If there’s one thing that has changed content/entertainment consumption in the modern day, it’s the shift from ‘Traditional Media’ to ‘OTT Platforms.’ Traditional Media vs OTT Platforms is a debate that has become the centerpiece of most content-related discussions and the shift in people’s consumption patterns.
It not only informs about how they consume, but also about their own lifestyle choices, their preferences, their yearning for content, and one can collect enough data, extrapolate it, and make a sound conclusion about our society at large.
Therefore, a debate about OTT Platform vs Traditional Media, or more specifically, the shift from traditional media to OTT platforms, informs us about far more than just the entertainment world and how we deal with it.
So, let’s get into what OTT platforms are. What comprises and constitutes them, how they operate, what their business model is, and why they are so appealing to modern-day audiences is taking over traditional media. Likewise, we will also delve into what exactly constitutes traditional media and where its relevance lies today.
Let’s get into OTT first. OTT stands for Over-The-Top. These are online streaming platforms that provide audio and video content to the audience via the Internet. They essentially operate and exist without the involvement of traditional media and broadcasting networks.
Most Popular OTT Platforms
Some of the most popular OTT platforms currently operating include:
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime Video
- Disney+
- Apple TV+
They can provide you with on-demand entertainment and are accessible to the audience at all times via multiple devices, including smartphones, computers, and smart televisions.
It is an amalgamation of factors that slowly but steadily prompted audiences to move away from television and towards OTT platforms. The increasing access to high-speed internet, increasing use of digital devices, and the ease of finding most types of content at home without the inconvenience of going to the cinemas have made the audience choose online streaming devices over traditional media.
But as mentioned before, the change in the audience’s watching pattern isn’t just linear; it’s multifold. Amongst other things, the taste of audience members in entertainment has changed as well. It has been informed by the streaming services that provide more custom-made, convenience-oriented suggestions that go far beyond International borders. Also, it isn’t just about Bollywood and Hollywood anymore.
Personalized and Global Content
People, across all streaming platforms, have access to cinema and TV series from various countries such as:
- South Korea
- Norway
- Malaysia
- China
- Japan, etc.
Also, regional content from India is easily accessible to subscribers of OTT. From movies out of Kerala to Assam to Maharashtra to Gujarat to West Bengal to Karnataka, people watch anything on their streaming devices.
Traditional Media Adapting to the OTT Era
Such has been the nature of the shift and the domination of OTT platforms that conventional media platforms that provided entertainment content now have their own OTT platforms. SonyLIV and Zee5 are two of the prominent examples in this regard.
Hence, from the audience behavior to monetization models to societal changes to better acceptance of broad-minded norms (eg, kissing and other intimate scenes in movies and TV series don’t get censored on the Internet), and variety in taste, OTT platforms have changed a lot of things from the age-old style of viewing content available on traditional media houses. This OTT boom, brought about by the digital revolution, has certainly grabbed the world by its hold.
What would be interesting to see now is whether this OTT frenzy and the natural tendency to gravitate towards OTT platforms without hesitation will remain in the future, or if there will be OTT fatigue in the future. If the latter does happen, how will the entertainment world cope with it? These are questions that remain to be answered.
