A Year Of Unprecedented Innovation & Transformation For Indian OTTs

Sajith Sivanandan Dec 28, 2023

Remember the era of dial-up internet? If you lived through the 90s like me, you’ve experienced internet speeds that struggled to load websites with images, let alone stream videos. It’s truly remarkable how far technology has come in such a short time.

Every year brings leaps in technology and 2023 is no different. It has certainly been a watershed year for AI (more on this later). But it's also a ground-breaking one for OTTs in India.

At Disney+ Hotstar, we witnessed massive growth in demand for diverse content across a host of local languages and pioneered innovations in streaming technology.

In India, many states have populations equivalent to entire countries–U.P. is as populous as Brazil, Rajasthan is the size of the U.K., Maharashtra is comparable to Mexico, and so on. Our journey has taught us that there is not just one, but many Indias. And the most effective way to build a sustainable and profitable business here is to create models specifically tailored for the diverse Indian market.

Democratising entertainment: bridging urban-rural divides

One model that’s been immensely successful for us is our hybrid content approach where we offer certain content for free to users on mobile. It enables us to be truly inclusive, ensuring our content is accessible in every corner of India. We offer a broad catalog of refreshed content available daily, weekly, and monthly to suit diverse preferences.

During the recent ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, we saw significant success with the 'free-on-mobile' model, where more than 500 brands represented by 350+ advertisers engaged with us. We also saw many encouraging signs in our viewer demographics: nearly 50 per cent of our viewers came from Tier II cities and beyond – a testament to our growing viewer base outside metros. More than 40 per cent of our viewers were above the age of 45, showing how Indians across generations are embracing digital platforms.

The next wave of OTT growth is emerging from smaller cities, supported by rural connectivity.

Groundbreaking content

Over the past year, we’ve seen a great deal of enthusiasm and hunger for fresh content, supported by new viewers from Tier II+ cities.

One format that received a lot of love from our viewers this year was reality TV.

Adaptations of international shows and originals also received a hugely positive response. Some of our shows have also garnered an international following, showing that Indian content is ready for the global stage. The global accessibility of OTT platforms has truly broken down geographical barriers, fostering cross-cultural exchange and content diversity.

We continue to see more Indians watch content in their mother tongues (not just local shows, but international titles as well). Multilingual subtitling and dubbing, in particular, fostered fandoms for niche categories like crime, murder mysteries and thrillers amongst others. Our journey through 2023 has strengthened our resolve to double down on investments in delivering content across regional languages, including Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.

Our viewers’ enthusiasm for diverse, culturally resonant content fosters an environment that encourages originality and risk-taking. This is evident in our content slate in 2024 and beyond.

Pioneering streaming technology

Ultimately, all our success is underpinned by our dedication to flawless technical execution. In sports, especially major cricket tournaments, our work starts long before the play begins to ensure the viewer experience is enjoyable.

During the recent ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, we introduced vertical video live streaming in India with MaxView, developed in collaboration with ICC. We also optimised streaming quality across various devices, addressing last-mile delivery challenges, and enhancing the application experience on a newly re-architected platform.

AI, as we know, is another major technology that’s reshaping our world. OTTs are exploring AI solutions for better viewing experiences such as improved video clarity.

A host of features like personalised profiles and curated recommendations are designed to enhance viewer engagement, while interactive features and high-quality animated content are seamlessly intertwined technology and storytelling.

As we look ahead, the leaps we've made in 2023 are stepping stones to an even more dynamic future. We can be certain that technology will continue to evolve, serving as a conduit for innovation and experimentation. We started with the basic need for internet speed, and now we’re equipped to deliver experiences that transcend it.

This journey from waiting for a single image to load on dial-up internet to instantaneously streaming a live cricket match to over 59 million people simultaneously is a narrative of relentless progress; a testament to how far we've come and a promise of the uncharted territories we're yet to explore.

What’s amazing is the growth potential – more than 700 million Indians have smartphones. The OTT universe in India is 400 million, so there's a substantial runway for growth. There’s also enormous aspiration and demand for entertainment, increasingly being buttressed by growing income levels.

As we venture into 2024 and beyond, we are excited to blend technological innovation with creative storytelling in our mission to reimagine the fabric of digital entertainment in India.

We're grateful to our millions of viewers for trusting us to take them to worlds of their choosing.