I often feel nostalgic when I am reminded of the days when my mother with the nighbouhood aunties and their kids used to watch serials TV together be it the iconic Kasauti Zindagi Kay or anything else. Now it brings a smile on my face as well as a sigh when I remember the time when I used to swiftly change the channel while watching the music videos of Imran Hashmi before my mother came from kitchen. Gone are the days when we keenly waited for the shows like Indian Idol, Big boss, CID, KBC or our favourite music shows in channels like nxm, MTV etc.
OTT platforms have now taken a large share of India’s entertainment industry. Before diving deep into the topic let’s first clarify what OTT platforms are. OTT or Over The Top is an online subscription based or free entertainment platform usually in te form of apps in phones which offer a variety of options for entertainment like web-series, movies, documentaries, short films, TV shows, podcasts etc under one roof.
Contents
- What traditional entertainment lacked where OTT tookover
- How OTT has impacted the Entertainment Distribution Channels
- How OTT has changed the expectations of Viewers from content makers and actors
- Actors Who Rose to Fame and Made Comebacks Through OTT
- Harsh Realities of OTT Era Turning into New Normal
- Lets Wrap This Up
How the Journey Began:
I remember when I was in class 11 the discussion about series like Mirzapur, Sacred Games, Gangs of Wasseypur, TVF content etc stared in my friend circle so I also got tempted to watch them and subscribed Netflix in the winters of 2017.
In India, the practice of OTT subscription gradually started in early 2017 after Reliance Jio offered free internet and smart phones became popular. The habit of subscrbing for OTT platforms was initially adopted by the corporate employees and IT proffessionals of tier 1 and tier 2 cities in the beginning as they have more outlook and more disposable income and a very hectic schedule. OTT gave them the flexibility to watch their favourite content at their own convenience. Soon like a forest fire OTT gained so much popularity among the youth.
Currently there are 600 million OTT users which is 87% of the internet users (i.e 41% of the population) amounting to nearly 601 million as per the report published by Business Standard September 2025.
India set to exceed 900 million internet users by 2025, says …
To read more about the statistic you can go through-
//www.business-standard.com › Industry › News
What traditional entertainment lacked where OTT tookover-
1. Less Realisctic Content by traditional entertainment :
Usually most of us feel irritated and bored when a song comes in a movie and it doesn’t match to our vibe, don’t we, we prefer skipping it? Especially when dozens of background dancers dance in the similar steps behind the protagonists. The Indian viewers are bored of the age old traditional Bollywood or regional cinema or serial contet where the things are presesnted in a very cringe and unrealistic way. Like if someone is the hero then he is presented to be good in all aspects and doesn’t have any negative quality at all and vice versa in the case of villain, usually the characters are either white or black very rarely grey characters are shown. Ekta Kapoors serials portray the women always wearing heavy and gorgeous sarees and jewellery even when at home, even while sleeping.
OTT on the other hand presents the content in a very raw and rustic manner, be it Pankaj Tripathy as Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur or Jitendra kumar as Jitu Bhaiya in the Kota Factory or Nawaz Uddin Siddiqui as Ganesh Gaitonde in the Sacred Games.
2. Fixed/ Routine time:
TV shows and serials have times which is not feasible if it doesnt match to the viewer’s schedule. Its too time consuming and expensive to watch movies in theaters.
Content on OTT can be watched anytime as per viewer’s convenience.
3. More Devices and a Complex Set up is Required:
Having a traditional TV connection requires having a TV, antena, set up box, wiring etc which is not feasible for students and bachelors.
To watch content on OTT just smartphone or a laptop with a internet connection is required. Subscription may or maynot be required as some are also provide free content. User can watch the content from anywhere.
4. Lot of Advertiments:
How many of you remember how irritating it feels when we used to movies in channels like Sony Max, Star Gold or Zee Cinema and ads used to play for not less than 30 mins. It makes the viewer loose patience.
Usually OTTs do not have ads but sometimes advertisements can be seen in the free versions or with the base plans but for very short duration of maximum 20 seconds.
5. Clashing of Shows-
I am sure we all might have felt helpless in our childhood when we coundn’t watch our favourite shows because grandfather wanted to watch the prime time News. Usually one household has on one or two TVs with more around which means each one of them cannot watch separate content at the same time.
As almost everyone now a days have their own smart phone they can watch anything as per their wish.
6. No Customisation or filtration of Content as per the View’s taste:
TVs have an ‘one size fits all’ kind of approach towards their viewers where the viewer has to watch whatever is shown and not he wants to see.
