51+ Top OTT Platforms in India & USA (UPDATED 2023)

In recent years we’ve seen a steep increase in the number of OTT platforms. It can be really hard keeping a track of all of them. With so many of the platforms available, the content associated with them is different too. So in order to make things easier for you, I’ve compiled this massive list of 51 top platforms both in USA and India.

A few decades ago, plugging into a handheld device for unlimited access to entertainment was unimaginable. Yet, thanks to technological advancements, we have successfully embraced this as reality. Even in the old days, videos were the most enticing form of content when television was the only medium.

Now, with most people having unlimited access to information and entertainment in the form of videos, there is no looking back. Not only are videos a means to spend leisure time, but they’re also a great source of monetization for businesses in the current digital age.

Every good business wants to offer as much value as possible to its audience. Rightfully so, OTT has emerged as the best and the most convenient form of consuming content. With audiences being able to narrow down their genre choices and opt for flexible packages, multiple attributes have further increased the popularity of OTT frameworks.

In this blog apart from listing all these platforms, I’ll also list what content you get in these platforms and the subscription costs as well.

What is an OTT Platform?

An OTT platform or Over The Top platform is a media distribution method in which they deliver content through the internet. Viewers can access the movies, TV series, and other content of their choice on the respective website or application.

There also available on gaming consoles, tablets, and smart TVs in addition to smartphones, laptops, and computers. As long as viewers are paying for their subscription, they have access to plenty of video content categories of their choice.

Types of OTT platforms

Video streaming platforms – These platforms deliver video content over the internet without the need of satellite TV subscriptions or cable connections. Users access a variety of video content such as TV shows, movies, documentaries, and other popular video-on-demand content usually through subscription-based models. Examples include Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix.

Music streaming platforms – OTT music streaming platforms such as Spotify and YouTube Music allow users to stream songs, playlists, podcasts and other music content over the internet. It eliminates the need for digital downloads or traditional cassettes or CDs. Users listen to their favorite music with personalized playlists and recommendations.

Live TV streaming platforms – On live streaming OTT platforms, users watch live events as they happen. Examples include live news broadcasts, live football matches, entertainment events and more.

Gaming OTT platforms – There has been a significant increase in the number of social games and many OTT platforms have started embedding games on their platforms. Apart from entertainment content, users also get gaming fun at the same place. Netflix in 2021 introduced Netflix games for mobile viewers.

Top 26 Popular OTT Platforms In India

Hotstar 

Hotstar is one of the most famous Indian OTT Platforms. It is a combination of free, VIP, and premium membership. It provides you the access to all the channels owned by Star such as HBO, Star World, Star Plus, etc. Its recent partnership with Disny+ has increased its viewership. It has the largest library available with a lot of Indian TV shows, Movies, Web series, and Hotstar originals.

Subscription starts at-₹299/month

Zee5 

Zee5 is a video streaming platform for all the regions of India. This Indian OTT platform has content available in Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu. It is specially designed for all the Indian audience. Zee5 provides you with movies, web series, and Tv shows, etc. It also has an offline downloading feature available in its app.

Subscription starts at- Rs 99 per month

Mx Player

Subscription starts at- Free

Voot

 

To compete with cable entertainment companies turned streaming services like Hotstar, Viacom 18 has introduced Voot to take the Indian OTT platform market head-on. When it comes to regional TV entertainment, Voot takes home the prize with Colors and all of its regional versions, along with other popular channels like MTV, Comedy Central, and even Nickelodeon for the little ones.

Subscription starts at- Rs 99 per month

Sonyliv 

Unlike the other OTT broadcasting platforms, SonyLIV operates independently as a combination of free and premium video streaming services. From offering unlimited access to movies, TV shows, special short films, kids-friendly content and so much more. It also has a special focus on live cricket streaming which is exclusively licensed to SonyLIV only for certain major series. It provides you with the top shows from the Sony Entertainment Network,. Although the service is free, but, if you want an ad-free Indian OTT platform experience then there is very reasonable amount you can pay and get the premium experience.

