'Hello Meghalaya' OTT Platform Receives Mixed Reviews

Meghalaya Government Sponsored OTT App: Earlier this July, the state of Meghalaya launched their own OTT platform called 'Hello Meghalaya'. The platform is meant for sharing regional content by local filmmakers and content creators to audiences in Meghalaya, which include but are not limited to movies, short films, music videos, contests, music audios and local content like vlogs, infotainment, and documentaries. Most of the content on the platform is available in three regional languages, Khasi, Garo and Pnar.

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma stated during the launch that filmmakers would be given ₹5 lakh per film shared on the OTT platform, and content creators receiving at least ₹18,000 monthly for uploads.

Many filmmakers are happy with the arrival of a local OTT platform, such as Simi Khongtiang who stated that since people have stopped going to movie halls to watch films, funding has been difficult. She added that the platform will allow filmmakers to produce and invest in their work without worrying about funding.

Still, there has been some criticism about the platform both by filmmakers and users.

Meghalayan filmmaker Dominic Megam Sangma, as reported by The Shillong Times, showed his concern over mixing a platform for filmmakers with content creators. "You can support content creators but I don't think they are really looking for a platform as the platform is already there, such as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook" he stated.

Reviews on the PlayStore app show that there are quite a few problems with the technical and convenience aspects too. Many reviews talked about struggling to register as they were unable to receive an OTP when logging in. Others talked about how much of your data the platform demands before a user is allowed to sign up, even cautioning that the information might get sold to other companies once users do manage to register.

The launch of the app hasn't been very smooth, but the fact that the Meghalayan government is willing to take initiative and invest in their local media sector shows promise for a good future for Meghalayan content creators, musicians, and filmmakers.