In the post-Covid world, OTT platforms are increasingly becoming popular among cine lovers in India. Here are the top-rated OTT platforms in India where you can catch up on your favorite movies and web series. These on-demand video streaming services offer on-demand Bollywood and regional language entertainment. You can access these anytime, anywhere, on most Internet-connected screens – mobile, web, and TV.
Film & TV Streaming Services in India Pick Up Pace; Future of Entertainment is Here
Watch Movies and Web Series Legally
There was a time when people in India would spend hours online trying to find sites where they could watch popular movies and TV shows.
Today, you can watch movies, web series, sports, shows, and more, right at home, on your TV, computer or smartphone. Thanks to the various OTT platforms that are now available in India.
“With the help of the internet, we are putting power in consumers’ hands to watch whenever, wherever and on whatever device,”
There’s a reason why many think that on-demand video is going to be the future of video entertainment.
It’s convenient and cheaper to watch at home than at theatres, and you can watch it on any smart device, you can choose from a wide range of content, and the movies are free from those annoying commercials.
You basically need only an Internet connection, and then you’re ready to enjoy video content on a wide range of devices, including personal computers, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs and game consoles. You will get the best possible streaming quality (depending on the available bandwidth though).
India is Lucrative for Big OTT Platforms
Growing internet speed is a global phenomenon and it continues to grow. Internet infrastructure in India is becoming better. You get 5G data and more fibre optics connection. Eventually, it will be like electricity, every village in India will get fibre optic.
The business environment in India is also changing. Netflix came to India first and didn’t go to China because China was not offering licences easily.
India has a strong cable market but rock-bottom pricing. Netflix initially targeted iPhone users in India as their subscription was expensive compared to the local cable operator. Over time, by growing its content, its subscription in India increased. Today, OTT subscription has increased significantly.
India is a highly fragmented market with different languages. Companies are trying to make great content that will not only appeal to Indian families but also be successful across markets. People in general want great; they want sports, news, drama, comedy and movies, and they pay for it.
Next couple of years will see the flourishing of the Indian creative community (writers, directors and actors) with Netflix, Amazon and Hotstar bidding for content.
Future of Cable. It is easier for journalists to suggest that cable will be dead. Over time, there will be a reduction in cable subscriptions but it could be modest.
Top Streaming Platforms in India
Here are the top OTT (Over the Top) platforms available in India to watch Bollywood (and other languages) movies and more content.
Netflix: The biggest of them all, Netflix offers high-quality streaming service for TV, movies and documentaries over a wide range of devices. Netflix is hugely popular in the Western world, and is now a leading OTT platform in India as well, with a great variety of movies and shows. Netflix offers a wide variety of Western films, documentaries, and TV shows.
Netflix became a household name in India when it released the blockbuster show Sacred Games. Its selection of Indian films has been increasing by the day and you can expect more content for Indian users going ahead.
Netflix paid a handsome amount for Amir Khan’s Dangal to acquire the OTT rights; however, it has been long enough in the Indian market now and understands how the market functions. The OTT major paid a small amount to acquire the rights for Amir Khan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings with Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.
Saturday night got pretty Khantastic! @iamsrk @aamir_khan pic.twitter.com/4peHWtYCMj
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) March 11, 2017
Amazon Prime: Amazon is another major OTT platform and one of the high-rated in India, that offers a wide range of content, in addition to Hindi movies, shows, web series, and more. Prime video offers a wide variety of film and television content (both International as well as Indian).
Both Netflix and Amazon are investing heavily in creating exclusive/original content, and have tied up with several Bollywood producers and other Indian creators to create original content. However, regional players like Eros, Zee, and Sony have a wider collection of regional content.
Disney+Hotstar: This is a popular streaming platform to watch sports (covers most major global sporting events), in addition to drama and movies in several languages. This is more like a jack-of-all-trades on-demand service, offers a bit of everything – Western and Indian TV and film, sports and even original content.
SonyLiv: This is a popular OTT for those who want to watch popular Hindi TV series like CID, Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah. Owned by Sony India, Sony LIV offers a great mix of Indian content – TV, Hindi & regional movies (as well as music). It also has a wide selection of English movies and has sports content as well.
Eros Now: Eros Now is like the Indian version of Netflix. When it comes to Indian content – TV, films, videos, nothing even comes close to it. You can find movies by genre, and popularity. In foreign countries, ‘Eros Now’ streams content, with English and Arabic subtitles. However, unlike Netflix, which is more of an aggregator of content, Eros owns all of its content, consisting mainly of Bollywood films and music. More on Eros International.
Zee5: TV Shows from ZEE network, Movies, International & Original content, music online. It also has several regional TV shows and movies.
Voot: It is quite popular with youngsters who love to watch MTV shows like Roadies, and Splitsvilla.
Watch free online streaming of your favourite TV Shows, Movies, Kids Shows – Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada and more with Colors, MTV, NICK and many of your favourite channels in HD quality.
ALTBalaji: Balaji Telefilms owned OTT, ALTBalaji offers lots of original content, various shows, and movies. You can subscribe for a reasonable price.
Big Flix: Part of the Reliance Entertainment venture but hasn’t been promoted that aggressively yet. Offers a good mix of Hindi and regional films, with a decent number of the latest blockbusters. However, it lacks TV content as of now.
YouTube: You all probably already know about YouTube, it has a good collection of Hindi movies too. However, due to strict copyright rules, you may not find the full version of the latest releases. Dailymotion is a huge video portal and has a huge Indian audience in the UK. It also hosts several Bollywood movies accessible to fans throughout the world.
