It’s no secret that India’s online video streaming market is undergoing a revolution. Indians are embracing over-the-top (OTT) platforms to watch their favorite TV series and movies because of the country’s rising smartphone penetration rate, affordable data plans, and abundance of available content (sports, GEC, news, UGC, etc).
However, with so many OTT players fighting for their attention, the number of options may seem rather confusing and overwhelming at times. And this is where the idea of OTT aggregators is making a mark and here to stay for a while! These are platforms that combine content from several over-the-top services and provide regular users with a unified interface to access and enjoy it.
Think of an aggregator platform as a cable operator or a DTH service that aggregates and distributes TV channels to the last mile, the only difference is that digital users have the choice to either subscribe to an aggregator or to the individual OTT app.
Saurabh Srivastava – Chief Operating Officer, Digital Business at ShemarooEntertainment Limited
When it comes to OTT aggregators, their primary focus is on simplifying the user experience, improving price competitiveness, and catering to the diverse interests and preferences of India’s ever-expanding viewership.
But,
Who are these over-the-top aggregators and how do they work?
What features, prices, and plans are available?
How do they compare to one another and the individual OTT platforms?
In this piece, we explore the intricacies of the OTT aggregation phenomenon in India.
Standalone OTTs vs. OTT Aggregators
Standalone OTTs operate independently, offering unique content directly to subscribers. These platforms, such as SonyLIV, Zee5, ShemarooMe ,aha!, or Disney+ Hotstar, produce content and directly deliver it to their users through their apps and related delivery ecosystems. Such have diverse business models, often employing a combination of both advertising and subscription-based models to generate revenue.
In contrast, OTT aggregators combine and curate multiple such standalone OTT services into a single platform. This aggregation allows users to access diverse content from different sources under a single subscription. The benefits of OTT aggregators include convenience, as they eliminate the need to manage multiple subscriptions and apps. Aggregators also offer cost savings and a more comprehensive content selection, making it easier for users to find and enjoy various shows and movies.
Our OTT aggregator product, Airtel XStream Play is at 7 – 8 million MAU and it truly represents what India wants to watch! We seamlessly deliver content parity, ensure freshness of content, and offer real-time content ingestion, providing viewers with a dynamic, unified, and engaging streaming experience.
The biggest benefit an OTT aggregator provides is distribution, expanding the reach of content creators and connecting audiences nationwide.
The partnership between an OTT service and the aggregator is purely symbiotic and complementing because it provides distribution and reach to the standalone OTT in this otherwise crowded ecosystem and helps save customer acquisition costs as well as exposure to newer audiences and markets.
Saurabh Srivastava – Chief Operating Officer, Digital Business at Shemaroo Entertainment Limited
Collaborating with well-established aggregators instills confidence in customers, as it signals our regional OTT platform’s credibility and seriousness in the industry.
Vijay Prakash, CEO, NammaFlix
The Impact of OTT Aggregators on Platform Usage and Experience
Navigating the ever-expanding world of streaming services can be a challenge. Juggling multiple subscriptions, remembering passwords, and searching for specific content across diverse platforms can quickly become overwhelming.
OTT aggregators offer a potential solution. These platforms function as central hubs, aggregating content from various streaming services into a single interface.
This approach aims to simplify content discovery and access, potentially enhancing the user experience by:
Consolidating content: Users can access a wider library of shows, movies, and live events from different sources within a single platform.
Improving convenience: Searching and watching content across platforms becomes more streamlined, potentially reducing the need to switch between apps and interfaces.
Personalizing recommendations: Some aggregators leverage user data to suggest content tailored to individual preferences, potentially leading to a more engaging experience.
Optimizing cost: Aggregators may offer bundled subscriptions at discounted rates, potentially offering cost savings compared to individual subscriptions.
Expanding regional reach: Aggregators can potentially make content more accessible to wider audiences by offering regional language options and catering to diverse preferences.
