Indianness is the tomorrow of OTT

- Sanjay Vs. Shah

- Not only Indian languages, dialects of the language are also diverse. A TV show covering such bids hit the OTT platform and caught everyone's attention.

- The influence of Doordarshan on OTT is also going to increase. Remember, many OTTs still do not have the strength of Doordarshan to reach every corner of the country.

Most of the people in the country did not know much about the OTT platform called Stay until recently. With the arrival of its investors in the shark tank, it has started to be discussed everywhere. It is possible that many people have downloaded this OTT platform after that. Currently this OTT is serving entertainment to viewers in Haryanvi and Rajasthani languages. It further aims to cover other languages ​​and dialects of the country. Reaching the Rs 1 crore stage for one percent equity shows how bright the future of this sector really is.

That is, many new things are constantly taking shape in the world of OTT. New platforms are coming one after the other, their programs are also different from the existing platforms. Let us discuss some of the things taking shape.

We are familiar with Doordarshan and Akashvani. Bharti, which owns the rights to Doordarshan and Akashvani, has a wealth of entertainment like no other broadcaster in the country. Around 14 crore households have DD's free dish which makes it the number one in this sector in the country. Doordarshan's English news channel DD India is the country's number one English news channel. Apart from India, it can be seen through satellite and OTT in 190 countries including Korea, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Maldives, Australia, America, England, Canada. Ditto for Akashvani, which has been struggling to reach 80% of the country's population.

Prasar Bharti forayed into AllReady OTT last March by partnering with YpTV (Roaf). Now it is planning to launch its own OTT platform. There is also a plan to increase the number of channels from 116 to 250. Many of these channels are to be converted to HD format. The increasing influence of Doordarshan on OTT means that viewers will have the option of enjoying unconventional programs even for free. Remember that many OTTs still do not have the strength to reach every corner of the country. Also, city-centric OTT platforms are not in a hurry to provide entertainment to viewers in the hinterlands. In such a situation, if Doordarshan expands its network, crores of viewers will benefit.

Discovery Plus we have already taken the initiative to become a serious OTT player there since 2020. It is a different matter that the company did not take any special steps to discourage competitors. Yes, sometimes they offer a three-year subscription at a water price, attracting people who want to watch quality and something different from the stereotypical programs to buy the subscription. In this matter, the change may be a sham now. In addition to its signature programs, Discovery is now equipped to stream other types of shows and movies as well. Discovery plans to serve more programs on the three fronts of kids, sports and entertainment. In this direction, the company has acquired the library of the American network called A Plus E and added it to the platform last year. Currently Discovery provides service in seven languages. Further languages ​​may grow. Last year, Discovery merged with Warner Media. Also, the days are not far when Discovery will also give direct competition to the leading OTT platforms. HBO Max has been available in India for a long time. It is also Warner's own OTT platform. Together with Discovery, it will now provide viewers with a more extensive and engaging treasure trove of entertainment than anywhere else.

Just as Reliance implements long-term aggressive plans to achieve its dominance in every sector, it has also done so in the world of OTT. Jio TV is accessible to all. It is on its way to one partnership after another that becomes an ocean of available entertainment. Currently the company has partnered English Premier League winning football team Manchester City. The team has its own OTT platform which will now be available with Jio TV. The football world cup just ended. The number of fans of this sport in India has been steadily increasing over the past several years. It is with this in mind that Jio has teamed up with the Man City team.

Earlier we talked about the launch of an OTT platform called StoryDeck. There will and should be more OTTs like these that aim to serve true family entertainment. There is an excess of crime, sex and negativity on OTT. There could be an exciting world ahead for the Indian audience as well. It is to be hoped that there will be more platforms serving pure family entertainment.

Add to all this the channels currently on TV. In the coming time many of them will bring their own OTT platforms as it is a natural extension for them. For instance, last year TVnine, CNBC TV and India Today launched their respective OTT platforms. Even though not much attention has been drawn towards it yet, it is inevitable for big media companies to enter the OTT sector. They have the experience, the skills, the money and the audience. Any company will bring that type of OTT platform. That means news, sports, cartoons, games, music, shopping... the number of OTT platforms of every type is going to keep increasing.

Indian languages ​​and Indian content are likely to be the trump card of a bright future for OTT. Having a platform called Stage is not going to be enough. At one time many media companies were not serious about YouTube channels or websites. Soon it happened that everyone invested heavily on that front and started creating content specifically for YouTube or websites. Technology has woven these two options into the fabric of human life. OTT is moving in that direction.

In addition, now companies are starting to provide the facility to people to watch many OTT platforms on the same platform by paying a fee through new schemes. Because of that, there will be big changes in this business. It is natural that new customers will be attracted to OTT when there are many options of programs available for less money and fewer app downloads.

So get ready, for desi entertainment, for all OTT platforms.