Crossing the Streams

Lack of quality content, driven by a crippling reliance on TRPs, interruptions by long and drawn out ad segments, and absolutely no control over the watching schedule are just some of the problems that bolstered the need for streaming platforms and gave birth to the cord cutting era in the west. Considering that the Indian audience goes through all these problems as well, on top of an oppressive censor board; it shouldn’t be a surprise that such a concept has become rapidly popular in the country, with millions of people willingly paying to access the supposed havens of original content.

It’s not just the audience that is enamoured by the freedom, but also the dozens of filmmakers and actors who have found a second wind in the uncut and uncensored high seas of the internet. This has helped this new format grow beyond the initial horde of enthusiasts who just want access to a vast English library, and attract new eyeballs that are searching for indigenous stories that push the envelope and aren’t afraid of being controversial to say the least.

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Surprisingly, the traditional players are all too happy to jump on this bandwagon and carve out their own piece of the pie, afforded by an already established content library, and deep pockets to fund new variants of the tried and tested formulas. The result is a burgeoning field that is already packed to the gills with all types of streaming services that claim to have just what you want to watch.

Let us take a look at some of these platforms and what they offer to deserve your hard earned cash.

Netflix

When we think back to the start of the VOD wars, the first shot was fired by Netflix long before any of the other players started taking the opportunity seriously. In fact, the company enjoyed a decade long monopoly in the paid content sector, even before launching its online streaming service. Their persistence has paid off though, as these days the company enjoys the biggest presence in the space, across the world. At the same time, the company is also focusing on more original content, since traditional production houses have finally smelled the blood in the water, and started recalling their original content for their own streaming platforms. You can enjoy the entire line-up for as low as 199, all the way up to 800 per month.

Amazon Prime

Considering the fact that Netflix was originally envisioned as the Amazon of DVDs, it’s not really surprising that the e-commerce giant decided to step in the game themselves, and steal as much market share as possible. Supported by Amazon’s growing prime customer base and leading cloud technologies, it didn’t take long for the company to do it either, since the service comes bundled with free shipping, and Amazon Music, at a fraction of a cost; 129 per month, or 999 per year. The company is also investing heavily in Indian content (Made in Heaven, Breathe, The Family Man, Inside Edge etc.) along with lots of stand-up specials, so you always have something relevant to watch.

SonyLIV

Out of all the services backed by an international business giant, SonyLIV is perhaps the most underrated, yet it has been growing steadily, thanks to a slew of popular Indian shows (Kaun Banega Crorepati, Indian Idol, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Crime Patrol etc.) as well as their long standing partnership with international football clubs (UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, UEFA Europa League etc.), that have given them a loyal subscriber base. The company is focused on improving this shared growth, by further partnering with other international entities such as Lionsgate for popular English language content. This steady growth strategy has helped them avoid overextending themselves in a bidding war with bigger players. Even their annual subscription price of 499 seems like a calculated move to grow the audience by undercutting the more expensive players in the market. We’ll just have to see if they are able to maintain their momentum in the long term.

Hotstar/Disney Plus

While Netflix and Amazon were just starting to figure out the Indian market, Hotstar had already swept in and commanded a dominant position in the Indian market, thanks to their tie-ups with IPL & ICC, as well as access to the pre-existing line-up of Star India content. Their partnership with HBO for Game of Thrones and Nat Geo content also boosted the credibility of the platform to provide a wide variety of entertainment in multiple languages. Now that the company has been brought under the Disney umbrella, this original Indian streaming service has transformed into one of the biggest threats to existing and upcoming players, with a quite affordable entry price of 999 per year. This deal will only get more enticing, once the content list is updated with the entire collection of Disney and Fox properties (Star Wars, Marvel, Disney Classics, Pixar, The Simpsons etc.).

Zee5

Even though most of the services on this list have enough content to satisfy even the most voracious users, what they lack is a deep connect with the regional audiences that still prefer family dramas on the small screen. This is where Zee shines through, as they have been creating regional content in multiple languages (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi etc.) for decades now. This means that they already have a huge library of content that the public not only consumes regularly, but would also love to revisit. This kind of approach gives the brand a personal connection with users of various demographics, which aren’t attracted to badly dubbed/subbed movies, and are yet to develop a palate for English content. This is huge niche for them to corner, at an affordable price of barely 49 a month, making it easily the most affordable streaming service from an Indian company.

Apple+

Even though it is only a few months old, and so far contains barely a dozen or so offerings, we still can’t complete this list without the looming threat of Apple Plus. At a super competitive price of 99 a month, the service promises the best quality content possible, from big names like JJ Abrams, Steven Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, Oprah Winfrey etc. By investing billions in content upfront and foregoing profits for now, the company has clearly showcased how serious they are about disrupting the market. The previous success of Apple Music globally has proven that the company can actually do this, thanks to the huge base of Apple hardware users, who are essentially locked into this ecosystem for years to come. We’ll just have to wait and see how Indian audience and content figures into the mix.

From the January 2020 issue of FHM India.