Subscription starts at-  Rs. 499. 2/year

Eros Now

Eros Now is a well-known Indian OTT platform in the Bollywood industry. Now it has started its own video streaming services with the same name. It has a large collection of Bollywood movies. It also has a very small collection of international movies but nothing worth mention of.

Subscription starts at-  ₹49/month

BigFlix

BigFlix is a Reliance initiative in the Indian OTT Platform. They wanted to be the Netflix of India but it didn’t turn out that way. Now with some changes, they are back in the industry with some great content. It has a unique feature available in its app. If you want to watch a movie for free you can collect bigflix coins by watching some clips and use it to watch the content you like on their html5 video player.

Subscription starts at-₹50/month

Alt Balaji 

ALTBalaji, a subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms, has one of the biggest variety of original content available. While other Indian ott platforms are focused on streaming famous content, AltBalaji a like a fresh breeze which is providing unconventional and fresh content. Some of its content is critically acclaimed as well. if you want to watch something new in your own language and that too at a very reasonable price, you should definitely subscribe AltBalaji.

Subscription starts at- Rs 43/month

Jio Tv

Jio video streaming services are very different from other broadband+entertainment providers. It doesn’t discriminate its users. It’s freely available for all the jio users. Here you will get a great combination of movies and shows and for this, you don’t have to pay anything extra. It is one of the best free Indian OTT Platforms

.Subscription starts at- Free for all Jio users

ShemarooMe

Shemaroo Entertainment has its own video streaming services, ShemarooMe, the Indian OTT platform. It can be accessed on the web and mobile devices both. With premium Bollywood content, they also have regional content like Gujarati, Marathi, and Punjabi, etc. If you want to enjoy some really classic Bollywood content then this is you stop.

 

Subscription starts at-129/month

Viu

Viu is a Hong Kong-based OTT platform. It is a mix of free and premium content. You can download or stream all the free content and view it any time without a subscription. It has a combination of Indian content and international content available for its viewers.

Subscription starts at- 129/month

Sun Nxt

Sun Nxt is regional video streaming service. It offers over 50,000 hours of live TV content, movies, originals, kid’s Content, music across 4 South Indian languages- Tamil, Telugu, Kannada & Malayalam.

Subscription starts at- Rs. 419.49/month

 

Vodafone Play

If you are looking for a one-stop solution with broadband and entertainment services then Vodafone play is what you need. With Vodafone Play You can watch around 400 Live TV channels, Bollywood, Hollywood, regional & international originals, movies, TV shows, web series, etc. It gives access to content from SonyLIV, ZEE5, ALT Balaji, Shemaroo Me, Sun NXT, Eros Now, Hungama & more.

Subscription starts at- Rs. 179(For Vodafone users)

Airtel Xstream

Another in this list Airtel Xstream. If you have airtel postpaid or V-Fiber broadband you can have access to unlimited Bollywood, Hollywood, and regional content. It’s a great combination of broadband connection and video streaming services.

Subscription starts at- Rs. 999 / year(For Airtel users)

Ullu

Ullu is one of the OTT Platforms that provides you a wide variety of Web Series and EXCLUSIVE Ullu Shows. It has a large variety of genres like drama, horror, comedy, etc.

Subscription starts at- Rs. 144/year

Arre

Arre is one of the OTT platforms in India that produces and publishes videos, audio series, web series, documentaries, text and doodles through its online channel. It was founded by former Network 18 and TV 18 executives B and has original content available.

Spull

If you are a fan of Punjabi content then you must try Spull. It has a rent based system for watching content. It’s specially designed for Bollywood lovers and has a great movie library for them. It also has an offline download feature so that you can watch the content on the go.

