Despite rising budgets in Bangladesh’s television drama industry, producers are struggling to generate expected profits, with many pointing to declining revenues from major digital platforms and waning brand sponsorships.
In recent years, the industry has largely overcome the challenges of inadequate funding, with most TV dramas now receiving a minimum budget of at least Tk 10 lakh. High-budget projects such as Zakaria Shoukhin’s Pothe Holo Deri have crossed the Tk 30 lakh mark. Yet, producers claim that these dramas are not delivering the financial returns they once did, even as viewership numbers remain strong.
Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Raz, a prominent filmmaker and producer under the Cinemawala banner, told Times of Bangladesh that profits have significantly declined compared to previous years.
“TV dramas have been generating a lot less profits nowadays due to a variety of reasons. Revenues from Facebook have decreased tenfold due to the various rules and regulations of Facebook,” Raz explained.
He added that a substantial portion of earnings used to come from Facebook and YouTube viewership. “Other means of generating revenue were through television rights and sponsorships. But earnings through these sources have also dwindled. This has resulted in the overall profit margins to shrink,” he said.
Echoing Raz’s concerns, CMV Music head SK Shahed Ali Pappu noted that monetisation from YouTube has also declined. “Earlier, if a drama had 10 million views on YouTube, it would generate an earning of USD 4,000, but now the numbers have declined to USD 2,800. Along with Facebook, earnings on YouTube have also taken the hit,” he said.
Pappu further stated that the recent change in government has had a knock-on effect on sponsorships. “Many brands that used to sponsor TV dramas are no longer doing it, or the number of brands providing sponsorships has decreased in comparison,” he said.
He also highlighted that TV rights and sponsorship earnings are now mostly concentrated around Eid and other festivals. “Earlier, we used to receive Tk two to 2.5 lakh for the TV rights of a well-made drama. But now the amount is so low that we cannot even account for the income from these sources,” Pappu added.
Alongside declining revenues, soaring artist fees are also impacting profit margins. Leading small-screen actors such as Apurba, Mosharraf Karim and Afran Nisho reportedly charge Tk 4 to 5 lakh per drama. Other popular artists like Mehazabien Chowdhury, Musfiq Farhan, Tawsif Mahbub, Farhan Ahmed Jovan and Niloy Alamgir now demand between Tk 2 to 3 lakh.
Producer-director Ziauddin Alam pointed out that artist remuneration now consumes up to 70 per cent of a production’s budget. “Artist remuneration has increased greatly in recent times. But if for some reason the production exceeds the budget or the shooting cannot be completed on time, then the producer, in most times, is reluctant to provide additional budget. In such cases it has to be adjusted with the director’s remuneration,” he said.
However, Pappu and Raz see things differently. “We now have to compete with the international industry. Pakistani dramas are becoming popular in our country. The sets in these dramas are high-budget. At such a time, if we cut the budgets, it will impact the production,” Pappu said.
He added that actors are also adjusting their schedules to match the new standards. “Instead of three days, they are now allocating five to six days for the shooting of one TV drama,” he noted.
Raz believes budget allocation should ultimately be the producer-director’s decision. “I want the quality of my work to be first-class. And for that reason, I would want the budget to allow me to do that. As revenues have taken a slump, we have to think of alternative ways of making more money. I do not think it has anything to do with the budget or the artists’ remuneration,” he said.