Over-the-top media service in India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are currently about 40 providers of over–the–top media services (OTT) in India, which distribute streaming media over the Internet. In fiscal year 2018, the OTT market in India was worth ₹2,150 crore (₹21.5 billion, US$303 million as of 2018), and its value grew to ₹35 billion in 2019.

History and growth[]

The first dependent Indian OTT platform was BIGFlix, launched by Reliance Entertainment in 2008.[1]

In 2010 Digivive launched India's first OTT mobile app called nexGTv, which provides access to both live TV and on–demand content. nexGTV is the first app to live–stream Indian Premier League matches on smart phones and did so during 2013 and 2014.[needs update]

OTT gained significant momentum in India when both DittoTV (Zee) and Sony Liv were launched in the Indian market around 2013. DittoTV was an aggregator platform containing shows across all media channels including Star, Sony, Viacom, Zee, etc.[citation needed]

Rise of OTT in India[]

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and consequent national lockdown in March 2020, India witnessed a significant growth in the usage of OTT and emerged as a threat to the Television industry.[2] Until then, the popularity of OTT platforms were limited to urban area and above middle class. Due to the national lockdown, people were restricted to their homes and didn't have much options for entertainment. Film theatres were closed. Entertainment programs on Television were not that interesting for the educated middle class. So, they began to watch foreign TV programs on OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sony Liv, and Disney+Hotstar. Shows like Scam 1992 (SonyLIV), Paatal Lok (Amazon Prime Video), Special Ops (Disney+ Hotstar), Flesh (Eros Now), and Asur (Voot) kept the audiences hooked on to the OTT platforms.[3]

The major reasons for the huge success or boom in the popularity of OTT were the availability of low-cost mobile data and affordable smartphones. India has the cheapest mobile data in the world with 1GB costing just INR 18.5 (approximately USD 0.25 in 2019, December 31) as compared to the global average of about INR 600 (approximately USD 8.4 in 2019, December 31).[2] It enabled the youth in India to access OTT video streaming services at affordable prices.

Rise of Hotstar[]

Hotstar, (now Disney+Hotstar), is the most subscribed–to OTT platform in India, owned by Star India as of July 2020, with around 300 million active users and over 350 million downloads.[4] According to Hotstar's India Watch Report 2018, 96% of watch time on Hotstar comes from videos longer than 20 minutes, while one–third of Hotstar subscribers watch television shows.[5] In 2019, Hotstar began investing ₹120 crore in generating original content such as "Hotstar Specials." 80% of the viewership on Hotstar comes from drama, movies and sports programs.[4] Hotstar has the exclusive streaming rights of IPL in India, which is one of the biggest sporting event in India.[6]

Netflix in India[]

American streaming service Netflix entered India in January 2016. In April 2017, it was registered as a limited liability partnership (LLP) and started commissioning content. It earned a net profit of ₹2020,000 (₹2.02 million) for fiscal year 2017. In fiscal year 2018, Netflix earned revenues of ₹580 million.[7] According to Morgan Stanley Research, Netflix had the highest average watch time of more than 120 minutes but viewer counts of around 20 million in July 2018.[5] As of 2018, Netflix has six million subscribers, of which 5–6% are paid members.[8]

India was not affected by Netflix's July 2018 increase in subscription rates for the US and Latin America. Netflix has stated its intent to invest ₹600 Crore in the production of Indian original programming.[9] In late 2018, Netflix bought 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) of office space in Bandra–Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai as their head office. As of December 2018, Netflix has more than 40 employees in India.[7]

Netflix faces tough competition with other OTT platforms in India such as Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar, each of which charge lower subscription rates than Netflix.[8]

Other OTT providers[]

'nexGTv' is the flagship product of 'Digivive Services Pvt Ltd'. Its app offers users entertainment across multiple devices. It streams over 200 live TV channels and on-demand content, including movies, TV Shows and videos. In 2015, nexGTv launched India's first mobile talent discovery platform, called 'SPOTLight', with director Imtiaz Ali. In 2016 nexGTV, launched its first original series 'In My City' with Priyanka Chopra making her mobile series debut.

