JioCinema has forged deals with Warner, HBO, and NBCUniversal, and this has resulted in what can be called an intense content war between OTT platforms, especially for premium English content. The country has seen a huge spike in English content watching across the country, especially since COVID times when people were forced to stay home.
Now, post-COVID, OTT has become the place to get one’s entertainment, and it’s rather trendy to know the latest titles and characters in a popular web series. Streaming companies like Amazon Prime have also started releasing movies on their OTT platform to keep their audiences glued, as was the case with the recently released film AIR.
In fact, many are willing to pay a premium for quality content. While Disney’s original and Marvel game content remains strong, NetFlix is known for launching international originals. Niche channels like MUBI are also upping their game to cater to India.
According to a top executive at SonyLiv, people on top of the pyramid are willing to pay for premium, original content to gain access to new releases from across the world, and the OTT platforms are more than happy to have them on board.
The interesting thing to note here is that while English content is being lapped up with subtitles, many no longer prefer dubbed versions of international shows, and this applies to various corners of India.
There is also a huge demand for content in local languages and top-rated Hollywood releases that may or may not have had an international release in theatres. There is also demand for dubbed movies from the interiors of India, which is a crucial audience.
