India's streaming OTT video market to touch $7 billion revenues by 2027: Report
According to a new report by Media Partners Asia, the competitive intensity is set to grow between global giants and newly capitalised local players
India’s streaming OTT video market is in its second growth phase with total revenues of $3 billion in 2022 expected to more than double to almost $7 billion by 2027, according to a new report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) titled 'Asia Pacific Online Video & Broadband Distribution 2022'.
The report added that the competitive intensity is set to grow between global giants and newly capitalised local players. Telco reach, it added, remains critical in the market along with AVOD business models and low-ARPU, high-volume SVOD services.
Five leading platforms – YouTube, Meta, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix – will account for a combined 82% of total online video revenues in 2022, the report said.
It also stated that the total Asia Pacific online video industry revenue will grow by 16% year-on-year in 2022 to reach $49.2 billion. SVOD will contribute 50%; UGC AVOD, 37% and Premium AVOD, 13%. The industry is to grow at an 8% CAGR to reach US$72.7 billion in 2027, with SVOD: AVOD ratios remaining stable.
Ex-China, the APAC online video industry will grow 24% in 2022 to reach US$25.6 billion in revenue with SVOD contributing 47%; UGC AVOD, 43%; and Premium AVOD, 10%. Ex-China APAC online video revenues are forecast to grow at a CAGR of 11% to $42.8 billion by 2027, with SVOD at 44%; UGC AVOD at 43%, and Premium AVOD at 13%.
Commenting on the findings of the report, MPA executive director Vivek Couto said: “Investors are increasingly focused on enhanced scale, improved monetization, and real profitability across global, local and regional online video platforms. In this context, the role of Asia Pacific continues to have a critical role in the future of the global online video industry. The region remains the largest growth contributor to global online video customers and users today and is emerging as a significant contributor to revenue growth. With the US and Europe fast maturing and China inaccessible, APAC’s large markets – India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and Thailand – will be increasingly important to global platforms. Each of these markets require local content and distribution strategies with long-term investment.
Key themes are emerging: (1) The availability of high-quality local content online with travelability is growing, led by Korea, Japan, China, India, Thailand, and Taiwan; (2) Premium sports rights (i.e. football, cricket) are transitioning online in markets such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, and Thailand; (3) Growth at any cost models are fast transitioning towards more rational models, anchored to monetizable reach through telcos and organic, direct customer funnels. (4) Inflationary content costs remain a challenge, especially in India, Japan, Korea, and increasingly, Thailand. A more strategic and partnership-driven model may help alleviate production ecosystem pressure. (5) Online piracy levels are also alarmingly high in markets such as India and across Southeast Asia; and (6) Growing incomes and a rising middle class have helped drive affordability in emerging markets but monetizable demand for online video services remains largely confined to large urban markets with huge untapped demand in micro ARPU rural and second / third-tier regions. This is likely to change in India and Indonesia in particular in the future.”
