Cable to Streaming: The Rise of OTT Services

The entertainment landscape has undergone a significant revolution, all thanks to digitalization. Internet, the best by-product of digitalization, has altogether changed the idea of entertainment consumption. The days when families gathered to watch their favourite shows on TV have become a thing of the past. Today, entertainment has become more of an anytime-anywhere consumption. This shift can be attributed majorly to the emergence of OTT services. These platforms have heralded a new era of convenience and accessibility in entertainment consumption. As per a report by Ormax Media, the Indian OTT audience is currently at 481.1 million people. This data indicates the growing appeal of OTT platforms and their impact on modern-day entertainment.

From Cable TV to Streaming: Rewinding the Shift

Since its inception, cable TV has served as the staple source of entertainment for Indian households. It offered a variety of channels featuring news, movies and TV shows across various languages. However, it came with a certain set of limitations. From minimal content options to time constraints, cable TV struggled to meet the diverse needs of viewers.

The birth of DTH services marked the end of the cable TV era. With a wide range of channels, enhanced picture quality, and flexible subscription packages, viewers were able to exercise a greater degree of control over their entertainment experience. However, DTH services fell short of meeting the evolving needs of consumers.

The groundbreaking revolution in the landscape of entertainment consumption was streaming services. Not only it reshaped the consumption manner and preferences of the audience but also transformed entertainment into more of a portable thing. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar were amongst the front runners who took a leap into the streaming arena and today enjoy the reputation as the top OTT platforms.

Starting at a minimal subscription fee, OTTs began producing diverse content spanning various genres and languages, catering to a more dynamic audience. What actually propelled them to popularity was the much-needed flexibility and control that these platforms offered to the public.

OTTs: Key Perks

Simplified Connectivity: A digital device and a strong internet connection is all that is needed to access any OTT platform. Unlike cable services, one does not have to be glued to their TV; OTT services enable entertainment on the go. Subscription to an internet plan based on one's requirements and the nature of the device is enough to stream content from any OTT service.

Convenience: As opposed to cable TV, OTTs can be accessed from any time and anywhere as long as one has good internet connectivity. Moreover, cable TV is limited by physical and geographic constraints, which is not the case with OTT services, offering viewers the liberty to access their preferred content from anywhere.

Content Diversity: Traditional cable services notably lack content diversity, leaving viewers with limited options. OTT platforms, on the other hand, boast an expansive variety of content, offering users ample choices. Beyond content variety, these platforms offer flexible viewing options, ad-free experiences, and smooth accessibility across different devices, delivering to the needs of modern-day viewers.

OTTs: Ushering in a New Era of Entertainment Consumption

From the days of cable TV, where viewers had to wait for scheduled shows and had no option to replay missed content, to the era of OTT platforms that offer on-demand access anytime and anywhere, the evolution of viewing preferences has propelled the relevance of OTT in the entertainment landscape. Given its dominance in today's scenario, the future is surely going to witness the next level of OTT revolution, further reshaping the entertainment landscape.