire Films founder Yash Patnaik believes it never will. The producer spoke about how television, OTT and short-form content have changed the way he develops stories, and what the coming years hold for the business.
“I don’t think television, OTT or short-form content are competing with each other. They are different expressions of the same storytelling culture, serving different audiences and different consumption patterns,” he said.
“The real opportunity is to recognise these changes early and innovate continuously. Storytelling is an evolving civilisation, not an industry confined to formats,” he added.
Asked about the biggest challenge for producers over the next few years, Yash shared, “I think we are entering one of the most exciting phases in the history of entertainment.”
He pointed out that digital consumption is generating enormous amounts of data, which will change how the industry understands audiences, develops concepts, produces content and distributes it.
“We will see much sharper audience segmentation, more specialised genres and innovative storytelling formats. The distinction between long-form and short-form content may become less rigid,” he said.
He expects micro dramas, interactive storytelling, audio-visual hybrids and AI-assisted content creation to open up new possibilities, and language barriers to gradually disappear as content travels more easily across geographies.
But the biggest shift, he believes, will be in the business model itself, with producers moving beyond being content suppliers for individual platforms to thinking like IP owners. “A story should not necessarily end with one television telecast or one OTT release. It could become a web series, a micro drama, an audio series, a film, a book or even a franchise,” he said.
“I believe the future belongs to companies that can combine creative excellence, data intelligence, technology and IP ownership. We are heading into very interesting times,” Yash ended.
