iWorld
Short video platforms rise with Bharat positioning
KOLKATA: The star of user-generated content was on the rise in India due to TikTok, only to be abruptly curtailed when the government banned the Chinese-origin app. Now, nearly a year after TikTok’s exit, a number of homegrown short form video platforms have emerged to plug the gap. It seems that these apps have been able to capture the space well, as a report from RedSeer says they have retained 65-70 per cent of TikTok users.
"Indian short form apps have been able to retain over 65-70 per cent of TikTok users, adding 30-35 per cent new users in the past year, essentially back to 97 per cent of the TikTok user base," the report said.
The newly acquired “30-35 per cent users” have been reeled in through aggressive customer acquisition and marketing push by Indian short form video apps. The new users getting onboarded have a higher share of tier-2+ users driven by stronger focus of platforms on vernacular content and ‘Bharat’ positioning.
A finding of the report that may give TikTok pause is that nearly 75 per cent of current short-form video users are likely to stick with these domestic apps and are unlikely to switch back to Chinese apps even if the ban was lifted.
The short form industry has seen strong recovery with respect to both traffic and engagement. It has differentiated itself from other global social media and content through a strong ‘Bharat’ positioning and moving from the middle of the internet funnel towards the top.
Time spent on short-form video has reached 55 per cent of June 2020, which indicates that Indian platforms are still maturing and there is a strong market opportunity, the report added. At present, daily active users spend close to 30 minutes on average on short-video apps.
55 per cent users mention availability of regional vernacular content as the key reason for using those apps. 45 per cent users would like more professionally generated content. Live commerce and online education are prominent features in the user wish-list. However, 60 per cent users mention data privacy as the main challenge, while 50 per cent complained about streaming quality and unregulated content.
Users and influencers are driving each other’s growth on the platforms. While influencer availability is the most important decision making factor for more than half of the users, large user base helps influencers to decide to choose the platform.
“Moj has been a strong gainer across consumer and business metrics, as compared to the last quarter. The growth has been driven by regional language markets, especially in the southern states. On the other hand, Roposo has shown strong performance in tier-1 cities compared to the smaller ones. MX TakaTak leads in the net promoter score (NPS) in the metro cities. The platform has held challenges and hashtag events similar to TikTok, to gain market share,” the report detailed.
Josh has fared higher on the NPS primarily on the back of increased satisfaction (47 per cent) of tier-2 users. On the other hand, Moj has performed well in the vernacular region, leading to best satisfaction (51 per cent) in tier-2+, and second best (38 per cent) in tier-1 cities.
In metro and tier-1+ cities, MX TakaTak and Roposo are leading the pack. The former has secured the highest satisfaction (38 per cent) across the competition in metro cities and Roposo has done reasonably well in tier-1+ cities.
iWorld
Print perfect Ottplay bowls a culture driven campaign
From penguins to passion the brand turns India Pakistan into print powered moment marketing.
MUMBAI: When cricket fever meets front-page ink, sparks are bound to fly. And as the latest India–Pakistan clash gripped the nation, OTTplay decided not just to ride the wave but to print it in bold.
In a move that blends real-time agility with old-school authority, OTTplay rolled out a specially curated print campaign amplified by the century-old legacy of the Hindustan Times network. The strategy is simple but sharp: take the speed of pop culture, anchor it in the credibility of print, and make a sporting spectacle feel even larger than life.
The campaign kicked off during the T20 build-up with a creative inspired by the viral “Penguin” moment that flooded social media timelines. Instead of letting the meme melt away, OTTplay spun it into a witty cricket hook, tying internet chatter directly to the anticipation around the high-voltage fixture. It was playful, timely and unmistakably plugged into the cultural pulse.
Then came the dramatic “U-turn” in the narrative around the India–Pakistan match. OTTplay responded in near real time, crafting a clever print execution that mirrored the emotional swing fans experienced. In doing so, the brand demonstrated that even a medium often seen as static can move at the speed of culture when the thinking is sharp enough.
With Valentine’s Day in sight, the narrative pivoted once again. This time, OTTplay reframed the rivalry through the lens of love and passion, turning cricket’s most intense contest into a metaphor for romance, intensity and emotional investment. The result is a campaign that speaks not only to die-hard cricket followers but to anyone who understands that some rivalries are just another form of love.
OTTplay co-founder and CEO Avinash Mudaliar summed it up succinctly, saying that the India–Pakistan match “isn’t just a game, it’s an emotion,” and that the campaign is about tapping into that emotion in real time. By leveraging the reach and trust of Hindustan Times, he noted, OTTplay has brought moment marketing into a space often perceived as static, turning print into a high-impact storytelling vehicle that marries credibility with cultural immediacy.
The medium choice is as telling as the message. In an era dominated by scrolls and swipes, OTTplay’s use of a 100-year-old print platform signals a deliberate blend of tradition and trend. The creatives are not just ads; they are front-page conversations, designed to stop readers mid-sip and mid-scroll.
As anticipation builds around the marquee showdown, OTTplay’s message is clear: don’t just watch the moment unfold, stream it. As India’s leading OTT aggregator, the platform offers access to more than 30 OTT services, including JioHotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv, Lionsgate Play and Aha, positioning itself as the gateway to the big game and the bigger story around it.
In a season where every ball counts and every headline matters, OTTplay has managed to do both bowl fast in culture and land squarely on the front page.