Subscription starts at- Rs 99/month

The Viral fever

TVFPlay is very different from other OTT platforms. If you want to watch something unconventional and want to have a premium experience then TVFPlay is your destination. TVF shows its original content and the content around the world they think people can be interested in. It’s a video streaming service that is specially designed for the young generation. The best part is this OTT platform is completely free.

Subscription starts at-  Free

Mubi

Mubi video streaming services, founded in 2007, provide you a unique and ever-rotating collection of movies. It is an online movie theatre that has a collection of some very exclusive handpicked movies. This platform can be accessed on the web, android devices, or ios devices.

Subscription starts at-  $10.99/month

Discovery+

If you have an interest in documentaries and animal world then you require the video streaming services of Discovery+. Discovery+ is one of those ott platforms that features TV shows, documentaries, and short videos. This platform also includes shows from popular TV channels such as Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Science, and Discovery Turbo. If you have an interest in documentaries and animal world this is a place for you.

Subscription starts at- Rs. 299 /year

 

Winter Sun Tv

A product of Wintersun Studios Private Limited, WinterSunTV is an online video streaming OTT platform for short films, web series, documentaries, and music videos. It is not only a video streaming platform but also a film production, post-production, and distribution company.

 

YuppTV

If you want to watch your regional content even outside India then YuppTV is something you need. It provides content in Marathi, Malayalam, etc. Most of the video streaming services don’t cover the news channels which is the upside of YuppTV. YuppTV includes the collection of many TV channels, regional shows, and original YuppTV contents.

Subscription starts at-$10 /Month

Zenga TV

If you are looking to watch premium foreign content for free, then Zenga TV is something you are looking for. It has around 100 channels from all genres but the fallback is if you are looking for quality content that may not be available.

Subscription starts at- Free

Lyca Tv

LycaTv comes as a set-top box which is very easy to install. Just connect with your internet and its ready to use. It comes with pre-installed apps and Dolby audio. It also provides you with the may regional television networks like Star Vijay.

Subscription starts at- $6.99/month

Adda Times

Addatimes is one of those ott platforms which supports regional languages. It’s a very nice initiative to promote Bengali Cinema worldwide. It has its original content like web series and movies.

Subscription starts at- ₹299/Year

Most Popular OTT Platforms Globally

Share this Image On Your Site

</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p><strong>Please include attribution to Vdocipher.com with this graphic.</strong></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p><a href=’https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2020/06/ott-platforms-usa-india/’><img src=’https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/OTT-Platfroms-globally.png’ alt=’Most popular OTT plartfrom’ 540px border=’0′ /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p>

Top 25 Popular OTT Platforms in USA 

Netflix

Netflix is one of the most popular ott platforms. It has over 182 million subscribers from all over the world. Netflix is not only a distributor of the content but also created some of its very famous originals like BloodlineBojack, Horseman, Daredevil, Fuller House, etc. Netflix is very famous because of its high-quality streaming. It also provides offline downloads inside its app. One thing you’d have to note that how platforms like Netflix has come ahead in terms of securing their content from video piracy.

Subscription starts at- $8.99/month

HBO 

HBO NOW is a WarnerMedia product. They wanted to provide their customer with video streaming services that don’t require any television subscription. HBO NOW provides you with all the original content, movies, or series, HBO has ever made or making. Some of its very famous originals are Game of Thrones and Silicon Valley

Subscription starts at-  $14.99/month

YouTube Tv

YouTube Tv, one of the most popular OTT platforms, is Google product. It can be accessed on smart TVs, streaming boxes, computers, and mobile devices. It not only provides you over 70 television networks but also the original content produced by YouTube Red. YouTube TV’s more popular channels include AMC, Bravo, FX, and the USA.

Subscription starts at-  $11.99/month

Hulu

Hulu is very different from the other OTT platforms like Amazon and Netflix. If you want early access to the content which is going to be on air on the television network, Hulu is something you need. Hulu has over 30 million subscribers. Hulu provides basic services at a very reasonable cost and with the ad-supported model you can watch all the content Hulu provides.

