THE RISE OF OTT PLATFORMS AND TOP 5 IN INDIA.

 THE RISE OF OTT PLATFORMS

India is a complex market, especially when it comes to paying for entertainment. Digital content consumption is rising fast, thanks to easy access to the internet-enabled by cheap mobile data. Entertainment content consumption behavior of Indians has definitely changed during the Doordarshan to Direct-to-Home transition. But, the emergence and expansion of OTT platforms are changing the entertainment landscape, and the tectonic shift is definitely not smooth. Several existing television channels have already forayed into the OTT space; it would be interesting to watch how these players compete with giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime. 

India with over 130 billion population with over 60% in the young age group with the limited option of entertainment avenues is a very attractive market for both content creators and distributors. The presence of several digital content distribution platforms with high-quality highly diversified content with the freedom to watch anywhere anytime is a great option for millions of viewers looking for change and control. The change in content consumption behavior is bound to disrupt existing content delivery platforms, forcing them either to evolve or go extinct. Ramayana of 1987 was a great hit, but compare it with Squid Game of 2021, and you will feel the shift, both in terms of consumption behavior and of course the sense of control, quality, and the range.

Over–the–top media services (OTT) platforms have become quite popular in India since last few years. An over-the-top (OTT) media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributor of such content. Due to COVID-19 outbreak in the country, many filmmakers are now releasing their movies on major OTT platforms, instead of waiting for the theatres to re-open. India has lots of options when we talk about OTT services. Here are the Top 5 OTT platforms in India.

 1.Disney+ Hotstar

 Disney+ Hotstar is an Indian over-the-top streaming service owned by Novi Digital Entertainment, a subsidiary of Disney’s Star India. It features two paid subscription plans— “VIP”, which focuses on domestic programmes and sports content (including Indian Premier League cricket), and “Premium” featuring premium international films and television series (including HBO, Showtime and other American original series).

Disney+ Hotstar is among the Top 10 OTT platforms in India because of its pricing and wide range of content. These are Rs 499 Mobile plan, Rs 899 Super plan and Rs 1,499 Premium plan. They have a validity of 1 year, however, the benefits with each of them is different.

2.Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime Video is a very popular video streaming service or OTT service in India. Amazon Prime Video was launched in 2016 in the country and has been among the Top 10 OTT platforms in India from the day of its launch. Besides English, Prime Video is available in six Indian languages as of December 2018. Amazon India launched Amazon Prime Music in February 2018.

Prime subscription presently also includes free Amazon music alongside unlimited free, quick delivery. The annual Amazon Prime membership will cost you Rs 1499. If you opt for a monthly plan, it’ll now cost you Rs 179. For the 3-month plan, you will now have to spend Rs 459.

3.voot

Voot is another video-on-demand (OTT) platform, part of Viacom18 Digital Ventures, the digital arm of Viacom18. It has over 35,000 hours of content for audiences with varying choices and preferences, covering Colors (Hindi), MTV, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Colors Kannada, Colors Marathi, Colors Bangla, Colors Super and Colors Gujarati.

It has a premium subscription called Voot Select with which you get access to Voot Originals, Latest International shows, Live Channels, Ad-free Experience and 24 hours Before-TV premieres of Colors and MTV content. It also works for free with some content but with ads. It has a single plan which costs Rs 299 a year as a part of an offer. Otherwise, it costs Rs 999 a year.

4.Netflix

Netflix is one of the popular streaming services in India. The OTT platform offers four subscription plans including Mobile, Basic, Standard and Premium. The Mobile plan costs Rs 199 monthly with 480p streaming quality. It allows you to watch Netflix on a tablet and mobile.

The mobile-only plan is priced at Rs 149. The Basic plan is priced at Rs 199. Both these offer SD playback. The Standard plan which offers HD playback is available for Rs 499. The premium plan that offers Ultra HD playback across 4 screens simultaneously is available at Rs 649.

Netflix faces tough competition with other OTT platforms in India such as Amazon Prime, Hotstar, Voot and Eros Now, each of which charge lower subscription rates than Netflix. It is among the Top 10 OTT platforms in India because of the amazing quality of the content it provides.

5.ZEE5

ZEE5 is an Indian video on demand service run by Essel Group via its subsidiary Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. Subscribers will be able to enjoy entertainment content without any intrusive ads and across devices. Some of Zee’s popular TV shows like Kumum Bhagya and Kundali Bhagya in Hindi, Sembaruthi in Tamil, Jothe Jotheyali in Kannada and Mazya Navryachi Bayko in Marathi and many more would be now available on ZEE5 before telecast on Television.

As of now, the Zee5 12 months plan costs Rs 499 as limited period offer. Otherwise, the plan costs Rs 999. With the yearly plan, you can watch on 3 screens at a time. With the Rs 299 plan, you get to watch on 2 screens at a time for a validity of three months.