“The synergy between an OTT aggregator and a content provider is paramount, requiring a nuanced understanding of key elements. Foremost is the seamless distribution of content – the OTT aggregator must provide a platform that ensures the efficient and widespread delivery of the content provider’s offerings. To foster a mutually advantageous revenue-sharing relationship, monetization options such as pay-per-view, adverts, and subscriptions must be approached symbiotically. Both parties rely on comprehensive data transparency and analytics to upgrade content strategies based on viewer behavior and engagement patterns. The integration of effective cross-promotion mechanisms within the aggregator’s platform becomes an avenue for enhancing discoverability, expanding the audience base for the content provider. Technical integration should be frictionless, complemented by responsive support mechanisms for prompt issue resolution.”
Inderpreet Singh, Chief Business Officer – OTTplay
By partnering with aggregators, we can effectively increase our brand exposure to a diverse range of customers without the need for additional marketing or awareness campaigns, as aggregators handle this aspect. Moreover, leveraging these platforms allows us to significantly boost our revenues, potentially doubling our earnings.
Vijay Prakash, CEO, NammaFlix
The Underlying Complexities Between OTT Platforms and Aggregators
Even though OTT aggregators offer benefits like cost savings, accessibility, marketing OTT platforms to larger audiences, and increasing revenue streams (for both the OTT content provider and the aggregator), there are a few concerns to consider from multiple angles.
Control Over Pricing, Revenue, and Business Models
A primary concern for content providers in aggregator models is the need for more control over pricing and revenue sharing. Typically decided after several rounds of negotiations, the amount paid to a content provider might depend on one or more factors such as
time spent watching the content
number of subscribers who watched content from that content provider and
defining what constitutes a “view” and a “subscriber” to begin with.
For example, if an aggregator has an offering that combines 20 OTTs, and if a user stumbles upon one of the OTTs while scrolling mindlessly, and watches 30 seconds of a movie from that OTT. He then closes the movie and never re-visits that OTT for the rest of the month. Then does this mean that a subscriber has unlocked an OTT and watched a movie (i.e, does this behavior constitute a “view”)?
Going into these nitty-gritty details is critical for success, for both the aggregator and the OTT content provider. Answering these questions also brings in the data-collection and presentation layer which we will look at later in this article.
Finally, the business model is also important to hammer down (subscriptions, ads, freemium?). If the OTT has launched an app that is completely SVOD and if the aggregator gives away the content for free using an AVOD model, then it’s quite natural that viewers will migrate to the cheaper platform. This in turn will result in a drop in revenue collected from the OTT’s app while continuing to incur delivery, technology, and HR costs to keep it running. This has the potential to make its own app business unviable.
Content Catalog Completeness
While not obvious, it is also important to distinguish between OTT Aggregators who provide the entire content catalogs of their partner OTTs vs. those who do not. Airtel Xstream Play, for example, provides the entire catalog of their partners on the Airtel XStream Play app.
This is different from other aggregators who might not have negotiated this as part of their deal with the content providers and present only partial catalogs. Holding back prime content (or new releases) and showing them only on their apps instead of the aggregators is a typical attempt to drive more direct traffic to their apps and get a larger piece of the proverbial streaming pie.
What is most critical is that this partnership between the aggregator and the OTT platform shouldn’t cannibalise the audiences and the business of the OTT. It’s a marriage of two platforms that have very clearly marked and distinct strengths (aggregator – aggregate and distribute whereas OTT – Create content) and shouldn’t attempt otherwise.
Saurabh Srivastava – Chief Operating Officer, Digital Business at Shemaroo Entertainment Limited
Data Sharing and Trust
Accuracy in data sharing is vital for revenue sharing. Considering how deals are cracked between OTT platforms and aggregators, data accuracy and data definitions are extremely important in maintaining a good relationship. All the basic data definitions with examples, the amount of data that is shared, cadence and format in which it is shared should all be finalized on paper and agreed to by all parties involved before a new OTT goes live on an aggregation platform.
If an OTT is providing content via an API call and using their own CDN to deliver the content, then they can easily build systems and tools to verify how many times an OTT aggregator requested their content, from where, from what devices, and for how long. Having their own database can provide them a layer of comfort while reconciling bills at the end of the month (within a reasonable swing of the values, of course).
Bottomline: maintaining transparency while sharing data is crucial for sustaining trust in these relationships.
