An Introduction to Over-The-Top Entertainment. India—A Perfect Playground for This Digital Industry

Abstract

This theoretical paper is part of an ongoing Ph.D. research project aiming to study the ever-growing genre of Advertisement Video on Demand (AVOD) specifically available on free to access platforms such as YouTube. The research will focus on the Indian digital entertainment market and is going to study various types of AVOD products produced by a variety of content creators, from the established production houses to independent entrepreneurial ventures, that have established their foothold in the industry over the past 5 to 6 years. Those products will be analysed from a creative and production point of view, using a mixed methodology. The paper aims to make a brief characterization of the global digital entertainment industry, namely its existing trends (in particular concerning music, gaming, and sports), its challenges and opportunities. It will also mention the conducive conditions created by authorities, service providers and equipment industries. Some key concepts of the research project, such as OTT and AVOD, will be defined along with this characterization. The Indian Subcontinent will be given a specific emphasis.