OTT platforms squeeze more from loyal viewers as easy growth fades
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.After years of building large subscriber bases through aggressive pricing and bundled offerings, video streaming platforms are recalibrating their strategies to align revenue growth with rising content and acquisition costs. In many cases, this means charging users more for the same content — but in subtler ways.Late last month, JioHotstar and Warner Bros.
Discovery expanded their partnership with the launch of HBO Max in India. The service is now available as a separate hub on the platform for an add-on pack starting at ₹49 per month.
Earlier, the HBO library was included within the JioHotstar subscription.Last year, Amazon Prime Video announced that movies and shows on the streaming service would carry ads. A new ad-free add-on option would be available, but at an additional ₹699 per year or ₹129 per month — effectively requiring users to pay more to continue watching the same content ad-free.Industry experts say the broader strategy is to maximize revenue from existing content without explicitly raising subscription prices.
This approach helps OTT platforms boost ARPU (average revenue per user), monetise popular content in new ways and offer differentiated plans such as ad-supported versus ad-free, high-definition versus standard-definition, and so on.“The shift in the monetization model reflects a natural evolution of India’s OTT landscape as platforms transition from a pure scale game to sustainable unit economics. Instead of opting for abrupt price hikes, which risk consumer pushback, they are introducing layered monetization structures that protect the base while unlocking higher value from premium-seeking cohorts,” said Rajesh Sethi, partner and leader - media, entertainment and
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