Broadcasting in transition: over-the-top (OTT) platforms, telecom integration, and media convergence in India

Abstract

In 2016, free SIM card of Reliance Jio which provided unlimited 4G data changed the debate around the technological aspects of the communication and consumption of media in India. I vividly remember all these queues before the mobile shops where people stand in a line and collect a free Jio SIM so that they can stream YouTube videos or even IPL matches without any concerns about the data cap. The memory is an important occurrence in the Indian broadcasting history. However, even greater than the personal memory, this memory is a reflection of a greater change that is happening on a structural scale, which is as a result of the convergence of telecommunications, media and digital platforms. Jio has enabled the limitless access of information/ entertainment that its subscribers are already enjoying as well as a systematic transition of legacy television network towards digital distribution and new monetization models. More to the point, the shift is a significant challenge to media studies: that the traditional broadcast paradigm of TV cannot be used to interpret the current changes in the modern media. Telecommunication and (Over-The-Top) OTT service providers are no longer producers as they now hold a centralist and strong position regarding the distribution and monetization of content. Although these platforms and conceptual frameworks of platforms are important and extensive, little focus has been placed on them in the media studies research. The relationship between telecommunications, OTT services and television ecosystem has not been explored fully yet. Therefore, we must have something new in conceptual and empirical terms, a new theoretical and empirical premise of analysis.