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Tag: OTT

  • Telecom bundling, availability of smart TVs boosting OTT market in India

    Telecom bundling, availability of smart TVs boosting OTT market in India

    NEW DELHI: The Covid2019 outbreak which brought the entire world to a standstill has helped one sector in India – the OTT industry. Post the pandemic, OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar gained massive popularity in the country, and they successfully expanded their userbase in 2020. 

    From bundling plans to cheaper smart televisions, there are various factors that have played a crucial role in elevating the popularity of OTT platforms in India, according to data shared by analytics firm Redseer.

    Telecom bundling helps OTT platforms increase their userbase

    Bundling plans offered by telecom and broadband providers have helped OTT platforms to increase their customer base during the pandemic. 

    Telecom companies like Airtel are offering subscriptions to Hotstar, Netflix, and Prime Video as a part of their bundling plans, while Jio Fibre's broadband bundling offers free Prime Video and Netflix subscriptions. 

    According to the report, unique paid user growth rate was 35 per cent in February 2021 when compared to April 2020. Subscriptions also increased by eight percent during the same period, and the subscription revenue also witnessed a rise of 41 per cent. 

    In an attempt to expand its customer base, Netflix last year launched a new plan priced at Rs 199, where the user can watch their favourite movies and shows on their smartphones. Even though this plan will not work on smart televisions, it has impressed the urban youth in the nation who spend most of the time on mobile screens. 

    The rise in smart TV users helps streamers

    The growing number of smart TV users in India is also contributing to the growth of OTT platforms in India, the Redseer analysis revealed. Unlike previous years where smart TVs were confined to rich homes, the entry of companies like Xiaomi in the Indian market turned things upside down, as they are now offering full HD and 4K smart televisions at an affordable rate. 

    Indians spend 188 billion minutes streaming videos in February

    According to the survey, Indians spent 188 billion minutes on OTT platforms in February, a drop of six percent when compared to the 200 billion OTT minutes Indians spent last April. The drop is primarily due to the country's return to normalcy, and the arrival of television soaps in channels. However, with more releases in the pipeline along with product improvement, the engagement is likely to increase in the coming months. 

    Out of the 188 billion minutes, users spent 69 billion minutes watching daily soaps, followed by movies with 31 billion minutes and then originals produced by the OTT platforms. 

  • NCPCR asks Centre to order removal of scenes from Netflix’s ‘Bombay Begums’

    NCPCR asks Centre to order removal of scenes from Netflix’s ‘Bombay Begums’

    KOLKATA: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asked the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) to direct Netflix to remove certain scenes from its recently launched show Bombay Begums.

    According to a PTI report, NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo wrote in a letter that the streaming service is continuing to violate law impacting the interest of children. It has asked the Centre to direct Netflix to immediately remove the scenes.

    “You are further requested to furnish an ATR [action-taken report] in this regard within seven days of issue of this letter, failing which the commission will be constrained to initiate proceedings under Section 14 of CPCR [Commissions for Protection of Child Rights] Act, 2005,” the letter read.

    Earlier this month, the NCPCR issued a notice to the streaming giant to stop streaming Bombay Begums. The commission said it received complaints from two Twitter handles regarding the Netflix original. The objection had been raised in regards to the scene where a 13-year-old girl is seen “snorting cocaine” at a party.

    The NCPCR further stated that a series with this type of content will pollute young minds and may result in abuse and exploitation of children at the hands of perpetrators and offenders.

    "Netflix should take extra precaution while streaming any content in respect of the children or for the children and shall also refrain themselves from getting into such things," the commission said in the notice.

    Bombay Begums, written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, started streaming on Netflix on 8 March and revolves around five women whose lives are interconnected.

  • Marketers hopeful about consumer spending in 2021, advertising to regain normalcy by 2023

    Marketers hopeful about consumer spending in 2021, advertising to regain normalcy by 2023

    MUMBAI: As the entire world went into sleep mode in 2020 due to the Covid2019 pandemic, the marketing sector faced a drastic setback. According to a recent FICCI-EY report, 2020 was a watershed year for advertising spends, as the industry slowed down by 29 per cent, the highest one-year drop ever witnessed in the history of Indian advertising expenditure. 

