55% Indians prefer OTT platforms, 41% DTH

With Over The Top (OTT) platforms racing ahead as far as the online video streaming consumption is concerned, 55 per cent Indians prefer to watch TV shows and movies and other content on OTT platforms and 41 per cent still prefer DTH, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

OTT platforms are giving tough competition to DTH (direct-to-home) operators possibly because of convenience, on-demand video service and affordable mobile data prices.

"OTT is way ahead with mobile becoming the be-all. But brands and marketers can't discount DTH. With more than 40 per cent still preferring DTH, it's still a long way to connect with the 'Other India' and that's what presents an opportunity and market for companies to tap," said Arun Gupta, CEO and founder, MoMAGIC Technologies.

"We expect OTT to grab additional share, but DTH will continue to remain relevant. There will be segmentation, but the generation accustomed to DTH will continue with that whereas the Gen Z will be aligned to OTT," he said.

The MoMAGIC survey was conducted between June and mid-August with around 7,500 respondents. Hotstar has emerged as the preferred online platform, with 41 per cent respondents preferring Disney-owned platform, 26 per cent Amazon Prime Video and 9 per cent Netflix. According to survey, 85 per cent have watched content at least once on the OTT platforms (Hotstar, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Voot, SonyLiv, Zee5) in India in the last six months.

The survey also found that 70 per cent respondents watched OTT content on mobile phones, the most preferred medium due to convenience and rock-bottom data rates. While 31 per cent preferred to watch original and platform-exclusive content, sports was the choice for 30 per cent, movies for 19 per cent and TV shows for 18 per cent respondents. In terms of genre, 45 per cent respondents preferred comedy, 23 per cent action, 19 per cent drama and 13 per cent horror.