Hotstar most popular OTT video platform in India: Counterpoint survey

Hotstar’s focus on cricket partnerships has helped propel it to the pinnacle of India's over-the-top (OTT) video content segment in terms of popularity, according to a consumer survey conducted by Counterpoint Technology Market Research.

While 56% of Disney-owned Hotstar’s users are from the metro cities, non-paying users also prefer the platform’s services over others, showed the findings of the survey. 

Hotstar is followed closely by Amazon Prime, which along with Netflix was popular among metro users in the top five cities. In addition, more than 40% of SonyLIV’s users are from Tier 1 cities.

The primary survey conducted online among 4,000 users across 25 cities also indicated that smartphones continued to be the most popular device for OTT video content consumption. China’s Xiaomi was the top brand on this front. 

The platforms included in the study were Hotstar, Amazon’s Prime Video, SonyLIV, Netflix, Voot, Zee5, ErosNow, ALTBalaji, YuppTV, Viu, DittoTV, Hooq, Arre, and Spuul.

The general user base continues to be predominantly male and under 35 years of age. The survey also indicated that the most preferred language for video content is Hindi and English, attributable to the fact that 55% of the users were from top five metro cities and an additional 36% from other Tier 1 cities.

More than one-third of the respondents said they were inclined to use free services only, with one-third already on a subscription platform. The remaining were in the middle of a trial period. The survey also found that salaried employees were among the highest user base categories for OTT video content consumption, followed by students and other demographics.

“India is a young country and OTT video market is a very competitive space in India at present,” said Hanish Bhatia, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research. “The low cost of mobile data and affordable smartphones have revolutionised overall video content consumption in India. However, OTT platforms have struggled to register profits, creating an environment ripe for acquisitions or exits.”