Shashank Jain’s Post

How will the Hotstar and the Jio combine change the OTT ecosystem? The merger of Disney Hotstar and Jio has sent ripples in the OTT industry. Everyone is trying to gauge how it will affect the pricing and the subscriber base. Santosh N, managing partner of D&P Advisory presents his views on the merger, in this article by Christina Moniz. He opines that - 📺The merging of the two will have some disruptive consequences in terms of content and pricing power. 📺 Hotstar is the best among the homegrown streaming apps. It had a strong content game even before the merger, even though it lost some marquee content in the last year or so. 📺 Jio is the player with big pockets and aspirations, but it is still new in this space and so doesn’t have any major original content and the app is still not as good as Hotstar's. Santosh expects the new conglomerate to follow the "Freemium Approach", considering the IPL has been made free for the second consecutive season this year. According to him - 📌 Jio is chasing growth and subscriber numbers rather than profitability, and they may be able to sustain losses for a while. Once they’ve got the subscriber base they need, the company is likely to command a premium. This move will eventually weaken the competition and also compel masses to pay up for content. Do share your perspective on this merger with us. #Reliance #Disney #JioCinema #merger #OTT #IPL #cricket #DisneyIndia #broadcasting https://lnkd.in/gPE2Jyvz

🚀 Disney+ Hotstar : A Product Masterclass in Capturing Hearts and Screens🚨 Disney+ Hotstar, the streaming giant born from the magical union of Disney and Hotstar, isn't just a content library - it's a product masterpiece. Let's dissect its success through a teardown and case study, uncovering the secrets behind its global domination. 1️⃣ Content Kingdom: Unmatched Depth & Breadth: From Mickey Mouse to Marvel, Star Wars to regional blockbusters, Disney+ Hotstar boasts a content library unlike any other. It caters to every age, genre, and language, ensuring something for everyone. 2️⃣ Personalization Magic: AI-powered recommendations: The platform learns your preferences, suggesting content you'll love, keeping you hooked and engaged. No more endless scrolling through irrelevant titles! 3️⃣ Global Appeal, Local Touch: Regional content integration: Hotstar's vast library of Indian and international shows seamlessly blends with Disney's global offerings, creating a culturally diverse and engaging experience. 4️⃣ Tech & Convenience: Multiple device compatibility: Watch on your phone, TV, or tablet, seamlessly switching between devices without losing your place. Binge-watching on the go? No problem! 5️⃣ Strategic Partnerships: Bundling with telecom giants: Disney+ Hotstar has partnered with major telecom providers, making it easily accessible and affordable for millions. Case Study: Hotstar's Price Hike & Subscriber Boom In 2022, Hotstar raised its subscription price, a bold move in a competitive market. Yet, subscriber numbers surprisingly surged. Why ⁉️ 🔵 Value proposition: The platform doubled down on its content library, adding premium originals and sports. Users saw the increased value justifying the price hike. 🔵 Loyal fanbase: Years of nurturing a dedicated audience through personalized recommendations and diverse content created brand loyalty, making them willing to pay more. Disney+ Hotstar's success is a masterclass in understanding and catering to diverse audiences, leveraging technology for convenience, and building strategic partnerships. It's a product that captures hearts and screens, proving that magic, in this case, comes with a carefully crafted product strategy. Follow for insightful content to enhance your product journey. #productmanagement #casestudy #disneyplus #hotstar #streamingwars

