OTT viewership among male audiences increased two-fold compared to females: Study

India will experience an increase from 350 to 500 million OTT consumers by 2023. While the prevalence of OTT viewership is the highest among the younger generation, men aged 15-30 consume the most OTT content, a study by Betway Insider, an online sports blog, has found.

Among Indian women, the consumption of OTT content is highest in the 25-35 age group, which increased during the pandemic. But the male audiences increased two-fold compared to females. Women contribute to less than 50 per cent of overall consumption compared to men.

Interestingly, OTT's expansion is attributed to rural India, contributing to around 65 per cent of OTT content consumption, the study found.

"OTT's impact has forayed into different levels of society, with brand marketers even leveraging the in-trend OTT content to push engagement on digital media," said the study.

The size of the OTT market in minutes of consumption in India has risen from 181 billion to 204 billion minutes in 2021. Moreover, 85 per cent of Indian subscribers will be Internet-ready by the end of 2023.

Disney+ Hotstar has the most reach with 43 million subscribers, followed by Amazon Prime with 17 million subscribers, and Netflix with 5 million subscribers. Hotstar holds 29 per cent of overall viewership. 

The study further says that the rapid expansion of smartphones and their use for digital consumption in rural areas, coupled with the advent of cheap high-speed Internet from service providers like Reliance Jio, played a significant role in OTT expansion.

The emergence of edutainment and free content on major OTT applications have allowed kids to entertain as well as educate themselves digitally, the report said. 

 Further, the high demand for regional content has pulled channel providers such as KPMG Eros Now, Zee TV, and Sun TV to develop their own OTT platforms.

Netflix's Rs 199 monthly mobile-only plan is the perfect example of the company's motive to capture the rural Indian audience, says the study.