The OTT giants in the country are willing to stop at nothing when it comes to constantly attracting consumers. The new found interest in ‘original’ content has specifically been captured by the top runners in the streaming wars. This has led to mammoth investments in creating more new original series.
A recent study by BARC-Nielsen verifies the above trend and according to it, over the period of April to May the time spent on watching OTT originals has increased by 19% when compared to January 2020. The challenge here is to keep up with the consumer demand as producing originals can be a himalayan task especially economically.
The increased interest in original content is a major behavioural change for Indian audience but nothing that wasn’t expected. These originals offer a very different perspective on the society and it’s norms. Their take on various political and social aspects is at times quite relatable and intriguing. Though they sometimes land into major controversies yet they have been able to create a sort of cult following.
What wasn’t possible conventionally was made possible through these originals, thanks to OTT platforms. Various filmmakers who previously had no avenue to showcase certain stories due to the fear of censorship have now found the right platform with the right audience.
The challenge that remains though is the cost that goes into making these originals. Though the lockdown along with the direct-to-digital release of latest films has given a boost to growth in subscription revenues, it still can get challenging to produce exclusive original content.
The changing scene of content consumption is something the OTT platforms will have to keep up with in order to remain viable. Whether they tweak their subscription packages or add new features or devise new ways of advertising or take a brand new avatar is upto them.
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