Young generation prefers watching TV shows, sports and movies on their phone, but housewives and senior citizens depend on traditional TV sets.
Of course, watching a cricket match on HD television set can prove to be a highly invigorating experience compared to watching the same match on phone’s six-inch screen. However, TV set may not be available everywhere, and this is where your phone enjoys an upper hand. Viewers can access their favorite shows and movies anytime. Thus, more and more youngsters are consuming content using apps like Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Jio TV, YouTube, and Mobdro.
#1.
Until the launch of Reliance Jio’s network, most of the users preferred to use these apps only after connecting their device to Wi-Fi hotspot. But, that’s history.
As per internet trends data released by research firm Kleiner Perkins, in March 2017, Indians used 1.3 billion GB data. It also pointed out that a drastic increase was noted in the use of video as well as music streaming apps since the launch of Reliance Jio network in India. Access to data at low cost has triggered this increase in usage.
#2.
The report also highlighted the point that streaming service Hotstar from Star India reported four times increase in the number of users in March 2017 compared to numbers from March 2016.
The platform offers a great collection of TV shows, movies. It also offers live streaming of international as well as Indian news channels, including Republic TV. Besides TV shows from Star India’s channels, Hotstar Originals like Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai Take 2 also attract new viewers.
Hotstar competes with Amazon Prime Video when it comes to premium content and subscription model. With Amazon Prime Video, you can watch exclusive regional, Hindi and international TV shows, movies by paying the subscription fee of Rs.499 per year. Prime Video’s Inside Edge series helped it to rope in a lot of new subscribers recently.
YouTube app does not need much of introduction. Jio TV app offers access to all the Indian TV channels free of cost to Jio SIM users. For those looking for international channels, Mobdro is the right option.
#3.
The Mobdro mobile application is another player that’s slowly gaining popularity. It accumulates all the video streams for channels from around the world and makes them available to the user via its Android app. Channels like ABC, CBS, HBO Family, Hallmark, Showtime, ITV UK, Sky Movies, Sky Sports channels, Sony Film Channel UK and hundreds of other channels that are not available on cable or DTH in India. Most of these channels are available in the app’s free version. If you wish to watch the unedited and uncut version of Hollywood films, this app can keep you glued to your phone screen for several hours.
Filmmakers are slowly moving towards these platforms due to freedom from censorship
#4.
Getting a movie cleared from censor board still remains to be headache. Take a look at Amazon India’s Inside Edge, directed by Karan Anshuman as an example. It exposes the murky world of cricket and nexus between underworld, politicians as well as gambling den operators. Due to the storyline, TV channel broadcasting it would have easily attracted BCCI’s ire. In case of a film, the Indian censor board might have asked the producers to drop several references to politicians and cricketers. But, it was released as internet series and creators were able to present their idea freely, without diluting the same.
This is the reason, even director Kabir Khan and other mainstream movie makers are set to launch video series on Amazon Prime Video soon.
Overall, video streaming apps are slowly becoming the face of entertainment for the younger generation.
