iWorld
OTT aggregator PlayboxTV onboards ZEE5 and SonyLIV
Mumbai: OTT aggregator app PlayboxTV which allows viewers to watch multiple OTT platforms and Live TV under one roof has brought onboard ZEE5 and SonyLIV to enhance its proposition.
A collaborative effort between Next Trillion Technologies and Microscan Infocommtech, PlayboxTV positions itself as a one-stop destination for wholesome entertainment, bundled up in subscriptions starting at Rs 129. It is accessible on TV as well as on mobile devices. In the absence of a Smart TV, PlayboxTV set-top box can be used to avail the same services on television sets. It customises content recommendations based viewers’ viewers’ interests and choices. Playbox TV has a collection of 100,000 movies, over 350 live TV channels, multiple originals and popular shows, according to the official statement.
Commenting on the collaboration, Playbox TV founder and CEO, Aamir Mulani said, “I am truly excited about these collaborations that aim to revolutionise the OTT space. We are trying to adapt and evolve according to the rapidly changing needs of the consumers, who are now in search of a single OTT aggregator to consolidate and bundle their favourite OTT platforms into a simple yet accessible application. We at PlayboxTV believe that connecting movie lovers to their favourite content is of utmost significance and that is how we will be able to stand out in the fast-progressing OTT industry. The ecosystem is evolving, and hence consolidating and bundling is the way forward for an affordable viewing experience.”
ZEE5 head of alliance and partnerships, Vivek Arora, added, “ZEE5 is excited to partner with PlayboxTV and unlock a completely new audience demographic who can now enjoy our best-in-class stories. Value-driven partnerships have always been important to us and this association with PlayboxTV aligns with our larger goal of harnessing the power of ISPs hyper-local presence with ZEE5’s diverse content library to democratise entertainment for millions of individuals across the country.”
“At SonyLIV, we are consistently making efforts and committing resources to build a great personalised experience for our users. This partnership with PlayboxTV enables us to further expand our consumer footprint to wider pop-strata and bring millions of new users onto the digital content platforms. The audience is always on the lookout for good and wholesome entertainment and this association will enable them to consume a wide range of SPNI content in a familiar environment,” remarked SonyLIV, head – growth & monetisation, digital business, Manish Aggarwal.
e-commerce
Visa report tracks rise of India’s affluent, experience-led spending
Affluent base doubles to 130 lakh, travel 58 per cent of elite spends.
MUMBAI: In India’s new luxury playbook, it’s less about owning more and more about living better. A new whitepaper by Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA) maps a decisive shift in India’s affluent economy, where spending is becoming more intentional, experience-led, and closely tied to personal identity rather than pure income growth.
Titled India’s Affluent Economy 2025–2026, the report draws on a Visa-commissioned Yougov study and VisaNet data across travel, dining, retail and lifestyle categories. The headline number is hard to miss: individuals earning over Rs 10 lakh annually have nearly doubled from 69 lakh to 130 lakh, significantly expanding the country’s discretionary spending base.
But it’s not just about scale, it’s about behaviour. As consumers move up the affluence ladder, discretionary categories are taking a larger share of credit card spends, positioning cards as key enablers of premium, lifestyle-driven consumption.
The geography of wealth is shifting too. Affluence is no longer confined to metros such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, with cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur and Lucknow increasingly mirroring metro consumption patterns.
The report highlights a clear pivot from ownership to access. More than 50 per cent of affluent consumers now use cards for elite memberships, while 7 in 10 are drawn to limited-edition drops and curated collections. Increasingly, luxury is defined by seamless access be it concierge-led travel or curated dining where time saved is as valuable as money spent.
Spending patterns reinforce this shift. Among the ultra-elite, travel accounts for 58 per cent of discretionary spends, far outpacing retail and luxury combined at 28 per cent. Cross-border spending penetration stands at 63 per cent, signalling a growing global outlook among India’s affluent.
Closer home, indulgence is becoming routine. Nearly 4 in 5 affluent consumers dine at premium establishments at least three times a year, while 1 in 4 visit luxury venues more than five times annually. Dining spends are also climbing, with Rs 20,000 emerging as a new entry-level benchmark per experience and Rs 50,000 marking premium territory.
Retail, meanwhile, is becoming more selective. Three in four affluent consumers make a high-end purchase at least once a quarter, while one in four shops premium every two weeks. Luxury retail intensity is also rising, with 2 in 5 consumers spending over Rs 5 lakh annually, and a smaller but significant segment exceeding Rs 10 lakh.
Technology and wellness are carving out new roles in this ecosystem. High-end gadgets now see average spends of Rs 60,000 or more per purchase, while ultra-elite consumers are eight times more likely to visit spas and show five times higher engagement with cosmetic stores than non-affluent groups.
The broader takeaway is structural. Affluent consumers are no longer buying products, they are buying ecosystems. Integrated experiences across travel, dining, wellness and payments are becoming central to how this segment lives and spends.
As India’s affluent base expands beyond metros and aligns more closely with global consumption patterns, the real opportunity lies not just in size, but in speed. For brands, the message is clear: relevance will be defined by how early and how seamlessly, they plug into this evolving lifestyle economy.
