We belong to a generation where all we need is hassle-free entertainment and inexhaustible internet. Our appetite for binge-watching videos online is remarkable. With the advent of top OTT (over-the-top) players like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar pushing content into people’s living room, the OTT video market in India is growing fourfold. New technologies, crashing data charges, various forms of entertainment, and Smartphones have made OTT more popular and accessible today. OTT platform has stolen the thunder of traditional television and home entertainment.
Reed Hastings, co-founder & CEO of California-headquartered Netflix, in an interview, said Indians are the biggest binge watchers on the platform in the world. According to KPMG Media & Entertainment Report 2018, OTT video revenue in India may touch 13,800 crores by the end of FY 2023. This category has more than 30 frontline players trying to grab viewers attention. It’s a prominent digital marketing channel for brands to reach out to their consumers on a full scale with maximum reach.
Significant content consumption, be it video or music, happens on the mobile as it’s accessible and flexible. In metro cities like Mumbai, given the long hours of commute to work, people are generally seen glued to their screens watching shows on these platforms. According to the online video streaming companies, apart from late-night binge-watching, commute hours such as morning 8-10 am and evening 6-8 pm is the prime time for binge viewing. We are turning into a nation that binge watches on-the-go.
The Future of Entertainment is Here
The content on the OTT platform is gripping and not limited to the demographics or censors, unlike the traditional TV channels. These platforms tell stories that the youth can relate to. The old school cringy saas-bahu formula has now taken a back seat. Exciting and well-crafted content is what the viewers are looking for in the digital and other platforms. Exploring more genres with a touch of humour is what OTT is all about. For instance, Netflix’s first original Indian show, Sacred Games, became a talk of the town as it portrayed dark underbelly of Mumbai’s gangster world with all the gaalis, gore violence, and nudity. To everyone’s surprise, it was well-received by the audience.
There is a mad rush of content on these platforms right now. Both big and small players are sailing smoothly in here. India’s next big OTT platform, Hotstar, is the most favourite platform for local language content. The Star Network hit the digital platform at the right time with an array of shows across many languages. Hotstar reportedly has more than seven crore users on its platform who has access to a lot of free content available, which does not require a paid subscription.
The beauty of OTT is the originality in the ideas, content, and execution. It’s worth the screen time the users put daily. Unlike traditional TV channels that are creating content for fixed-time viewing, OTT has no such parameters involved.
Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are the global players and have a significant presence in India. Still Indian platforms like Voot- the digital arm of media and entertainment company Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd is dominating the digital entertainment field. Voot runs channels like Colors and Nickelodeon with a reported user base of more than three crores. Another OTT platform that walks parallel is Sony LIV featuring content from channels like Sony Max and SAB. Zee5, a late entrant in this section, has also made up to the audiences screen time by featuring thousands of hours of original Hindi programmes from its many channels.
In-flight Entertainment
While we speak about entertainment-on-the go, let’s not forget entertainment on air. Over the past few years, in-flight entertainment (IFE) is growing fast among airlines to enhance passenger inclusivity, customer loyalty, and experience. SpiceJet was the first Indian low-cost carrier to introduce an in-flight entertainment system called ‘SpicEngage’. It allows flyers to watch movies, TV shows, and play games on-board using their smartphones, tablets, or laptops. Air Vistara is the second domestic airline to offer IFE services to its passengers. Vistara’s IFE comes with a content-rich multimedia library of over 70 hours of top-notch Bollywood and Hollywood entertainment of various genres.
In-flight entertainment systems have had many facelifts. From magazines to overhead televisions to seatback entertainment and now accessibility through Smartphones, technology advancement is endless. The next step in the evolution of in-flight entertainment will be virtual-reality glasses. With more and more international airlines coming up with new technologies for IFE, India is also making a mark in this category.
With so many hours of online streaming rolling out, the content game has just begun. Whether directly on the mobile phones or streaming through their connected TV, the next generation prefers watching online. That gives them the flexibility to watch whatever they want, when they want, and pay for what they want. As the world moves towards a cable-free entertainment age, OTT services will be at the forefront with billions of dollars backing it up.
