Determinants of growth and sustained adoption of OTT platforms in India: a technology acceptance and uses and gratifications perspective

Purpose The purpose of this study was to understand the role of content localization, cross-platform availability, social media–driven content discovery, price sensitivity and user-generated content feedback in shaping consumer preferences and continuity of subscription. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a quantitative approach to examine over-the-top (OTT) platform usage among Indian users using convenience sampling through social media. A total of 635 valid responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling. Findings The study reveals that digital content localization (estimate = 0.221, C.R. = 6.121, p < 0.001), cross-platform accessibility (estimate = 0.411, C.R. = 8.772, p < 0.001) and pricing sensitivity and subscription bundling (estimate = 0.319, C.R. = 7.149, p < 0.001) are significant drivers of OTT platform subscription continuity. While social media influence and user-generated feedback enhance the perceived value of on-demand viewing, they do not directly impact long-term subscription continuity (p > 0.05). Perceived value does not mediate subscription continuity as it lacks a significant direct relationship with the outcome variable. Research limitations/implications Self-reported data carry systematic response biases, with an emphasis on the Indian market and Indian users, which is problematic in terms of external validity. Originality/value This study enhances current research literature by introducing a fusion of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and uses and gratifications theory (UGT) for analyzing OTT platform adoption and subscription longevity. Integrating social, economic, technological and content dimensions into a continuance model furthers our understanding of OTT platform adoption continuity in the Indian context. It combines technological, behavioral and content-related determinants into one framework and discloses that perceived value is not a mediator of subscription continuity, but rather functional and economic factors predominate over experiential perceptions in subscription continuity.