Mumbai: For publishers and digital service providers around the world, Apple’s list of favorite apps around the world is a coveted one. Stamping its authority as India’s biggest and most popular OTT platform, Hotstar has appropriated the top spot on iTunes as Apple TV’s App of the Year for India 2016. It is especially noteworthy since Hotstar’s service on the Apple TV is new, with the app being launched in August.
The recognition comes on the back of a breakthrough year in which Hotstar continued to lead and disrupt the Indian market place.2016 saw Hotstar introduce a host of new tech features and content proposition for its ever-increasing number of consumers, which currently stands at a whopping 130 million downloads.
Ajit Mohan, CEO, Hotstar, says, “India is the only country in the world where a streaming platform like Hotstar exists where the best TV shows from around the world, movie premieres and live sports are available on a single platform. The Indian consumer today is absolutely at the frontiers of mobile video: no consumer in any other part of the world has access to better options than the Indian consumer. Now, we are setting our sights on shaping the connected TV experience in India.”
While innovation on live Sports streaming continued to draw fans with the deeply engaging coverage of the Vivo IPL 2016, Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Premier League football and Kabaddi World Cup on Virtual Reality, the entertainment offerings were significantly beefed up when Hotstar launched its Premium service in April making the best of international shows available in India alongside their US airing.
The lineup on the Premium service includes Emmy award winning TV shows such as Game of Thrones, The Night Of, Westworld, Veep, and American Crime Story that are all exclusively available in India on Hotstar.