Sun NXT is an Indian video on demand service run by Sun TV Network. It was launched in June 2017, Streaming in Tamil Language and 6 more Launguages, The Platform has more than 4,000+ Tamil Movies and 200+ Tamil Shows and Regional Movies, Shows and More. Sun NXT Streaming its own Sun TV Shows and Premiere Movies with its Large Library. In India Sun NXT launched its TV Shows and Movies also in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and soon in Marathi.

Amazon Prime Video was launched in 2016. The platform has[when?] 2,300 titles available including 2,000 movies and about 400 shows. It has announced that it will invest ₹20 billion in creating original content in India. Besides English, Prime Video is available in six Indian languages as of December 2018.[10] Amazon India launched Amazon Prime Music in February 2018.[11]

Neestream is a streaming media service owned by NeST Technologies Corp., which is part of the US-based JKH Holdings. it is the first OTT platform targeting the global Malayalee diaspora. [12]

Single-language OTT sites, like Aha Video in Telugu, CityShor.TV in Gujarati, Neestream in Malayalam, Hoichoi in Bengali and Planet Marathi in Marathi, are streaming movies and shows for people [13][14]

Eros Now, an OTT platform launched by Eros International, has the most content among the OTT providers in India, including over 12,000 films, 100,000 music albums & tracks, and 100 TV shows. Eros Now was named as 'Best OTT Platform of the Year 2019' at the British Asian Media Awards.[when?] It has 211.5 million registered users and 36.2 million paying subscribers as of September 2020.[15]

Apart from these, Balaji Telefilms–owned ALTBalaji and Viacom 18–owned Voot and some very popular because of unique content they provide. Reliance Jio–owned JioCinema and JioTV, and Times Group–owned MX Player, Asianet Satellite Communications- owned Asianet Mobile TV are other OTT service providers in India.

Hoichoi is the first dedicated regional–language OTT service in India. It has launched 30 new shows and 12 original films in Bengali and has acquired about 200 Bengali films and dubbed content from English, Hindi and Arabic. In 2018 it entered Bangladesh as well as the United Arab Emirates, adding a prospective customer base of 180 million.[10]

In June 2017, Sun TV Network launched their Sun NXT regional OTT service in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and Kannada.[16]

In February 2020, Aha OTT platform is launched, which broadcasts exclusively Telugu content.[17]

With rising interest for Korean dramas, Rakuten Viki saw its biggest jump of web traffic from India in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdown which lead to ad localization on the platform.[18][19][20]

Future predictions[]

According to KPMG Media and Entertainment Report 2018, the Indian OTT market is expected to grow 45 percent to reach ₹138 billion by the end of fiscal 2023.[5] According to a report by Ernst & Young, the number of OTT users in the country will reach 500 million by 2020, making India the second–biggest market after the US.[10]

List of OTT platforms in India[]