    Traditional media faces setback, digital media stays intact

    The Covid pandemic resulted in a drastic shift in the consumption pattern of customers, and being home-stuck with more time on their hands, many people started showing increased dependency on the internet before making any buying decisions. As a result, advertising in traditional media de-grew by 37 per cent in 2020. However, digital media remained flat, and was not badly affected by the new market trend. 

    Print media and radio, which were already on a downwards trajectory, continued to de-grow in 2020 as they lost some consumers due to reverse migration, cost-cutting, and changing habits. According to the FICCI-EY report, most of these lost consumers may eventually return as the market continues to grow, but some portion of the earlier consumer base will turn out to be a permanent loss. 

    Due to the decreased mobility of customers, OOH (out of home) and radio were also impacted. As people started maintaining strict social distancing measures, the experiential industry comprising events and cinemas too declined last year. 

    Marketers optimistic about 2021

    Even though the industry faced an unprecedented setback in 2021, marketers believe that advertising will grow by 27 per cent in 2021, and it will regain its earlier level by 2023. 88 percent of marketers believe that consumer spends will increase in 2021, while 12 per cent claim that it will stay the same. 

    As consumer spends are expected to increase in 2021, marketers believe that ad spends will also witness a rise this year. According to the report, 66 per cent of marketers expect that their ad spends would increase in 2021. However, 10 per cent of the marketers suggest that ad spends will reduce by over 10 per cent in 2021. 

    There are several factors that play their crucial role in determining the increased ad spends, and it includes key sporting events that include the Indian Premier League, Asia Cup, ICC T20 World Cup, and Olympics. Apart from these big-ticket events, several upcoming launches in the automobile sector, elections, growth of OTT, and mobile gaming could also contribute to rising ad spends in 2021. 

    In the meantime, the Covid crisis has accelerated direct-to-customers (d2c) initiatives in 2020. Most marketers enabled e-commerce channels during the lockdown, and even began to spend money to promote the same. Marketers during the lockdown period also experimented with online events, apps, communities, and martech. 74 per cent of the marketers expect to spend over 20 per cent of their spends on digital media, a sharp rise from 45 per cent of marketers last year. 

  • M&E sector witnessed 24% degrowth in 2020: FICCI & EY report

    M&E sector witnessed 24% degrowth in 2020: FICCI & EY report

    KOLKATA: Following a pandemic hit year, the Indian media and entertainment (M&E) sector declined by 24 per cent to Rs 1.38 trillion in 2020, compared to Rs 1.82 trillion in 2019. However, the allied sector is already seeing recovery with improvement in revenues for most segments in the last quarter of 2020. It is expected to recover 25 per cent to reach Rs 1.73 trillion in 2021, touching almost pre-Covid level scale, according to a report by FICCI and E&Y.

    The report titled ‘Playing by New Rules: India’s M&E sector reboots in 2020’ states digital and online gaming were the only segments which grew in 2020, adding an aggregate of Rs 26 billion and consequently, their contribution to the M&E sector increased from 16 per cent in 2019 to 23 per cent in 2020.

    Other segments dropped by an aggregate of Rs 465 billion. Largest absolute contributors to the fall were the filmed entertainment segment (Rs 119 billion), print (Rs 106 billion) and television (Rs 102 billion). The share of traditional media (television, print, filmed entertainment, OOH, radio, music) stood at 72 per cent of M&E sector revenues in 2020.

    However, television stood as the largest sector despite a 22 per cent downturn in advertising revenues on account of highly discounted ad rates during the lockdown months. Moreover, the sector also witnessed a seven per cent fall in subscription income, led by the continued growth of free television, reverse migration and a reduction in ARPUs due to part implementation of NTO 2.0.

