Coming soon, a blockbuster parade on streaming apps this festive season

Streaming platforms are no different.

Multinational over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video and homegrown major ZEE5 are lining up big-ticket shows and movies to ride a potential consumption binge during the upcoming festival season, scheduling them to coincide with holidays and long weekends over the next couple of months.

Platform executives said it is common to see an uptick in viewership and engagement during the festive period and renewals remain steady, even though new subscriptions may not see a significant spike. While Netflix’s Ananya Pandey-starrer CTRL is slated for early October, the second season of Squid Game shall premiere on 26 December.

Upcoming shows

Citadel: Honey Bunny, a spy series starring Varun Dhawan, will arrive on Amazon Prime Video in November, while ZEE5 has releases such as Berlin, the second season of its Hindi original Mithya, along with films featuring actors like Manoj Bajpayee, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui lined up.

Disney+ Hotstar has the second season of Taaza Khabar scheduled for late September, followed by the ICC Women's T20 World Cup and the Pro Kabaddi League season 11 in October.

Ad-supported platforms also expect the festive period to see greater interest from brands looking to boost their sales via advertisements. According to Disney+ Hotstar's Festive Shopping Sentiment Survey, online video advertisements will be the top source of information, with 58% of consumers discovering brands and services through these platforms.

Also read: India has 547 million OTT users but active paid subscriptions remain stagnant at 100 million: Report

“During the festive season, people look for entertainment options during their time off, special festive offers or bundles provided by the OTT platforms, and there is a general increase in disposable income. Additionally, the appeal of exclusive content and big releases often encourage viewers to subscribe or renew their memberships," Saurabh Srivastava, chief operating officer, digital business, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd, said. “Normally, the festive period sees an increase in consumption (both advertising video-on-demand and subscription video-on-demand) roughly in double-digits, although Diwali and Holi can be exceptions when subscription and consumption might slow down."

The festive season brings families together in celebration and as households unite to mark these special occasions, there's a surge in demand for premium content, enhancing viewership, Manish Kalra, chief business officer, ZEE5 India, said.

“This period not only caters to viewers but also presents an excellent opportunity for advertisers to connect with their audience, offering significant potential for building viewership," he added. Festive campaigns like ZEE5 Manoranjan Festival that provide discounts and free content, collaborations with Mumbaicha Raja during Ganesh Chaturthi and live streaming Durga Puja rituals, do well, bringing more eyeballs and engagement on the platform. “These campaigns not only attract a new set of audiences but also allow viewers to sample the variety of content available in our library and take well-informed subscription decisions," Kalra added.

Festive subscription

To be sure, the subscription spike during festivals is driven more by existing customers who may have been engaged with a particular platform for some time, leading to subsequent renewals. “In terms of subscription to a completely new platform, or renewal of subscription to an alternative platform, it will depend on exciting campaigns or offers that are being run by those platforms at that time to entice new and old subscribers," Rajat Agrawal, chief operating officer of Mumbai-based Ultra Media & Entertainment Group, said.

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Ravikant Sabnavis, CEO of Telugu video streaming service aha, said that during the holiday season, the platform consistently sees a surge in daily active users (DAUs) and increased average time spent on its app, besides a noticeable rise in renewals and a significant uptick in new user acquisition.

“For Telugu audiences, festivals aren't just about going out and having fun; they also involve watching movies or shows with family, making it an integral part of the celebrations. This is why many major theatrical releases are scheduled during festivals. At aha, the period between Dussehra and Sankranti has consistently driven the highest viewership numbers," Sabnavis said.

Aha will be premiering the third season of the Unstoppable talk show with NBK from Dussehra through Sankranti. Additionally, new seasons of Ardham Ayindaaa Arun Kumar and 3 Roses, besides new web originals such as Hometown and Jai Chiranjeeva will be available during the period.

To be sure, despite the surge in outdoor entertainment, media industry experts feel the festive season is likely to see an uptick in small screen viewing as well. Sukhpreet Singh, corporate head of marketing, Dish TV & Watcho, said while the traditional mode of consumption used to be the TV set, content viewing that has now moved to mobile devices sees an uptick even during holidays or when people are in transit.

“Overall, streaming is competing with other content on other screens, including gaming, but also for the limited leisure time many are faced with. With more time off during the holiday season, fans often dive into their favourite anime series or discover new ones, resulting in a surge in streaming," said Akshat Sahu, senior director of marketing—APAC, Crunchyroll, a global anime streaming service.

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