Popular OTT platforms

 "When was the last time you watched television or watched a movie in a theatre?" is a question everyone must ask themselves and many might say that they are now watching their favorite movies or popular shows on OTT.

OTT i.e. Over The Top, is the type of video streaming service that goes above & beyond traditional streaming services.  OTT platforms nowadays are gaining popularity over traditional television broadcasting. It is helping content creators across languages to bring their content to a larger audience using Internet service.

The popular OTT platforms are as follows:

The most subscribed international OTT Platform - Netflix has over 247 million subscribers while India's leading OTT platform - Disney+Hotstar has over 37 million subscribers. 

source: merketfeed website

These OTT platforms work on various revenue models like :

• AVOD: Advertisement video on demand 

OTT Platforms like YouTube offer AVOD services where an audience can watch free content with advertisements. Such platforms largely rely on user-generated content and provide free access to the content with ads in between. 

• SVOD: Subscription Video on demand

Netflix and Amazon Prime run on an SVOD model where a subscriber has to pay a particular amount of subscription fee. This model gives unlimited access to the video library. 

• TVOD: Transactional video on demand

It is best suited for those viewers who wish to watch a particular video and do not wish to pay a full subscription fee. OTT platform like MUBI offers such a service where you can pay for a particular video.

• FREEMIUM or Hybrid model: free + premium content. 

Various OTT platforms like Zee 5, Sony Liv, and Disney+Hotstar have adopted the most popular Freemium model in which some of the content is free while for premium content, a viewer has to take a subscription. It is a combination of AVOD & SVOD models. 

OTT platforms are also experiencing high traffic since it is providing localized content. This localisation is happening across India in various languages which creates a direct connection with the regional audience. The localization of content has given rise to domestic OTT platforms like Hoichoi, Manorama Max, etc. Such domestic OTT platforms not only attracts regional audience but also has a diasporic subscriber base.

Source: Zartek India

OTT platforms which peaked at it's popularity during the COVID-19 period have changed the way viewers consume video content. Due to the lockdown scenario throughout the country, Indian viewers were deprived of television and movie theatre facilities. OTT took full advantage of the void and expanded its reach by providing on-demand video content. OTT platforms encouraged personalized, creative, localized, ad-free content which was available to viewers at low cost. OTT on a cultural level shaped the local culture by infusing the ideas of popular culture through their content. Also, it has actively promoted the diverse regional Indian culture through its content. On the other hand, it has encouraged the mass culture.

With its emergence as a global platform for international content and with the ability to ensure media industry survival, the future of OTT looks brighter.

References:

Marketfeed Editorial- An Overview of India's Booming OTT Market 

Blog- Best Regional OTT platforms in India- Zartek India

Best Regional OTT Platforms in IndiaBest

Best Regional OTT Platforms in India

Best Regional OTT Platforms in India