Most Indians Use Video Streaming Apps but Someone Else Pays for It

Indians are slowly opening up to pay for streaming services but a lot of them still like to share with others.

With growing mobile user base, fight between video streaming platform is heating up. 

(Photo: The Quint)

Most digital streaming services have claimed to be popular among users in India and more importantly, stating that people are finally keen on paying for it. But it’s time we heard from the people themselves, and according to most people, Amazon’s Prime Video takes the cake for its service and probably its overall value for money quotient.

We also got some clarity as to how much are people in India willing to spend on streaming services as of today and how many platforms are part of their monthly/annual shopping list.

The most staggering insight out of the lot is the fact that most Indian users prescribe to watching their favourite web series by using the account of friends or even family members.

All the data has been culled out by Pixights, a Mumbai-based consulting firm, which has surveyed over 1800 people from across different parts of the country this year. The research also throws up some interesting stats, like the fact that over 40 percent of the respondents signed up for three or more streaming platforms.

Subscribers generally start by downloading an app for one specific show, post which they either continue using the service if another show catches the eye or discontinue using it, especially for paid apps.

More OTTs subscribed, but that doesn’t mean people pay for it. (Photo: Erum Gour/The Quint)

With TV shows slowly but gradually becoming available on mobile apps, most internet users in the age group between 18 to 30 years prefer to ditch cable services, in favour of streaming subscription. Most of this has been catapulted by affordable internet and broadband plans, making it accessible to many users for the first time.

You also have people using single streaming platform (15 percent from the survey), while over 20 people had no trouble signing up for more than two services.

Spending per month is slowly on the up. (Photo: Erum/The Quint)

These are also the people who’ve chosen Amazon Prime Video as the leading platform worth going for, with over 38 percent of the respondents preferring it. Hotstar ranks second with 15 percent of the people finding it worth the buck and finally you have Netflix, which found 11 percent takers from the lot that was surveyed

These numbers are not indicative of the numbers of users who have signed up (free or paid) with Amazon or Hotstar, while Netflix only lets you access free content during the one-month trial period.

Sharing is caring and most Indians religiously believe in that. (Photo: Erum/The Quint)

Pricing clearly has a big role to play, and even though content carries more weightage, Prime Video essentially benefits from its add-on offerings, that none of the others can.

Willing to Pay But Not a Lot

As a whole, people in India have no qualms about spending up to Rs 350 per month on OTT services. This again shows that most people are signing up for one service and using shared accounts to access others.

Netflix plans start at Rs 500 and other platforms have monthly plans like: Amazon’s Prime Video costs Rs 129, while Hotstar charges you up to Rs 199 for its premium package service.

Smart TVs are likely to spurt the demand for streaming on the big screen.(Photo: iStock)

The price-wise comparison between going for a cable connection and paying for streaming service is almost at par right now. So, it all comes down to the content on offer and whether the catalogue gets refreshed with new titles frequently.

The shared subscription model works like a charm for users in India, and with over 70 percent respondents saying that they share his/her account with others, the overall cost of service per month is unlikely to hower up anytime soon.

It’s pretty clear that the likes of Netflix and Amazon have understood that for its model to succeed in India, it needs features that are localised for the market.

This is where something like smart downloads from Netflix plays its part, which essentially lets you watch content offline but without letting you share it with other users or transfer it to the device.