We’re committed to using AI to enhance personalised experiences: Inderpreet Singh

OTTplay is India’s first-ever smart recommendation engine, which handpicks the movies and shows that match users’ taste and language preferences by diving deep into the most number of OTT channels. The platform has launched 5 subscription packs in partnership with 12 Indian and International OTT players and has introduced 4 international OTTs in India. With the launch of subscriptions on OTTplay, users can choose from 5 packs and stream content of their choice on their app, web and mweb platforms. 

OTTplay brings together popular Indian OTT platforms such as SonyLIV, ZEE5, Lionsgate Play, Sun NXT, ShemarooMe, Curiosity Stream, ShortsTV, DocuBay as well as makes 4 international OTTs – Hallmark Movies Now, FUSE+, Tastemade+ and DUST – available in India, backed by AI-based recommendation and content discovery technology enabling viewers to browse through the clutter of OTT content with sheer ease and convenience.

In conversation with Adgully, Inderpreet Singh, Chief Business Officer, OTTplay, speaks about the journey of OTTplay Premium, offering personalised experience to comsumers, leveraging AI for an enhanced viewer experience, and much more.

How has the journey of OTTplay Premium been since its inception? What were the challenges faced and how did you surmount them?

The journey of OTTplay Premium has been quite exciting since its inception. We began our journey during the pandemic, when there was a sudden surge in the number of people watching OTT content. We soon realised that with over 60 OTT platforms available in the country, it was difficult for viewers to subscribe to each channel individually. This led us to the idea of aggregating all the OTTs into one app.

Our aim was to provide viewers with a wide range of content under one roof, and we started off as a review, recommendation, and ratings site along with a plugin of news stories. One of the main challenges we faced was onboarding individual OTTs and incorporating all their USPs into one platform technologically. As a media company, we did not have high-end technology at the time, but we started building a team to cater to this hurdle. We overcame this challenge by constantly upgrading our technology and improving our platform’s user experience. We also focused on providing personalised recommendations to our viewers to help them decide what to watch.

Overall, our journey has been quite fulfilling, and we are grateful to our viewers for their support. We will continue to work towards providing our viewers with the best possible OTT experience under one roof.

What are OTTplay Premium’s expansion plans in terms of partner apps, subscription, and consumer retention and user growth?

At OTTplay Premium, we are committed to expanding our platform and delivering the best possible OTT experience to our viewers. We currently offer a diverse range of content, including 17 OTT partners, and we have plans to add more partners to our list. By the end of this year, we aim to have more than 25 OTTs on our platform.

In addition to this, we offer a variety of content tailored to different interests and languages, making sure that everyone in the family has something to enjoy. For sports fans, we recently added FanCode to our platform, offering exclusive access to live sports events. In terms of regional content, we have more than four OTT partners providing content in various languages across the country. We have also entered into an exclusive tie-up with Hallmark, providing our viewers with international content that they cannot find anywhere else.

To cater to our viewers’ live TV viewing needs, we currently have over 150 live TV channels on our platform. We aim to increase this to 400+ channels by the end of this year. Our platform is available on a wide range of TV devices, including Android TV, Fire TV, Jio stores, and Apple TV, making it easily accessible to our viewers.

As we expand, we remain focused on providing personalized newsletters, reviews, recommendations, and WhatsApp messages to keep our viewers engaged and satisfied. Our goal is to achieve 2 to 3 million subscriptions this year, and we are scaling up our business and sales channels to achieve this target.

Overall, our expansion plans are geared towards providing the best possible OTT experience to our viewers and expanding our platform’s reach across the country. We are excited about the future and look forward to serving our viewers with the best possible OTT experience.

What is the future of the OTT market and how is it benefiting the entire ecosystem?

The future of the OTT market is promising and expected to grow exponentially. With the widespread availability of high-speed internet and affordable smartphones, OTT platforms are becoming the go-to destination for entertainment and content consumption. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the growth of the OTT market as more people are staying indoors and seeking digital entertainment options.

The OTT market is benefiting the entire ecosystem in many ways. For starters, it has created new opportunities for content creators, producers, and distributors to reach a wider audience with their content. The OTT market has also led to the democratisation of content, as creators no longer need to rely on traditional gatekeepers like production houses or broadcasters to reach their audience. This has resulted in a more diverse range of content being available to viewers.

Moreover, the OTT market is benefiting the consumers by providing them with more choices, convenience, and personalised viewing experiences. Viewers now have the flexibility to watch their favorite content on-demand, at any time, and on any device. With OTT platforms providing personalised recommendations and curated content, viewers can easily discover new and relevant content based on their interests and preferences.

In conclusion, the future of the OTT market is bright, and it is benefiting the entire ecosystem, including creators, producers, distributors, and viewers. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect the OTT market to become more innovative and offer even more personalised and engaging experiences to viewers.

What strategies are you working on to create personalised experiences for your consumers? How do you leverage AI in this regard?

At OTTplay Premium, we pride ourselves on providing personalised experiences to our consumers. We are the first personalised recommendation engine in the country that caters to viewers across all OTT platforms. We provide content recommendations and personalised recommendations based on the viewer’s subscription, which is a USP that no other OTT platform currently offers.

To leverage this, we extensively use AI technology to study the viewer’s journey within the website and suggest relevant content based on their preferences. Our aim is to provide a better discoverability experience for our viewers. For instance, if a viewer watches a particular content on Platform A, we suggest similar content available on Platform B that might interest them, enabling them to discover more relevant content that they might not have found otherwise.

Overall, we are committed to using AI to enhance the personalised experience of our viewers and make their OTT viewing experience more enjoyable and effortless.

What are the existing OTTplay premium offers and planned integrations?

At OTTplay Premium, we offer a wide range of packs that cater to the diverse needs and preferences of our viewers. Our packs are designed keeping our viewers’ interests and budget in mind.

We have packs like “Simply South” that are specifically curated for the southern part of the country, and pocket-friendly packs like “Chota Pataka”, which provides access to multiple OTT platforms for just Rs 699 per year. For those interested in international content, we have “Totally Sorted”, which includes popular international OTT platforms like Lionsgate Play, Hallmark Movies Now, Fuse+, and more. Our “Power Play” pack offers access to all 17 OTT platforms, and we have recently launched monthly subscriptions for our “Jackass” and “Power Play” packs, which are doing well in the market.

Moving forward, we plan to add more packs to our offerings. The best part is that regardless of when a viewer subscribes to any of the packs, they will automatically get access to new OTT platforms that join the club without any additional cost. We are committed to providing our viewers with a seamless and enjoyable OTT viewing experience at an affordable price.

What is the future of OTT? Will we see a hybrid (AVOD and SVOD) model gaining prominence in the days ahead? What will be defining trends?

The future of OTT looks bright and promising. We can expect to see more content being produced exclusively for streaming platforms, and the demand for personalized and curated content will only continue to grow. As for the hybrid model, there is a possibility that we might see a rise in the AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) model, as it offers a free alternative to viewers who are not willing to pay for subscriptions. However, the SVOD (subscription-based video on demand) model is expected to remain the dominant revenue model for the OTT industry.

In terms of defining trends, we can expect to see a continued focus on regional and original content production, international expansion, as well as an increased adoption of AI and machine learning for personalised recommendations more integration and aggregation. We might also see the integration of social media and OTT platforms, creating a more social viewing experience for users. Additionally, the rise of interactive and immersive technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality might have an impact on the future of OTT as well.