Name Parent Active years Languages Notes/Ref.
Don Cinema Don Cinema Pvt Ltd 2019-present Malayalam,Tamil,Kannada. Telugu, Hindi, Bangali, Bhojpuri, Marathi & Rajasthani
Neestream Neestream Creations Pvt Ltd 2019-present Malayalam, Tamil [21]
Neestream Malayalam OTT Platform
Addatimes Addatimes Media Private Limited 2016-Present Bengali, Hindi
Asianet Mobile TV Asianet Satellite Communications 2015–Present Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi
2021–present Hindi, English, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, Punjabi [22]
YuppTV YuppTV 2007–present Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada [23]
BIGFlix Reliance Entertainment 2008–present Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali ,Marathi India's first movie on demand service[1]
Vuclip PCCW 2008–present Hindi, Tamil, Telugu [24]
dittoTV Zee Entertainment Enterprises 2012–2018 English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bangla Dissolved and Integrated into Zee5
Spuul Independent 2012–present Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English
SonyLIV Sony Pictures Networks India 2013–present Hindi, English, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi [25][26]
TVFPlay Contagious Online Media Network Private Limited 2015–present Hindi,Tamil,Telugu [27]
Netflix Netflix Inc. 2015–present English, Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada [28]
Viu HK Television Entertainment 2015–present Hindi, Tamil [29][30]
Arre UDigital 2015– present Hindi, English [31]
Disney+ Hotstar Star India (The Walt Disney Company India) 2015–present Hindi, English, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, India's most subscribed OTT platform[32][failed verification][33]
Eros Now Eros International 2015–present Hindi,Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi Titled as 'Best OTT Platform of the Year 2019' at the British Asian Media Awards[34]
Hooq Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and Singtel 2015–2020 English Dissolved in 2020[35]
Hungama Play Hungama Digital Media Entertainment 2015–present Hindi, English, Tamil [36]
Sun NXT Sun Group 2017-present Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi Tamil Content
Amazon Prime Video Amazon 2016–present Marathi, English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, Gujarati [37][38]
Voot Viacom 18 2016–present English, Hindi, Tamil, Marathi,Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, Gujarati [39]
Olly Plus oosym.in & Sk Line Production 2020–present Odia [40]
AK Online Info Pluto Media Works 2020–present English & Tamil OTT exclusively for Unique Independent Films - Article on the National Daily - The New Indian Express
JioCinema Jio Platforms 2016–present English, Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, Gujarati Only available for Jio Subscribers[41]
ALTBalaji Balaji Telefilms 2017–present Hindi, Tamil [42]
2020–present Assamese , Hindi, Bengali [43]
Hoichoi Shree Venkatesh Films 2017–present Bengali, Hindi Bengali Content
MX Player Times Internet 2018–present Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Odia, Gujarati, English [44]
Zee5 Zee Entertainment Enterprises 2018–present Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Odia, Gujarati, English [45]
Watcho DishTV India Limited
2019–present
Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Korean 100+ Live TV Channels available on the platform.
Ullu App Ullu App 2018–present Hindi, Tamil [46]
Mubi Mubi Inc. 2019–present English [47]
BLACK SHEEP YOUTUBE 2020–present Tamil Tamil Content
ManoramaMAX Malayala Manorama TV Ltd. 2019–present Malayalam Malayalam content[48]
ShemarooMe Shemaroo Entertainment 2019–present Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati [49]
Aha Arha Media & Broadcasting Pvt. Ltd. 2020–present English
Quibi Independent 2020–2020 English Mobile only
Viki Rakuten 2010–Present English Web and mobile[50][51]
Planet Marathi Planet Marathi 2021-present Marathi Marathi Content[52]

List of podcast platforms in India[]

Name Free access Selective streaming Lossless (Hi-Fi) Track download Tracks (millions) Active users (millions) Paying users (millions) First launched Login required
Amazon Music No Yes Yes[53] Yes[54] 50 (Unlimited), 2 (Prime Music)[55] 16[56] Yes
Apple Music No Yes No Yes 60 60[57] 60[58] June 2015 Yes
Gaana Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Google Play Music No Yes No Yes[59] 40[60] November 2011 Yes
Hungama Yes Yes No Yes Yes
JioSaavn Yes Yes No Yes 30[61] 20[61] Yes
SoundCloud Yes Yes Partial Limited 200+[62] 175[63] No
Spotify Yes Yes No Yes 50[64] 289[65] 130 October 2008 Yes
Wynk Yes Yes No Yes Yes
YouTube Music Yes Yes No Yes 50[66] November 2015 No

Censorship[]