    On the other side, digital advertising did not see much impact, led by increased allocation from traditional advertisers who accelerated their investments in digital sales channels. SME advertisers continued to spend on the medium and experimented more with e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart.

    For the first time ever, OTT subscriptions surpassed the 50 million mark. From 28 million paid subscriptions, it went up to 53 million in 2020 leading to a 49 per cent growth in digital subscription revenues. Growth has been attributed largely to Disney+ Hotstar, which put the IPL behind a paywall during the year. Increased content investments by Netflix and Amazon Prime Video and launch of several regional language products also catalysed the growth, the report added.

    Online gaming crossed all the marks with 18 per cent growth helped by work from home, school from home and increased trial of online multi-player games during the lockdown. Online gamers grew 20 per cent to reach 360 million in 2020.

    Among the pandemic hit sectors, print’s revenue declines were led by a 41 per cent fall in advertising and a 24 per cent fall in circulation revenues. Theatrical revenues plummeted to less than a quarter of their 2019 levels, partly offset by direct-to-digital releases.

    “While the M&E sector usually grows faster than GDP, it also falls more than GDP degrowth, given the discretionary nature of advertising. In 2020, when the GDP fell by eight per cent advertising fell over 25 per cent while the sector overall fell by 24 per cent,” the report read.

    The M&E sector is expected to rebound in 2021 and double to around Rs 2.68 trillion by 2025, the recovery of various segments will vary albeit. TV, film, music will take one to two years, animation and VFX will take two to three years; print, radio, OOH will take the longest time, even more than three years.

  • Discovery+ now available on Jio set-top box for JioFiber users

    Discovery+ now available on Jio set-top box for JioFiber users

    KOLKATA: Starting today, SVoD streaming service Discovery+ will be available on the Jio set-top box. Through this partnership, Discovery+ will bring to JioFiber users its world-class content across 40+ genres such as science, adventure, food, lifestyle animation among others.

    The streaming app has launched on JioFiber with an impressive line-up of hundreds of marquee shows across 60 different sub-genres and in multiple languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali.

    The partnership will give JioFiber customers an opportunity to access Discovery Network’s premium shows and specials including the incredibly successful Into The Wild series featuring superstars Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar; some of the greatest hits like Man vs Wild, Gold Rush, Expedition Unknown, 90 Day Fiancé, How The Universe Works, among others as well as popular Indian titles like Breaking Point, Revealed: Rashtrapati Bhavan, Himalayan Tsunami, and India 2050, to name a few. Consumers will also be able to access all the latest discovery+ originals such as, Vande Bharat Flight IX1344: Hope to survival, Secrets of Sinauli, Mission Frontline, Super Soul and Ladakh Warrior that debuted over the past couple of months.

    Discovery direct-to-consumer APAC head Issac John said, “We believe that discovery+ is a product for every Indian household. Our partnership with Jio presents a distinct opportunity to take discovery+ and its repository of incredible storytelling to deeper pockets of the country facilitated by Jio’s unparalleled reach and remarkable service.”

    All new and existing JioFiber users on Rs 999 and above plans can enjoy world-class, real-life content by downloading the discovery+ app on the Jio app store.

    The news comes a day after discovery+ announced a high-volume, multi-territory deal with leading independent distributor All3Media International. More than 250 hours of premium non-scripted content features in the acquisition, including Race Across the World, Naked Attraction, The Undateables and titles from All3Media International’s Gordon Ramsay portfolio.

  • OTT regulation: SC stays all petitions in high courts

    OTT regulation: SC stays all petitions in high courts

    KOLKATA: The Supreme Court has stayed all proceedings dealing with petitions filed on the matter of content regulation on OTT platforms. The court will hear the matter in two weeks after Holi. 

    A bench headed by justice DY Chandrachud passed the order while hearing a plea by advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha, appearing for Justice for Rights Foundation, that has sought the establishment of an autonomous body for monitoring of content on online video streaming services.

