How 2020 made the streaming war more vicious

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu lead the race in the US market. However, now some newer players such as Quibi, Disney+, Apple TV+, Peacock from Comcast Corp. and HBO Max from AT&T Inc have also joined the fray. However, these players are also facing competition from the likes of TikTok and Youtube which have user-generated content.

With strict lockdowns in almost most of the world, the demand for streaming services rose exponentially. In fact, in India telcos had to ask streaming players to stop offering HD videos to reduce bandwidth consumption. In India, cinema halls may be allowed from August 1 under Unlock 3 but with severe restrictions. This, however, may not affect streaming players' that much.

Most streaming players are relying on binge-worthy shows like The Office and Friends to attract users. OTT players are also premiering movies - Amazon Prime brought Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana’s Gulabo Sitabo while Netflix Gunjan Saxena and The Kargil Girl. Meanwhile, Disney+Hotstar also recently announced digital premieres of seven films, including Akshay Kumar’s Laxmmi Bomb and Ajay Devgn’s Bhuj.

The rise of OTT services has hurt the business of DTH service providers the most. Infact, DTH service providers were bleeding even before the lockdown. As per reports, DTH service providers lost 2 mn subscribers in 2019 alone.