Consumption of OTT Media Streaming in COVID-19 Lockdown
Digitalization across the globe has changed the way media is consumed. An increase in the number of internet connections, better networks, technological innovations, and availability of smart devices have resulted in the rise of new over-the-top (OTT) media that offers services to viewers directly via the internet.
With the 45% estimated growth, India is likely to emerge as the second-biggest OTT market (after US) to reach a value of ₹138 billion by the end of fiscal 2023.
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI, 2019) report that projects 30–35 million OTT subscribers in India by 2021, there seems a high probability that OTT services will soon circumvent the traditional media distribution channels.
As a result, popular OTT service providers such as YouTube, Netflix and Spotify have seen an instrumental role in the growth of data streaming, recording a staggering 140% rise in video streaming apps in Australia, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand (App Annie, The state of the mobile 2019). These statistics show that there exists a strong opportunity for OTT service providers to capitalize on the digital media as a strong communication channel.
COVID-19 Lockdown and Change in Media Consumption
The crippling effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is being reflected in the form of behavioural and lifestyle changes in people, including a change in their media consumption. As reported by Nielson, there has been an 18% increase in television use of all sorts in America in the week ending March, especially for teenagers who could no longer go to school.
In India, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) reported a growth of 38% in TV consumption over the pre-COVID period that is entertaining people by airing fiction tales, historical pieces, mythological stories, and supernatural thrills. Social distancing norms and isolation of people have increased at-home digital consumption, thus creating a surge in the demand for subscription-based streaming services.
It is in the backdrop of this changed consumption behaviour that the present study examines the select relevant factors in influencing consumers’ willingness to continue and subscribe (WCS) for streaming services in the future.
This study conducts partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis to examine the impact of two key antecedents, namely, customer engagement (CE) and quality of service experience (QoSE) for their impact on users’ willingness to continue and subscribe (WCS) streaming services in future.
The article makes a novel contribution by assessing the possibility of ‘habit’ consumption of these services during the period of lockdown and its likely impact on affecting the relationship between consumers’ satisfaction and their future behaviour.
Article details:
Consumption of OTT Media Streaming in COVID-19 Lockdown: Insights from PLS Analysis
Garima Gupta , Komal Singharia
First Published February 1, 2021 Research Article
DOI: 10.1177/0972262921989118
Vision: The Journal of Business Perspective