Video on Demand platforms have seen a great increase over the past few years In India. This has mainly been because of the increase in Smartphone users and higher penetration of 4G services. More and more digital innovations are working towards enabling streaming of videos on slow connections
With many new entrants like Netflix, Voot, Yupp Tv etc. Hotstar definitely takes a larger piece of the cake. Star Tv’s launch of the digital platform was very strategically planned before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and had gained over 340 million views during this period. Hotstar currently has over 25 million unique viewers and has content ranging from Hindi, Vernacular shows, English and Sports programs and is gaining popularity as a personal pocket TV.
So what makes Hotstar a good medium for advertisers? This digital platform allows for advertisers to play their ads (only in the video format) before, during and after the streaming of shows, and only charge for every view that is completed by users. The cost per completed view starts from as low as Rs 1.75. Advertisers can also select where they want their ads to appear with the selection of filters on the basis of Genre, language, Content, Geography and Phone users. Since the content is available free of cost to the users, Star India aims at generating revenues, solely through advertising. The biggest advantage that they have is the reach of their audience , which is the highest compared to competitors
Over more that 250 advertisers have partnered with the digital brand in less than a year, and continues growing strong. The true challenge will lie in how they will maintain their first mover’s advantage that gained them an audience. Other players like Netflix, Voot and now, even Amazon prime videos are looking at working on their digital innovations and customize their content to suit the India audience across all platforms. After all, greater the product, larger are the customers and hence better opportunities for the advertiser
