Gone are the days when we used to eagerly wait for our favorite 9 pm TV soap. The entertainment industry has gone out of its way to create a seamless platform for its users. With the advent of online streaming platforms and Over-the-top (OTT) services, the wait time is almost over! Any TV show or movie can be binge-watched anytime with the help of OTT platforms. The only thing required is an internet connection and there you go!
OTT platforms have become millennials’ favorite! With so many options available, there is something for everyone. And, with amazing offers on ALT Balaji, Amazon Prime Video and Voot, you can stream your most-liked TV show from the comfort of your couch.
Before going deep into the top OTT platforms, here’s a brief about the growth of online streaming services in the market.
Rise of OTT platforms:
The first independent Indian OTT platform was launched by Reliance Entertainment in 2008 with the name BigFlix. In 2010, Digivive launched India’s first OTT mobile app called nexGTv, which became the first app to live stream Indian Premier League. However, the launch of Sony Liv and Ditto Tv in 2013, helped the OTT services gain significant momentum in the Indian market.
The popularity of OTT platforms is rising day-by-day because of India’s diverse entertainment industry. In 2018, India became the 10th largest OTT market in the world with total revenue of Rs. 4,462 crore. It is expected to reach Rs. 5,955 crore in 2022.
With a plethora of streaming platforms present in the market, one thing that confuses a user is to choose the best one. So, we are here to solve this problem by letting the consumers know about the top OTT platforms of 2020. Let’s take a look!
Top 8 OTT platforms in 2020:
Hotstar:
With around 150 million active users and more than 350 million downloads, Hotstar is India’s most subscribed OTT platform. It has content available in 17 languages and is a go-to place for all Indian drama series and cinema needs. One of the main factors for its growth is its cricket content like IPL and the World Cup Championship. It also has content partnerships with the world’s top 3 studios HBO, Disney and Fox.
Subscription plan: The streaming service offers subscription plans at Rs. 299 per month and Rs. 999 per annum.
Netflix
Here comes the baap of OTT! Netflix is no doubt one of the major players in the global OTT market and a personal favorite of most of the youngsters. From series like Stranger Things, House of Cards, Narcos, Suits to Orange Is the New Black, it always stood up in providing top-of-the-line content to its users. Its entry into the Indian market and production of some of the original contents like Sacred Games has taken the Indian entertainment industry by storm.
Subscription plan: Netflix divided the plans into four: mobile (costs Rs 199/month), basic (costs Rs 499/month), standard (costs Rs 649/month), and premium (costs Rs 799/month).
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Prime Video
Name any genre of content, Amazon’s Prime video is sure to have it in its cart. It is one of the biggest OTT platforms in the market with a huge library of regional content. It also has a handful of award winning movies and outstanding Prime original series. With more than 13 million subscribers worldwide, India is said to have the highest number of Prime users among the 16 countries it has debuted in.
Subscription plan: Prime video’s subscription plans are Rs 129 per month and Rs 999 per annum.
ALT Balaji
Owned by Balaji Telefilms, ALT Balaji is a pioneer when it comes to Indian regional OTT market. Focused on original content from its very inception, the platform offers a wide range of series and movies in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi. With more than 1.5 million paid subscribers, the company’s total revenue in 2019 was Rs. 28.1 crore. If you are looking for some Indian spice and drama, ALT Balaji has it all!
Subscription plan: The subscription fee for ALT Balaji is Rs. 100 for three months and Rs. 300 for 12 months.
Sony Liv
Launched in 20113, the homegrown Sony Liv app ranks among the top 5 Indian OTT platforms. With over 100 million subscribers, the platform offers more than 1500 movies and 150 plus original titles. Apart from current shows, it also allows its users to watch past episodes, movies and special events.
Subscription plan: The platform offers monthly (Rs 99), half-yearly (Rs 299) and annual (Rs 499) subscription plans.
Voot
Launched by Viacom 18, Voot caters to the needs of the Indian entertainment consumers. Besides covering popular TV channels like Colors, Nickelodeon and MTV, it also hosts many blockbuster movies and originals. While the Indian users are spoilt for choice, Voot offers a free of cost subscription to its users. However, the company has recently launched its first subscription-based service ‘Voot Select’ in India.
Subscription: Voot is available free of cost!
The subscription fee for Voot Select is Rs. 99 per month and Rs. 499 per annum.
Zee 5
Rated as the most desirable OTT platform in India, Zee 5 is on a journey to provide more and more regional content to its users at affordable prices. With more than 90 live TV channels and nearly 100 original shows, it promises to enhance the Indian OTT market. The platform is not just limited to movies and shows but has also invaded education and music.
Subscription plan: Zee 5 comes with a subscription plan of Rs. 99 per month and Rs. 999 per annum
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Viu
The Hong Kong based video streaming provider, Viu, comes in the list of India’s top picked OTT platforms. It boasts around 17000+ hours of Bollywood content and 3000+ hours of English series. It also has vast content in 10+ regional Indian languages. The highlight of the platform is its amazing collection of Korean and Asian content.
Subscription: It has both freemium and premium services with the premium service costing Rs. 99 per month.
Future of OTT
With the immense popularity OTT apps are gaining, it is sure that the industry will be touching the sky in the years to come. PWC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook report 2018-2022 forecasted that the online streaming services are set to grow by 18%. Moreover, with new players coming in the market with a never ending promise to entertain the consumers, the future of OTT surely has a long way to go!
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