Streaming platforms have undergone quite a transformation over the years to reinforce their user experience. With more streaming platforms within the picture, alongside, various subscription-based models, the factors essential to interact and retain the users got to be revisited.
Talking about this very topic was a panel of top business executives, including Gaurav Trehan, founder, and director at Heeroz; Pallav Parikh, co-founder of CityShor; Radhakrishnan Ramachandran, founder and CEO at Studio Mojo; Rohonesh Kar, presales leader, India at Akamai Technologies; Vishnu Mohta, co-founder of Hoichoi; and Zubin Dubash, COO, digital businesses at Shemaroo. The session was abated by Anirban Roy Choudhary, the associate editor at afaqs!.
The session commenced with the panelists discussing the factors which led to the boom of regional OTT consumption in India. Studio Mojo’s Ramachandran shared that the shortage of visibility for regional content on large OTT platforms has led to niche creators and producers checking out more opportunities.
Trehan of Heeroz added that the elemental aspect of regional content has always been the relatability factor. People relate it to their lifestyles, upbringing, and approach to life. Once we’ve tech acceptance from the regional audiences, the regional OTT players can expect to possess an area of their own, he said, as relatability creates demand.
When asked about the essential tech aspects that require to be kept in mind when there’s an increased demand for regional OTT, Kar of Akamai Technologies said that the thought is to collaborate with someone who can help deliver a personalized, on-demand, and reliable video experience to the users. Selecting a partner who can provide you thereupon scale, performance, and reliability is crucial.
On being asked about the role technology plays in OTT platforms attaining scale, Kar added that during a country like India, it’s not just the metro cities that drive viewership, but also Tier-II and III cities. Several published data pieces reveal that the cities outside of the core metros have considerable online audiences and that they drive significant video traffic. Hence, one must be ready to reach the remotest parts of the country, while ensuring a uniform viewing experience.
Talking about the diaspora audiences and therefore the scope of growth for regional OTTs spreading across tiers, Hoichoi’s Mohta mentioned that OTT, as an ecosystem, is at a nascent stage. When one dissects that ecosystem further, one will see that the pockets of growth are spread across tiers.
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