    Earlier, the central government filed a petition seeking transfer of OTT related petitions pending before various high courts to the Supreme Court. The apex court had issued a notice in this regard. However, the Punjab and Haryana high court continued hearing the case on merits, solicitor general Tushar Mehta submitted.

    Now, the court has clearly mentioned that all the proceedings of such petitions in lower courts across India would be stayed for now.

    Meanwhile, the government has informed apex court in an affidavit that the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 were framed upon receiving several complaints from the public as well as lawmakers regarding content streaming OTT platforms.

    The affidavit also mentioned that digital or online media, films and audio-visual programmes made available by online content providers, news and current affairs content on online platforms have been brought under the purview of the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) last year.

  • Password sharing costs US streamers $25 bn every year, report says

    Password sharing costs US streamers $25 bn every year, report says

    KOLKATA: Several reports suggested recently that Netflix is testing a feature to curb widespread password sharing. It makes sense for the streaming giant, as it is losing about $6.2 billion each year due to the prevailing trend of multiple unauthorised people using the same account. Overall, the issue has led to a loss of $25 billion for US streaming platforms.

    According to media reports, Citi Global Markets analyst Jason Bazinet said in a note it is going to be an important issue for HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock, Spotify as well. “As streaming services move to center stage, thwarting this theft will be of growing importance for shareholders,” he wrote.

    Research firm Magid recently said that Netflix could significantly increase its slow domestic subscription growth by cracking down on password sharing. It also added that 33 per cent of US SVoD subscribers share passwords.

    Recently, another research note from Bank of America also said that a significant portion of users share their passwords with non-subscribers. Hence, an attempt to curb the practice will be definitely helpful.

    “In our streaming survey, we asked a pool of Netflix subs if they shared the service with another household…and 26 per cent said they did, and 50 per cent of these said it was shared with family in multiple locations,” it added.

    Last week, reports emerged that Netflix is in the process of trialling a crackdown on ineligible users who access the streamer's content through password sharing. Some users have reported seeing a screen saying, "If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching." Studies over the years have estimated that the number of password freeloaders on Netflix number in the millions.

    "This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorised to do so," the BBC quoted a Netflix spokesperson as saying.

  • Zee5 partners with Sahaj to go deeper into rural India

    Zee5 partners with Sahaj to go deeper into rural India

    KOLKATA: With the aim of strengthening its focus on Bharat, OTT platform Zee5 has struck a strategic partnership with Sahaj Rural Development Foundation to bring financial and digital inclusion to rural India.

    Through this first-of-a-kind association, Zee5 becomes the first OTT player to cater to the country’s underserved rural market at scale, through the retail network established by Sahaj. Zee5 will design a special ‘Chhota’ pack for Sahaj customers offering 10 per cent discount on its premium subscription, thereby leveraging the massive untapped opportunity of over 300 million rural internet subscribers in the country.

     Zee5 will now get access to more than 76,000 gram panchayats, and over 96,000 tier-3 and tier-4 rural locations in 24 states and union territories. With a robust portfolio of purposeful, compelling, diverse, and multi-lingual content in over 12 Indian languages, Zee5 continues to take eventful strides in enticing the masses to subscribe to the platform and consume entertainment anytime, anywhere, and in the language of their choice.

    Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said the move comes at crucial time, when rural India is on the cusp of driving a robust wave of digitisation in the next 12 months.

    “We want to fuel this change by democratising access to diverse content across genres and languages. Our partnership with Sahaj is one such step towards strengthening our connection with the entertainment-loving audience from Bharat, providing them with an unlimited and instant access to our premium content library, thereby unlocking unparalleled scale and reach across 24 states and union territories of India,” he added.

    On its part, Sahaj has been breaking boundaries to accelerate digital transformation in rural India ‘Bharat’ for more than 12 years and has access to 500 million+ rural customers through its wide network of over 100,000 retail outlets, 'Sahaj Mitr', said CEO Amit Kumar Singh.

