OTT: Modern and online media platforms

In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, people all around the world have shifted to OTT platforms for their entertainment and other related content from the comforts of their homes. OTT stands for over-the-top platform that offers audience access to media via internet. This vastly growing online streaming option has been overshadowing other medium of leisure, like television. Often called SVoD or subscription-based video-on-demand, they offer movies, web series and even TV contents from any part of the world. People access such sites through their digital devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops, with 45% resorting to Android/iOS and 39% to web.

International OTT brands like Netflix has over 204 million users, while Amazon Prime Video gives it a close competition with 150 million followers. Tech giants have predicted that with the global launch of 5G within the next year, the popularity of the OTT platforms will get further enhanced, with easy accessibility and affordability options. According to a certain KPMG Media and Entertainment reports, the OTT viewership will increase by 45% by 2023. Reliance Entertainment had launched India’s first OTT platform BIGFlix back in 2008, with Hotstar and Zee5 soon running the race. OTT industry in India has been booming ever since with an estimated value of INR 35 billion recorded in 2019. In 2021, the Indian government has imposed strict guidelines and censorships in order to ensure age-specific access to users and save the younger audience from being exposed to harmful contents.