On the other hand OTT has sophisticated algorithms which undertands the viewer’s taste and preference based on his history of watching content and suggests content of the similar genres.
How OTT has impacted the Entertainment Distribution Channels:
OTT platforms have disrupted the traditional distribution models of the entertainment industry. Previously, content creators relied heavily on studios and other networks to produce and distribute their work. These intermediaries often exercised significant control over the creative process and had limited distribution channels. OTT platforms have empowered content creators by providing them with direct access to audiences. Independent filmmakers and producers can now bypass traditional hinderances and distribute their content globally.
How OTT has changed the expectations of Viewers from content makers and actors-
Remember when Indian digital content meant poor-quality YouTube videos or pirated movies. The scene has now entirely change to high quality video content which are really engaging.
1. Demand for Original and Realistic Content:
Remember when Indian digital content meant poor-quality YouTube sketches or pirated movies. The web series format has revolutionized Indian storytelling. Freed from the constraints of daily soaps or three-hour films, creators can now tell stories over 8-10 episodes with cinema-quality production values. Shows like “Family Man,” “Sacred Games,” and “Mirzapur” have proven that Indian audiences have an appetite for complex, nuanced storytelling that traditional TV rarely offered.
2. Bold, Boundary-Pushing Content–
Free from the censorship that governs theatrical releases and traditional TV, OTT platforms have created space for mature, complex themes. Shows like “Made in Heaven,” “Delhi Crime,” and “Paatal Lok” tackle subjects like sexuality, corruption, caste discrmination, and social inequality.
Actors Who Rose to Fame and Made Comebacks Through OTT-
While Pankaj Tripathy, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Jitendra Kumar, Shweta Tripathi, Pooja Singh etc have become household names dues their outstanding work in the wbseries and movies on OTT, there are numerous actors who have made their successful comebacks through these platforms like Bobby Deol in Ashram, Abhishek Bachan in Breathe into the shadows, Nina Gupta in Panchayat, Kulbhushan Kharbanda in Mirzapur and many more.
Harsh Realities of OTT Era Turning into New Normal –
1. Jobloss of artists who couldnt adapt to the trend shift-
Many actors including especially the 90s and 20s comedians like Johny Lever, Raju Srivastav etc are getting very less work, along with that background dancers are also finding it difficult to get work due to the shift in the preference of the audiences.
2. Lesser Collection at the Box Office-
Viewers now a days average movies feel assured that movies are soon going to be listed on OTT and often feel demotivated to watch them in the theatres unless the movies are exatraordinarily special.
3. Lesser family time in front of the TV making the Elderly feel Left out-
We all miss the days when the entire family used to watch shows like Mahabharat, The Kapil Sharma show, reality shows like Indian Idol, India’s Got Talent. My grandma and mother used to watch serials where mother used to explain granny in between due to linguistic barriers. This not only enhanced the bonding among the family members but also made elderly feel cared. Due to OTT and social media starting from children to the middle aged all are getting glued to their smartphones making the elderly feel secluded.
4. Unnecessary Multiple autopays for the User-
Many of us have had that irritable experience when our bank sends texts us that your account has been debited by so much amount because of the auto pay for such subscription. While subscribing, almost all the OTT platforms ask us to sign an auto pay contract with can be cancelled anytime but we usually forget them after subscribing. Many of us subscribe OTT to watch just one series or one latest season of any series and mostly keep it untouched, but it keeps deducting amount every month or quarter if we forget to turn off the auto pay.
4. Zero Censorship-
As there is no censor board for OTT the adult content has nudity, substance use, tobacco use, used of slangs, extreme violence, private fantacies etc. This puts negative impact on the minds of the viewers especially minors who are more susceptible to get missguided. Although the content are categorised into Universal, 12+, 16+ and adult but these are accessible to everyone.
5. Lesser Updated Citizens about the World Around-
The rise of video streaming services and wide internet penetration has drawn audiences away from all forms of traditional TV channels icluding news. People majorly used to consume news fro TV media from the last two decades this trend has seen a significant fall since last 4 to 5 years. The citizens especially the youth are very less updated or ill informed about what is happening around them in the World because, there are enoungh distractions in the internet.
Lets Wrap This Up-
OTT plarforms have had a profound impact on the entertainment industry. By evading traditional distribution models, empowering content creators, and changing audience behavior, these platforms have transformed the way we consume and experience entertainment. They also have a numder of short comings as disscussed above. As the industry continues to evolve, it is clear that OTT platforms will remain instrumental in shaping the future of content creation and consumption.
Sushreep
Simanchalp