The country is trying hard to grapple with the exponential rise of COVID-19 positive cases and might extend the lockdown to contain the spread of the virus. Every sector is badly hit and the M&E sector is no exception. Everybody is coping with the ‘new normal’ by locking themselves up at home.
Due to this unprecedented situation, The OTT industry has seen a major spike in consumption patterns and so has TV viewing. In the third part of the report on Crisis Consumption on TV and Smartphones released jointly by BARC and Nielsen Media, VOD (Video-On-Demand) consumption has continued its growth.
BARC and Nielsen Media released some data, which shows VOD consumption in the COVID disruption Week 3 (28 March to 3 April) saw 97 per cent users per week, with an increase in time spent/user/week by 12 per cent, that is, from 3 hrs 56 mins to 3 hrs 59 mins.
The growth in OTT/VOD consumption is continuously fueled by movies (+56 per cent users/week) and original series (+123 per cent users/week). The time spent/user/week is +52 per cent for movies and +32 per cent for originals. OTT platforms included in this data calculation are Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime, ZEE5, MX Player and VOOT.
While repertoire of OTT apps remain stable, 61 per cent of multi-app users have shown a change in their top preferred app in week 3. Maximum number of consumers have switched between different OTT apps.
Many streaming services in the country have given access to its premium content library at zero or low cost for the next few weeks or some for even months. They have also launched innovative campaigns, cash back offers, fundraising initiatives to attract new consumers and retain its loyar subscriber base.
The launch of Disney+ definitely boosted things for Hotstar, while Amazon has made its kids content slate free for sometime now. ALTBalaji partnered with payment gateways to give attractive offers to its consumers. These are a few instances in these tough times when people are seeking relief from anxiety and worries due to COVID chaos and are naturally relying on entertainment for killing boredom.
