Over-the-top (OTT) platforms have gained a lot of popularity in the pandemic. New platforms have emerged offering exclusive shows and originals to their viewers keeping them hooked with unique content. Just last year, Disney+ Hotstar came to India and has become one of the biggest platforms in the country. Now, more and more players are set to come to India this year which will further enhance the existing competition between the platforms. Let’s take a look at some of the platforms which we think will rule India in 2021.
Netflix
There is no doubt that Netflix will keep going strong in India regardless of the number of new OTT platforms that may emerge. Even though Netflix is a lot more expensive than other platforms, it has the highest demand because of the library of content it has. Further, it has purchased rights for delivering some of the most famous television shows such as ‘Friends’ and more.
Amazon Prime Video
Packaged in the offering of Amazon Prime membership, the Amazon Prime Video has gained a lot of popularity over the years. Especially in India, shows such as ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Four More Shots’, and more have captured users' attention. Amazon Prime Video also offers a ton of regional content for Indians in addition to famous TV shows such as ‘Shark Tank’ and more.
Disney+ Hotstar
Introduced just last year, the platform already has millions of Indians hooked to it. Bagging the rights of streaming the Indian Premier League (IPL) and partnering with various telecom operators has helped the OTT platform a lot. It offers access to television shows such as ‘How I Met Your Mother’, ‘Westworld’ and more which have gained a lot of traction from the Indian users.
Other OTT Players That Might Gain More Popularity this Year
Apple TV+, HBO Max, Discovery+, and BookMyShow Stream are four platforms which we think stand a chance to gain a lot of popularity this year. Apple TV+ offers only original content, and it is slowly building its library of shows and movies. It also costs very less (Rs 99 per month).
HBO Max has a ton of content, including TV shows and movies that people love. Since it has a huge library, users get a lot of options to choose from, but the only thing is that the platform isn’t available in India yet. It might arrive later this year, but there is no confirmation of the same.
Talking about Discovery+, it offers a lot of educational entertaining content which is its unique selling point (USP), and one which can prove to be quite useful for it. The platform is acquiring a lot of local content this year and that might just make the bigger difference for its future in India.
BookMyShow Stream was announced recently. It is a transaction video-on-demand (VOD) platform where the users can buy or rent the movie they want to watch. More than 600 titles are on the platform with movies such as Tenet and more Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters. It will also offer users access to ‘premieres’ on Fridays, which will help them gain the theatre experience right at their home.
Lastly, there are other platforms such as Hulu, Voot, ALT Balaji, and SonyLIV which are expected to gain more users as well. Which platform do you subscribe to and you think is worth it? Let us know in the comments section below.
