India’s OTT users are tired—and it’s not from binge-watching

New Delhi: As of December 2024, India boasts over 130 million video content subscriptions, a figure projected to soar with 20 crore large screens and 70 crore small screens by 2030, according to EY. With more than 70 OTT platforms spanning entertainment, news, audio, and gaming, the Indian consumer faces a deluge of choices.

Not to forget that India has over 70 OTT platforms across entertainment, news, audio, and gaming. 

With so much on their plate, users are swamped with endless options, leaving them feeling like weary travellers navigating a labyrinth of subscriptions and content. What started as a joy of discovery ended up being a tangle of overwhelm. 

Fatigue in the content space is a real and growing issue, and the one induced by subscriptions is a prominent part of that larger family of fatigues. 

‘An urban issue, primarily’

Anuj Gandhi, Founder and CEO, Streambox Media, tags subscription fatigue as a “largely urban phenomenon”. “Between urban and rural, the ratio will almost be 90:10.” Rural, in the context offered by Gandhi, consists of the Tier-3 and Tier-4 regions of the country. 

“The bulk of the consumption in the rural parts of the country is happening on YouTube and social media platforms like Instagram,” Gandhi said. According to Gandhi, rural India may only subscribe to content platforms for cricket, and no other content can “move the needle.”  

The narrative of subscription fatigue being only an urban phenomenon was echoed by Abhijeet Rajpurohit, COO and Co-founder, CloudTV. According to him, rural India is comfortable with the AVOD (Advertising-based Video on Demand) model and has accepted YouTube's dominance in the digital content space. 

Explaining his stance, Rajpurohit said, “Subscription fatigue is more of a problem in urban markets, where consumers are more diverse and have varied content preferences. They seek access to new and different types of content.

In contrast, in rural markets—based on what I understand—the majority of consumers typically do not opt for subscriptions. Instead, they gravitate towards AVOD (ad-supported video on demand) content or platforms that are free and don’t require sign-ins.”

Rohan Singh, a lawyer practising in Delhi, subscribes to more than six OTT platforms. “My family and I use multiple streaming platforms—Netflix, Crunchyroll, Zee5, Amazon Prime, Sony Liv, JioHotstar, and YouTube Premium—as we enjoy a wide range of content like sports, movies, shows, and international content, and I personally love anime. We don’t have a set-top box or dish, so these subscriptions cover all our entertainment needs across phones, laptops, and TV,” he said. 

Rochak Raghav, an entrepreneur living in Noida, subscribes to four platforms, apart from YouTube. "At the moment, I’ve got 4 OTT subscriptions: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, JioHotstar, and Netflix. 

They are all based on the quality content they produce. I basically use these OTT platforms as per my content preferences. If I see something out there that catches my eye, I look for it and then watch it,” he said. 

In the urban market, an avid content consumer will spend Rs 1500-2000 on various subscriptions and subscribe to four platforms, on average. 

Decoding the issue

Subscription fatigue, as the name suggests, is a form of exhaustion experienced by users toggling between multiple platforms, passwords, and bill cycles. However, there are more vectors to the concept. 

Making sense of the matter, Rajpurohit zoomed in on the content space that has evolved over time. “Earlier, there were just a handful of apps, but now you have global players and niche platforms entering the space. On top of that, there is the advent of regional OTTs,” he said. 

This, Rajpurohit said, creates a challenge. “It’s unrealistic to expect everyone to subscribe to all these apps. And if you're in a family with multiple users, the issue isn’t just about the cost—it's also about the effort involved in tracking all your subscriptions and constantly trying out new platforms. That alone becomes a task,” Rajpurohit told BestMediaInfo.com. 

According to Gandhi, subscription fatigue also stems from the cost consciousness of the consumers. This statement was backed by Mayank Anand, a copywriter working in Delhi. 

“Subscription fatigue isn’t really about the number of platforms—it’s more about the overall cost of the package. If there were a subscription bundle that came integrated with a Firestick or Smart TV purchase, it would make things exponentially more convenient for customers like us who consume a lot of OTT content,” Mayank stated. 

