An International Refereed Management Journal of FMS, Gurukul Kangri (Deemed to be University), Haridwar
Isha Kalra, Meenu Gupta
Purpose: The research examines the changing consumer perceptions of Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms compared to traditional media platforms. It analyses important determinants such as content quality, convenience, cost and watching experience and the socio-demographic factors of the viewers to unveil the in-depth motivating drivers behind consumer preferences of OTT platforms.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was conducted utilising the Quantitative research design by using a structured questionnaire to collect the data from the National Capital Region(NCR), India, which comprises Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. A total of 404 participants' data was selected and arrayed for hypotheses testing using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and analysis of Variance (ANOVA).
Results: The findings divulge that the OTT platforms provide personalized and on-demand content that is tailored to personal preferences as opposed to traditional formats of entertainment. As imperative driving factors influencing the transition to OTT services over traditional media, viewers' convenience and subscription cost are identified as the most encouraging constructs. Moreover, major differences in socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender, residential status, and income, are typically in favour of OTT platforms.
Practical Implications: To be competitive in the era of Artificial Intelligence, the traditional media organizations should embrace the new technologies and innovations that will improve customer interaction. The ability to offer flexible pricing, enabling multiple device accessibility systems and tailored subscription plans, might form an essential competitive strength. Both traditional and OTT players are encouraged to design strategies that are closer to the consumer behaviour, thus maintaining and growing their audience base. Given the increasing trend of convenience, low-cost and on-demand customized content, the traditional media houses ought to think of collaborative hybrid models with streaming services as a way to enhance the digital accessibility and retention of customers by improving their watching experience.