The Government of India in 2021 released a new set of rules that would bring OTT content in India under the standards of censorship that is applicable to other entertainment content platforms in India.[67] This created a stir among the OTT content providers who were upset about not being consulted before the move was announced.[68] Before this move by the government, 17 of the largest OTT platforms in India had come together to create a self-regulation kit.[69] Under the new rules the government has mandated the OTT platforms to classify content under five classifications namely, Universal (U)- suitable for all, U/A 7+ , U/A 13+, U/A 16+ and adult category.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Dangwal, Sandhya (27 April 2017). "Reliance Entertainment launches BIGFLIX, India's first global multi-language HD movie platform". India.com.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Puthiyakath, Hashim Hamza; Goswami, Manash Pratim (6 May 2021). "Is Over the Top Video Platform the Game Changer over Traditional TV Channels in India? A Niche Analysis". Asia Pacific Media Educator: 1326365X211009639. doi:10.1177/1326365X211009639. ISSN 1326-365X.
  3. ^ "2020: The year OTT went mainstream - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Laghate, Gaurav (15 January 2019). "Hotstar to invest Rs 120 crore in generating original content" – via The Economic Times.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Video OTT revenue in India expected to reach Rs 13,800 crore by FY 2023 – Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media.
  6. ^ Upadhyay, Harsh (25 September 2020). "Disney+Hotstar records 6 Mn installs in first 5 days of IPL". Entrackr. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Babar, Kailash; Laghate, Gaurav (28 December 2018). "Netflix leases space for India Headquarter in BKC" – via The Economic Times.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Netflix is getting crushed in India, and it's all because of Amazon and Hotstar". Android Central. 2 February 2018.
  9. ^ Bhattacharya, Ananya. "Netflix hasn't increased prices in India probably because it can't afford to". Quartz India.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The rise and rise of India's online streaming services". The Week.
  11. ^ "Amazon to launch Prime Video Channels in India – TelevisionPost: Latest News, India's Television, Cable, DTH, TRAI". 23 January 2019.
  12. ^ "Neestream bets big on Malayali diaspora". 22 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Can single-language OTT platforms take on the streaming giants in India?". 17 February 2021.
  14. ^ ottrelease. "List of Regional OTT Platforms in India As of 2021". Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Eros Now Reaches 36.2 million Paying Subscribers".
  16. ^ PTI. "Sun TV Networks launches multilingual digital platform". @businessline. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Aha! A new OTT channel to watch out for". 11 February 2020.
  18. ^ Bhatt, Shephali. "How K-pop and Korean drama had their biggest breakthrough in India amid the pandemic". The Economic Times. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  19. ^ Mane, Anwaya (7 April 2021). "K Dramas dubbed in Hindi; Is it a boon or a bane?". PINKVILLA. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  20. ^ "Top 10 Popular OTT Platforms in India". 7 June 2021.
  21. ^ "New streaming platform launched catering to Malayalam audience". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  22. ^ News, Zee. "Zee News". Zee5.
  23. ^ "YuppTV Dongle launched in US for South Asians". abu.org.my.
  24. ^ "PCCW embarks on strategic expansion of OTT video business". 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015.
  25. ^ Standard, Business. "PTI Stories – Business Standard". Business Standard.
  26. ^ "SonyLIV Powers OTT Video Streaming for 30 Million Users with Brightcove". Brightcove.
  27. ^ Saxena, Aditi (6 February 2015). "This IIT Kharagpur alumnus is the brain behind The Viral Fever Media" – via The Economic Times.
  28. ^ "The Arrival Of Netflix In India: All That You Need To Know". inc42.com.
  29. ^ "PCCW looks at Viu as just the start". Digital News Asia. 4 April 2016.
  30. ^ "Viu to shut India operations". afaqs!. 16 December 2019.
  31. ^ https://inc42.com/features/startup-watchlist-top-media-entertainment-startups-to-look-out-for-in-2019/
  32. ^ "Home Main". Media News 4 U.
  33. ^ Laghate, Gaurav (5 September 2018). "Star India rejigs Hotstar service to drive growth" – via The Economic Times.