Subscription starts at-  $11.99/month

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime is one of those OTT platforms which were introduced as a direct competition to Netflix. We all can say it is one of our favorite video streaming services. Amazon has over 150 million subscribers. Amazon has tons of international content available. It provides you with so many amazing amazon original contents like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Homecoming, Forever, etc.

Subscription starts at-  $12.99/month

Disney+

If you are a fan of beautiful animations, superheroes, fairytales, this is the platform you are gonna need. Unlike other OTT platforms, Disney+ provides you the content produced by Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel. It also provides you the content produced by National geographic and 20th Century Fox. Its content is available in resolutions up to 4K Ultra HD in Dolby Vision and HDR10, with Dolby Atmos sound on supported devices. It also provides language support and subtitles in English, Spanish, French, and Dutch.

Subscription starts at-  $6.99/month

AppleTv+

Apple TV+  is a Video streaming services provider that is not only for video streaming but also can be used for listening to music, playing games, and using other apps on your Tv. As apple has everything unique, this product is also quite amazing for its users as it provides a one-stop solution for sign up and watch premium TV streaming services inside just one app, without having to switch from app to app on your device.

Subscription starts at-  $4.99/month

Crackle

If you don’t want to pay for video streaming services then Crackle is your thing. It works on an ad-supported model. Crackle has its original web series, movies which you can watch for free but you have to watch the ads while it playing. Owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, Crackle provides you the new content every month. I say its almost impossible to complain about ads when you are getting for free.

Subscription starts at Free but contains ads

Sling

Sling is one of those OTT platforms which has something for everyone. This platform has both video streaming services- free and paid. It has more than 85000 movies and shows and costs you almost half the cost of the cable networks. With Sling, you have access to more than 50 live channels which includes CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News

Subscription starts at-  $30/month

ESPN

ESPN+ is a complement to existing ESPN content and very different from other OTT platforms. If you are a sports enthusiast then this is the place for you. It brings you the live programming from the ESPN television network that you can access on your mobile devices, desktop tablet, Xbox 360, Xbox One.

Subscription starts at-   $4.99/month

Starz

Previously been available in Amazon Prime Channels and Apple TV now has its own video streaming services named Starz. Its parent company Lionsgate is very exclusive about the content and only goes with a new show if they think it’s unique and a good fit. Starz also has offline downloads that help you watch the content anytime, anywhere.

Subscription starts at-  $8.99/month

Fubo

XUMO

Xumo is a free, video streaming service that primarily offers a selection of programming content through digital linear channels designed to emulate the experience of traditional television programming, and supported by revenue generated from video advertisements inserted into the service’s programming streams in designated conventional television-styled commercial breaks.

Subscription starts at-   Free

SHOWTIME

SHOWTIME streaming services are a subscription service that gives you commercial-free, on-demand access to SHOWTIME programming, as well as the live broadcast of the east and west coast, feeds of SHOWTIME.  The SHOWTIME streaming service is only accessible in the United States and its territories and possessions.

Subscription starts at-   $10.99/month

CBS

CBS All Access, American video streaming services owned and operated by CBS Interactive, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS. It offers original content, content newly aired on CBS’s broadcast properties, and content from CBS’s library. CBS was one of the earliest entrants in the streaming wars. The company launched All Access in October 2014 — way before than other ott platforms. The company’s streaming services have more than 11 million domestic subscribers.

Subscription starts at-   $4.99/month

MLB.Tv

MLB.TV is a standalone video streaming service different than other ott platforms, that lets you watch up to 80 out-of-market Major League Baseball games each week. This means you get to keep up with live games that you have no other way of accessing because they aren’t available in your local market or broadcast on national TV. But note that blackout restrictions apply, so you won’t have live access to nationally-broadcast or locally-broadcast games.

Subscription starts at-  $24.99/month

Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is one of the most complete video streaming services. It has over 1,200 contents in its library. Unlike other ott platforms, it supports HD streams for both free and paid accounts, but you will need to opt for the premium tier to get rid of ads. The service does not support offline downloads, which is a major limitation.

