The average urban Indian today is spoilt for choices when it comes to deciding between over-the-top (OTT) platforms or even food and grocery. In a country full of diverse opinions, cricket and the ease of life brought about by the digital ecosystem (coupled with e-commerce) could very well be the only two factors which make people come together in agreement.

But it also comes with its own set of challenges, the problem of plenty is happening and very soon the people will be asking for one-stop solutions. Lo and behold the super-apps and aggregators, which are very well present in the market today and are slowly gaining in popularity.

OTT aggregators in the market

When it comes to OTTs, Tata Play Binge today offers 27 OTT apps (including Apple TV+, Disney+ Hotstar, and more) at a subscription price of Rs 399 per month. Customers can watch the content on up to 4 devices at a time; while it definitely doesn’t come in cheap but it definitely is something which many people would consider opting for.

The benefits range from being cost-effective – when compared to taking multiple subscriptions – downloading multiple apps, managing multiple sign-in and the comfort of viewing content on phone, laptop or Smart TVs.
Further, there are several other options in the OTT space today, like Airtel Xstream Premium which offers a plethora of content from various individual entertainment players.

This also comes in at a time when multiple OTT platforms have different rates for subscription, and the audience choice keeps on changing rapidly. While Game Of Thrones might have made Disney+ Hotstar the most sought after OTT in India at a time, the euphoria was grabbed by Money Heist (Netflix) soon enough. Also, Prime Video’s Panchayat also has a wide fan base and it drove Indians crazy in an unprecedented manner.

What’s the solution then if one wants to watch all three of these shows, at the least possible expense of course, and the answer is OTT aggregators.

Airtel Xstream is another such offering in the market today which provides access to a plethora of content from multiple OTT platforms and more at a competitive price. The added benefit of Airtel being a key telecom player in India gives it a significant push.

In a price conscious market like India, the future of these aggregators certainly look bright till they can continue to give premium service whilst managing to keep the prices in check.

Super Apps are slowly being accepted

Meanwhile, in the Indian e-commerce ecosystem, competitiveness is at an all-time high and every player is trying to woo the maximum number of consumers. Super Apps are on the rise today and slowly but surely they are going to give a tough fight to the existing leaders, Amazon and Flipkart.

Paytm, since long, has been presenting itself as a Super App and it aims to provide a holistic set of services to the customers. Be it mobile recharges, money transfer, ticket booking, or ordering food, and now even ONDC – the app has tried to fulfill its customers’ every need. Its rise was thwarted a little by the debacle caused after the IPO, but the app seems to have gained significant traction now and looks set to continue its path to progress.

The new entrant – Tata Neu is making the waves these days in the Indian market. Neu is a one-stop shop for almost everything that the Tata brand has to offer, be it groceries (BigBasket), electronics (Croma), medicines (1mg), and hotels (Taj) to flight bookings (Air Asia). This makes Tata Neu a good venue for those looking to fulfill all their needs, and that too with the assurance of a brand whose name has been built with great care over the years.

Even Reliance, through the MyJio app, is trying to establish a world where your every need is fulfilled through an app in its family. It started with JioTV, followed by the rapid rise of JioCinema, and today it even has apps which cater to those looking for eLearning opportunities, or payment via UPI, and groceries (JioMart).

Furthermore, along with the rise of the Super Apps and Aggregators, the presence of lifestyle membership plans like the one offered by Times Prime is also aimed at offering a host of services to make people’s lives easier.

Times Prime, for example, provide multiple benefits to the people, and it ranges from providing subscriptions of various OTTs, to discounts and coupons for several businesses and even food ordering platforms like Swiggy.

Conclusion

The days of individual apps vying for customer attention seem to be fading away, the new fad is a family of apps put together. This not only leads to a rise in the number of options that a customer gets but also gives a chance to the brand or super-app to provide a more holistic suite of services, thereby giving little chance to the customer to have to visit the competitors.

For the end customer, it means there are a lot of benefits – not the least of which is their expenses being kept in check and a plethora of options to choose from.

This also means that individual OTTs, and e-commerce players like Amazon, Flipkart and more will have to up their game and ensure they have more holistic offerings. The modern customer is spoilt for choices and it definitely doesn’t bode well if they have to visit the competitors to fulfill a need that you can’t.

Therefore, in the coming days there is likely going to be a rise in the number of such super-apps or aggregators, and the price-conscious Indian consumer is definitely going to watch this race with joy.