Today OTT platform has become the mainstream medium of consuming content. OTT platform has grown to such an extent that movie producers are opting for an OTT release instead of a theatrical release. It shows that OTT platforms have a lot of potentials, and this might only be the scratch. Ever since the struggle between Netflix and Amazon Prime in India, many more platforms have come like Alt Balaji, Disney+ Hotstar, Zee Premium, etc. It also shows that there has been a shift in the way people consume content. Now they don’t adjust their schedule as per the timing of T.V shows. Instead, they want their content as and when they feel like consuming it. Moreover, it allows these platforms to have diverse content like Anime, which has also seen a rise among the Indian audience. My business experience is all about capturing this market along with coming up with other varieties like online games.
How everything started
The idea of starting with my media website came when people were beginning to gravitate towards Netflix and Amazon Prime. As a person who likes to consume content, I also gave it a shot. To my dismay, I noticed that most of the content is locked for premium subscribers. It annoyed me. However, Netflix gave me the option of trying it for free for one month by giving my credit card details. I had a blast watching movies and web series, but it did not last long for the free trial got over in a month. That was when I realized how good these platforms. I discovered there was something here for everyone, and this could be the key to my treasure chest. It is how I began my journey toward the media website I have today.
How To Get Content
When I set out to start with my website, the biggest problem was to acquire content. I was very adamant about the fact that I need to be on the right side of the law while going ahead with this. Every content in my platform has been acquired legally. I set out to get permission from distributors. Many saw the potential in my business and agreed to give me the rights. I could not get the rights to new films, but I was still trying for them.
Moreover, I saw the potential in Anime and set out to get the rights of lesser-known animes. Even today, Animes form a large part of the content consumed on my website. I decided to come up with a niche where my website also provided with some flash player games.
How To Attract People
I thought I just need to come up with content and I will get the membership without much complication. I assumed this is seeing the huge demand for digital media platforms. However, this is when I realized that I had started the race a little late. I had faith in my website and its content. I did not have the budget to advertise heavily on T.Vs and other platforms. So I recruited a digital marketer into my team. He knew the bits and bytes of the internet. He worked on SEO, SEM, and content marketing and redesigned my website accordingly. We also set out with email marketing as it was very cost-effective. We created our own Facebook page to gather social media attention. All this helped in increasing viewership and membership.
Main Source Of My Income
My initial idea was not to take any subscription from the members. However, I was unaware of any revenue model that would fetch me enough money to make this into a profitable venture. Through some research, I learned about earning revenue through advertising. I tried to negotiate with many companies, but the Gclub casino was the first company to come on board who realized my website. With this, I realized that the online casino is a big sector. I simultaneously started looking for big fishes like Sbobet or Goldenslot. Now, these platforms are also growing with us. Free subscription helped us to gain subscribers.
All The Pros And Cons Of My Business
Pros
- The free subscription to users makes it an attractive deal.
- It is more than a simple digital entertainment platform with flash player games.
- Earning through advertisements is a great revenue model.
Cons
- This sector already has a lot of competition from big platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
- With so many big guns in the battle, it gets tough to acquire the rights of movies.
- A small platform like this always has a cash crunch for advertisement.
Conclusion
My business has gone through a lot of ups and downs. It has been a fruitful journey with loads of learning experiences. It is just an attempt to make you part of this experience so that you fall into fewer pitfalls when you start with something similar. Research well before diving into this huge market for the ones who are not prepared go down very soon.