'Bharat is lapping up content in Dolby tech', says company's India executive

Dolby Laboratories is witnessing a demand for high-quality audio and video equipment in Tier-2 and -3 markets – both from independent movie theatres in smaller towns who are upgrading their offerings as well as regional OTT players such as SunNXT, aha and Hoichoi offering quality content, according to its senior marketing executive Sameer Seth.  

“With the rise in regional content on OTTs, demand for quality content in Dolby tech from the Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets has also gone up,” Director of Marketing (India) at Dolby Laboratories Sameer Seth told Business Today.  

The San Francisco-headquartered sight and sound technology company’s Dolby Atmos, a spatial sound experience, and Dolby Vision, for richer visual experience, are used by cinema exhibitors, original equipment makers (OEMs), OTT platforms, content creators and studios  

Seth said the growing demand for regional content has fuelled the demand for quality equipment in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. “Many regional streaming services like Sun NXT, Hoichoi, Aha etc. have regional content in Dolby with a massive demand for a cinema-like experience at the comfort of living rooms or on the go,” he added.  

This has come about as Indian consumers are now willing to pay a premium for a better visual and audio experience. The shift is especially has become even more pronounced after the onset of the pandemic,” he said.  

Besides, in the wake of south Indian movies dubbed into Hindi performing well even in the Hindi hinterlands, single screens and independent theatres in the north were known to be refurbishing their theatres to offer better services to audiences to woo them back to the theatres after the pandemic.  

 “Many independent exhibitors today provide a Dolby Atmos experience, even in smaller towns like Dindugul, Perumabvoor, Gorakhpur, Ravulapalem, Port-Blair, Guntur, Rohtak, Tirupathi, Yavatmal, Satara, Puducherry, Jhansi, Almora, Moga, Bellary, Bhuj, Agra, Guwahati etc.,” said Seth.  

Today, moviegoers today can enjoy a movie in Dolby Atmos in over 900-plus installed or committed screens as on April 2023. This includes 250 screens in multiplex chains.