    “The limited awareness about digital transactions beyond urban centers has restricted the popularity of OTT content in rural India. The partnership between Sahaj and Zee5 will bridge this urban-rural digital divide and offer rural customers an opportunity to enjoy premium OTT content just like their urban counterparts. With this partnership, Sahaj further strengthens its focus on staying at the forefront of identifying consumer trends in the rural market,” he explained.

    Since its inception, Zee5 has successfully struck a chord with many Indians within the country. As of December 2020, the platform recorded 65.9 million MAUs and 5.4 million DAUs. Zee5’s repertoire of content includes Indian and global movies, catch-up content, and live TV, shows, news, music, live events, and much more. With a rich library of over 120+ originals, Zee5 offers content in 12 Indian languages and in the last three years, it has had 85+ regional launches: 55+ web series, 5 short films, and 25+ movies in Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, and Bengali, across genres. Additionally, the platform offers content in – Hindi, English, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Odia.

  • New IT guidelines not intended to control OTT platforms: I&B minister

    New IT guidelines not intended to control OTT platforms: I&B minister

    NEW DELHI: The government has attempted to provide a level-playing field for various digital platforms through the new guidelines on over-the-top (OTT) platforms, said union information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar, amid concerns that the new rules may pose a threat to the freedom of expression.

    The minister mentioned that digital technology platforms have played a key role in promoting transparency and introducing a corruption-free atmosphere in governance.

    “Through these guidelines on OTT, we have tried to bring about transparency and provide a level playing field to various media platforms, be it electronic, print, or digital media. It is just for fair-facilitation for self-regulation and not intended for controlling the OTT platforms,” said Javadekar, while speaking at a digital media conclave organised by a private TV network in Mumbai.

    The new rules released by the government on 25 February ask for a three-tier grievance system and content classification for digital platforms. First, self-regulation by the platform through a grievance redressal officer; second, by an institutional self-regulatory body of industry experts, and third level of oversight through an interdepartmental committee constituted by the government.

    While this may create a forum where users can voice their complaints, there are concerns that it could also lead to an increase of content-related disputes in the country. Several video streaming platforms are already mired in controversies over their content, the latest being Amazon Prime’s Tandav and Netflix’s Bombay Begums.

    The formulation of guidelines took place expeditiously, revealed Javadekar, with more than 50 cabinet meetings held virtually to ensure that there weren't any delays in the decision-making.

    The union minister also talked about the decision to broadcast the old Doordarshan TV series like Ramayana, Mahabharat during the pandemic and how it registered record-breaking viewership.

  • MX Player to offer dubbed international shows with MX VDesi

    MX Player to offer dubbed international shows with MX VDesi

    KOLKATA: After enthralling viewers with its original series, MX Playe is now bringing international content from across the world with the launch of a brand new category – MX VDesi, which will host India’s largest catalogue of dubbed shows in local Indian languages – Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

    Starting 24 March, the platform will be dropping new shows every Wednesday – depicting the same emotion but from different regions. Recent studies have shown that certain sentiments are shared by all cultures and when it comes to entertainment and genres like romance, action or comedy –  viewers across the globe share the same universal experience of emotions.  

    With MX VDesi, the platform is bringing compelling international content for the discerning Indian viewer – be it Turkish, Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish or English super hits that are dubbed in Hindi, Tamil or Telugu. International dubbed content is one of the fastest growing verticals on the platform and sees engagement from the top metros as well as tier-1&2 towns of the country.  

    MX Player content acquisitions & alliances head Mansi Shrivastav said, “International content, as a category, is witnessing immense traction on the platform. With MX VDesi, we’ve curated the largest catalogue of international shows that feature beautifully crafted narratives of relatable, ordinary protagonists that are universally appealing. Today, global content is accessible at your fingertips and we’re delighted to be the frontrunners in introducing India to such a diverse range of international content that can be consumed in preferred local languages.”

    The top 10 shows on the platform include Turkish dramas like Day Dreamer, The Promise, Our Story, The Girl Named Feriha, Endless Love, Brave and Beautiful and Forbidden Fruit, as well as Korean dramas like Where Stars Land and Dr. John.