Drop in data prices pushes OTT viewership

OTT players say their digital platforms will take the place of the second or third TV in a household

Over-the-top (OTT) players like Hotstar and Voot can rejoice. The number of customers and minutes of usage of content on these digital platforms have shot through the roof in the last seven months, thanks to the nearly 95 per cent drop in data prices. And the unprecedented increase in the number of customers has attracted the attention of advertisers, who are looking at this new opportunity much more seriously now.

Hotstar, the largest OTT platform run by STAR India, has seen its numbers climb three-fold since last September to over 100 million customers. The overall minutes of usage of content has