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Exploring the New State of Play for Digital Entertainment in India

India has long been known for having an avid consumer base for entertainment. Given the sheer number of movies that come out of Bollywood and other film industries around the country, it’s clear that the demand for top-quality entertainment is present on the subcontinent.

Over the last decade, there has been a tremendous push to get the nation connected to the internet. The online goliath Google has actively sought to expand internet usage by setting up thousands of free wireless internet hubs at train stations and other public places. It helped bring millions of people into the online space and is now being wound down thanks to the rise of extremely cheap mobile data rates.

With nearly 700 million internet users in India, the population majority is swaying entertainment trends. As so many convenient and cost-effective options have opened up to India via the internet, the state of play has changed forever.

Gaming, gaming, and more gaming

Source: Unsplash

Boasting the second-largest population on Earth, mega games companies have been dying to crack the Indian market for years. A couple of handheld consoles have enjoyed some popularity, but the otherwise mainstream Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo home consoles, as well as top-end PC gaming, often priced themselves out of the market.

Now, India is getting swept up in the newer forms of mobile gaming. Thanks to the hardware’s price points and cheap data packages, gaming via mobiles now comprises around 85 percent of the market. From the app markets, the games centered around online competition have risen to the fore.

The likes of Garena Free Fire, Call of Duty: Mobile, Clash of Clans, and eFootball PES 2021 stand as some of the highest-grossing game apps on Android across India. Originally, PUBG Mobile was the undisputed king of mobile gaming. Having effectively lost to Fortnite in other more established gaming markets, PUBG became a national favorite thanks to the potential to live stream the game and its accessible LITE version. After it was banned, allowing for the likes of Call of Duty and Garena Free Fire to claim the top spots.

However, even more accessible than mobile apps are online gaming sites made to be mobile compatible. While older sites have their audiences in long-standing gaming regions, it’s the new online casinos that are perfected for mobile play that are winning over Indian gamers. The advantages of these new sites are that they’re designed for a mobile-first experience. Furthermore, as they focus on the latest releases, new players can enjoy the latest in mobile game design innovations by checking the latest reviews – setting a very high standard from the off. Due to how competitive the online casino industry is, sites such as this help curate the experience and gives useful tips on what to look out for when it comes to finding a reputable online casino.

An increasingly online approach to viewing content

Source: Pixabay

As mentioned before, movies have always been big business in India, as have television shows, but the specific demands of the local audience have all but shunned most western releases. It’s quite rare that anything less than a truly global phenomenon will breach the top end of the box office charts in India. Now that the most prominent online streaming platforms in the world have adapted to the market’s preferences, online video is booming.

Rated among the best services in India right now are Netflix, ALTBalaji, Amazon Prime Video, Voot, Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLIV, and Zee 5. As you can see, there’s already a great deal of competition on the subcontinent, which helps to drive down prices while simultaneously emphasizing top-class, localized content. Due to these factors, the online video market in India is expected to reel in over $1.5 billion from subscription services alone by 2025.

India has adapted to the modern space of online-based entertainment incredibly quickly. With just under half of the population yet to get online, there’s plenty more growth on the way for gaming and streaming.