Star’s Hotstar app has become so popular. It also aired the cricket series. The trend of watching TV and video content on the go is picking up. So far there was only YouTube. Mobile TV has now matured in terms of streaming technology. YouTube is accessed by 35 per cent of smart phone users. HOOQ and Netflix are in this field. The content is made available on smart phones, tablets and phablets. All major TV channels have their own applications. Apps are available on Google Play, Apple’s Store and Windows Store for free. Digital service providers or DTH players provide free first month apps. Later one can buy a plan. Mobile service providers have launched mobile apps for watching TV channels on the go. There are independent apps too.

There are 152 million internet users, of which 78 per cent are using the net on mobile. The average spend is around Rs. 235, as much as what one spends on cable TV. There are 70 million smart phone users. India is a huge market to consume entertainment and sports content online. Mobile TV takes TV to where people are. Yupp TV offers 200-plus Indian TV channels.

Mobile TV is good as ‘catch up ‘ TV. The favourite  shows can be enjoyed at your convenient time. TV can be integrated to social media. Over-the-top ( OTT ) services put control over the content into the user’s hands.

The VOD or video-on-demand is another service apart from the streaming service that one can enjoy. In future, TV to VOD service ratio will be 50:50. VOD service providers hold a huge library of movies and episodic content. Many new ventures appear on the scene such as #fame which offers live video entertainment app on iOS and Google Play. It proposes to bring several thousand performers on board.

The biggest concern is the infrastructure. The weak signal kills the joy. The content available should respond to the likes and dislikes of the viewers after research. It should be an affordable service.