THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
It is no news that the current era is going through a phase of digital transformation. Thanks to unprecedented times, most recently in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic and its direct impact on loss of employment, online classes and over all availability of ‘free time’, the usage of digital technology has rather become the ‘need of the hour’ in every sector, and one concept that has revolutionized entertainment scenarios is none other than ‘OTT’ platforms thereby giving it the status of the “new normal” with regards to its content viewership.
OTT or Over-The-Top content platforms are nothing but viewing sites that disseminate audio and video content in the form of web series, documentaries, television programmes, motion pictures, reality television, and so on that is directly available at the consumer’s disposal through internet connectivity thereby eliminating the requirement of traditional mediums like cable TV or even radio sets, for that matter.
Believe it or not, it is a fact that the demand for OTT platforms is rising rapidly as majority of the population is making a shift from their age-old television sets to online mediums for entertainment, and this is true, not just for the younger generation, but also for the middle-aged population and a good number of people belonging to the older generation. Naturally, with every individual possessing at least one mobile phone with an internet connection, it is rather convenient to install these so-called OTT platform ‘apps’ on one’s device and view the content therein.
Currently, there are a number of leading OTT platforms in India that includes Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime, Voot, YouTube Premium, MX Player, Zee5, Sony LIV, ALT Balaji…. The list is endless! The major reasons for the growth of these OTT platforms are versatility and convenience, where everyone can view anything, anytime, anywhere. They also offer multilingual content wherein the same series, show or film is available for viewing in different languages thus attracting viewers from varied regions across the country. This is precisely why; any individual would not generally hesitate to purchase a subscription of their preferred OTT platform and watch their favourite programmes much before they can be aired on television.
According to reports, the OTT minute-consumption in the country has risen from an already humongous 181 billion to a whopping 204 billion in the previous year. India is said to have around 250 million OTT consumers at present and this figure is expected to further elevate to a monstrous figure of nearly 500 million, thanks to its creative content, and why not? Though, it was the pandemic and the lockdowns that followed that initially fueled the demand for OTT platforms; thanks to closure of movie theatres, people are now habituated to ‘binge-watching’ their favourite content without having to move from the comfortable ambience of their homes, to put it simplistically.
Interestingly, now, as the pandemic and rising COVID cases have taken a sort of backseat, Indian cinema and movie theatres are gradually rising back to life from rock bottom. Though, every film eventually has a digital release on either of the OTT platforms within almost a month of its big screen release, there will be a particular part of the film enthusiast audience that would desire to view the film at the theatre for something as basic as the ‘large screen experience’. There would also be a few who would watch a certain film at the theatres and later, also view it on the OTT platform as well.
On the flip side, OTT platforms have also received a substantial amount of backlash for its negative impact on young consumers who have found themselves to be unreasonably influenced by what they see and pull off stunts that could lead to criminal activities and at times also prove to be fatal. All said and done, the abbreviation ‘OTT’ has rightly been formulated to spell out ‘over the top’ as they truly offer over the top benefits to its viewers despite often facing varied technological challenges. With this new world of content having opened its doors to multitude of viewers, where clearly, the boons outnumber the banes, it looks as though OTT platforms are at the top of their game and certainly here to stay!
(Ameya Avadhut Nayak is currently an Assistant Professor (Law) at V M Salgaocar College of Law)
