MUMBAI: In the race to reach a larger audience easily, all the over-the-top (OTT) players in India have struck deals with major telecom players. While all the video streaming platforms in India are still struggling with monetisation, telco platforms have created an alternative route to monetise content. Moreover, the OTT platforms are not limiting the partnership opportunity to telco platforms but also joining hands with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMS), broadband players, smart TVs for a stronger distribution strategy.

According to a report from KPMG, telco partnerships have contributed 30-35 per cent to overall subscription revenue of OTT platforms in FY 19. The revenue from telco partnerships is expected to achieve robust growth in the coming years, although slower as compared to direct subscriptions.

Vidnet 2019 summit is hosting a panel discussion on ‘Captive Audiences of the Telecom Trace’  where experts from the major platforms will share how telco partnerships have helped to gain them more audience and what are the untapped opportunities in the space. “With the unlimited choices today the customer has, it's all about giving the right content to the customer and engaging deeply with what's in the library,” Apalya Technologies co-founder and CEO Vamshi Reddy commented.

The panel discussion will also trace answers to relevant questions like how telcos and OTT players can maximise revenue potential through the partnerships. Moreover, there are large feature phone users existing in the ecosystem. Hence, it will be also discussed if the OTT players can tap these consumers or they are happy just identifying the smartphone users.

However, these partnerships are not only helping the OTT platforms, telco players are being benefitted as well. After the entry of the market disruptor Reliance Jio in 2016, the average revenue per user (ARPU) has sharply declined. Hence, it has become important for the telco partners to encourage more data consumption with lucrative content offerings