OTT content will be subjected to the scrutiny of the Centre: Shashank Singh

Shrugging off the disruptions of the year gone by, businesses and agencies are looking for a strong revival in 2021. Over the next few weeks, Adgully – as part of our annual TRENDING NOW endeavour – will be presenting the strategies and views of a cross-section of industry leaders as they go about reclaiming lost time and market opportunities and build for a stronger future, armed with the lessons of 2020. 

The year 2020 has been an eventful one for OTT platforms, particularly from a growth perspective, says Shashank Singh, Founder and CEO, FLYX. 

Outlook for 2021

The year gone by has been an eventful one for OTT platforms, particularly from a growth perspective. They have seen their users grow exponentially owing to the lockdowns triggered by the pandemic. During this time content across OTT platforms served as a source of limitless entertainment. I believe, this growth will remain steady and unimpeded, with the top players in the industry upping their game to stand out in a bid to attract more subscribers and retain existing ones. Seasoned service providers, and emerging ones, will all focus on personalising their content and the overall user experience to distinguish themselves from their competitors. In addition to the changes that the intense competition will bring, the impact of the recent governmental restrictions will also be perceptible as OTT content will be subjected to the scrutiny of the Centre. The process of approval will be lengthened and could potentially jeopardise the freedom of expression that characterises all OTT content.

Other trends that one can expect to see include a rise in the popularity of connected TV, or content streamed over the internet on TV, and the acceptance of group viewing on OTT platforms, or watching your favourite shows or movies together without the need to have your companions in the same room as yours. 

Great expectations

The year 2021 will pave the path for content tailored to suit the needs of an audience that seeks novelty, and therefore, stimulate its constant evolution. Content, in my opinion, will be of the greatest importance, and the reinforced recognition of the critical role it plays in driving the growth of OTT is also something that we will witness this year. I am also certain that distinctive, unconventional films and shows in different languages, inspired by regional and international stories that have never been shown before, will form a part of and elevate the content streamed on OTT platforms. There will be no boundaries set to check the potential for innovation and exploration where content is concerned. Additionally, with a plethora of such options to choose from, such type of content will also become more accessible to the viewer.

Ultimately, the streaming wars will empower consumers and also revolutionise how they consume media. Here again, artificial intelligence and machine learning could play a big role in automatically classifying the content and generating full disclosures about the content about to be consumed. 

Key learnings from 2020

If there is one thing that 2020 has taught me more than anything else, it is, to reiterate an old adage, that mutability is the only constant. And while change can be disruptive, it can also be turned to one’s advantage, and the COVID-19 induced rise in the popularity of OTT content viewing reflects just that. It only reinforces the fact that there is always some good that comes out of adversity.

As an entrepreneur, it taught me that one person cannot do everything and it is okay to ask for help; the most important thing about entrepreneurship is not just the idea but the team which is responsible for the execution. An awesome team can take a mediocre idea and still make a great business out of it, but a bad team can take an awesome idea and still end up as a failure. A true entrepreneurs’ job is first creating a great team and then become an enabler to remove any roadblocks and make sure they function the best.

Last but not the least, it taught me to think clearly and have a well laid out vision and plan.