India's OTT Industry - A detailed study 👇 1️⃣ How big is the market? Current Market Size - 12000 crores Market Size by 2030 - 30000 crores CAGR - 11.4% Indian Media and Entertainment Market - 234000 crores OTT Penetration - 5-6% 2️⃣ Current Scenario Revenue Split between AVOD/SVOD AVOD/advertising revenue model - 45.3% in 2023 SVOD/subscription revenue model - 54.7% in 2023 SVOD focuses on ARPU while AVOD focuses on maximising consumption India has over 400 million OTT users with nearly 150 million paid subscribers Netflix - 4-5% market share with 6.5 million subscribers Amazon Prime - 12% market share with 12 million subscribers Disney+ Hotstar - 33% market share with 50 million subscribers 3️⃣ What is happening? ✅ Jio Cinema has a market share of 7% but if it can acquire Disney+Hotstar then it will likely corner 40% advertising share of the TV ad market and around 35% of the advertising-based video-on-demand OTT market ⭐️ This will also make Jio the sole winner when it comes to Live Streaming of Major Sports Events ✅ Netflix is slowly picking up pace with its revenues growing by ~25% and profits by 75% in FY23 ⭐️ Mobile Plans, Affordable Plans, Focus on Regional Content and Password Sharing Ban have been crucial factors behind the growth ✅ Just like Jio, Amazon was likely to acquire MX Player which is still the largest OTT Player with the most number of active users but not subscribers. Had this acquisition gone through then Amazon Prime would have driven subscription revenues and Mini TV + MX Player would have contributed towards AVOD ✅ Had Sony and Zee merger gone through then we would have seen another competitor in the market with both having nearly 3-5% market share each. Both platforms focus on regional content and ad-based revenue unlike Netflix Do share your thoughts about the Indian OTT Industry and let me know what subscriptions do you have. Follow Akshit Goel for more such analysis 🧐 #ott #analysis #enterpreneur

Another sector, another monopoly starts. Star India is ready to sell 51% of their company to Reliance. Here are a few interesting statistics about it: Jio, saw a massive 120 million subscriber surge in 2023, an 80% increase. This growth was primarily because of a mix of global and local content, resonating deeply with India's diverse audience. Hotstar's user base plummeted by 40%, bottoming out at 45 million. The loss of IPL streaming exclusivity and fierce market competition were key factors in this decline. Jio users ramped up their streaming, with data consumption skyrocketing by 250% per user whereas jio’s consumption dropped by 30% Jio's strategic focus on regional content diversity paid off, with a 60% hike in views for local language content. Meanwhile, Hotstar's content library struggled to evolve, losing its grip on the regional audience. Advertisers were quick to notice the wind change, rerouting a whopping 70% more of their budgets to Jio. Hotstar's advertising revenue took a hit, declining by 25%. Jio's streaming quality and personalized content led to a staggering 90% user satisfaction rate in comparison to Hotstar, 50% satisfaction rate due to technical issues and a less user-friendly interface Jio is aggressively planning to delve into VR streaming and interactive TV, promising an exhilarating future for its audience. Hotstar, now at a crossroads, faces the challenge of reinventing itself in a market that's rapidly evolving. Jio serves as a beacon for others in the digital entertainment space, illustrating that understanding and catering to evolving consumer needs is key to staying ahead in the race. #jio #reliance #takeover

I recently acquired a premium subscription to Jio Cinema, despite my reservations about Jio's pricing-focused approach rather than customer-centric policies. Given that many of the series I enjoyed on Hotstar had migrated to Jio, I decided to give it a chance. To my dismay, after shelling out 999/- for the subscription, I found myself bombarded with ads every 5 minutes. Initially, I suspected it was a glitch, but upon further investigation, I discovered that Jio had explicitly mentioned this in their terms and conditions. The fact that I was being shown ads despite paying for the service left me incredulous. This situation made me reflect on similar instances where consumers seemingly pay for a service only to be inundated with advertisements. Examples such as cable TV subscriptions, where monthly fees have escalated over the years while ad content has proliferated, or movie theaters like Inox charging exorbitant prices for tickets and still subjecting viewers to 15 minutes of ads for a 2.5-hour movie, all contribute to this disheartening trend. This raises concerns about the direction the OTT industry is heading. Are we witnessing a repeat of the mistakes made by other industries, where user satisfaction was taken for granted, resulting in a decline in their user base? With cable TV losing 90% of its customers to OTT platforms, and a decreasing trend in movie theater attendance, it begs the question of whether the OTT industry is on a downhill trajectory. As a conscious consumer, I believe it's time to challenge this norm and demand a shift away from the inclusion of ads in OTT platforms. The #StopOTTAds and #StopJioAds movements underscore the need for a consumer-focused approach in the industry, urging companies to prioritize user experience over revenue at the expense of their patrons. #JioCinemaScam