  34. ^ "Eros Now has 13M paid subscribers in Q3FY19; now at 128M registered users". 8 February 2019.
  35. ^ "Tech in Asia – Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". techinasia.com.
  36. ^ Kanth, K. Rajani (24 July 2015). "Hungama launches on-demand movies app Hungama Play". Business Standard India. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  37. ^ Choudhary, Vidhi (14 December 2016). "Amazon Prime Video launched in India". livemint.com.
  38. ^ Sathe, Gopal. "Amazon Prime Video, Netflix's Biggest Rival, Has Gone Live in India". NDTV Gadgets 360.
  39. ^ "Viacom18 launches video-on-demand platform Voot". 29 March 2016 – via The Economic Times.
  40. ^ "Free Indian ott Platform No subscription required". 27 May 2020.
  41. ^ "JioCinema: Movies TV Originals - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  42. ^ "TV serials & movie producer Balaji Telefilms launches online platform with original digital content". Techcircle. 14 August 2015.
  43. ^ "New OTT platform NIRI 9 Launched in Guwahati with grand web series trailers". 30 December 2020.
  44. ^ "MX Player, Reportedly Bought by Indian Media Giant for $200 Million". 28 June 2018.
  45. ^ "With Ditto TV, Zee eyes a game-changer". dna. 1 March 2012.
  46. ^ "Ullu was launched globally on December 25, 2018, and the content is created by some of the best talents of the entertainment industry". Midday. 23 August 2019.
  47. ^ "Mubi launches streaming service in India". techcrunch.com.
  48. ^ "ManoramaMax' news and entertainment app launched, download now". onmanorama.com.
  49. ^ "Shemaroo Announces the Launch of New OTT Platform ShemarooMe". DATAQUEST. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  50. ^ "ViKi Raises $4.3 Million from VC All-Stars to Translate the World's Video". TechCrunch. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  51. ^ "International Video Site ViKi Debuts iPhone App, Will Partner With Samsung For Android App". TechCrunch. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  52. ^ "Planet Marathi | World's First Marathi OTT Platform". Planet Marathi. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  53. ^ "Amazon.com Help: What is Amazon HD". Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  54. ^ "Amazon.com Help: Download Prime Music for Offline Playback". Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  55. ^ "Amazon Music Unlimited FAQ". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  56. ^ "Amazon Music: The Dark Horse Comes Out Of The Shadows | MIDiA Research". MIDiA Research. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  57. ^ "Apple Music on Track to Overtake Spotify in U.S. Subscribers". Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  58. ^ "Pandora takes on Spotify with dozens of personalized playlists built using its Music Genome – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  59. ^ "Download music to listen offline – Google Play Help". Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  60. ^ "Google Play Music".
  61. ^ Jump up to: a b Russell, Jon. "Saavn, 'India's Spotify', Reveals It Has 11M Monthly Users And Hires Ex-Google Exec". TechCrunch. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  62. ^ "SiriusXM Acquires Minority Stake in SoundCloud With $75 Million Investment". 11 February 2019.
  63. ^ Rusli, Evelyn M.; Karp, Hannah; MacMillan, Douglas (9 December 2014). "SoundCloud's Valuation Could Top Billion With New Fundraising". WSJ Blogs – Digits. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  64. ^ "Upgraded Spotify Premium Family Plan: Value the Entire Household Will Love". Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  65. ^ https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/29/spotify-q1-beats-on-sales-of-2b-with-monthly-active-users-up-31-to-286m/
  66. ^ "YouTube Music is making it simple to transfer over your Google Play Music library". Official YouTube Blog. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  67. ^ Feb 26, Swati Mathur / TNN /. "OTT Guidelines India: Content on OTT platforms will be divided into five age-related categories | India Business News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  68. ^ Dutta, Amrita Nayak (25 February 2021). "Upset we're not being consulted, OTT platform body says about govt 'plan' to frame guidelines". ThePrint.
  69. ^ "17 major OTT players adopt toolkit for regulation". The Hindu. 11 February 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 March 2021.


Retrieved from ""