Bharti Airtel announced on 1 May that its digital content platform Xstream has witnessed a 50 per cent jump in streaming volume during the ongoing nationwide lockdown which has been extended till 17 May.
The telco further revealed that Xtream registered a spike in the average session time, and the number of daily sessions per user has also increased by 40 per cent as people are spending more time at homes, noticing more demand for retro content during the lockdown period.
“While overall streaming volumes have increased by 50 per cent on the app since the middle of March 2020, it is shows and movies from yesteryears that have seen the biggest surge in demand from users,” Airtel said in a statement.
Airtel informed that cult TV shows like Malgudi Days, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Zabaan Sambhal Ke, Rajani and many more have witnessed 300 per cent surge in streaming volumes while Bollywood Classics from Chaudhavin Ka Chand, Mother India, Don, Padosan, Andaz Apna Apna and Raja Babu have seen streaming volumes growth of 100 per cent.
“The current situation has made video entertainment an obvious and large use case. At the same time, it has given all of us more time and space to travel back in time and rekindle some fond memories as the situation also makes us emotional,” Bharti Airtel chief product officer Adarsh Nair said.
Airtel revealed that close to 80 per cent of the demand surge for retro content was driven by users from non-metros and smaller towns in states such UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
