Airtel launches Xstream Premium
February 10, 2022
Indian multiplay telco Bharti Airtel says it is taking a giant leap towards democratising and growing the digital entertainment ecosystem in India with the launch of its new video streaming service – Airtel Xstream Premium.
According to Media Partners Asia, by 2025, India’s OTT subscription market is expected to grow to $2 billion from the current $500 million. This will be led by 3X growth in subscriptions to some 165 million. A large proportion of these new subscriptions will come from new users from Tier 2/3 markets. A number of high quality content houses have launched their OTT apps to tap into this opportunity, but are facing pricing and distribution challenges.
Airtel notes that for customers nowadays, dozens of OTT entertainment app options are available to choose from, offering them the latest content. However, customers end up managing multiple apps and subscriptions simultaneously.
Airtel says the Xstream Premium launch unlocks the exciting world of video streaming entertainment, for India’s growing tribe of digitally-connected customers, suggesting it addresses just what they want.
Firstly, it aggregates content from 15 Indian and global video OTTs in one app. Customers will obtain access to one of the largest catalogue of over 10,500 movies and shows plus live channels from SonyLIV, ErosNow, Lionsgate Play, Hoichoi, ManoramaMax, Shemaroo, Ultra, HungamaPlay, EPICon, Docubay, DivoTV, Klikk, Nammaflix, Dollywood, Shorts TV on Airtel Xstream Premium.
Secondly, it offers a great experience with a single app, single subscription, single sign-in, unified content search and AI-driven personalised curation for each user. Users can access Airtel Xstream Premium across Mobiles, Tablets, Laptops through the app or web and on the TV through the Xstream set-top-box.
All content is available exclusively to Airtel customers at Rs. 149 (€1.75) per month.
For content developers, this provides an opportunity to build distribution into the emerging market with Airtel’s scale and digital distribution capabilities.
“Airtel Xstream Premium is a game changing innovation to democratise OTT content in India by solving the key challenges of content discovery, affordability and distribution,” declared Adarsh Nair, CEO – Airtel Digital. “As a unified digital platform, it’s a win-win proposition for customers and OTT players alike as we begin an exciting journey to make digital entertainment mainstream in India.”
Airtel is targeting 20 million subscriptions through the offering and is collaborating with further OTT players to make Airtel Xstream Premium the go-to destination for digital entertainment in India.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Airtel Xstream to accelerate India’s video OTT ecosystem,” stated Manish Aggarwal, Head – Growth and Monetization, SonyLIV. “Our partnership with Airtel Xstream will bring premium content – from Originals, Movies, Sports and Sony India network content in all the leading languages and top shows from Hollywood to over 340 million Airtel customers. SonyLIV’s rich content library coupled with Airtel Xstream’s deep distribution reach and massive scale capabilities make it for a perfect partnership for both sides and we look forward to a long and successful association”
“Hoichoi has always been committed to making its content available to a wider audience base,” added Soumya Mukherjee, VP – Revenue and Strategy, Hoichoi. “Airtel, being one of the most widely-used network, with a similar aim of serving people from all corners of the country, makes this partnership a truly dynamic one. This will enable Hoichoi to penetrate deeper into the Tier – II and Tier – III cities as this collaboration will provide the Airtel users with a Hoichoi subscription bundled with an attractive Airtel recharge pack.”
“Eros Now is a mass-market consumer proposition with thousands of movies, original series, music videos, short form content and more in multiple languages,” commented Ali Hussein, Chief Executive Officer, Eros Now. “This symbiotic partnership with Airtel Xstream will further accelerate Eros Now’s adoption in India and allow an even larger number of video users to access our popular and engaging content. I am confident that consumers will enjoy the experience of accessing the best of entertainment and Internet on a single platform.”