By A Correspondent
Brightcove Inc, the global provider of cloud services for video, has published its annual Asia OTT TV market study, The 2019 Asia OTT Research Report, conducted with research partner YouGov, a global public opinion and data company.
The study polled 9,000 participants across nine countries in Asia, including 1,000 consumers in India. The survey was designed to uncover insights into consumer preferences towards OTT services, including subscription tiers and motivators driving subscriptions; how much consumers are willing to pay; their tolerance to advertising and ad-supported subscriptions; and openness to a shoppable TV experience.
Key findings for India include:
:: 35 per centof respondents said they might be open to a reduced monthly subscription package that serves ads—depending on the price, whereas 44 per cent said they would definitely sign up, representing a potential market size of 79 per cent of respondents polled favouring this hybrid option.
:: 60 per cent of ‘Lapsed’ respondents plan to sign-up for OTT services again in the future.
:: Subscription fatigue is not common for users in India, as content was the primary driver for their subscription to multiple OTT services. From wanting more content options (42 per cent) and satisfying the content needs for an entire family (42 per cent) to content not being available on any single OTT service (42 per cent), content is clearly the primary driver for subscribing to multiple OTT services in India.
:: Thinking about the future, 25 per cent of Indian respondents want to pay nothing and watch ads as a trade-off to consuming content; 25 per cent elected to pay a lower fee with limited ads.
:: When asked how much respondents would be willing to pay for OTT services, 37 per cent of respondents stated less than USD $1 per month, 27 per cent would pay USD $1-$4 per month, and 16 per cent would pay USD $5-$9 per month.
:: 22per cent of Indian respondents found two ads as an acceptable advertising load per ad break and 13% were open to three ads per break.
Said Janvi Morzaria, Sales Director, India, at Brightcove: “Our research findings suggest that the online TV consumer in India sees the value in TV content whether they are paying with greater focus and attention, or with their money. Indian consumers do not mind seeing ads as part of their shows, especially if they are getting a deal. 79 per cent of Indian respondents stated that they are open to a hybrid plan of ad-funded SVOD that comes with a reduced price. OTT service providers should take advantage of this preference and make the advertising experience engaging while limiting ad loads per break. Consumers are now willing to watch ads if they have the option to subscribe to a reduced price plan.”