Vodafone Idea (Vi) is ramping up efforts to develop gaming and entertainment as service categories to drive data consumption and attract new customers. The move comes as the telecom operator continues expanding its 4G network, according to Chief Marketing Officer Avneesh Khosla, who shared insights with Moneycontrol.
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Vi, the third-largest telecom operator in the country by subscriber base, is also looking to drive monetisation through these digital categories with the help of strategic partnerships, Khosla said, according to the report.
Network Enhancements Power Digital Offerings
"Our continuous efforts towards network enhancement have resulted in significantly enhanced data speeds and the availability of affordable data plays a pivotal role in democratising mobile gaming," he said, emphasising the company's growing focus on entertainment offerings.
Vodafone Idea anticipates these initiatives will boost its data capacity by 15 percent, attract new 4G users, and increase its average revenue per user (ARPU), Khosla was quoted as saying.
Monetisation Through Strategic Partnerships
Gaming is one of the critical pillars in Vi’s broader digital content and entertainment strategy, he said. "With encouraging trends in cloud gaming and esports, we are constantly exploring new possibilities in this sector," Khosla noted.
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Vi Games
Vodafone Idea's gaming platform, Vi Games, offers a wide range of online games, including casual, cloud-based, AAA, and multiplayer games. Additionally, Khosla said the telecom operator is seeing a growing interest in the "pay-to-play" model, prompting the launch of a subscription-based, ad-free cloud gaming service, Cloud Play, in partnership with CareGame.
"Further, the growth in the pay-to-play model opens up a monetisation opportunity. Industry reports suggest that around 20 percent of gamers in India are paid users, and in-app purchases are projected to grow at the highest rate at around 35 percent CAGR," Khosla said, according to the report.
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In esports, Vodafone Idea has partnered with Team Vitality to expand the competitive gaming ecosystem in India, offering a platform for gamers to build professional esports profiles.
"These strategies, combined with our focus on enhancing the user experience, are helping drive our engagement and user growth," Khosla said. "In just one year, the platform has attracted millions of unique gamers to the hyper-casual games’ portal alone, generating millions of gameplays."
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OTT Services
As OTT consumption continues to surge across India, Vodafone Idea has expanded its entertainment offerings. The company recently relaunched its Vi Movies & TV app, an OTT content aggregator, and introduced the Vi One integrated service.
This new offering combines a fiber broadband connection, prepaid mobile service, and access to more than 13 OTT platforms, creating a comprehensive "three-in-one" package for customers.
