Mumbai, Dec 8 After it was announced that streaming giant Netflix will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and TV studios and its gaming business among others, acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur questioned that the conversation is missing the most critical point, which is the individual consumer.
Taking to X, formerly called Twitter, Shekhar shared that while industry discussions focus on corporate strategy, profitability and long-term business projections, they are built on a flawed assumption that large corporations can predict or steer what individuals will choose to watch.
Shekhar wrote: “In the impending purchase of Warner Brothers by Netflix.... everyone is looking at corporate strategy , corporate profitability , long term bussiness....and assumptions about what the consumers will want…(sic)”
“As if a large pool of historical IP, matched by delivery power to consumers at current state of technology, is the future.... but most of those assumptions are wrong .. why ? Because a consumer is an individual .. and makes individual choices, and the assumption that at large scale, corporations can predict or even direct an individual’s choice is fundamentally false…(sic)”
He highlighted that this belief is even more misplaced today with the rapid rise of AI, which he tagged as “the most democratic technology we have had in a long time”.
“Even more so with the onset of AI. For AI is the most democratic technology that we have had for a long time , primarily because it’s gives each individual the power of choice .. and the ability to exert that individual power .. and AI will give the individual the power to influence the collective (sic).”
As per Shekhar, who has been feted with a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award, AI will dismantle the traditional idea of scale as an advantage.
“And therefore AI will be anti size .. or anti the ability to encapsulate, or force consumers to choose according to corporate board room decisions…”
The filmmaker said that AI will “allow really sophisticated content to be created by individuals at far far lower costs than the corporations can ever manage , and be shared directly with other individuals”
“Be it via YouTube or other platforms that could soon be created.... AI will allow the battle between the democracy of individual content creation and the gatekeepers of content to be a one sided contest .. in favour of the individual.”
Pointing to the rise of TikTok, which achieved near-billion-dollar valuation before Hollywood understood its impact, HE said micro-dramas and low-budget formats are becoming global sensations. With AI lowering the barrier to entry even further, he believes the traditional gatekeepers of content are in “serious trouble.”
“Don’t forget that Tik Tok was almost a Billion Dollar valuation even before Hollywood had caught on to it.... and now MicroDrama’s are becoming really popular.. which can be created at such low costs .. AI has lowered the entry bar to what was once high budget content so much that the GateKeepers of content are in serious trouble (sic).”
"...and oh .. by the way .. almost 80 percent of the world’s population (therefore current and future potential consumers) lies outside the delivery power of the new behemoth .. and the rising content / power of delivery will come from within this 80 percent (sic).."
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