Subscribed, Not Committed: India’s new OTT reality

OTT subscriptions in India are growing fast—but commitment is thinning just as quickly. Viewers are signing up, switching platforms, capping spend, and constantly re-evaluating where their time and money go. The result? A streaming ecosystem driven less by loyalty and more by moment-by-moment relevance.

In this edition of The Pulse Shift, we unpack what’s really shaping OTT choices in India today—and why traditional ideas of retention, pricing, and monetisation are being challenged.

Key insights from the report

OTT Is No Longer a Loyalty Game

For years, OTT growth was anchored in a simple assumption: once subscribed, viewers would stay. That assumption no longer holds.

Today, platform switching has become a normal part of viewing behaviour. Consumers move fluidly across OTT platforms based on content availability, convenience, and experience, rather than long-term attachment to a single service. OTT platforms are no longer destinations—they are access points.

This shift fundamentally changes how success should be measured. Loyalty is no longer about permanence, but about repeat relevance.

2. The Wallet Has a Hard Stop

OTT adoption remains strong, but spending does not scale endlessly with the number of subscriptions. Viewers are increasingly deliberate about how much they are willing to pay across platforms.

This introduces a clear ceiling on subscription-led growth and intensifies competition within a fixed entertainment budget. Pricing strategies, bundling, and perceived value now play a decisive role in whether a platform stays in consideration or gets dropped.

In a crowded OTT market, growth is no longer about adding another subscription—it’s about earning a place within a tightly managed monthly spend.

3. Ads Are Accepted—Until They Break the Experience

Advertising has become an accepted part of the OTT value exchange, especially when it helps reduce subscription costs or unlock access. However, tolerance is conditional.

When ads feel intrusive, repetitive, or poorly timed, they quickly erode the viewing experience and trigger disengagement. Experience, not ad presence, is the real driver of acceptance.

For platforms, this makes ad strategy an experience design problem, not just a monetisation lever.

What This Means for OTT Platforms and Marketers

Taken together, these shifts point to a new OTT reality:

• Viewers optimise continuously for value and relevance

• Subscriptions are treated as flexible, not permanent

• Experience directly influences switching behaviour

In this environment, relevance matters more than retention. Platforms that repeatedly earn attention through content, pricing, and experience—will outperform those relying on legacy loyalty models.

Download the Full Report

This blog captures the broad shifts, but the full Pulse Shift report goes deeper into:

• Viewing frequency and switching patterns

• Monetisation thresholds and spend behaviour

• Ad tolerance and experience-driven churn

• Strategic implications for OTT platforms and advertisers

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