The new normal in entertainment: An India based descriptive study on the rise of OTT

Abstract

Pandemic or Covid -19 may have hit a lot of sectors but was also the reason behind the acceptance of OTT platforms in India. Undoubtedly boosted by the increase in mobile usage with cheap data, especially in smaller cities and towns amid the pandemic, several reports suggest that the OTT entertainment industry is expected to grow into a $15 billion market in India by 2030 (source: Zee business).With a growing number of filmmakers opting to stream movies on this medium since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, it may not be wrong to call OTT the new normal in entertainment. Confined to their homes with no means to watch movies at theatres people shifted towards different OTT platforms for entertainment. Not only this led to the entry and growth of several international players but also became the reason behind the birth of regional OTT in India. Another reason for attraction to OTT platforms is accessibility and availability. One can watch their favourite shows, cricket matches, movies anywhere and at any suitable time. The proposed chapter is aimed to theorise the rise and usage of OTT platforms during and post-Covid -19 pandemic. The growth in subscription will be an important criterion for assessment. When production houses closed during the Pandemic people shifted to OTT platforms for entertainment. In most cases, it was paid subscription as very few OTT platforms would screen popular shows for free. The research data shows that during pandemic newer versions like mobile were offered at a very basic price to cultivate the habit of OTT entertainment. Even though, after the second phase of Covid -19, while the TV industry has started producing new shows and theatres have opened, people are still consuming OTT space as the new form of entertainment. The lack of clarity on the effectiveness of vaccines has forced the Indian audience to avoid multi-screen theatres. Also, the cost for a family to watch a new film works to less than ₹150 making it more Value for money. Now, it would not be wrong to say that OTT space has not only changed the way people look at entertainment but has also provided an opportunity to content creators to explore their creativity. The proposed chapter tries to connect these dots and frame a descriptive study by studying different factors behind the rise of the OTT space. It also tries to study the evolving and maturing regional OTT market and the entrance of new genres in the OTT space to keep it growing post-pandemic.