As families go out for festivities and theatres reopen, OTT services, which saw viewing surge by about 50-60% during the peak of the covid-19 epidemic last year, are experiencing a decrease in growth rates.
Under (OTT) video streaming companies are already setting up blockbuster films for the holiday season in order to keep existing viewers and attract new ones.
OTT services, which saw viewing rise by about 50-60% during the peak of the covid-19 epidemic last year, are witnessing a 10% reduction in growth rates, with a further drop of 5-7 percent expected when families go out to celebrate and cinemas reopen with big-ticket flicks.
Streaming providers are focusing on blockbuster releases during holiday weekends in order to attract new viewers and delight their existing ones. For Diwali, Netflix will release Karan Johar’s Meenakshi Sundareshwar, and for Christmas, Disney+ will release Minnal Murali, a superhero film directed by Karan Johar. Hum Do Humare Do, starring Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Sanon, is available on Hotstar for Diwali.
This week, ZEE5 will air Taapsee Pannu’s Rashmi Rocket, while Amazon Prime Video will air Vicky Kaushal’s Sardar Udham and Tamil actor Suriya’s Jai Bhim for Dussehra and Diwali, respectively.
“With people at home and no other options for entertainment during the peak of the epidemic, OTT viewing had definitely peaked.” However, the Christmas season brings with it the full mood and intensity of social engagement, and consumers will almost certainly have little time to view material on their own devices,” confessed a top streaming platform executive who did not want to be identified. People have been caged up at home for far too long, according to the source, and OTT providers are anticipating theatres to return with a fury.
