Covid-19 can also be called the tipping point for the OTT business.  It thrived to cater to customers stuck at home, short on other forms of entertainment. Not surprisingly, the OTT era is now entering a period of consolidation.

Disney, Amazon Video and Apple-loaded with deep pockets-are challenging Netflix. In the middle of this, branded content is finding its place on the normally ad free streaming platforms.

To discuss this and other streaming content trends, Chai Talk spoke to Megha Tata, MD-South Asia for Warner Bros. Discovery.

The rise of bundled subscription models

In a true plug and play model, the India consumer is now cherry picking OTT content from not only the platforms but also from the channels being carried by those platforms. Quite like the old DTH models.

DTH players like Tata are also offering services like Tata Play that combine OTT with Live TV.

This means that the new bundling approach offers targeted, opportunities for branded content with an interesting mix of content channels.

Megha Tata, MD-South Asia for Warner Bros. Discovery says, "On the bundling piece of course, that will be a part of the proposition to grow our subscriber base. So, whether it is with platforms like Nat Geo, or, you know, BBC, or the Prime Video channels, we are looking at partnerships of back end partnership integration, when bundling is definitely a play which every every OTT platform is doing and will do.

Megha added that, "So while B2C continues to be a key focus for most of the OTT, platform partnerships, and on the B2B front are also that much more critical."

The Jeep Experience 

Elaborating with an example of how Discovery is approaching branded content, Megha said, "We did a fantastic show with GE where we actually took the Jeep up to the Ladakh terrain and drove around to show what it is like to drive the vehicle.  So this is not a classic product placement thing. It's very integrated to the brand proposition."

To watch the full interview with Megha Tata, click below:

Do check out Legends of the Ramayana with Amish on Discovery Plus 

Chai Talk is a property of PRmoment India and Weber Shandwick India

To check out How Vedanta Aluminium used AR to anchor their content strategy click here