Streaming online content seems to be the in thing these days, actually it has been for quite a while now. In the States, Netflix has revolutionized the way people consume their content and now with broadband/cellular data connectivity improving in India, streaming movies and TV shows are becoming a viable option nowadays.
It might be kinda far fetched to say that it is replacing cable, but it definitely is impacting the way people consume content. People are shifting toward online streaming services for entertainment for the sole purpose of convenience. You can view shows not just on your television but your laptop/PC and even mobile if you’re on the go.
Another reason is that you choose what to watch and are not browsing through channels trying to find something worth your time. This way you are not compelled to plan your day according to what time a show is being aired instead you can plan your TV shows to fit your schedule.
The third reason is the hike in prices of cable TV, monthly costs along with hidden expenses. Initially when Tata Sky and Dish TV were introduced, the selling point to those services was that you only pay once for cable. Maybe I was too naive back then, but now I pay a decent amount for cable every month for a Tata Sky connection. So streaming online is clearly the way forward, even though some of the best internet TV services don’t air the most recent episodes, many viewers sacrifice this advantage for great monthly prices.
So I thought it might be useful if I compiled a bunch of online media streaming services that are available in India.
This is probably the longest online video service, or at least the most popular. You find just about anything on YouTube that isn’t porn. But then again you also find some weird stuff here as well like “dancing man wearing a horse mask cooks wild mushrooms” which can be just as disturbing. However, this a platform where you can watch movies, TV shows, commentaries, documentaries, stand up, children’s videos etc.
There is a service known as YouTube Red which allows you access to limited, but exclusive content and generally browse through without ads. There might be nights where you are aimlessly scrolling through YouTube trying to get something to watch, but you never know when you might that hilarious video of a kid lighting his fart and getting his pants caught on fire, and for that YouTube will always be up there in the list of online entertainment sites.
This company is probably the biggest and most popular online media streaming service there is. Netflix actually started off as a DVD rental/pay per view sort of portal which adapted it’s business model once it realized that physical media was dying. Netflix has the most robust content library of any media streaming service there is. Though it’s collection leans more toward feature-length movies, it has an ever growing collection of TV shows. Netflix obviously showcases it’s originals like “House of Cards” and “Orange is The New Black.”
Netflix has three plans that you can choose from. The first and most basic plan for Rs. 500 comes without the HD feature, Ultra HD and only allows one screen to be viewed at a time. The middle plan allows for viewing on two simultaneous screens and serves HD content for Rs. 650. The highest plan allows four displays and serves both HD and Ultra HD content for a price of Rs. 800. It is probably the most expensive on the list, but with the brilliant UI and expansive collection that you won’t find anywhere else it really is worth the money. Though it doesn’t have offline support, so if you don’t have a decent internet connection, this might be a bit of a gamble.
With more than 35, 000 hours of content in about 7 languages, hotstar is probably one of the most popular Indian online movie. TV and sports streaming service. Most of the ads we see on television regarding hotstar revolve mainly around cricket and tend to cater toward a more mobile user audience. About 200 million views were garnered on hotstar for the eighth season of IPL. It also showcases popular English shows like Prison Break, Silicon Valley and Game of Thrones. You can view all this ad-free for a cost of Rs. 199 per month.
The international movie production house Eros has ventured into the online streaming service with ErosNow. With over 30 million subscribers due to it’s content portfolio, it has movies, TV shows, music and their own section called video shorts. With the Eros Now Plus subscription for Rs. 49 a month you have access to unlimited movies, TV shows, music and their video shorts. With the Eros Now Premium subscription you can enjoy subtitles, video streaming in HD and offline playback of movies on mobile and tablet.
Probably the only other online media streaming site that showcases sports other than hotstar, SonyLiv has an assortment of Hollywood/Bollywood titles and TV shows. You can watch LaLiga, Serie A, Tennis, Wrestling etc on this site. It only has one plan for premium access, which only varies in duration, weekly – Rs. 49, monthly – Rs 149, tri-monthly Rs. 349 and half yearly – Rs. 500.
Even though Hungama is primarily known as a music streaming site, it also has an online videos streaming service as well. With over 7 thousand movies across 12 languages, Hungama.com offers an on-demand Hungama Play service which is available on multiple platforms. It has both a monthly subscription and pay-per-view plan. For Rs. 250 you can view unlimited movies for 30 days, otherwise you pay Rs. 120 for English movies and Rs. 60 for a Bollywood movie.
If you’re a man child and like to watch manga and anime then look no further. With over 25, 000 episodes and 15, 000 hours of anime available for viewing, Crunchyroll hosts shows like Naruto Shippuden, Attack on Titan, and Fairy Tail to name a few. With two subscription plans; Premium for $6.95 (approx Rs. 470) and Premium+ for $11.95 (approx Rs. 800) watch ad-free with episodes appearing on the app an hour after the original airing in Japan. By the way, I was kidding about the man child thing.
One of the first online media streaming service in the country, Spuul has a wide range of Bollywood movies to offer. As their site boldly says — “10,000 hours of your favorite Bollywood movies”, you can either browse through their site without an account or can sign up for the premium subscription where you can access the entire catalogue, activate one account across all devices, download movies to your phone and watch movies ad free for about Rs 350 a month.
If you’re all into Indian-made and produced films, then this might just be the place for you. With a very limited selection of English titles, this site however has a large collection of movies in Bhojpuri, Kannada, Urdu, Tamil, Punjabi and about four other Indian languages. The prices are pretty reasonable too – Rs. 49 you can watch free movies, 10000+ hours of paid catalogue and for Rs. 199 you also get rental movie discounts and avail of the download to play feature.
If there are any other online media streaming sites that you know of, do let us know in the comments below. And for more interesting articles head back to our website.
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