OTT platforms in India – Plans, Prices and Benefits (2022)

What is an OTT Platform?

An OTT platform doesn’t require a cable connection to enable your viewing experience. This service is delivered over the top of any other platform through the internet, hence the name. An OTT service platform serves the needs of the viewer who wants to watch the content at their own pace and at their convenience. The streaming services and apps use artificial intelligence (A.I.) to tailor audio and video content recommendations based on the audiences’ viewing history.
OTT Service does not necessarily be synonymous with every video streaming service you come across. Over-the-Top streaming services make premium content available on an OTT service platform such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar. With a current business volume of approximately Rs 500 crore, online video streaming services could become a ₹4000-crore sales market by the end of the year 2025.

What is OTT technology?

It is a creative media distribution method that is, day by day, becoming the preferred content watching option for viewers. OTT service technology is the software that makes it possible to surpass traditional streaming technology and broadcast video content over the internet. Earlier video broadcasting was accessible on a television set via satellite or cable but with OTT broadcasting, viewers can consume content via any internet-enabled smart TV, smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer.
The broadcasters upload video or audio content to the content hosting platform and then transmit that data to different servers via a Content Delivery Network (CDN). The viewers then stream the content they want to on their devices.

Models of OTT platform

There are various business models that OTT platforms employ to generate revenue. Some of which are:

• Ad-Based Video on Demand:
  AVOD businesses generate revenue with ads. Here, the consumers can watch videos without paying anything. The business then charges a fee to advertisers to place certain commercials in their content. Ads can take forms as video ads, sponsor screens, sponsored content and more.
• Subscription Video on Demand:
  In an SVOD model, businesses charge a recurring fee for access to their video platform. Members get complete access and can stream as much video as they like. SVOD first emerged with services like Netflix and continues to dominate popular OTT businesses today.
• Transactional Video on Demand
  Perhaps the most straightforward business model out of the bunch. In a TVOD model, customers rent or buy videos one at a time. TVOD is also known as pay-per-view (PPV) or pay-per-download (PPD).

Source: medium.com

How do I access an OTT service?

The accessibility of OTT content is one of the many reasons it’s gaining the popularity that it’s getting. To stream OTT service, customers only require a high-speed internet connection and a connected device that supports apps or browsers.

• Personal Computers: Consumers can access OTT service content from desktop-based apps or web browsers.
• Smart TVs: The most common examples include but are not limited to Roku, Apple TV, Firestick and more. Game consoles, like PlayStation, also often support OTT service apps.

How to create and manage OTT accounts?

To set up an account on either your Mac, PC, or smartphone, all you need to do is register with an email address and password using unique characters and choose the subscription plan that suits your needs and you are good to go! Most users often have access to multiple subscriptions of various OTT platforms. To conveniently manage them all you can start by sharing subscriptions and creating separate profiles to help differentiate between the user and the customised content they are recommended.

What challenges do OTTs face?

• Misunderstanding your audience: Not understanding what kind of content your audience will be more receptive to is one of the biggest mistakes OTT platforms make. They need to pay more attention to what genre of content the audience prefers and collect their watch time data to better assess the situation.
• Wrong content targeting: Recommending a horror flick to a romance fan is spending the right effort in the wrong direction.
• Consistent quality: Consistency is truly key here. Being consistent with regular uploads and quality content is one of the main barriers many OTTs struggles to cross.
• Video piracy: Unless stringent regulation is put in place, it is not possible for OTT platforms to completely stop non-paying viewers from watching the pirated versions of their content.
• Retention: Many viewers join these platforms and then leave either because of the prices or because they found better content elsewhere. Consumer retention is one of the main challenges OTT faces today.

Leading OTT Platforms in India

According to London-based Omdia's India: Online video trends and Omdia Consumer Research Highlights' report, the following are the top OTT platforms in India. Disney+ Hotstar has 43 million subscribers, which makes it the highest in the market, followed by Amazon Prime with 17 million subscribers and then Netflix with over 5 million subscribers.

1. Disney+ Hotstar
2. Amazon Prime Video
3. Netflix
4. Zee5
5. Eros Now

How many OTT platforms are there in India?

There are around 40 OTT platforms in India as of 2021. They distribute streaming media over the Internet. In the fiscal year of 2018, the OTT market in India was worth ₹2,150 crores (₹21.5 billion,/US$303 million as of 2018), and its value grew further to ₹35 billion in 2019.

Which has the highest subscribers?

Disney's video streaming service Disney+ Hotstar leads the race by a margin and has added 2.6 million paid subscribers for the quarter ended January 1, 2022, taking its total base to 45.9 million users. The service accounted for about 35.4% of the total paid subscriber base of Disney+Hotstar for the quarter that stood at 129.8 million.

Netflix in India - Features, Price and Content

In India, Netflix has established its user base by having a stable and pocket-friendly subscription plans across various price points offering an array of features. This has helped the OTT giant stay put in the market paired with their constant churning of quality content.

