OTT players fight for eyeballs

As OTT platforms compete for share, sharper focus on content will bring greater differentiation

The over-the-top (OTT) services landscape in India is getting more competitive with every passing day. The increasing penetration of smartphones and higher adoption of 3G and 4G data are all contributing to the rise of digital media. Even though TV in India continues to be the dominant media platform, broadcasters have been quick to seize the next growth opportunity in the space by launching their own OTT platforms. If Viacom18 (which runs Colors) has Voot to boast, Zee Digital Convergence Limited (a part of Zee Group which runs Zee TV) and Sony have dittoTV and Sony LIV. Also in the fray is Hotstar — the OTT platform from Novi Digital Entertainment Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Star India Private Limited (which runs general entertainment channel Star Plus).

By virtue of being in the business of content creation, the broadcasters have an easy access to a large amount of content spanning genres and formats. Also, each of these players commands loyal viewership. In such a scenario, what are the rules of content differentiation and unique brand proposition for each of these broadcaster-backed OTT platforms?

“The real differentiator for us is content. As a broadcaster we not only have access to shows but our sports portfolio makes SonyLIV a powerful offering,” says Uday Sodhi, executive vice-president and head, digital business, Sony Pictures Networks India. Apart from regular fiction, sports as a genre helps the broadcaster drive traffic on its OTT platform. It helps attract audience in single TV screens where sports like basketball and professional wrestling are unlikely to be consumed as content by the entire family. A young member of a family is likely to watch sports on a smaller, personalised mobile screen.

Sony also claims to have pioneered the concept of digital-only content on its OTT platform by launching the first exclusive digital show #LoveBytes, followed by a series of original content shows like Tanlines. Taking a step further, this year SonyLIV has launched the first regional web series called YOLO (You live only Once).

Sodhi says, “Besides channel content, new content in the form of sports and exclusive web series for digital helps us in expanding our consumer base and reaching beyond channel loyalists.”

In the OTT space, Sony is not the only betting big on original content to drive viewership. Colors’ Voot, too, is investing heavily in web to drive viewership. Gaurav Gandhi, chief operating officer of Viacom18 Digital Ventures which runs Voot, acknowledges the role that exclusive and original content plays in keeping viewers engaged.

Since Colors is the king of reality TV with signature shows like Big Boss and Khatron Ke Khiladi, the channel showcases and creates additional content around these shows for Voot viewers. For example, the OTT platform offered a journey through undekha (unseen) content for a show like Big Boss for Voot’s audience. This was content which was not originally shown on TV but made up of large chunks of 24x7 behind-the-scenes footage. On the back of this exclusive content, Voot received 100 million views on Big Boss in the first two months. Interestingly, 45 per cent of these views came from additional footage on Big Boss. Similarly, the broadcaster has gone about creating parallel and engaging content out of MTV’s reality show Roadies. Voot as an OTT platform has taken a peg around sports, kids’ content and originals.

“TV undoubtedly continues to enjoy deeper reach. However, there also exists a section of audience about, say 10 to 20 millions, who does not find content offered on TV relatable. They want to watch international content and this has paved the way for original series and exclusive digital content on OTT platforms,” says Gandhi.

The content on OTT platforms like Voot is targeted at people who are moving away from TV. So, like SonyLIV, Voot too offers original web series including It’s Not That Simple and Untag. Apart from original web series, Voot considers kids as its key audience. Since children are passionate about characters, the OTT platform showcases shows from channels such as Disney and Turner. Voot boasts 100-plus characters and 7,000 videos.

Zee Digital Convergence Limited's OTT offering dittoTV has pitched itself as an aggregator, which not only showcases content from its own group channels but also from competing media houses (broadcasters) such as Sony Network, BBC, TEN Network and India Today Group.

Archana Anand, head of digital - India, Z5 Business points out that the OTT platform has differentiated itself by positioning as an aggregator platform. “We are media house-agnostic. Also, another differentiator is that dittoTV offers real live content like TV and unlike video-on-demand services. We focus on content led by general entertainment channels, sports and news,” Anand says.

She adds that this year dittoTV has transformed on the pricing front as well. Earlier, its subscription was priced at Rs 150 per month. It has been now brought down to Rs 20 for 100 channels. This, according to Anand, enhances dittoTV’s ability to go beyond urban audience to reach tier-II towns and rural areas.

Sodhi of Sony Networks observes that the OTT industry is in the category building phase. Going forward, the industry will need to move quickly and sharpen its focus on content and bring in more differentiation.