With the government cracking down on torrents, pirated films and TV shows, more people are switching to official online streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar among others. While these are a bit more expensive, they offer an entire library of TV shows and movies (old and new) as well as original content.
“Watching movies and TV shows online is a great option for people who want to watch the latest content at a low cost,” says Ananthan Kumar, who works as an analyst with an MNC in Hyderabad.
“Around 6-7 people can be added on a single account, which means that the amount I pay as a subscriber is also less. One can watch shows or movies on their phone, laptop or even on TV. Also, unlike YouTube, the videos don’t buffer and have amazing clarity which adds to a better viewing experience,” he adds.
Movies and TV shows on Hotstar
Another viewer Aditya Rao feels that it’s not about the money but also about watching legal content. “Although clarity of video, buffering time and how much I pay does matter, what matters the most is if what I am watching is legal or not. Online streaming sites would help curb piracy. Many youngsters watch content on these sites, and are encouraging others to do so. The only limitation, I feel, is that on the website there is no download or watch later option,” he says.
Ananthan Kumar
A lot of people are opting for such sites because there is a lot of content available. “I subscribed to an online streaming site because of my kid. Initially, there wasn’t much content available, however over the period of time, they have expanded the content. The quality of videos available on sites like YouTube is not very great when you compare that to Netflix. Also, shows and movies available on Netflix are vast,” says Kalpana David, a Netflix subscriber.
However, watching videos on these sites regularly could be very costly too. A Hyderabad-based author, Rafi Yahya Syed, explains: “The content on these sites is great and affordable if you are watching it on WiFi but if you are on mobile Internet, there is a chance that you might end up paying a lot more than your monthly budget for your mobile bill. High quality data means more data usage.”
