From Screen to Stream: How the Pandemic Accelerated India's OTT Boom

Abstract: The rapid evolution of India’s entertainment industry from traditional broadcast channels to digital streaming platforms has been one of the most significant media transitions of the last decade. Whole concept of entertainment has been transformed completely. Entertainment industry (television) has travelled a long way from daily soaps to CD players, to DVD players, to USB uploads, to digital platform. While Over-the-Top (OTT) services had already begun gaining traction, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated this shift, reshaping viewing habits, technology dependence, and consumer expectations. And slowly and steadily the acceptance of these OTT platforms has been very smooth, although time taking.In the process of acceptance by the customers, emergence of COVID has been a catalyst. Whole world has witnessed various changes post covid. Media habits of consumers is also one of them. Dynamic approach of OTT big banner movie releases on platforms like Amazon and Netflix, return of old content like Mythological programmes from the DD era on Hotstar etc had further enhanced popularity. This study presents a case-based examination of India’s OTT landscape, analysing how the pandemic acted as a catalyst in driving digital adoption and transforming media consumption behaviour. Through an in-depth case study of major OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar, the research explores changes in consumer perception, the influence of millennial digital habits, and the strategic responses of OTT providers during and after the pandemic. Supported by secondary data, industry reports, and published literature, the study maps OTT adoption trends pre- and post-COVID-19 and evaluates the sector’s future prospects in India. Findings highlight that convenience, accessibility, personalized content discovery, and improved digital infrastructure have significantly contributed to the sustained rise of OTT platforms. The study concludes that OTT services will continue to play a transformative role in India’s entertainment ecosystem while also confronting potential regulatory and economic challenges ahead.