Aha eyes serialised long-format shows to retain subscribers as growth stalls

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Telugu and Tamil video streaming platform aha, owned by film producer Allu Aravind, is looking at long-format shows that will drop episodes every week to sustain viewer engagement and retain existing users, at a time when OTT platforms are struggling to acquire new paid subscribers.

Aha, which is also looking at entering a new language market, other than Telugu and Tamil, is banking on a mix of films acquired after theatrical release, limited series and long-format shows dropping weekly, to remain relevant in a market where it says all entertainment apps, and not just OTTs, are fighting for the limited time and attention span of users. “2024 was a very interesting year for us, because we optimized our approach to content where we found the right mix of dishing out fiction originals, acquired content and non-fiction shows.

In terms of fiction, we have begun experimenting with the longer show format which is a weekly episodic drop and we are quite happy with how it has been received by our subscriber base," aha content head Vaasudev Koppineni said in an interview. To be sure, streaming platforms have begun serialising their shows, instead of releasing all episodes of an entire season in one go, in a shift of strategy aimed at boosting subscriber retention.

The traditional streaming model involved binge-watching that allowed viewers to consume an entire season of a show in one sitting. Some platforms are now experimenting with a more scheduled approach.