We take a look at the most popular streaming services available in India and how much they cost. (Express Photo: Shruti Dhapola)
People all across the globe are streaming more than ever before. The reason behind the sudden surge in demand for OTT platforms is undoubtedly the lockdown. Watching movies and hooking to shows is the best thing to pass all the free time people have right now. There are uncountable streaming platforms available in India and for starters it must be extremely confusing on which platform she should opt for or which one suits her interest.
Before choosing an OTT platform most people check the subscription plans first to know if it is in their budget or not. To make life easy, today we have listed out all the best OTT platforms available in the country and how much they cost. Read on.
Disney+ Hotstar: Pricing
Disney+ Hotstar is the most subscribed OTT platform in India. It offers users with lots of original content, TV shows, live sports, movies, original Disney content and more. The service was recently introduced in India, earlier it was known as Hotstar only with no access to Disney’s huge content library. The merger hiked the pricing of the platform. The company offers two packs Disney+ Hotstar VIP plan priced at Rs 399 per year, and a Premium plan priced at Rs 1,499 per year.
Netflix: Pricing
Netflix is one of the most popular OTT platforms globally. Netflix arrives in India a couple of years ago in 2016. It is one of the most expensive streaming service platform currently available in the country. The platform offers several subscription plans.
The Standard plan costs Rs 649 and provides users access on two screens in HD quality. (Image: Bloomberg)
The cheapest plan is priced at Rs 199. It provides consumers with content in SD quality. This plan allows consumers to stream content only on their phone or tablet, one screen at a time. Then there is a basic plan priced at Rs 499, which allows streaming at one screen at a time in SD quality, the only bonus is that under this plan you can stream video on your PC or TV rather than watching it on a small screen. The Standard plan costs Rs 649 and provides users access on two screens in HD quality. The Premium plan is priced at Rs 799 and offers customers access on four screens in Ultra HD streaming quality.
Amazon Prime Video: Pricing
Amazon Prime Video is the OTT service that provides the most benefits to its users at a reasonable price point. Apart from video streaming benefits, it provides consumers with Music streaming and faster order delivery benefits, to just name a few. There are two tiers currently available for the Amazon Prime subscription– one priced at Rs 129 for the monthly plan and at Rs 999 for the yearly plan. Airtel and Vodafone provide a year of complimentary Prime membership with select plans. You can head to the Airtel Thanks or the Vodafone Play app to check if you are eligible for the plan.
ZEE5: Pricing
ZEE5 is an OTT platform owned by Zee Media corporation and includes all Zee platform shows and movies are a part of this platform. The platform also consists of various original shows and movies created specifically for it. It is priced at Rs 99 per month and at Rs 999 per year.
Airtel and Vodafone are providing their customers with a complimentary subscription to the ZEE5 platform on select plans. (Image: Bloomberg)
The company also offers a bundle pack priced at Rs 198 per month that offers a monthly ZEE5 and Gaana+ subscription. The regional pack costs Rs 49, which allows users access to all regional content.
YouTube Premium: Pricing
If OTT platforms are something you do don’t want to commit to and YouTube is something that you have fun watching. You can get the YouTube Premium subscription for that. It removes all of the unnecessary ads making your viewing experience better than before. It also has original content that you can watch.
YouTube Premium removes all of the ads that crowd the platform, making your viewing experience much better. (Image: YouTube)
The service is available at Rs 129 per month and at Rs 399 for three months. For Family users who can add up to five members into their subscription, the price is Rs 189 per month. There is a discounted plan for students too at Rs 79 per month.
SonyLIV: Pricing
If shows like Comedy Nights with Kapil, KBC and Savdhaan India interest you, you can subscribe to the SonyLIV. It consists of company’s own shows, online exclusive series, movies, sports programmes and more. The company offers its subscriptions in four tiers: weekly plan priced at Rs 29, monthly plan priced at Rs 99, half-yearly plan priced at Rs 299 and a yearly plan priced at Rs 499.
Voot: Pricing, benefits
Voot is owned by Viacom18. So it naturally consists of all of the network’s programming like Big Boss, Naagin and others. The platform’s premium subscription offering Voot Select costs Rs 99 per month and Rs 999 per year. It also consists of a lot of free programming that is supported by ads.
MX Player: Pricing
Content on MX Player can be accessed free of cost on its app or website. (Image: Google Play Store)
MX Player has grown many-fold since its inception. Previously it was just a video player that could play various file formats like .mkv. The online streaming platform offers syndicated content and original shows. Another good thing about the platform is it is completely free of cost and does not require users to pay anything to use it. Due to this, the platform shows a lot of ads while watching content.