USAGE OF OTT PLATFORMS DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN: TRENDS, RATIONALE AND IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Digitization has revolutionized the way we access and consume content. Information is just a click away
and always at our fingertips. The spread of Internet led to shrinking of the globe, figuratively. Content
with focus on entertainment mingled with information (infotainment), as opposed to purely newsy one,
tends to garner better audience attention. With the rise of OTT platforms, this trend has seen a new dawn.
Content from all across the world is available without much ado. It will not be wrong to say that OTT
platforms such as Netflix, Voot, Amazon Prime Video etc. have given a catalytic impetus to the shrinking
of globe into a village. These platforms can be lauded for bringing the world together and closer and an
for fostering an enhanced sense of cultural understanding among the masses. During the unfortunate times
of a hitherto unprecedented global pandemic such as COVID-19, these video-on-demand platforms have
seen a surge in their viewership. Owing to lockdown and statutory social distancing norms adopted by
most countries affected by the pandemic, people have registered higher presence on these platforms.
It is in the wake of these trends and statistics of increasing preference and dependence on OTT platforms
for entertainment, information and engagement among the viewers that this study has been conducted.
This study of urban youth aims to examine the trends in content consumption during lockdown,
understand its reasons and implications.
The study finds that use of OTT content platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Voot, Hotstar
(now Disney Hotstar), etc. has seen a rise especially among the younger age cohorts of population.