Subscription starts at-  $7.99/month

PHILO

Philo is one of the affordable video streaming services that offer a good mix of live and on-demand content. For just $20 per month, you get 58 channels, including AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BET, Cooking Chanel, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, SCI, and the Travel Channel. Philo focuses on entertainment and lifestyle content, so consumers who primarily want to watch news and sports should look elsewhere.

Subscription starts at-  $20/month

Charter 

When it is about entertainment, we all have different choices and preferences. Even family members living in the same house prefer different channels and entertainment material.  Crackle video streaming services provide customized entertainment package by subscribing to any package. You can watch the content on Charter TV Streaming app too with this package. You will like this plan, as it is quite flexible giving you the option to choose what you wan

Subscription starts at-   $4.99/month

Acorn

Acorn TV is different than other ott platforms that offer full episodes of the best British mystery, drama, comedy, and documentary TV shows. It is geo-blocked outside the US and Canada. If you want something different from the regular ott platforms, this is it.

Subscription starts at-  $1/month

Hallmark Movies Now

Hallmark Movies Now video streaming services offer family-friendly movies, documentaries, and short films. It is a subscription-based service that offers unlimited, commercial-free streaming of beloved Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, original movies, series & specials from Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and handpicked Hollywood favorites.

Subscription starts at-  $5.99/month

BritBox

If your priority is to watch BBC and ITV shows, then you should consider BritBox video streaming services, as it is a joint venture between those two companies. Popular shows on the service include Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Classic Doctor Who, Midsomer Murders, and Vera. Drama fans get Jonathan Creek, Prime Suspect, Shetland, and Wallander. BritBox also has comedies such as 8 out of 10 Cats, Rev., and The Office.

Subscription starts at-  $6.99/month

Funimation

Funimation is the best anime streaming service for fans of dubs. Funimation’s web site and mobile apps impressed us from a design standpoint. The service also supports offline downloads and allows you to customize closed captions. Funimation’s base plan supports two simultaneous streams, but higher tiers bump that limit up to five.

Subscription starts at-  $5.99/month

 

DirecTv Now

Ditching your cable provider is easier than ever thanks to the growing number of video streaming services that focus on live tvs, such as DirecTv Now. This cable-replacement service performs well and offers a ton of channel options, but its packages seem arbitrarily fragmented and are expensive relative to what you get.

Subscription starts at-  $40/month

PopcornFlix

Popcornflix is a free on-demand video platform that offers movies and TV episodes without the hassle of a monthly subscription. In exchange for the free content, Popcornflix inserts advertisements into the viewing experience. You do not have to sign up for an account with Popcornflix in order to enjoy the free content. That means there is no need to share personal information like a home address or a credit card number. However, Popcornflix does offer the ability to create a personalized account on their platform. On the phone app, you may be prompted to sign up for an account, but the option to skip the process is located in the top right corner of your screen.

Subscription starts at-   Free

How To Start Your Own OTT Streaming Services

The best way to capitalize on prospects and opportunities is to start your own OTT streaming services. But the task is easier said than done. So, grab the golden chance to pull more potential customers to your platform and reward yourself with generous ROI. Let’s take a look at how you can start your own OTT streaming services.

1. Choosing your Niche

With plenty of niches in the OTT business, they are almost always in demand. While it’s best to pick an evergreen niche, anything that you can provide value on is a brilliant choice. Some common examples include entertainment, fitness, sports, lifestyle, and e-learning.

But it’s important to keep in mind that before choosing your niche it’s important to conduct research for parameters like key market players, demand, supply, growth factors, and so on. Conducting a detailed competitor analysis will also help you understand the video streaming market and OTT business in depth.

If your business has a USP, that’s another plus point! It is also advisable to check out various subscription plans, pricing, and business models of your competitors. That will give you detailed insights into how you can set your own.