📺 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐲+ 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫’𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐓𝐕! 🚀 Disney+ Hotstar has just rolled out a groundbreaking feature: Pause Ads exclusively for its Connected TV (CTV) feed. It’s the first platform in India to introduce this format, aligning with their commitment to unique advertising solutions. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤? ● Users pause content four to five times daily, with 90% of these pauses lasting less than 10 seconds. ● Pause ads seamlessly incorporate advertisements into these user-initiated breaks, enhancing brand engagement without disrupting the viewing experience. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬? ● 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Brands can now reach viewers during these natural pauses, offering context-relevant messages. ● 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞: Pause ads break the clutter without interrupting the show, attracting attention organically. ● 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: Marico Limited, Mondelēz International, and ITC Limited have already embraced this innovative ad format. Exciting times for advertisers! What are your thoughts on this new ad experience? Share below! 👇 #Advertising #CTV #Innovation #BrandEngagement

Why is Disney selling its India business to Reliance & that too at a loss? The assets being put up for sale include Disney+ Hotstar, 70+ TV channels & a movie studio. These can be traced back to The Walt Disney Company’s $71 billion deal to acquire 21st Century Fox, of which the India business was valued at $18 billion. Fast forward 6 years & it’s now selling those Indian assets for reportedly ~$10 billion, a ~50% haircut, but how come? This actually wasn’t Disney’s 1st attempt at cracking the Indian market but rather its 3rd & this time too it has flopped. The 1st was when it entered a JV with the KK Modi Group back in 1993, only for it to fall apart over disagreements between the two. Next, it tried to be inorganic by buying Hungama TV & UTV, but a lack of understanding of the local landscape & deals which favored producers resulted in underwhelming outcomes. The 3rd came, as aforementioned, via the acquisition of 21st Century Fox. So how did Disney fall short this time? Let’s divide Disney’s India business into 2 parts - Star India (TV) and Hotstar (OTT). Star India is highly profitable at almost ₹1,500 crore annually, but TV is viewed as the sunset counterpart to the sunrise segment of OTT, not commanding a high valuation. Hence, Hotstar was meant to be the crown jewel that’d propel Disney forward in India. Things got off to a bang, with Hotstar as the market leader with 61 million subscribers at its peak. It managed to place IPL behind a subscription paywall. Everything seemed to be going well, with Hotstar growing its users & playing a big part in Disney’s ambitious user targets that it had promised Wall Street. However, as the macroeconomy dithered, investors’ priority shifted from growth to profit & with the OTT business in red the previous CEO, Bob Iger, returned. To revitalise profits, Iger began cutting costs, including a pullback from paying huge sums for sports streaming rights, leading to IPL falling into JioCinema’s lap. From Hotstar’s perspective this was all calculated. Disney’s goal shifted from simply acquiring users to acquiring “profitable” users. The thought was that after experiencing the content Hotstar had to offer, beyond IPL, subscribers would stick around even without IPL. However, that’s not how things turned out. Having lost IPL streaming rights to JioCinema which streamed matches for free, subscribers began leaving Hotstar in droves, losing it 1/3rd of its subscribers. It misjudged the value of its content library, minus IPL, in the eyes of subscribers. Instead of contributing to profits, Hotstar has been losing Disney $41.5 million a year (FY22). Though Disney could turn back to cricket to regain subscribers, there’s no clear path to profitably monetising them. Star India may be raking in cash, but growth prospects are dull. So, a discounted sale to Reliance has been drawn up to exit the market. Do you think selling’s the right thing? Can Jio turn a profit on OTT where Disney couldn’t?