Content Discovery
Content visibility becomes a challenge when a content aggregator has a lot of OTTs on the same platform and especially, on the same plan! When an aggregator has 20+ OTTs on the same platform, then discovery becomes a huge challenge for both the aggregator and the OTT.
On their side, aggregators can help OTT content providers get more screen time by employing advanced personalization algorithms to encourage content discovery. However, they have to balance content discovery and providing attention to all the OTTs and tread this line carefully. For example, if a person likes romantic movies, do you show them all the movies from a single OTT or a mix of OTTs? And, how does that impact the business and revenue share metrics at the back end?
On the other hand, how does a tiny OTT platform get any screen time on a large aggregator? This is not an unknown phenomenon in India where regional creators can be small and niche. It’s probably the aggregator’s prerogative to surface these niche OTTs by understanding their users’ preferences, watch history, and ultimately, balance business with curation!
A study conducted by Accenture, involving 6,000 consumers across 10 countries, highlighted a major challenge faced by viewers. Nearly 72 percent expressed frustration during their content discovery process, with 26 percent dedicating more than 10 minutes to decide what to watch. This highlights the important role that OTT aggregator platforms play in addressing these challenges.
Inderpreet Singh, Chief Business Officer – OTTplay
Offering customers the option to access NammaFlix through their existing OTT aggregators enhances convenience and accessibility. Additionally, our OTT service is sometimes bundled with offerings targeted at non-Kannada audiences, expanding our reach further.
Vijay Prakash, CEO, NammaFlix
Regional Curation
Aggregators typically use pretty complex algorithms to display content tailored to particular regions. For example, a user who is located in Kerala could be shown more recommendations from Malayalam OTTs. However, in a highly diverse country like India, it is quite likely that a Hindi-speaking person is on a business trip to Kerala for a weekend. Would it be the right thing to show such a person Malayalam content? Not really, right?
In response to these challenges, aggregators in India are now prompting users to select their preferred language during the initial login process. This allows them to curate content tailored to the user’s language preference.
So, a combination of the user’s watch history, telco circle, prompts on the platform enquiring about their preferences, etc. should be used judiciously in making personalization and curation decisions.
A successful OTT aggregator and content provider partnership is based on teamwork, transparency, and a shared commitment toward enhancing content distribution and viewer experience.
Inderpreet Singh, Chief Business Officer – OTTplay
Influence on Content Value
Aggregators’ pricing control can affect the perceived value of content. This might streamline user experience but lead to inconsistency with the OTT platforms’ pricing and branding strategies.
Video Delivery Mechanisms
Something that is not obvious while looking at the aggregation market is the mechanism used to deliver the content from the OTT content provider to the aggregator app.
There are multiple content delivery models that are possible but the 3 most common techniques are –
A single app where the content is viewed and the video is delivered from the content provider’s backend via API calls.
When a user finds a movie they like and hits “play”, then an API call is made to the content provider’s backend and the video is delivered. Typically, a content provider picks up the cost of the CDN-based content delivery in this use case (but, there can be exceptions).
A single app where the content is watched but the video is delivered from the aggregator’s backend.
This is typical when the content provider does not have the mechanism to deliver the content themselves and hand over the original content to the aggregator.
App redirection, where the content is displayed on the content aggregator’s app, and when a user clicks “play”, they are redirected to the content provider’s app. Here, there are mechanisms to ensure that the login is recognized across multiple apps and devices, and the data is sync’d as well.
Our platform offers content providers an extensive reach, maximizing visibility and audience engagement. Today OTTPlay app is present on almost all the streaming devices we have in India. The key pillars on which our product is built — Abundance, Affordability, and Personalization — provide an enriching experience for our users, setting us apart from other OTT aggregators and offering our partners access to a diverse audience pool to engage with.
Inderpreet Singh, Chief Business Officer – OTTplay
Major OTT Aggregators in India
Having understood the most important points when it comes to aggregation and OTT content providers, let’s take a quick look at some of the biggest aggregators in the Indian streaming market today.
Editor’s note: the aggregators are not listed in any particular order of popularity, they are presented in a random sequence.