2. Building Content 

Even though it has become such a cliche, but content was, is, and will always remain the king. Every business owner who plans on having OTT streaming services of their own should make content a top priority. It should match user expectations and be relevant to what your niche promises.

If you start creating exclusive content available on your OTT platform, it will increase your user retention. Besides creating highly valuable content, your OTT streaming services should always show personalized content according to user preferences. If you just get relevant suggestions based on their likings and what kind of content they usually prefer to consume, they’re most likely to get hooked to your platform. You can also create regional content for better and localized targetting. The rule of thumb is that your content should always have high quality and should be interactive and engaging.

3. Narrow Down Your Target Audience

Once you are done with your content creation strategy, it’s time to target who can benefit from your videos. The ultimate goal of every business relying on an OTT streaming service is to offer a quality experience to users that serve the purpose they want to fulfill. For example, if it’s a mystery TV show, the target audience is going to be mystery lovers that have watched similar shows. If it’s fitness, sports fanatics, gym freaks, and yoga lovers would be your right target audience.

4. Know The Necessary OTT Streaming Functionalities and Attributes

If you trying to formulate a successful OTT business plan, here are the functionality and features both advance and basic you must consider.

• User Profile

Users should easily be able to create multiple profiles and easily manage segregating content according to their preferences. Virtual dashboards make obtaining key insights and having smooth navigation possible.

• Registration and Sign In

Users should easily be able to create verified accounts using their email, phone number, etc to access the content.

• Search

Very often, users just have something in their mind and they want to search for its availability. That’s where the search bar comes into the picture. It should also have a drop-down menu of multiple genres to further categorize the content.

• User Interface and User Experience

Two of the most crucial aspects of smooth streaming include UX and UI. That’s why all OTT platform owners should focus on delivery in the finest viewing experience to their target audience. Personalization is a cherry on the icing!

• Screen Mirroring

Screen mirroring is an important feature that enables users to access the video content of their choice on different screens and devices. Incorporating this will help expand your business by removing restrictions.

• Watch Lists

If someone isn’t able to watch a particular piece of content instantly, they can add it to the watch list and finish it later with the help of this feature.

• Video player, Creating and Managing Videos

Integrate reporting and analytics feature into the video player for better insights. There should be a clear video library and easy content management for glitch-free access for viewers and easy uploading and organization of content for creators. Robust analytics tools can help keep track of performance and engagement.

5. Creation of The OTT App and Website

Your app or website will handle support tickets and queries along with collecting payments. Having a website automatically increases customer trust to a manifold no matter what business it is. The same thing applies to OTT streaming services as well. Always remember that your website design should be responsive to maintaining a seamless user experience and cross-device uniformity. The same thing goes for an application. However, you might have to do some extra research to discover what kind of devices your audiences are using to access your application.

6. Finding the Right Secure Video Hosting Service

Finding the appropriate and secure video hosting solution is a crucial component of starting your own OTT platform. Professional video hosting enables OTT platforms to measure their success by tracking engagement and views. It also helps businesses with the effective and efficient delivery of video content.

A professional video hosting platform is always better than mainly uploading videos on blogs and websites since they’re specifically designed for streaming and hosting videos. In other words, they offer video editing options and features available exclusively with video hosting platform. Benefits include better search engine optimization, improved engagement, enhanced branding, higher control, and a rocketing ROI.

Some other striking benefits include:

• Variety of customizable options
• Integration with the social media networks of your choice
• Video CMS for a hassle-free organization and management of video content
• AES encryption
• Password protection
• Dynamic watermarking
• DRM

If you want all these features and a lot more under a single umbrella, take the no-strings-attached trial version of VdoCipher. 

6. Choose Your Business Model 

Using the right business model is crucial for streamlining the monetization of your videos. Let us take a look at the different business models for OTT platforms that will help you make an informed decision based on your business needs.

