Essay on ott platform

OTT is basically a digital platform called an "Over the Top" media service. It bypasses satellite, cable, or broadcast as it is on...

OTT is basically a digital platform called an "Over the Top" media service. It bypasses satellite, cable, or broadcast as it is online, internet, or streaming T.V. Its services can be availed through the internet, different apps on mobile, or through websites on personal computers. Its access is controlled by a video distributor through either app or an OTT dongle box. For a consumer, one needs to subscribe to a favourite OTT platform and he can enjoy his favourite content on mobile, T.V., or a personal computer.                  

Available OTT Services in India:

1. Amazon prime video
2. Netflix                      
3. voot                        
4. Disney + Hotstar     
5. MX player               
6. Eros Now                
7. Sony LIV                 
8. ZEE5                         
9. ALT Balaji              
10. Jio cinema

Benefits of OTT Platform:

1. Films, short films, documentaries, web series, or any other content of any duration can be released on the OTT Platform.                   
2. Its content has a very wide range of education, fitness, entertainment, music, sports, etc.    
3. It is very time convenient to watch content on the OTT platform. Subscribers can pause, forward, or backwards the content.                      
4. Subscribers get their favourite content at the push of a button thus putting less effort or else one has to flick the channels on T.V         
5. OTT offers a great opportunity for business products as they can get a particular zone of likely people to have an interest in buying their products.            
6. For producers, filmmakers, and actors it is a great platform where they can go for different experiments and get due recognition too.              
7. It offers the best service to the consumer because he can subscribe only to his favourite content instead of paying a huge amount for bundles of T.V. channels that are never watched.
8.  OTT offers free trials for subscribers and it is observed that more than 50% of subscribers who get signed up for free trial converts into monthly subscribers. 
9. The main concern about filmmaking is always a budget and an OTT gives a very reliable platform to filmmakers to make the films, T.V. serials, or a documentary as per their available funds and budget, because the OTT platform requires lesser funds, technical instruments as compared to traditional types of equipment of filmmaking. So it would be right to say that more fraternities in the film industry attract to the platform.                                                         

Opinion of film actors about the OTT platform:               

Akshay Kumar said," OTT made the film industry more dramatic, crediting script power over star power. It is a great platform for character actors and filmmakers as well. It became a game-changer for many.      

Ajay Devgan said: The quality of entertainment being delivered via the digital platform is remarkable and has opened up avenues for filmmakers to experiment and scale-up. I am thrilled to embrace a new form of storytelling with OTT now.

Regarding the quality of the content over the OTT platform:

The government tightened its control over the OTT platform by Information technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, as of Feb 2021 directs them to categorize content according to age, among other things.

During the pandemic lockdown, filmmakers were forced to release their films on OTT. But today many producers and filmmakers are eager to explore this digital platform and it definitely shows its growing popularity. This platform is going to be a strong option for theatres. so it may be termed as "other than theatre" rather than "over the top" media service.