As any visitor to our website will no doubt agree, the emergence of digital services has had a massive impact on so many different parts of life. For example, it has helped to develop the world of work and jobs, transform industries and create many new, exciting opportunities across the globe.
It has also had a major influence on the way we stay entertained, with some studies in recent years suggesting that the effect on India, in particular, could be huge.
Arguably the most high-profile research on the issue was released towards the end of 2018, with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) suggesting that the over-the-top (OTT) content market – essentially an industry name for TV and film streaming services – could be worth around $5 billion in India by 2023.
According to the Economic Times, the study suggested several key drivers could lead to such developments. These included rising mobile phone penetration in rural areas, as well as an increase in affluence and adoption by specific demographics – namely women and the elderly.
Of course, it could be argued that such trends related to TV and film could also have a knock-on effect in other areas of online entertainment in India. For instance, music streaming services could also enjoy growth if more people have access to online services, while the many different forms of mobile gaming which have emerged in recent years may see a surge in popularity too. In addition, the live streaming of events including concerts could rise and a growing number of people may choose to access books digitally, while there may also be new opportunities in terms of online gambling. This is highlighted by this article on VegasSlotsOnline.com, which outlines how the country has already attracted plenty of interest from overseas online casino operators who are looking to promote their range of services in the region.
But while the BCG research suggested that India was primed to enjoy major growth in online entertainment, has the country made a significant amount of progress on the issue two years on?
According to recent figures quoted by Livemint, India currently has around 630 million mobile internet users and in the region of 19 million fixed broadband users.
However, according to data released by Pew Research at the start of April, the number of users actually only equates to around 38 percent of the country’s population. Furthermore, the Pew Research study also found just 32 percent of Indians are believed to own a smartphone, while only 31 percent access social media.
In addition, in September last year, the Internet and Mobile Association of India published a report which suggested that there was still plenty to be done to engage women and elderly demographics in online services. It found that 67 percent of active internet users in India were male, with the percentage rising even higher when looking specifically at rural areas.
According to India Today, the study also revealed that those in urban areas were more likely to access the internet daily than those in rural locations, with people aged between 16 and 29 being the most frequent users.
Such findings clearly suggest that India still has some way to go if it is going to achieve the online entertainment potential hinted at by the BGC back in 2018.
While the country has a huge number of internet users, there is still a significant number of the population who are not engaged in online services. Furthermore, users tend to be male or fall into younger age brackets, so there still appears to be scope to get the elderly and women involved.
All of this means that India is an intriguing position when it comes to online entertainment and it will be fascinating to see if it can still take steps to achieve its potential in the next few years.