India has become more digital-savvy, with many people coming on to the Internet for the past few years. And since Netflix and Amazon Prime Video launched in India in 2016, video streaming services has made its impact on the Indian market. India’s streaming service, Hotstar, was launched a year earlier in 2015. There are also numerous other premium and free services in the country like Voot or TVF Play. Customers have a lot of choices in 2020, and the number of people has increased exponentially during the crisis. Users have a lot of options to choose from, and it all comes down to content that is available on each platform. Since the content keeps updating on these platforms, should we also consider pricing or even the platform’s technical quality?
Streaming services had to innovate to keep content flowing over the lockdown in various art of the world. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have the advantage of using global libraries to keep their content updated while other platforms remotely finished post-production on different projects. With the disruption in production owing to the pandemic, companies have been innovating to keep their content up to date for all its users who are locked in their houses. Netflix said, “Our strategy of planning has helped us ensure that our content pipeline is ready.” Flipkart Video introduced two new originals during the lockdown. Lionsgate Play partnered with Facebook to view their content on the online platform. Eros Now acquired an eight-episode show to keep their cash flowing. The need to innovate and retain audiences has become of the utmost importance given the wide variety of platforms available to the users. In this post-cable universe, companies are fighting head over heels for viewership.
Lockdown has also had a chance to innovate with remote working methods and improve the earlier remotely working options. Companies like Apple and Google(Play movies or Youtube) offer access to recent movies through rent or purchase options. Apple TV also provides original tv series with the Apple ecosystem. Whereas in India, Amazon Prime Video comes as part of the Amazon Prime subscription in India. This also includes shopping benefits such as free shipping for many orders and early access to deals. Hotstar follows a system of tiers with different content available. The more affordable is the VIP plan, whereas the more expensive option gives you access to everything, including the Disney+ shows. There are also different options to view content in different resolutions. Netflix and Apple TV lead the way in India with support for high dynamic range content up to the Dolby Vision standard. Netflix and Apple TV also offer the best picture and sound quality. Netflix is the most expensive streaming service, but its price is justified while taking all the features into account. Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar have their drawbacks, but both of these services are also very affordable and offer good quality content. Here is my list of best shows to binge on during lockdown.
- The Last Dance
- Money Heist
- Peaky Blinders
- Schitt’s Creek
- The Office US
- Game of Thrones
- El Chapo
- Suits
- The Simpsons
- Dark
