What is OTT Platform, Best 10 OTT Platforms in India

OTT (Over-the-top) platforms have become popular in India in the past few years. It is a streaming platform that offers content directly to viewers via the internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast and satellite TV platforms. During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, these platforms were at the peak of their popularity as people were stuck at home. This resulted in many new subscribers joining these services.

Given that the theaters have reopened but accept only 50% of their capacity as they follow social distancing norms, filmmakers are releasing their movies on OTT platforms. This way, people can watch their favorite movies right at the comfort of their homes. Having said that, here we have listed the top 10 OTT platforms in India right now along with their pricing and features.

What Is OTT Platform?

OTT or over-the-top platforms stream both audio and video content. Initially, these services debuted as content hosting platforms but soon turned towards the production and release of short movies, feature films, documentaries and web-series all by their own.

These streaming platforms make use of Artificial Intelligence that suggests users the content they may prefer to watch depending on their past viewership on the platform. Mostly, these services will be free for specific content and charge users on a monthly basis to access premium content.

Top 10 OTT Apps/Platforms In India

Here's a list of the top 10 OTT platforms or apps available in India right now.

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is a popular video streaming service that was launched in the country in 2016. Apart from English, Prime Video is available in six Indian languages. Besides Prime Video, the Prime subscription bundles free Amazon Music alongside free, express delivery. It is one of the most popular streaming services in India as the monthly plan starts from as low as Rs. 129 for the additional benefits as mentioned above. Also, there are original titles, shows and movies in different languages.

Netflix

Netflix is another highly popular streaming service in India. It offers four subscription plans for users starting from Rs. 199 per month. Each Netflix plan has different benefits in terms of number of devices and streaming quality. Netflix made to our list of popular streaming services in India as the service provides users with multiple content categories such as movies, TV shows, web series and more in several languages. Also, it lets users pay a relatively lesser amount than other plans if they have just a single device to access the content.

Disney+ Hotstar

Disney+ Hotstar is an India OTT service that is owned by Novi Digital Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Disney's Star India. This streaming platform lets users watch a slew of content across categories such as movies, TV shows, news, sports and much more. There are two different plans of which the high-end Premium plan lets users watch international films and TV series as well. Disney+ Hotstar lets users watch cricket matches and other shows.

Voot

Voot is a domestic on-demand video services launched in 2016. It is the online arm of Viacom 18. Voot app is available for iOS, Android and KaiOS and a website for the web users. Voot is available only for users in India and includes shows from various TV channels such as MTV, Colors, and Nickelodeon. Also, the content is available across several Indian regional languages. Voot is rated popular as it has produced several 'Voot Original' shows for streaming. We have included this service here as its Voot Select plans lets users who have paid the subscription cost to watch TV shows a day before these are telecast on TV.

ZEE5

ZEE5 is a home-grown video-on-demand service run by Essel Group as a part of its subsidiary Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in 2018 in 12 languages. The subscribers can enjoy entertainment content sans any ads, irrespective of the device they are using. It hosts some of the popular TV shows telecasted by Zee among other content. ZEE5 has made up to this list as it lets users enjoy watching their favorites content without any ads for as low as Rs. 99 per month.

Sony LIV

Sony LIV is an Indian video-on-demand service owned by Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt. Ltd. It is based in Mumbai and consists of 18 years of content owned by the Sony Entertainment Network channels in India including Sony TV, Sony SAB, Sony Max, Sony Ten, Sony MAX 2, Sony PIX and Sony Six. The OTT platform is listed among the popular services as it comes with a rice content library and several Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters.

Eros Now

Eros Now is another subscription service from India. It was launched in 2012 and is owned and operated by Eros Digital, which is the digital media management arm of Eros International. Eros Now is accessible on most devices that have an active internet connection such as mobile, tablets, TV and web. This streaming platform offers blockbuster films like Cheeni Kum, Happy Bhag Jayegi, etc., web-series such as A Monsoon Date and more that makes it one of the best streaming services.

MX Player

MX Player is a domestic video streaming and video on demand platform developed by MX Media & Entertainment. Currently, this platform operates on an ad-supported model and has a streaming library of content ranging for over 150,000 hours across 12 languages. It is compatible on iOS, Android and the web. MX Player is popular as this service is completely free for users.

ALT Balaji

ALT Balaji is yet another popular streaming service that is owned by a subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms Ltd. This service is available across 32 different interfaces for its viewers. ALT Balaji is available on Android, iOS and Windows-powered mobile and tablets. ALT Balaji is popular as there is a collection of content ranging from drama, comedy, romance, thriller, and crime.

Discovery+

Discovery+ is a video streaming subscription-based service. It is touted to be a premium real-life entertainment offering that will have much of the content dubbed in various Indian languages. It will also include content from some popular TV channels as well, thereby making it highly popular.

OTT FAQs

If you have any doubts about OTT services, then you can check out the same from here.

Why is it called OTT?

OTT stands for over-the-top, which refers to devices that can go 'over' a cable box to give the user access to TV content. These services need an active internet connection instead of a traditional cable/broadcast provider.

What devices support OTT?

Any device that such as mobile, laptop, Chromecast, Fire TV stick, etc. supports OTT apps or platforms.

How to watch OTT on TV?

On smart TVs, you can watch OTT apps by using streaming devices such as Apple TV, PlayStation, Chromecast, Xbox, Fire stick and more.

How does OTT work?

OTT services buy the rights to the movies for release or streaming. The producer will get a sum for the rights. This differs based on the language versions of the same film.