Will we see massification of OTT, or will smart TVs become the new OTT?

Industry experts at Voot presents vdonxt asia Week, discuss the impact of rising smart TV penetration on OTT content creation and viewership.

With smart TVs becoming more affordable, there are a number of Indian households that now own one. In addition to the traditional TV brands like LG, Samsung etc., the entry of brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Vu in the segment have created a variety of options to choose from.

While during the pandemic, TV screens became an escape from personal and work devices like mobiles and laptops, not all OTT content is suitable for TV or family viewing.

When we talk about OTT content, one of the first things that comes to mind is original shows, like Sacred Games, Money Heist and Mirzapur, the audience for which is deemed to be somewhat different from that for broadcast television content.

However, the fact is that the largest OTT platform in India is YouTube, which has about 450 million users. It largely consists of user-generated content and is ad-driven which makes it closer to linear television content. This also implies that free OTTs including YouTube fight a closer battle with television.

On the second day of Voot presents vdonxt asia Week, a panel of industry experts delved deep into how the rising penetration of smart TVs impacts OTT content as well as consumption habits.

Moderated by Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, contributing editor, Business Standard, the panel included Esha Nagar, MD, Nepa India; Gautam Talwar, CCO, MX Player; Puja Rajadhyaksha, head of content, Eros Now; Shailja Kejriwal, CCO, special projects, ZEE; and Zubin Jimmy Dubash, COO - digital businesses, ShemarooMe.

In his initial remarks, Talwar said, “The need to watch together, was a habit formed due to television viewing. This is because there was no other option available in the past. Today, there are about five screens in each home. We don’t really need to start catering to TV content.”

“The mediums, other than OTT, are cinema halls and TV. We’re trying to provide on OTT platforms what the viewers aren’t able to see there (in cinema halls and on TV). So, the content that we provide, isn’t the typical television content.”

Nagar of Nepa believes that OTT was created to cater to content that’s less represented and can’t traditionally be co-viewed. “OTT serves a different purpose. It doesn’t necessary imply family viewing, or watching together. Storytelling will still be OTT platforms’ major focus. It won’t get impacted by the audience share of smart TVs.”

For ZEE’s Kejriwal, watching OTT content on TV is like adding an extra cohort, rather than changing too many things. “Though a significant change caused by COVID is that personal devices (laptops and mobiles) have now also become work devices, it doesn’t imply a massive surge in collective or TV viewing.”

She points out that TV is just an additional form of content and that 65 per cent of the audiences come from rural areas. They won’t have access to connected TVs for quite some time to come.

Eros Now’s Rajadhyaksha, on the other hand, opines that it is not just the penetration of smart TVs that impacts OTT content and viewing choices, but also the availability of multiple other devices.

ShemarooMe’s Dubash explains, “Unlike television, which is linear and the consumer gets what it serves, the personalisation of content and the ability to view as per your convenience and mood, is a key OTT content differentiator.”

He adds that the entire OTT experience has always been on-demand, irrespective of whether you’re watching it on a large screen or a small one.

You can watch the entire session here:

vdonxt asia Week 2022 is supported by VOOT (Presenting Partner) and NEPA (Insights Partner)

Nepa India

Nepa India is a consumer science firm helping some of the world's most reputable brands in more than 50 countries to unlock growth and profitability across all main areas impacting their customer relationship: Marketing Optimization, Innovation and Customer Experience.

It is headquartered in Stockholm and Nepa in India is creating unconventional solutions in digital research for their clients in emerging categories. Keeping the focus on the fast-evolving content ecosystem, Nepa has supported major OTT players, production houses, and media majors to tell incredible stories, develop impactful content, and optimize viewer experience. Nepa works with qualitative, quantitative, and other new-age tech domains to understand consumers. And it is creating research literature for emerging categories like OTT, Consumer tech and also for emerging cohorts across established industries.

Backed by its strong culture consulting expertise, Nepa's core purpose is to make research marketing friendly and redefine the way consumer science is perceived.

Nepa is known for its straightforward, no-nonsense consumer insights approach to nurture and grow its client's brands. Nepa also creates thought-provoking and powerful thought leadership content through its marquee properties, Originals & Espresso.