Tata Play adds gaming to OTT, DTH services with Gamezop

Direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast services operator Tata Play announced earlier today that it will be adding gaming as a new product to its portfolio, alongside its existing over-the-top (OTT) content streaming subscription services. In partnership with online casual gaming startup Gamezop, the games will be available through the Tata Play Binge app, and will not require users to additionally or individually download them.

The Tata Play Binge app so far offers a single subscription plan for up to 17 OTT streaming platforms, which include Sony Liv, Disney+ Hotstar and Zee5, among others. Gamezop's gaming offerings will join this portfolio of subscription plans, which are priced between ₹59 and ₹299 per month — depending on the number of streaming platforms a user would want to subscribe to.

The move marks an increased proliferation of online gaming, even in the casual gaming space. On March 14, telecom operator Vodafone Idea announced a partnership with gaming firm Nazara Technologies to add gaming to its value added services experience. Through this partnership, the telco added both free games that could be streamed from within its 'Vi' mobile app, or downloaded across 'Gold' and 'Platinum' tiers, for a fee.

On July 26, an OTT industry report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) noted that the domestic video streaming market may grow to $7 billion in the next five years. India could roughly account for a tenth of the Asia-Pacific OTT market, which is pegged to clock overall revenue of around $73 billion in the same time frame.

Online gaming, meanwhile, has been hailed as among the top sunrise sectors in India. A January 12 report by Data.ai (erstwhile App Annie) underlined India to be among the top market for app downloads, but ranked significantly lower in terms of user spends on apps and games. However, 75% of the top 10 revenue generation apps in India were games, according to the report — showing the potential of the sector.

According to estimates by consultancy firm KPMG, revenues from India's online gaming market may reach $1.8 billion by the end of 2022. While the sector is presently going through a host of challenges in terms of regulations and taxation, it remains to be seen how partnerships such as Tata Play and Gamezop's contribute to the sector's ability to monetize the rise of casual gaming in the country.