How to subscribe to Netflix?

Follow the steps to sign up quickly on Netflix:

Subscribe to Netflix via Android:

1. To sign up from your Android device, visit the website
2. If you have the Netflix application from the Google Play store, you can start signing up from the app. You can create an account by entering your email address and creating a password.
3. Choose the plan that's right for you. You can downgrade and upgrade at any time.
4. Enter a payment method and finalise the payment.

 
Subscribe to Netflix via a computer:

1. Visit netflix.com
2. Choose the plan that's right for you. You can downgrade or upgrade at any given moment.
3. Create an account with an email address and password.
4. Enter a payment method

 
Subscribe to Netflix via an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch::

1. Visit netflix.com from a mobile browser. *NOTE: Sign up is not supported on the Netflix iOS app.
2. Choose the plan that's right for you. You can downgrade and upgrade at any time.
3. Create an account by entering your email address and creating a strong password.
4. Enter a payment method.
5. Download and sign in to the Netflix app on a device running iOS 13.0 or above.

Subscribe to Netflix via Smart TV and Streaming Media Players:

1. Open the Netflix app.
2. On most smart TVs and streaming media players, you will have to start by providing your email address and/or phone number.
3. Once this is done, you will receive an email or SMS text message with an activation link to continue the signup flow.
4. Choose the plan that's right for you. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time.
5. Create an account by entering your correct email address and creating a password.
6. Enter a payment method.

Popular films on Netflix India (as of February 2022)

1. Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions
2. Fistful of Vengeance
3. Looop Lapeta
4. The Tinder Swindler
5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Popular web series/shows in India:

1. Better Call Saul (2015 – Present)
2. Black Mirror (2011 – Present)
3. BoJack Horseman (2014 – 2020)
4. Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013)
5. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013 – Present)

Getting a free Netflix premium subscription

Don’t worry, we are not asking you to head to any third-party site and access Netflix by illegal means. Instead, you can access premium Netflix content by subscribing to the following plans that several Indian telecom providers offer.

Reliance Jio - Netflix Bundle Plans

Reliance Jio Postpaid Plus plans bring bundled OTT Service platforms like Netflix (mobile plan) subscriptions for its customers.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) Netflix Bundle Plans

Vodafone Idea (Vi) at the moment offers only one bundled Netflix plan for its postpaid customers.

Reliance Jio Fiber Netflix Bundle Plans

Reliance Jio Fiber includes a free Netflix (Standard) subscription for all its broadband customers.

Disney+ Hotstar OTT Platform - Plans, Information, and Content

No other OTT platform has had a rise as big as Disney+ Hostar has managed to do in the country. In terms of subscriber base, currently, it is the number 1 OTT platform in the country.

Benefits of Disney+ Hotstar Premium

Disney+ Hotstar Premium gives you two options - one option is ₹299 per month. The other is ₹1,499 per year. With access to the premium version, you can watch all content on the platform absolutely ad-free.

Popular films on Disney+ Hotstar

1. Bad Education
2. The Art of Racing in the Rain
3. Murder on the Orient Express
4. We Bought a Zoo
5. Gifted

LIVE Sports on Disney+ Hotstar

Disney+ Hotstar offers a wide array of live sports. They stream different sports ranging from Cricket and Football to Kabaddi along with their scores.

Disney+ Hotstar subscription through telecom providers

What are the Prime Video subscription plans in India?

Amazon Prime Video India provides unlimited video streaming of the latest movies, award-winning Amazon originals, and TV shows from India and around the world.

Telco providers offering Prime Video subscriptions

Below mentioned are the telecom providers that offer Amazon Prime Video subscriptions along with their various plans.

Popular movies to watch on Amazon Prime Video India

1. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
2. Being the Ricardos (2021)
3. The Theory of Everything (2014)
4. The Usual Suspects (1995)

Popular Hindi web shows on Amazon Prime Video India

1. Made in Heaven
2. Mirzapur
3. Paatal Lok
4. Family Man
5. Laakhon Mein Ek

Zee5 India - Plans and Information

ZEE5 is a video streaming service that offers several originals, shows, music, and movies in over 10 languages and has an array of premium content for audiences across India. They are managed by Essel Group and they also leverage their partnership with ALTBalaji whose originals, shows, and movies are available for free to ZEE5 subscribers.

What are the Zee5 subscription plans?

Zee5 has mainly two subscription plans. You can find the details in the table below.

How much does Zee5 cost?

The ZEE5 Premium subscription in India is priced at ₹999. Although with a limited period offer, it's currently available for ₹499. The subscription will be valid for 12 months and supports three screens at one time.

SonyLIV India

It is one of the top premium streaming platforms where you can watch popular TV Shows, Movies, Sports, Web Series. You can enjoy your favourite Live TV Channels online without any hassle.