📉 Disney+ Hotstar Sheds 5 Lakh More Paid Users In Q3; ARPU Up 50% QoQ. Disney+ Hotstar has experienced a decline of 5 lakh paid subscribers in Q3. Despite the drop in users, the platform reported a 50% increase in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) quarter-on-quarter, indicating a focus on monetization. 🔹 Key Metrics: - Paid Users: Decreased by 5 lakh in Q3. - ARPU: Increased by 50% QoQ. 🔍 Background: - Platform Overview: Disney+ Hotstar is a leading OTT platform in India, offering a wide range of content including movies, TV shows, and live sports. - Market Position: Despite losing subscribers, the platform continues to generate higher revenue per user, reflecting a shift in strategy. 📈 Financial Impact: - Revenue Growth: The increase in ARPU suggests that Disney+ Hotstar is enhancing its revenue streams, possibly through higher-priced subscriptions or targeted monetization strategies. - Subscriber Decline: The loss of subscribers may be attributed to increased competition or changes in content strategy. 🌐 Future Strategy: - Focus on Premium Content: Disney+ Hotstar may continue to invest in premium content and exclusive offerings to retain and attract subscribers. - Monetization Initiatives: The platform is likely to explore new monetization strategies to offset subscriber losses and boost revenue. Disney+ Hotstar's Q3 performance highlights the challenges of subscriber retention in a competitive OTT market, even as it makes gains in revenue per user. #DisneyPlusHotstar #SubscriberGrowth #ARPU #OTTPlatform #StreamingServices #StartupNews #BusinessNews #MicroShots #NewsUpdates

Who likes ads? Because I don't I don’t like seeing the same ads over and over, especially when I’m watching my favorite shows or content. Is it that the consumers don’t like ads or have we fatigued them with too much information? Multiple ads? Multiple repeating concepts? Then the question arises… Is it just the consumers who are migrating or is it the platform which are migrating them? Guess what? They make more margins. For example... A Google Ads video, sold by impressions, generates about $10 per thousand views. Disney+ Hotstar is one of the most extensive streaming outlets, with a subscriber base of 300 million users. A 10-second advertisement on Hotstar content is estimated at Rs. 150 to Rs 250 per thousand appearances. A report shows that, by the end of 2022, Amazon Prime Video held a market hold of 136.94 million and is expected to grow to 168 million subscribers by the end of 2025. The so-called ad-free models are a scheme of the media giants to classify subscribers as ‘premium customers’ among the masses who have to watch ads before they can watch what they are looking for. Just like JIO is a paid service i.e. JIO TV but it still gives you ads. Even major players like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video have started incorporating commercials in exchange for lower subscription prices. I think we just need to go by sole searching. And it's not black or white. There should be no ads at all or lots of ads, no in-between. What are your thoughts on this? Do share #Adfree #Advertisements #Marketing

What I realized after working with Netflix, Hotstar, and many big brands. Every brand loves to experiment. But here’s the catch—many don’t find the right agency or person who truly gets them. After working with these brands, here are 4 things I believe are a must when you work with any brand: 📍 It’s not just about knowing what they want now, but where they’re heading. You need to be on the same page for long-term success. 📍Every brand has its own way of doing things. You need to be flexible enough to mold your strategies to fit their unique needs. 📍 Experimenting is great, but it’s important to back it up with numbers. Always show them how you’re making their investments count. 📍 Brands need to know they can rely on you—not just to deliver, but to be a true partner in their journey. Through this journey, I’ve learned that it’s not about ticking boxes—it’s about being someone the brand can trust to guide them through both creative and strategic experiments. One more thing that really resonates here is what Creators Column talks about—creative campaigns. Whether you’re in a creative field or not, I highly recommend subscribing. It’s full of insights that anyone can apply to grow their brand or business. What do you think is crucial when working with big brands? #Creativecampiagns #Influncermarketing #Brandbuilding #Creatormanager