NEW DELHI : Video streaming platforms betting on ad-supported models are increasing their content budgets as they rush to expand programming in regional languages, platform executives and analysts said media industry.
Netflix Inc. had hinted at a possible ad-based streaming option on April 19. In May last year, Amazon Prime Video launched miniTV, where Indian users can watch free videos in the Amazon app.
Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media is ready for ad-supported free content. The platform is committed to originals and the budget will increase by 30% this year, he said. “The consumption of ad-supported content does not mean that audiences will accept substandard production quality. Even though we are primarily looking to tell structured stories for mobile, we work with big, reputable production houses and top talent,” Roy said.
According to Neeraj Sharma, Managing Director, Communications, Media and Technology at Accenture India, ad-based video-on-demand (AVoD) has the potential to eclipse subscription-based video-on-demand (SVoD) as advertising budgets continue. to go digital. “In India, all major platforms have announced an expansive content pipeline and investment in regional content is growing even faster. Over the past five years, content investment has increased significantly in India and it continues to increase as the market continues to grow aggressively and all the big players need to retain and grow the consumer base. The decline in content investment globally appears to be a temporary phase,” Sharma said.
On Monday, ZEE5 said the platform will release over 80 titles in 2022 in various Indian languages, working with established production houses like BBC Studios, Applause Entertainment and The Viral Fever. Late last month, Amazon Prime Video announced 40 new titles for India, including original and acquired programs with popular film industry producers and actors.
Amazon, Disney+ Hotstar, ZEE5 and SonyLIV did not respond to Mint’s questions about content investments. However, Netflix pointed to the fact that in its latest earnings call, Co-CEO, Chief Content Officer and Director Ted Sarandos said the platform will continue to invest in both the quality and variety of the content. “We will continue to increase content spend over previous years…we are very focused on ensuring the impact of the slate continues to grow,” Sarandos had said.
