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OTT stands for “over-the-top,” the phrase is used for the distribution of film and TV content via the Internet, without requiring users to subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite pay TV. It is commonly applied to video-on-demand platforms, but also refers to audio streaming, messaging services, or internet-based voice calling solutions. OTT can be bifurcated into three types.

• OTT Television: Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Xbox, Playstation.
• OTT Video: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, etc.
• OTT Messaging: WhatsApp, Facebook messenger and many more.
• OTT Voice Calling: Skype, WhatsApp, WeChat, etc.

The following image is based according to Counterpoint Research’s India OTT Video Content Market Consumer Survey which was conducted in the month of June, 2019.

Telecom Companies like Airtel and Vodafone are advertising about Amazon & Netflix free membership by subscribing to their postpaid plan, whereas JioTV advertises about movies and LiveTV. With the increasing hyper-competition in the telecom space, the players are forced to roll out different and unique plans to retain customers and their loyalty. Indian OTT market has about 25 players. Telecoms are offering different models in order to cater to the different needs for varied audience. Some provide regional content with devotional content for preferred audience, Live TV services and more. Reliance Jio TV has over 550 live TV channels, helping them increase their 4G subscriber base. Airtel TV app offer 300 LIVE TV channels, including 29 HD channels offering 6000 plus movies and regional shows.

In a recent survey, it is said that 89% of users include from the age group of 16-35 years.  Substantial consumer group of salaried employees, followed by students, business owners, housewives, and others, the study added. Despite Indians are warming up to the idea of paying for content, the market continues to be driven by advertisements – which ask users to subscribe – are driving revenues for platform owners.

Major OTT Players in India:

• Zee5 is an Indian video on demand website run by Essel Group via its subdivision Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. This platform provides content to its audience in 12 major Indian languages. The platform has an overall 76.4 million worldwide viewers.
• Alt Balaji is associated with Balaji which has a wide range of genres consisting Balaji films and web series for its 27.3 million subscribers.
• Eros Now is an Indian subscription based over the top, video on-demand Indian & South Asian entertainment and media platform. The platform has more than 12,000 digital titles that include movies, television shows, music videos and 2.5 lakhs music tracks. It has a subscriber count of 128 million recorded users and 30 million paid subscribers worldwide.
• YuppTV is an over-the-top content provider for South Asian content. This platform includes live television and films. It allows consumers to view content on up to six screens of connected TVs, STBs, PC, smartphones, tablets and game consoles. This OTT has 100 thousand subscribers and the number is growing.
• The Viral Fever (TVF) is an online YouTube channel established by TVF Media Labs. It is one of the early arrivals on the Indian digital entertainment segment with videos covering a range of topics on Indian politics, movies, lifestyle, and emerging social concepts. The platform has over 6.4 million subscribers.
• Walt Disney launched ad-free video streaming service Disney+ in the United States and the company may not begin the services in India, but alternately route the original content to Indian audiences through Hotstar.

Fun Facts about OTT in India:

• There are 432 million Internet users in India; growing at a rate of 4-8%
• 35% of growth is seen year-over-year in the number of India’s OTT video viewers.
• There are 2.5 times more vernacular users compared to the English Internet user base.
• Rs 5595 crore is the projected revenue to be collected from OTT video in India by 2022.