Coronavirus lockdown drives up demand for OTT content, app subscriptions: Here’s by how much

Social distancing and work-from-home mandates imposed by the government due to the lockdown in India have driven up the demand for OTT content, as people are now using their smartphones more than ever. According to a report* by Bobble AI, the average screen time has increased manifold since people entered self-isolation.

Video Conferencing apps

Every organisation shifted towards the virtual world in a week’s time. As a result, video conferencing platforms became imperative. Consequently, apps like Zoom, Google, Hangouts, Google Duo, and Houseparty have seen a 71.11 per cent increase in their usage and a 104.12 per cent increase in active user count. Houseparty app has registered a massive 215.97 per cent increase in the time people spent on it, along with an overnight spike of 8,142.55 per cent in its active users. It was followed by Zoom that registered an increase of 141.69 per cent in the total time spent on it, an 85.43 per cent increase in engagement rate, and a 2,542.23 per cent increase in its active users.

Fitness apps and subscriptions

Apart from work from home, workout from home is a new furore. Fitness apps like, Lose Weight at Home, Cure.fit, and Home Workout have seen a 39.50 per cent increase time spent, a 14.72 per cent increase in engagement rate, and 104.53 per cent increase in daily active users. Lose Weight at Home has seen a 46.98 per cent increase in time spent, a 49.33 per cent increase in its active users.

E-learning apps

Platforms like Udemy, Unacademy and Byjus have seen an 82.73 per cent increase in time spent, a whopping 122.62 per cent increase in engagement rate, and 25.12 per cent increase in daily active users. Udemy registered a 119.05 per cent increase in time spent and 36.93 per cent increase in its engagement rate.

Entertainment apps

Cumulatively, OTT platforms like Hotstar, Amazon Prime, and Netflix have seen an 82.63 per cent increase in time spent. Time spent on Netflix increased a whopping 110 per cent. It also registered a 50.71 per cent increase in engagement rate and 54.80 per cent increase in active user count. This was followed by Amazon Prime Videos with a 98.92 per cent increase in time spent, a 32.75 per cent increase in engagement rate, and a 23.52 per cent increase in daily active users.

Social media apps

Social Media and Messaging apps have also seen an instant boom. Apps like Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp, and Twitter have seen a 46.28 per cent hike in time spent, with a 49.23 per cent increase in its engagement rate, and a 29.55 per cent increase in daily active users. There’s a 57.64 per cent increase in time spent for WhatsApp, and a 49 per cent increase in its engagement. It is followed by Instagram with a 50.30 per cent increase in engagement rate.

*This trend report is based upon the anonymised and aggregated insights collected on Bobble AI platforms post and during the COVID-19 outbreak in India.