What Mayank hinted at is what the industry holds very dearly as the silver bullet to tackle this issue. 

Bundling – a cure or a band-aid? 

Bundling is the core principle on which OTT aggregators drive their business. They commit to solving the issue of tackling multiple subscriptions, in addition to making content discovery less of a hassle.

Elaborating on why bundling is gaining traction as the solution, Gandhi said, “When decision-making is left to the individual for each platform, every payment becomes a point of questioning. But when you bundle services—where something new comes in every month—it feels more worthwhile.

You think, ‘Okay, I’m paying X amount, but I’m getting my three or four hours of entertainment through different apps or content.’

In that case, you feel like you’re paying for the bundle, not just one app.

But with individual apps, the thought process becomes, ‘Did I even watch anything on this in the last three months?’ If the answer is no, it leads to cancellation.” 

EY’s Pherwani believes that bundling, more than solving the issue of subscription fatigue, fights off the bigger challenge of pricing. “We are an industry that is built on content. That is the heart of what the industry does,” he said. According to Pherwani, if the content is good, people will subscribe to it. 

Bundling, on the other hand, is a tool being used to cut cords while curbing the cost. 

Pherwani likened it to the role DTH (Direct-to-home) providers played in the television industry. “Bundling is a practice that DTH operators also followed in linear television – bringing in content from Zee, Sony, Star, etc., under one pop-up price. OTT aggregators are trying to do the same thing in digital,” Pherwani said. 

CloudTV’s Rajpurohit believes that bundling might be good marketing, but it is not the one-stop solution to subscription fatigue. “Subscription is an amalgamation of various inconveniences, including content discovery and pricing,” Rajpurohit said.

When it comes to bundling services, Amazon is one of the foremost entities to imbibe it. Amazon Prime is the bedrock of a universe that involves e-commerce, SVOD, AVOD, and global content. 

Contributing her two cents, Aruna Daryanani, Director, Amazon MX Player, said, “Aggregation is still at a nascent stage in India.” According to Daryanani, despite being a good medium to boost distribution, especially for AVOD players like Amazon MX Player, OTT aggregators are yet to become large, widely preferred channels. 

To actually target subscription fatigue, one needs to build content that resonates across audiences, Daryanani told BestMediaInfo.com. “In terms of growing adoption and scale, you need to have storylines that appeal to every segment of your audience,” she said.

This is reflected in the preferences of the users. Advocate Singh believes that content is why he subscribes to all those platforms. Raghav, the entrepreneur, also mimics the same pattern of choices. 

Solution hidden in plain sight?

Well, this might be the case with subscription fatigue. While the industry is focusing on bringing all of it together to solve the issue of inconvenience, experts believe that it is the very content that houses the solution to this urban-dominant issue. 

While bundling is an integral part, innovating content is what will eradicate this fatigue. “For solving convenience issues, there is only content,” according to Pherwani. 

“As an OTT platform, you have to ensure there’s enough fresh and engaging content released consistently—something that keeps viewers excited and willing to pay month after month,” said Gandhi. 

Chiming in, Mautik Tolia, MD, Bodhitree Multimedia, said, "In India's increasingly fragmented OTT landscape, subscription fatigue is a pressing concern, with viewers juggling multiple platforms and rising costs. To incentivize subscriptions and mitigate fatigue, producers must focus on delivering high-quality, exclusive content that resonates with audiences. Offering diverse formats like short videos and regional content can cater to varied consumption habits."

Daryanani stated, “You have to keep building content that truly resonates with your audience. The content has to be distributed across various segments because that’s what the scale and diversity of the market demand. And as you continue to grow, this becomes even more important. That’s the beauty of digital—you can create very specific kinds of shows for different audience cohorts.”

India’s OTT landscape is a vibrant yet overwhelming tapestry. Subscription fatigue, though urban-centric, signals a broader challenge: balancing choice with convenience. Bundling offers a practical fix, but it’s not a cure-all. The true antidote lies in content—innovative, diverse, and resonant. As platforms compete for attention, those delivering compelling stories across India’s varied audience will not only retain subscribers but also redefine digital entertainment’s future.