“It is true that during adversity great changes take place”
The pandemic brought in many changes in our lives – when everything came to a standstill, we were anxiously wondering what is ahead. The negative news prevailed everywhere and all the time. Yes, OTT Entertainment was the game changer and it scaled up by leaps and bounds during pandemic.
But during this time, something went right – it was explosion of digital world. It changed the way we work, purchase, purchase products and avail services. But the most significant change we went through was in the way we entertain ourselves.
So let’s understand why OTT became such a huge success in such a short time.
On the Go Internet Connectivity
Internet connectivity has become the backbone of our lives. It is impossible to imagine the world without Internet. It has penetrated in our personal lives and is being used in every industry. Depending upon the requirement, it can be leased line, board band or a simple mobile network that can give us access to the internet. The internet connectivity is widely available and there is hardly any geography or area where it has not reached.
One of the major things that we have seen is that it has impacted the way we entertain ourselves and internet connectivity over mobile has played a big role in it.
Most importantly, the internet technology has improved to provide great speed- you just buy a monthly plan “on the go” and the world opens up for you.
Common Internet Backbone with Lower Cost
Internet is used for numerous purposes and the prices are independent of the type of usage. Whether it is used for on-line classes, video streaming, accessing social media, pulling information, using e-commerce and entertainment, the cost of it is independent of the type of usage.
The cost of internet has come down drastically all over the world and is one of the lowest in India.
No separate internet plan needs to be purchased for entertainment – you just need to have the subscription of the OTT platforms. Off late, the Internet Services Providers have started bundling OTT subscription with the plan, making it much more cost effective.
Great Convenience
Traditional cable networks have their limitation in terms of the physical and geographical boundaries. As the internet can be accessed from anywhere, anytime with any device, gaining access to OTT content has become very easy and convenient.
Varied Content
Traditional cable networks and channels are limited by the content they show. The content is typical including serials, movies, news, children content – you do not have choice over the content – you can only watch what the cable/channel network streams. The users face a barrier in type, quality and variety of content.
Over OTT platforms, users can choose from the limitless content – what they want to watch and when they want to watch. The subscription based contents are even wider and richer.
OTT Platforms have emptied the box office numbers
Niche Content
Traditional cable and channel networks streamed the content which was in major demand. They were not encouraged to develop the niche content. There was and is market for niche content, but the rule of segment of majority viewers drove the content.
With OTT, when the audience can make choices then content developers found it viable to develop niche content for niche viewers base. As a result of which we saw a lot of Niche Content in form of web series like Fame Game, Ray, Aarya, Aranyak etc., which without OTT, would not have been possible. OTT is driving creativity as well.
Compatibility with All Devices
The content cab be watched on Lap top, Desk top, Tablet, Smart TV and Mobile. However, the viewership grew due to handheld devices as there anytime and anywhere access.
Data Transparency
The traditional TV consumption was measured by extrapolating the interpreted records- which was never accurate and transparent. In OTT, while taking advertisement decisions, the complete data is available transparently:
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- What customer watched
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- The duration of watching
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- Number of times the customer watched
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- The devise from which customer watched
Such data points help in doing a better data analytics.
Segment Specific Marketing
The marketing or advertisement campaigns are majorly about finding right target audience which is primarily about their areas of interest. With proper data available through accurate analysis, the advertisers can understand who are the audiences and run the campaign. Which will results in better outcomes.
Conclusion
OTT is present and future of entertainment. It is mutually beneficial for the content developers, marketers and users.
The Pandemic fuelled the growth of OTT.
And it is going to stay as the king of entertainment!
