Bring content closest to the user – Raunak Maheshwari – ED & CEO EXTREME

Bring content closest to the user – Raunak Maheshwari – ED & CEO EXTREME

OTT Platforms in the Evolving Landscape: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Way Forward

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Mumbai: Today the lines are blurred as the streaming business is getting more complex and complicated, as monetization gets unclear. There is so much disruption happening, AVOD is offering SVOD and vice versa. Premium content is provided absolutely free, and much more is happening in this sector. Subscriber add-ons are slowing down. Time spent viewing OTTs has plateaued for almost each and every platform, and high churn continues despite attractive annual schemes being offered by them. However, the good news is that the Rs 10-12 million paid OTT subscription market in India continues to excite an increasing number of advertisers who are willing to put out their ads on these platforms. Mobile continues to be the main device of consumption even as connected TVs are increasingly getting into Indian homes. Investments in content continue to burgeon as viewers' insatiable appetite continues to demand more and more.

It is certain that this new ecosystem is calling for new relationships to be forged, new partnerships to be developed as TV manufacturers, Cable TV, DTH, and telcos and other aggregators' presence as gatekeepers to their customers is increasingly being felt. So, what is the way forward for the OTT platforms? Where do the opportunities lie? What are the challenges?

This year's Vidnet 2023 looked at all these scenarios and more, and found answers to some of these questions along with experts from the industry.

Raunak Maheshwari spoke to multiple stakeholders about how Extreme has played its part in the wireline broadband revolution in India and how it can further help bring content closer to the end user further enhancing end-user experience for video content.