#TechBytes: Top 5 video streaming apps available in India
Ushered in by Netflix, binge watching has now become a new trend altogether with the emergence of countless video streaming services. Offering free trials, discounts, and great content, they've gained and maintained a huge subscriber base in almost no time. Having gained a foothold, they're also aggressively expanding on their content offerings. Here are the 5 best video streaming apps currently available in India.
Netflix offers a rich catalog of global content
Netflix is an American subscription based video streaming service and one of the very early players to enter the Indian market. It allows unlimited and uninterrupted video streaming across devices, and supports 4K and HDR. Netflix Original shows are an added bonus, and have largely been appreciated by critics and audiences alike. The most basic subscription costs Rs. 500/month.
Amazon Prime Video has great Indian content
Amazon Prime Video, undeniably one of the strongest contenders in the video streaming segment, is Amazon's answer to Netflix. It has an extremely rich collection of Indian content, apart from notable global content. Prime Video also supports 4K and HDR, and the X-Ray feature keeps you well-informed about songs, artists, etc. The service costs Rs. 129/month and the annual membership costs just Rs. 999.
If you're talking Sports, it has to be Hotstar
The Star-India owned Hotstar is an ideal choice to stream sports, Indian daily soaps and movies. The app has an extensive reach and allows users to access a lot of free content including live cricket matches across the country. With a diverse range of titles from Showtime, HBO and ABC, Hotstar Premium comes at an impressive price of Rs. 199/month and Rs. 999/year.
Voot is a free service and it's pretty great
This video streaming service, Voot is owned by Viacom 18 and allows users to watch shows on some of their favorite TV channels including Colors, VH1, VICE, MTV, Nickelodeon. Users also have an access to News 18 and Voot Original web series. The app supports many Indian languages and features a wide range of movies. Interestingly, Voot is absolutely free. That's its USP.
ALTBalaji offers great regional Indian content
Of late, ALTBalaji has gained popularity with shows like 'Bose', 'The Test Case', 'Dev DD'. The Balaji Telefilms Ltd owned video-streaming app is entirely focused on Indian audience, and consists of films and shows that are mostly produced/directed under Balaji Telefilms or ALT Entertainment banners. Notably, ALTBalaji is available for subscription at Rs. 100 for 3 months. Their yearly plans are quite cheap too.