• Subscription Model

As long as users are paying a fixed amount for a set duration in the form of a subscription fee, they can access the offered content. Amazon Prime Videos, Hulu, Netflix, and other OTT giants work on this very business model.

• Transactional Model

The transactional model usually offers free sign-up but charges to allow access to content similar to pay per view. This model helps maximize short-term profits by holding a one-time payment and allowing users to download or own content.

• Advertisement Model

It’s a proven fact that advertisements are one of the most profitable income sources across the globe. Especially if you have a wide audience base, an advertisement business model can work well when your target audiences don’t really prefer to regularly pay for content.

• Hybrid Business Model

The Hybrid doesn’t model is a combination of subscription, advertisement, and transactional models. All-in-all, it caters to the interest of your potential customers and helps businesses increase their ROI.

Features to look for in a OTT platform

Content Library – An OTT platform’s value and viewership is primarily decided by the content library. It is the collection of varied content range, originals, licensed content, curated on the basis of genre, languages and preference. The more diverse the content library, the higher are the chances of viewer retention and coming back for fresh content.

User interface – The user experience directly impacts the viewership and viewing experience. It is pretty frustrating to navigate a poorly designed UI. A well-designed interface makes the platform more engaging and user-friendly. Some features to work on include easy navigation, consistency across devices, easy customizations, and accessibility.

Personalization – A user is highly satisfied with an ott platform where the content is relevant and interesting as per preference. Personalization involves algorithms that recommend content as per user’s viewing history, choices and other factors. The more personalized content is, higher are the chances of user retention.

Downloads for offline viewing – Offline downloads allow downloading content to watch later without an internet connection. It’s a useful feature for those having limited access to the internet or while traveling such as flight and long commutes.

Parental controls – Many OTT platforms offer mature content and parents want to restrict access to certain content for their children. Parental controls restricts children from viewing certain content and allows parents or guardians to monitor their children’s viewing habits.

Audio quality – A good audio quality makes the content immersive and improves the viewing experience. Even good quality video content with poor audio makes it distracting and forces the viewers to watch some other content. Also those having hearing impairments require high-quality audio support.

Social media integrations – Easy social media integrations help promote the platform as users turn to social media to engage, share their experience and discover new content. Social media integrations have several advantages such as increased engagement, increased chances of getting user-generated content, better discoverability, brand presence and enhanced reach and marketing.

Conclusion

The rise of OTT platforms is relatively new and by now it’s clear that the trend is not going to go away anytime soon. In fact, it might be one of those evergreen trends that last till the end of times. Due to their evolutionary nature, its important to keep updated with the necessary prerequisites of OTT platforms.

It’s no secret that businesses today don’t have a hard time branding if they know the do’s and don’ts. OTT platforms have emerged as one of the best ways to spread a message across whether it’s information, entertainment, or literally anything else. If you still haven’t tested the waters of this powerful way to increase brand recognition, gain new customers, and retain the loyal ones, what are you waiting for? Tick all the items on the checklist based on the above info and get started!

I hope you enjoyed this list of top OTT platforms in India and US. Let me know what’s your take on this list and what platforms do you use the most in the comment section down below. Feel free to share this list with your friends as well.

FAQs

What are the benefits of using an OTT platform?

Access to a wider range of content: OTT platforms offer a wider range of content than traditional television providers. This includes a greater selection of movies, TV shows, and other video content.

Flexibility: OTT platforms do not require a long-term commitment like traditional television providers. This means that you can cancel your subscription at any time without penalty.

Lower cost: OTT platforms typically cost less than traditional television providers. This is because there are no installation or equipment fees.

What are some of the most popular 18+ OTT platform in India?

Some of the most popular OTT platforms in India include Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar and Netflix.

How is the Market growth of OTT platforms in India?

In India, the OTT service economy market growth is expected at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.6% during the forecast period of 2020–2025. This growth is driven by factors like increased penetration of broadband and mobile Internet, the growing need for smartphones, and the availability of affordable data plans.