iWorld
Aastha TV to launch OTT, VOD service
MUMBAI: Now mobile users who are fans of spiritual gurus like Morari Bapu, Shivani, Acharya Balkrishna and Swami Ramdev will be able to watch their programmes and discourses while on the go. The Swami Ramdev-Acharya Balkrishna-owned Vedic Broadcasting today launched an app which will stream the live linear channel feed of the TV channels of the Aastha group – including Aastha Bhajan, Aastha TV, Vedic and Arihant. In addition to that it features over 500 hours of VOD content and users will be able to watch catch up TV for the previous nine days.
Interestingly, Aastha TV is already available as a live channel on YuppTV.
According to Swami Ramdev, the Aastha app would bring “bring people across the world closer to Indian spirituality and meditation. It will break national boundaries and anyone anywhere will be able to watch the best of spirituality and natural wellness through Yoga and Ayurveda.”
Balkrishna believes that the app will “help connecting the younger generation across India and the world with the Indian spiritual value-based system and help them enrich their lives spiritually, mentally and physically.”
The app has been powered by OTT YuppTV’s white label service, which has moved on from being just an OTT platform to being a technology service provider to video companies wanting to deliver content via mobile and OTT services.
Says Yupp TV CEO Uday Reddy: “We are glad to associate with Aastha channel and expedite its reach across digital channels via our multi-screen white-labelled video platform. While the channel promotes spirituality and culture amongst the youth and elderly alike, our white labelled OTT Platform will ensure the channel's direct reach and accessibility to the users."
Adds Aastha TV CEO Pramod Joshi: "The present-day user is equipped with digital mediums, smartphones and tablets and their viewing habits have changed. Hence, it is important for us to be present where our users are and make it convenient for them to watch our content and have a direct connection with them. We thank YuppTV's white-labelled OTT Platform for helping us successfully navigate through the world of OTT and making Aastha channels directly accessible to users via iOS and Android mobile apps, websites and connected TVs."
The Aastha app will be free for users in India but will be available for a subscription, after an initial free period, in different markets globally.
The content on the app will also be available in regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Bangla and Marathi.
The app will also have also beam videos of Ramdev's yoga camps as well as his discourses, which will be dubbed in regional languages for wider reach.
iWorld
Streaming boom crosses 200 million as India shifts to sustainable growth
From content bets to CTV rise, industry leaders map streaming’s next phase
MUMBAI: India’s streaming story has entered a new chapter, and this time it is less about land grab and more about staying power. At a panel on the evolving streaming economy, industry leaders agreed that with subscriptions crossing 200 million and revenues surging, the focus has decisively shifted to sustainable growth, smarter content bets and sharper partnerships.
Moderator EY partner Raghav Anand, set the tone by pointing to the sharp jump in paid subscriptions, driven by a mix of sports, bundling and improved distribution. The result is a fast-maturing ecosystem where subscription revenues are beginning to complement, and in some cases rival, advertising-led growth.
For Amazon Prime Video Svod business India director & head Shilangi Mukherji, the past decade has been about balancing choice with clarity. “It’s not an either-or market anymore,” she noted. “There is space for everything, from television to ad-supported streaming to subscriptions. The real win is when they all grow together.”
At the heart of this growth lies a simple trio: selection, value and convenience. Content remains king, but not in isolation. Platforms are now curating vast libraries that blend originals, rentals, and third-party services, all under one roof. The aim is to create an ecosystem where viewers do not need to hop between apps to find what they want.
Content itself is also evolving. Mukherji highlighted that nearly half of Prime Video’s viewership comes from outside a show’s home region, underlining the collapse of traditional language silos. Stories are no longer “regional” but increasingly pan-Indian, with talent and narratives travelling seamlessly across states.
Franchise-building has become another cornerstone, with a majority of shows designed for multiple seasons. The goal is not just to attract viewers but to keep them coming back, turning series into long-term cultural touchpoints rather than one-off hits.
On the production side, Hungama Digital Media managing director & CEO Neeraj Roy, described an industry that is both resilient and recalibrating. While the pandemic accelerated content consumption and discovery, it also reset market dynamics. Pre-sales have softened, satellite revenues have tightened, and the easy money phase of digital deals has cooled.
“The honeymoon is over,” Roy said candidly. “Now, content has to prove itself. If it works at the box office or with audiences, everything else follows.”
This shift, he argued, is pushing creators towards greater discipline. Fewer projects are being made, but with sharper focus on quality and audience appeal. At the same time, global exposure to diverse content, from Korean dramas to Malayalam cinema, has raised the bar for storytelling across the board.
Another quiet transformation is unfolding in how content is consumed. While mobile remains the primary gateway, especially for payments and discovery, connected TVs are fast becoming the preferred screen for long-form viewing. Mukherji described this not as a battle of devices but as a “force multiplier”, with platforms tailoring plans for mobile-only users, living room viewers and multi-device households alike.
The monetisation playbook is also widening. Beyond subscriptions and ads, platforms are experimenting with rentals, bundled offerings and commerce integrations, building layered revenue streams that cater to different stages of the consumer journey.
Looking ahead, both panellists pointed to global ambition as the next frontier. Mukherji emphasised taking Indian stories to the world through deeper localisation, calling content India’s soft power. Roy, meanwhile, stressed the need for investment in infrastructure, skills and, crucially, transparent data systems to guide creators with better insights.
If the first phase of India’s streaming boom was about scale, the next will be about substance. And as the industry settles into this new rhythm, one thing is clear: the real streaming wars may be over, but the race to win viewers’ time has only just begun.
