The Increasing Popularity of Netflix, Hotstar etc During Lockdown

After the government announced lockdown time, OTT platforms became significantly popular as people stayed and relied on platforms to entertain themselves. Throughout the lockdown era, the OTT streaming industry has seen a growing curve in both demand and benefits. Among other things, the streaming giant Netflix was the largest OTT gainer in the entire quarantine era.

The company is one of the few companies to take advantage of government orders imposed in March to keep people away from each other to stop the spread of the highly contagious new coronavirus. While the S&P 500 Index has fallen 19% from its February 19 record, Netflix has gained 11% over the same period. Netflix also predicted that it would gain around 7.5 million new customers in the quarter. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected 3.8 million.

Netflix subscribers spend an average of eight minutes a day on the site during lockdown time, according to the reports collected by KalaGato. The main reason behind the increased demand from the Netflix platform is the combination of original premium shows and streaming films such as Jaamtara, Taj Mahal 1989, Money Heist etc. Additionally, Netflix’s average active users (DAU) and the available rate went up 102 percent and 68 percent, respectively. Netflix is also expected to perform more original episodic shows in the second half of the shutdown era to meet people’s entertainment needs during times of stress.

Hotstar’s Strategy

Hotstar is one of the most streamed services in India and with the introduction of Disney + it has been rebranded as Disney + Hotstar.

The company currently offers customers two types of plans: Hotstar Premium and Hotstar VIP. Hotstar Premium subscription is available from Rs. 1499 annually, while Hotstar VIP subscription is available for ₹ 399 annually. Disney + Hotstar lets you stream live sports, Indian TV shows, new Indian movie premieres and Disney + content. Disney + Hotstar is available on all platforms, including Android, iOS, internet and smart TVs.

However Disney+Hotstar is lagging behind Netflix but it’s still gaining popularity and is among the most popular ott services in India.