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What Is OTT Content: Everything We Need To Know About Online Streaming In 2021

ott content

This morning, my gym partner could not hide his excitement about the upcoming season of his favorite web series. The colleagues at the workplace were all speaking about the latest talk show with their favorite celebrities. The WhatsApp group of college friends was filled with hundreds of texts about the plot twist and climax scene of a newly released movie. Desperate to join in the conversations and not to be left out, all I could come up with to fill in the above-mentioned gossips was to add a nervous, “Oh yeah that show! I will definitely give it a watch. What’s the name of the show again?”  

Not only was I missing out on a lot of recommendations on entertainment, I realized I did not even watch the movies from my favorite movie genres (sci-fi and comedy) for a long time. In my defense, in the current fast-paced life of hustle and bustle, I could barely manage to look up each and every show across various websites and channels. Also, since many programs, movies and TV shows used to take place at the same time, and therefore, due to the overlapping schedule, I had no choice but to watch one show and leave the others (moreover we are nowadays too busy to watch repeat telecasts as well).  

But then it struck me: I am not the only one living a busy life, if everyone around me is also as busy as me, how are they managing to watch every single show, sitcom, film on different themes, all without compromising their work schedule? Am I missing some latest feature which is enabling all my neighbors, colleagues and friends to enjoy the best of both professional and personal life? I called a school friend of mine about this and his first response was of absolute disbelief when he said, “You mean to say that you are not aware of online streaming platforms and their OTT (over-the-top) contents? Are you serious?!” Long story short, thanks to my friend, I had an eye-opening insight into the greatest treasure of the modern world of entertainment – OTT content – An all-inclusive platform that contains huge catalogues of TV series, latest shows, films from different categories, documentaries, all present, available and accessible anytime, anywhere. Without further ado, let me present before you a thorough analysis about what is ott content, and the functioning and implementation of OTT streaming services in 2021.

What Is Ott Content: Let’s Begin With The Basics

  • A quick glance at the basic principle of over-the-top content will be the very first step to get to know the details of OTT streaming. OTT service refers to the availability of media content in an online platform, where the streaming shows are selected from different types of niches and selected for all sorts of viewers having a variety of choices and preferences for movies, music and entertainment.
  • With a monthly or annual subscription, over the top content services provide their subscribers full access to watch, re-watch any content they wish, and also customize their favorite playlist, or keep a record of the shows and content preferred by them, to be watched by them again in future.
  • Because of the 24×7 availability of all the shows, movies and contents, thanks to OTT services, the viewers no longer have to make themselves available, according to the fixed timings of their favorite soaps and serials. This feature of watching the preferred shows at completely flexible timings as per the convenience of the users, having the complete authority of what to watch and when to watch, is the sole difference between the traditional Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) and over-the-top (OTT) platform.

Ok, Now What About The Plan Of Action To Make The OTT Content A Big Hit?

Coming up with an innovative idea, implementing the idea to create the product, attracting the global audience to the idea and the objective of the product, establishing a worldwide customer base and generating a substantial commercial gain through the success and profitability of the product – As simple as it may sound, but following the above points in a step-by-step manner is easier said than done. Hence, coming up with a blueprint i.e., a foolproof strategy for a successful and profitable outcome is an indispensable prerequisite of the OTT content. Let’s have a look at the below features to build a master plan for the roaring success of the OTT platform:

A) Prioritize Your Viewers First; Then Prioritize Your Content:

  • If the theme of the content does not match with the taste of the viewers, then the chances of the success of the OTT platform becomes highly unlikely. Hence, knowing the preference of the target audience, and customizing the content while keeping in mind the demands of the viewers is very crucial.
  • This makes the audience realize that their preferences are being kept in mind by the content creators, making the audience realize their importance and that their opinions matter – thus building a solid bonding between the creators and viewers, making that particular OTT platform the preferred domain of entertainment to the viewers.

B) Monetize, Promote, Implement:

  • The more we wish to make the OTT contents available and accessible to the audience of different age groups and having different financial statuses, the more we realize the importance of coming up with flexible and affordable modes of payment so that money never becomes a hindrance to stop the interested consumers from viewing the contents (For example, the subscription payment mode for college students needs to be more reasonable compared to that of viewers having a steady source of income, isn’t it?). As a result, monthly, quarterly, and annual modes of subscription are being proposed, so that viewers can use any form of payment which they are comfortable with.
  • Also, different payment methods such as net banking, usage of cards through secure transaction gateways are being used for faster and more convenient payment methods. Now spreading the word about the over the top content services along with the above-mentioned convenient structure of payment is of absolute importance to inform the global audience about the flexible modes of payment, therefore, publicity, marketing and worldwide promotion come into play. Making the target audience realize that the entire subscription package – from content to payment method is tailor-made for them, is a key factor in winning their trust, and making the OTT platform a fan favorite.

Say Hello To The Digital Era Of The Film Industry – All Thanks To OTT Platforms

  • It’s quite surprising that until about a few years ago, when it came to a film release, the filmmakers and producers could think of no other option other than the silver screens. At that time, if people were asked the question, “what is ott content?” barely a few would know the meaning of the term. The box office success, critical reception, commercial evaluation of the film – who could have thought that thanks to revolutionary digital streaming technology paired with high-speed internet, the entire domain of film industry and filmmaking will take a giant leap from multiplex to the personal computer and laptop screens?
  • Thanks to leading OTT streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime and many more, more and more filmmakers are getting encouraged at releasing movies and shows on the online streaming platforms, making the content available to the users at the comfort of their homes.
  • Many of the fan-favorite movies and shows are now owned by streaming applications, and have been made available in different languages with corresponding subtitles to make sure that language doesn’t become a barrier from watching premium content. The above measures in the transition from theatres to OTT have yielded very successful results of providing a better and more comfortable viewer experience, hence, paving the way for further expansion of over the top content services in the upcoming future.

The requirement for enjoyment and entertainment will always be of pivotal importance in the life of mankind. Therefore, the inception of online streaming services and the birth of OTT content strategy have created the best gift of entertainment we could ever have asked for. 

And by providing not only high-quality streaming services to users but also by handing over the complete control of viewership to the users of OTT platform, OTT services have turned a dream into reality – A dream of re-watching, going back, watching the episodes back-to-back, all in one go. Thanks to the high-speed internet and rapidly advancing technology, the entire collections of streaming channels and platforms can now be accessed and controlled with a simple click. 

After learning the details and process about OTT content services, I realized that by following the above-stated points about OTT services, the day is not far away when we will have the ideal solution of having a perfect work-life balance where we will no longer need to sacrifice our happiness of entertainment for the sake of work or vice versa.

Author

ICEE MEDIA

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