Government to improve Ease of Doing Business for OTT, VoD platforms: OSD to Maharashtra CM

by Suman Gupta

MUMBAI, 6^th September 2019: Mr Kaustubh Dhavse, Joint Secretary designated as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra, yesterday said that the government will provide necessary support and improve Ease of Doing Business for over-the-top (OTT) and video on demand (VoD) media platforms.

Speaking at the fourth edition of FICCI Knowledge Series: ‘FAST TRACK INDIA – Maximizing the Content Value Chain’, Mr Dhavse said, “This event gives the government an understanding of the digital space very closely. It helps us create an enabling ecosystem so that people across value chain benefit from the incentives of the government.”

Mr Neeraj Roy, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Hungama Digital, Media Entertainment Ltd said, “When it comes to the broadcast market, an audience is being generated in both television as well as the internet which culminates the perfect storm of storyteller.” He further added, “An average Indian consumer, consumes 17 gigabyte data a day which means, never letting the content devices be away from the users.”

Mr Rishika Lulla Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Eros Digital, said that India is one of the fastest growing entertainment and media market globally and is expected to keep that momentum. “As data and digital infrastructure has become exceedingly accessible even in small cities of India, the market for OTT has widened enormously. At Eros Now, we strive to constantly engage the existing consumers and expand our reach by offering new and innovative services,” he added.

Defining the current VoD landscape which has evolved rapidly over the last few years, Mr Karan Bedi, Chief Executive Officer, MX Player said, “I am delighted to be sharing insights on the role of OTT and the rise of the digital medium at FICCI FAST TRACK INDIA 2019. Our first 6 months at MX Player has taught us so much about the varied preferences of the consumer palette; its only upward and beyond from here on.”

Ms Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, Zee5 Global said, “This is the best of times for both consumer and content creators. For those of us running an OTT business, the key priority remains monetization, but we increasingly see that consumer are willing to pay for great content and that remains a strong stimulus for the ecosystem.’’

Mr Alistair Jennings, Vice President, APAC Content Protection, Motion Picture Association said, “India is the fastest growing media and entertainment market globally and its video streaming industry has enormous growth prospects. Now is a vital time to build the right checks and balances to protect the legal dissemination of online content. I am delighted to join this year’s Fast Track to share more on MPA’s efforts and our recent site blocking successes in India.”

Mr Girish Menon, Partner & Head, Media & Entertainment, KPMG in India said, “The online video consumer in India has evolved in a significant way in the last couple of years. With consumption now going mass and viewers spending close to 8.5 hours a week on online video, we see a homogenous pattern of consumption emerging cutting across age groups, income levels and professions.”