OTTPlay
OTTPlay which started as a content recommendation platform has evolved into an OTT aggregator. Launched by HT Labs a couple years ago, it has successfully curated content from over 37 OTT platforms, emerging as India’s premier aggregator. Its expansive reach now spans the entirety of the nation, making it the go-to destination for a diverse array of content from across the country.
Similar to other OTT aggregators, subscribing to a single aggregator proves cost-effective for users compared to subscribing separately to each OTT platform.
Airtel Xstream Play is a prominent OTT aggregator in India. Its parent company, Bharati Airtel, is the second largest telecommunications company in India, with over 258 million (25.8 crore) customers.
Capitalizing on this vast reach, Airtel strategically integrates OTT content into its prepaid/postpaid plans, Direct-to-Home (DTH) services, and broadband subscriptions. This integration ensures subscribers seamless access to entertainment. Airtel Xstream Play holds a significant position in the aggregator market, reportedly garnering 7 – 8 million Monthly Active Users.
Jio TV+
Jio TV+, an OTT aggregator service offered by Reliance Jio, provides access to various VOD platforms to their customers who purchase Jio Fiber and Mobile plans. Like Airtel, Reliance Jio is the biggest telecommunication company and has a user base of 462 million (46.2 crore) subscribers in India (2023). Joining hands with Jio can help OTTs expand their reach and become more accessible to a broader audience.
Tata Play Binge, formerly known as Tata Sky, has emerged as a major player in the Indian OTT aggregator domain, offering a platform for diverse streaming services. The aggregator was launched in 2020 and in 2023 it was reported that Tata Play Binge has close to a million subscribers (10 lakhs) making it one of the largest aggregators in the country.
The platform provides access to content from 22+ OTT apps, including popular platforms such as Disney+ Hotstar, ZEE5, MX Player, etc. The subscription plan for Tata Binge Play starts at ₹149/month and goes up to ₹399/month (As of March 2024).
Watcho
Watcho, an OTT platform by Dish TV, has expanded its offerings by providing bundled packages of popular OTT platforms. This service is designed to offer subscribers a diverse range of digital content and a single subscription’s convenience.
As per the reports, Watcho has amassed 3 million (30 Lakhs) paid subscribers along with 90 million users in 2023. One advantage that Watcho offers is their Flexi Plan which allows users to choose three of their preferred OTTs in their plan. No other aggregator has offered this service at the time of writing this article.
Here is a snapshot of some of the OTTs in India and in which aggregator in which they are available. This is not a comprehensive list, but, is simply an illustration to show the availability of OTTs across different aggregators and the status of the streaming market today.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the evolution of OTT platforms and aggregators in India reflects a dynamic shift in digital content consumption. While aggregators offer cost-effective, accessible, and diverse content, challenges like pricing control, data sharing, content discovery, and regional curation persist.
These complexities require OTT platforms to strike a balance between broader reach and maintaining brand autonomy. OTT aggregation is becoming increasingly prevalent globally, reshaping how content is accessed and consumed. This trend highlights the growing need for strategic partnerships and innovative solutions in the ever-evolving digital entertainment landscape.
Special thanks to Ragul Thangavel for his diligent research and valuable contribution of data to this article.
Krishna Rao Vijayanagar, Ph.D., is the Editor-in-Chief of OTTVerse, a news portal covering tech and business news in the OTT industry.
With extensive experience in video encoding, streaming, analytics, monetization, end-to-end streaming, and more, Krishna has held multiple leadership roles in R&D, Engineering, and Product at companies such as Harmonic Inc.,MediaMelon, Airtel Digital, and Visionular Inc.. Krishna has published numerous articles and research papers and speaks at industry events to share his insights and perspectives on the fundamentals and the future of OTT streaming.
Abhi Rao
Managing DirectoratOTTVerse
Abhi is the Managing Director and Head of Marketing for OTTVerse. She holds an MBA from Queen’s University, Canada, and comes with more than a decade of experience as a Business Analyst working with some of the biggest banks in the US and Canada. Before joining OTTVerse, Abhi ran her educational startup focusing on content creation, sales, and marketing.
Abhi runs the day-to-day operations, marketing, and sales for OTTVerse.
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