Coronavirus Scare Leads To Increase In Traffic On Netflix, Hostar & Other OTT Channels, Your Internet Speed To Suffer?

Amidst the widespread Coronavirus scare, no one has any option other than sitting at home. All the theatres and malls are closed and since there is no option of outdoor entertainment, there’s an expected rise in the viewership of OTT channels like MX Player, Zee5, Voot, and others.

OTT channels are one of the major players these days for providing entertainment to the audience. Since everyone is self-isolated in homes these days people have so much extra time to spend on these apps.

The CEO of MX Player, Karan Bedi has been quoted as saying by Times Of India, “With the health advisory in place, Indians are increasingly turning to the digital realm to fulfill their dose of digital entertainment.”

The jump in viewership can also be understood by the fact that people are watching digital content through Smart TVs rather than mobiles. “Interestingly, we have seen a jump of over 10% in the consumption of our original content and over 5% for TV content via connected devices like Amazon Fire Stick and on Smart TVs,” said Tarun Katial, CEO, ZEE5 India.

According to Business Insider report, Neeraj Roy, the founder and chief executive officer of Hungama Digital Media, told that they have seen a surge of 20 percent in the streaming number on Hungama Play between March 1 and March 16.

Reportedly this surge has been witnessed by almost all the OTT platforms including Netflix, Hotstar and Prime Video and this is likely to cut down the overall speed of the internet.

According to Hindustan Times, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has even requested OTT platforms such as Netflix, Hotstar and YouTube to stream in SD (Standard Definition) instead of HD (High Definition).

The COAI wrote in the letter, “This sudden surge in digital use is already putting pressure on the network infrastructure of the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). The TSPs are taking requisite steps to manage this load and facilitate smooth functioning of the networks during this critical time.”

Android & IOS users, download our mobile app for faster than ever Bollywood & Box Office updates!