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The year 2020 has been quite a stressful one !
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the OTT platform was hailed as the savior of entertainment and the future platform for the next golden age of films and TV, Opines Hirav Shah,Leading Entertainment Adviser and Business Astrologer.
Hirav Shah Further Adds,
The year 2020 could have been one of the worst years for many, but for the over the top (OTT) industry, it was a year of celebration. As other industries suffered job losses, pay cuts, and demand issues in 2020 due the Coronavirus-led lockdown, the OTT industry truly came of age this year.
There is an unprecedented boom in the OTT Market across the globe due to the pandemic situation. Just like it is with the rest of the world, OTT viewership in India is at an all-time high. From just two OTT platform providers in 2012 to more than 40 players now, the OTT revolution has come a long way in India.
Assuming the crisis is not going to get totally over anytime soon, Hirav Shah ascertains what could be the future of OTT in India in 2021:
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Growth Forecast for OTT:
According to a study , the OTT industry in India is likely to reach $ 5 bn in size by 2023. An increase in disposable income, an increase in internet penetration to rural markets and OTT video adoption across demographic segments have been the key drivers of OTT market growth in India.
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Rural demand will drive OTT:
With increased internet penetration in rural areas (estimated to be ~650 mn by 2023), OTT players are keen on developing regional content to cater to the rural markets. This is confirmed by Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO, ALTBalaji and Group COO, Balaji Telefilms who mentioned in one of the interviews that lack of other entertainment options has spurred audiences (mostly from Tier2 & Tier 3 cities)
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Content is always the key:
To keep up with the growing demand for more content, OTT behemoth Netflix is planning to spend INR 3000 crore to create content in the Indian context. At the same time, production houses with immense production experience, knowledge about what content consumers prefer are venturing from linear TV to OTT. Many production houses have already made the collection of their content available for platforms like YouTube. Most of them have already started reaching out to other rising OTT platforms of preference in India such as Hotstar, Sony LIV, Hoichoi, Eros Now and Sun NXT.
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OTT freebies provide an arsenal for telecom wars:
Proliferation of smartphones and internet connectivity at a cheaper rate coupled with extended lockdowns and its repercussions, OTT seems to be the next normal in the world of entertainment. Therefore, telecom carriers are offering incentives such as subscriptions to services from Netflix to Amazon Prime to win customers in a content-hungry market.
- Kids Edutainment:There is a huge market in the kid’s genre and along with the international players like POGO, Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids, homegrown Indian brands like VOOT kids, Hungama Kids, Zee5 Kids are fighting for a share of the market. In the field of kid’s education, owing to shut down and indefinite closure of schools, a research states that edutech platforms such as Udemy, Unacademy and Byjus, which have posted an 82.73% increase in time spent, along with a 122.62% increase in engagement and 25.12% increase in DAU’s.
- Corporate Learning Management Solution:
At a time when physically attending training is a distant idea, organizations can meet their learning objectives by incorporating a . In this era of Netflix and YouTube, an efficient Learning Management Solution empowers employees with the flexibility to access training at their own will and pace. With features like advanced search and filtering, employees can search and consume relevant materials whenever needed. In addition to the flexibility to learn, gamification in such solutions helps in higher engagement levels and can even help in improving overall retention too. - Online gaming is a new frontier:Gaming apps topped the new downloads category on both Android and iOS phones in Q1 of 2020. Especially around the younger population and the conducive environment, gaming could emerge to be a major beneficiary of the overall digital ecosystem. Media companies and OTT providers especially can look at adding gaming as a potent extension to their ecosystem offerings.
- Demand for OTT in Health & Fitness:
Video streaming platforms having got an opportunity to expand their offerings into genres like health & fitness have entered into strategic alliances to cater to the increased demand and emerging audience segments. According to a report, besides video conferencing apps, and websites, fitness applications such as Lose Weight, Cure.fit, recorded a 104.53% rise in daily active users (DAUs) with engagement rate increasing by 14.72% and time spent on the app increasing by 39.50%.
- Redefining Sports via OTT:The disruption of sports broadcasting due to Covid-19 has led to significant erosion of revenue for operators and Pay-TV providers. Yet at a time when social distancing norms have disrupted live sports, Star & Disney India in the form of Disney+Hotstar VIP have given great joy to a cricket crazy nation.
It is true that OTT platforms have helped keep the sanity intact in these difficult times by being a major source of entertainment. By imbibing new age technology in all aspects of the subscriber lifecycle, OTT providers can prevent subscriber churn and offer a great quality of experience to customers.
Conclusion:
“The entertainment business is by definition uncertain. That’s what makes it such a magnet for the best and the brightest, the bold and the brazen, the born innovators and entrepreneurs.
Hence, before taking any Strategical call in the Entertainment Industry in terms of selecting FILMS or PROJECTS or estimating ROI or to collaborate with any studio or to sell rights, Astro-Strategy is a requisite today. Only Astro-Strategy can give CERTAINTY OF SUCCESS in the Entertainment & Film Industry with a clear path of action”, Concludes Hirav Shah, Leading Astro-Strategist Of The Country.
