Tata Play adds gaming to OTT, DTH services with Gamezop

The Tata Play Binge app currently offers a single subscription plan for up to 17 OTT streaming platforms, which include Sony Liv, Disney+ Hotstar and Zee5, among others. Gamezop’s gaming offerings will join this portfolio of subscription plans, which are priced between ₹59 and ₹299 per month, depending on the number of streaming platforms a user would want to subscribe to.

The move marks an increased proliferation of online gaming, even in the casual gaming space. On 14 March, telecom operator Vodafone Idea announced a partnership with gaming firm Nazara Technologies to add gaming to its value added services experience. Through this partnership, the telco added both free games that could be streamed from within its ‘Vi’ mobile app, or downloaded across ‘Gold’ and ‘Platinum’ tiers, for a fee.

On 26 July, an OTT industry report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) noted that the domestic video streaming market may grow to $7 billion in the next five years. India could roughly account for a tenth of the Asia-Pacific OTT market, which is pegged to clock overall revenue of around $73 billion in the same time frame.

Online gaming, meanwhile, has been hailed as among the top sunrise sectors in India. A 12 January report by Data.ai, erstwhile App Annie, placed India among the top markets for app downloads, but ranked significantly lower in terms of user spends on apps and games. However, 75% of the top 10 revenue generation apps in India were games, according to the report , showing the potential of the sector.

According to estimates by consultancy firm KPMG, revenues from India’s online gaming market may reach $1.8 billion by the end of 2022. While the industry is going through a host of challenges in terms of regulations and taxation, it remains to be seen how partnerships such as Tata Play and Gamezop’s contribute to its ability to monetise the rise of casual gaming in the country.