Technology has changed our lives so much throughout the years, but there is a strong argument to say that its impact has been particularly transformative across the past couple of decades alone.

The online and digital world has become a big part of life for people across the globe, with a new study putting a specific spotlight on the impact that it is currently having in India.

EY survey
The Deccan Herald is among a number of sites that have reported on a new survey by EY that highlights just how important digital activities have come across the country. The poll of more than 2,600 people found that nine out of ten have spent more time streaming, e-learning, and using social media in recent months.
It also revealed that around a third had upgraded to broadband plans with higher data allowances, while data usage on smartphones is thought to have grown by more than 20 percent in the last two years.
Around 60 percent of respondents specifically stated they were streaming more, with the time spent on such services increasing 1.2x to reach an average of 4.2 hours per user a week.

A major part of life

The findings from EY offer up a fascinating glimpse into the current state of play in India, but the fact that streaming is so popular is perhaps not a huge surprise. After all, it has become a central part of so many different activities and its influence is particularly being felt across the entertainment world.

For example, systems like Google Stadia have emphasized how streaming looks set to be vital to the future of gaming, although its presence has already been felt in the rise of Twitch and platforms which allow gamers to watch their favorite stars in action. Streaming is also a key way that we access film and TV content, with Disney+ Hotstar being a real success story in recent months. According to reports, the platform had a total of eight million paid subscribers just a week after its launch in India at the start of April.

In the further entertainment industry, online casinos have also embraced streaming, with it being key to how they offer ‘live casino’ experiences with high definition video. As an example, Betway devotes an entire section of its site to these live games, and offers classic takes on the likes of roulette and blackjack, alongside variations such as Lightning Roulette and Bollywood Blackjack. Of course, streaming is also vital in the music world these days too, with Music Ally recently outlining in March how music service Gaana is thought to have 150 million monthly active users.

Recent data released by Sensor Tower has suggested that India’s interest in streaming does not appear to be slowing down either. In a recent blog, the organization revealed how YouTube was the most popular streaming app in the world in May, with it generating more than 29 million installs. India was found to be responsible for 11.2 percent of the installs, which put it behind just the US in terms of the countries embracing the service.
Furthermore, there are signs that competition in the country’s streaming market is set to hot up in the coming months, particularly with speculation mounting that Netflix is looking to increase its presence in the region.
An exclusive report from Reuters recently suggested that the brand is in discussions with Viacom18 about forming a partnership to source content. The news site understood that the deal would see Viacom18 and other affiliates linked to Network18 create shows for Netflix as it looks to boost its offering in India. Neither organization commented on the plans, but Reuters stated that it had spoken to three sources on the issue.
A fascinating time
Streaming has taken off in a big way all over the world in the last decade or so, but it is a fascinating time for the concept in India at the moment.
As the EY survey shows, there is plenty of appetite among consumers for the concept, while many different brands have also embraced it and are keen to make a mark in the country too. While it will be intriguing to see what happens next, one thing seems fairly certain – streaming is here to stay.