What are the SonyLIV subscription plans?

Which are the best OTT services in India?

The following OTT platforms in India have been the most viewed:

1. Disney+ Hotstar
2. Mirzapur
3. Netflix
4. Amazon prime Video
5. SonyLIV
6. Zee5

How to compare OTT services?

While most of us have been familiarized with the big OTT services in the market like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, there are more than just these that cater to every kind of audience there is. It is beneficial to the audience if they compare the different OTT platforms available and make an informed decision that caters to their niche instead of going with the flow. What type of content do you want to watch, preferred language and availability on different devices and screens. Keep in mind the following to make a concrete decision keeping entertainment at the centre of it all:

• Original Content
• Ease and Versatility of the platform
• Subscription Package and content
• Advertisements
• Customer support and follow up

Best OTT for Live Sports

- Disney+ Hotstar is quite popular for being one the top OTT platforms showcasing LIVE sports in the country. These are the channels telecasted on the platform:

• Star Sports Hindi 1
• Star Sports 1
• Star Sports 2
• Star Sports First
• Star Sports Marathi

Another OTT platform known for telecasting LIVE sports is SonyLIV. Below listed are the channels that come under the service provided by this platform.

• Sony SIX
• Sony Ten 1
• Sony Ten 2
• Sony Ten 3

Best OTT for Hindi and Bollywood Content

These are the best OTTs for the Hindi language based shows and movies, including Bollywood films as well as some regional films and web series.

• Disney+ Hotstar
• Zee5
• Voot
• MX Player
• Amazon Prime Video

Best OTT for English Content

There’s a lot of demand for English content across the country, mainly in the metropolitan regions. For that reason, these OTT platforms contain a lot of popular international content.

• Netflix
• SonyLIV
• Disney+ Hotstar
• Prime Video

The Best OTT Mobile Plans

A lot of renowned OTTs are linked with the big telecom providers and offer subscriptions in many of their mobile plans. Here are the 3 big telecom operators offering mobile plan OTT subscriptions.

Best OTT mobile plans

OTT Plan of ₹401	Data-Only Plan of ₹355	Prepaid Plan of ₹289
OTT Plan of ₹499	OTT Prepaid Plan of ₹405	Prepaid Plan of ₹349
Prepaid Plan of ₹598	OTT Prepaid Plan of ₹795	Prepaid Plan of ₹401
Prepaid Plan of ₹777		Prepaid Plan of ₹448
Prepaid Plan of ₹2,599		Prepaid Plan of ₹599
		Prepaid Plan of ₹2,698

Regional OTT platforms in India

Several OTT Platforms in India offer a wide variety of regional content ot target the niche audiences, following are the details pertaining to the OTT platforms in regional languages across rural India.

How are OTT Platforms Used In Rural India?

After targeting the urban consumer base, OTT service platforms have extended their services to tier 2 and 3 cities as well as rural India. New players like Shemaroo Me, are explicitly targeting smaller markets with their several devotional and other regional content categories. Eros Now recently partnered with BSNL for the same purpose as well. Around 65 per cent of OTT content consumption comes from rural areas.
 

Hoichoi

Hoichoi is an SVOD OTT streaming service that brings to you your favourite Bengali movies and exclusive Original Web Series. They are owned and maintained by SVF Entertainment Pvt Ltd with headquarters in Kolkata, India.
 

Hoichoi Subscription Plans

Sun NXT

Sun NXT is an Indian video-on-demand service run by Sun TV Network. It was launched in June 2017 and has content in six languages - Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi.
 

Sun NXT Subscription Plans

Aha

Aha is an Indian SVOD OTT streaming service that offers Telugu-language content. They are owned by Arha Media & Broadcasting Private Limited, a joint venture by Geetha Arts and My Home Group.
 

Aha Subscription Plans

Planet Marathi

Planet Marathi is an SVOD OTT service. They are India's 1st Marathi OTT brings Marathi contents like Web-Series, Films, Music, Theater, Fiction and Non-Fiction Reality shows.

Planet Marathi Subscription Plans

BIGFlix

BIGFlix is a Reliance Entertainment owned movie on-demand service in 2008. It is India’s first movie on-demand service. It allows users to stream or download movies at any time. It generates its revenues from subscription fees and does not rely on advertisements.
 

BIGFlix Subscription Plans

FAQ

What does OTT stand for?

OTT stands for “Over The Top” and usually refers to streaming services that deliver content over the internet. The service is delivered “over the top” of another platform and that is what merits the name.

What’s the difference between VoD and OTT?

OTT platforms are very targeted in terms of their content. There’s a more efficient system of video playback with a much better streaming quality. With VoD platforms, users watch whenever they want to and are based on the consumption model.

What is the number 1 OTT platform in India?

Disney+ Hotstar is the no.1 OTT platform in India as of 2021.

Which OTT has the best content?

This is a subjective question as “best” content differs from person to person and audience to audience.