India is a market of ‘ands’ not ‘ors’.
Television in India is not going away anytime soon. Rather, Television combined OTT, powered by the internet, is going to be a new way ahead.
Over time, the number of OTT applications has increased from a few to a dozen. It is evident that every time a new show is released on an OTT platform, viewers have to subscribe to a new service. Often, for one show, a viewer has to subscribe to a particular OTT for a full year. Secondly, the viewers have to look through several platforms to decide what to watch. This is exactly where the need for OTT aggregation comes.
Viewers in the market are expecting a platform thatprovides access to content from all popular OTTs through a single login and single subscription. Additionally, they expect the aggregation platform to work seamlessly over their smart TVs and all of it backed by superior internet speed and service. Unfortunately, not all ISPs are realizing the true potential that this market trend is implying. Viewers in the market are expecting a platform that provides access to content from all popular OTTs through a single login and single subscription
Viewers in the market are expecting a platform that provides access to content from all popular OTTs through a single login and single subscription.
A few of them who have already realized this opportunity have conceived that OTT and Livechannels can be easily offered using their existing infrastructure through hybrid STBs. Such ISPs are all set on their way to bringing in a pathbreaking innovation to reap this huge opportunity.
For the ISPs, sticking to the way they have been traditionally functioning, it could just mean that the future doesn't belong to them.
ISPs are not realizing the true potential that this market trend is implying. And a few who have already realized it have conceived that OTT and Live channels can be easily offered using their existing infrastructure through hybrid STBs.
Though there are other big players in this space, including Tata Play and Airtel Xtream, there isenough space for multiple players. OTT in India currently has a market share of 7%-9% of India’s$27 billion media and entertainment industry, andit is expected to rise to 22-25 percent by 2030.
ISPs must now start focusing on offering internet along with OTT and Linear Channels as even if the customers have a broadband connection, one might prefer watching live events or news on DTH and original series on OTT.
ISPs must now start focusing on offering internet along with OTT and Linear Channels
The fact that major DTH platforms in India also have an integrated broadband play, is likely to be a major factor in OTT content being distributed and consumed increasingly through the hybrid set-top boxes which are internet-enabled.
Going forward, broadband will remain an essential but small part of the business. Television and OTT will be a focus area since television isn’t going anywhere. In a country with 300 million homes, there are only 130 million pay-TV homes, which means, “the potential to grow is massive”.
Going forward, broadband will remain an essential but small part of the business. Television and OTT will be a focus area since television isn’t going anywhere.
OTT video is likely to grow by leaps and bounds, with 90 percent of all internet users being video viewers in the next decade. And this is the NEW FUTURE AHEAD FOR ISPs.