"Local and relatable content gives Indian OTT an edge"

Indian originals have picked up pace in the past few months as audiences are in the lookout for local and relatable content, said Divya Dixit, SVP-Marketing, Analytics and Direct Revenue, ALTBalaji.

Excerpt:

Has India's growing affinity towards OTT platform changed the content strategies for the domestic players in the segment?

Digital has primarily been an ever-evolving medium that is constantly innovating. The competition amongst OTT players is ever increasing. Any major player would need five key elements to stay ahead in this game of running a virtual entertainment business. It includes uninterrupted connectivity, going local as mobile devices become the primary source of content consumption, the requirement to explore new experiential options, value pricing for the end-user, and personalized content offerings for the end consumer.

Additionally, Indian originals have picked up pace in the past few months as audiences are in the lookout for local and relatable content. Indian OTT players have an edge over international players as they understand the market better which helps them create content for different sets of audiences. At ALTBalaji, we have the largest content library of Indian originals which are attracting the audience. With a plethora of diverse content spanning across multiple genres, our programming has something for everyone. The genres that best perform on our platform are thrillers, youth-oriented shows, young romance and urban drama. Some of them are garnering high viewership numbers even months post their launch.

The OTT in India has largely been a metro phenomenon. Are you actively exploring the largely untapped market of the vernacular speakers residing in Tier 2, 3, 4 cities?

When it comes to language content, 64% of India’s digital video consumers prefer consuming content in Hindi, says a KPMG report. We have a vast library of 60+ originals across genres that cater to all kinds of audiences. Our shows that were launched three years back when we entered the industry are still immensely popular amongst audiences and relevant even in today's date.

There is a huge potential lying for OTT players in Tier 2, 3, and 4 markets which can’t be ignored. We are currently focusing on ensuring that we dominate the Hindi speaking mass markets as when you look at the geography and demography of the country, 70% of the content consumed is Hindi. Taking these Hindi offerings to wider and regional audiences, many of these shows have also been dubbed in other Indian and International languages like Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bhasa, Arabic, etc. amongst others. Realizing the growing importance to localize our content, we will gradually move towards other regional markets and shall continue to focus on expanding our language content library in the coming years. 

Also Read: 

https://www.voicendata.com/indian-ott-platforms-get-box-clever-to-become-sustainable/