Nitin Ganatra says soaps have a "problem" competing against wealthy streaming giants.
Nitin Ganatra says soaps have a 'problem' competing against wealthy streaming giants
The former 'EastEnders' star - who is best known for playing Masood Ahmed in the BBC One soap on and off from 2007 to 2019 - hopes the residents of Walford will be around for years to come, but believes it will become even tougher to compete against the likes of moneybags streamers, such as Apple TV and Netflix.
He said: "Soaps are dramas and I’d like to think they will continue.
"But the problem they have got is they’re competing with the money.
"The money is Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, and all of these new streaming channels."
Nitin thinks soaps need to "increase the quality and increase the intrigue" if they are to hold off the competition from streaming giants.
He added to The Sun newspaper's TV Biz column: "Of course, these shows on streaming giants haven’t been going for 35 years, four times a week, like the soaps.
"But with soaps, I think you have to increase the quality and increase the intrigue.
"You have to make it look gorgeous because dramas on Netflix, even low-budget, look beautiful. They look stunning."
Masood was last seen in Albert Square in February 2019 when he swapped Walford for Australia, and eight months later Nitin admitted there is "still much to find" in his character.
He said: "Masood is lovely, I love him. I think there is still much to find in him.
"I have a lot of respect for 'EastEnders' and the way they really work hard at producing stories that keep people interested.
"So who knows? One day I'll go back, if they want me."
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