iWorld
Content choice drives Indians’ subscription to multiple OTT platforms
MUMBAI: OTT subscription fatigue is a myth in India for now. While subscribing to multiple OTT services, Indian subscribers rely on content as the driving force. There are three primary reasons for this – demand for more content options (42 per cent), satisfying the content needs for an entire family (42 per cent) and all content not being available on one single OTT service (42 per cent).
“Our research findings suggest that the online TV consumer in India sees the value in TV content whether they are paying with greater focus and attention, or with their money,” says Brightcove India sales director Janvi Morzaria.
The study run by Brightcove polled 9,000 participants across nine countries in Asia, including 1,000 consumers in India. It also revealed that 79 per cent of respondents welcomed the hybrid model of OTT. The report said that 35 per cent of respondents are open to a reduced monthly subscription package that serves ads depending on the price, whereas 44 per cent said they would definitely sign up.
25 per cent of Indian respondents wants to pay nothing and watch ads as a trade-off to consuming content while 25 per cent elected to pay a lower fee with limited ads. Just 14 per cent agreed to pay a higher fee to be free from ads and 14 per cent would like an option where they can customise their price and ad packages. 37 per cent of respondents wanted to pay less than $1 per month, 27 per cent would pay $1-$4 per month, and 16 per cent would pay $5-$9 per month.
“Indian consumers do not mind seeing ads as part of their shows, especially if they are getting a deal. 79 per cent of Indian respondents stated that they are open to a hybrid plan of ad-funded SVOD that comes with a reduced price,” she added.
It also emerged that offline downloads, access on mobile, and using less data on mobile were the top three OTT service features most wanted by Indian consumers. 22 per cent of Indian respondents found two ads as an acceptable advertising load per ad break and 13 per cent were open to three ads per break. In addition to that, 67 per cent of respondents were receptive to the idea of shoppable TV.
“OTT service providers should take advantage of this preference and make the advertising experience engaging while limiting ad loads per break. Consumers are now willing to watch ads if they have the option to subscribe to a reduced price plan,” she commented.
iWorld
Mumbai pani puri stall goes viral with water gun filling stunt
Instamart’s Holi activation swaps matka for blasters, video sparks laughs and soggy puri debates online.
MUMBAI: Pani puri just got a high-pressure upgrade because in Mumbai, even street food is practising its aim for Holi. A pani puri vendor in the city has become an overnight social media star after he was filmed firing paani into crisp puris using colourful water guns, part of a playful festive activation by quick-commerce platform Instamart ahead of Holi. The clip, shared widely on Instagram and Linkedin, shows the vendor ditching the traditional steel matka for toy blasters, blasting flavoured water straight into the golgappas with impressive accuracy while a crowd of office-goers, students, and passers-by gathers, phones out, recording the spectacle.
The stunt was designed to spotlight Instamart’s Holi collection of water guns, now shifting from childhood toys to serious adult purchases. Premium models like the German-engineered SPYRA (known for power and range), alongside NERF and Toyshine blasters, are already seeing demand as buyers gear up for the festival with high-performance gear bought with grown-up money.
Netizens had a field day with the video. One user quipped, “There are two kinds of Holi people: The ‘I’ll sit inside’ ones. And the ‘give me the biggest water gun’ ones. Instamart clearly built this for the second category.” Another likened it to “a deleted Holi scene from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani,” capturing the mix of amusement and mock horror over potentially soggy puris.
With Holi still weeks away, the viral moment signals that festive shopping and the playful chaos it brings has already begun in Mumbai. In a city where street food is sacred, watching pani puri get the water-gun treatment might just be the splashiest sign yet that the festival of colours is loading up for a big, wet comeback.
