New Delhi: Video streaming services are increasingly diversifying their offerings with more free content following the realization that relying solely on subscriptions will not be enough to sustain the over-the-top (OTT) business.

For example, JioCinema has made local language programming, including new movies and shows, available for free, while Disney+Hotstar is offering premium sports events at no cost to mobile users.Amazon has followed suit, streaming international content on its free service miniTV.

However, industry experts said this strategy may not generate substantial profits for the companies, considering that digital ad spending in India is primarily directed at Google or YouTube. Consequently, new films or high-profile shows are typically not free. Therefore, production houses have been increasingly concentrating on creating cost-effective, high-volume shows rather than premium, large-scale programmes.

“This will happen even more frequently, going forward, as platforms are still in the customer acquisition game and these are tried and tested strategies that make sense in India,” said a senior executive of a streaming…

Source By: livemint

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