The world is moving through various forms of entertainment over the past few decades. From magazines to radios to televisions to CDs/Cassettes and now to streaming platforms. This over-the-top technology helps has changed the world and our view of entertainment. But what is OTT? Over-The-Top(OTT) means streaming whenever and whatever we want is possible because of “over-the-top,” a convenient little term that explains the new delivery method of film and TV content over the internet without the need for cable or satellite pay-TV services. OTT services can be accessed through mobile devices, personal computers, or smart TVs.
The industry has seen a huge boom especially in India where there are currently 40 OTT services. The arrival of the pandemic has only made business better for these companies. A recent study on the OTT services of Asia and their future was conducted by Bright cove Inc., a provider of cloud services for video. The Future of OTT services in South Asia is the first of its kind study done in the market that investigates the streaming habits and preferences of consumers in the country.
This 2020 report seeks to understand the consumer preferences towards OTT services within the country. From subscriptions to payments to OTT advertising to user experiences, this report uncovers insights that will help to understand media companies, broadcasters, OTT streaming services, and content owners in making strategic moves for their future in OTT.
The study surveyed over 3,000 people that were aged 16 and above, in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to gain insights into consumer behavior to understand viewers’ preferences, likes, and needs to deliver the services and content consumers want, where they want. The research was done in partnership with a research partner, Milieu, a consumer research and data analytics firm. The fieldwork for this research was done during July 2020. The results of the study are as follows. The top way that viewers discover content outside the OTT is through social media. 33% were willing to pay lower or no fee by watching ads, only 24% were willing to pay a higher fee for no ads. 70% of users prefer to consume content on their mobile devices, followed by TVs at 55% and personal computers at 53%. 48% of the viewers want to have content options, 35% want access to all local content available on a certain platform. Fifty-five percent of viewers have one or more free online video sharing services as their go-to TV viewing platforms.
