Culture Production and Consumption in Post-COVID Era: A Meta-Analysis of OTT Industry in India

Abstract

Web series and video on demand services destabilised and efficiently replaced popular entertainment in the past one year, due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The subsequent lockdown not only impacted the traditional creative industries, such as TV and films, but it has also catalysed the way narratives are produced and consumed over the internet. Narratives on the web have been posing challenges to traditional storytelling since the past decade, but the changes in the Indian market have been slow until this year. The industry has also been studied extensively from the perspective of various disciplines, film studies, marketing, psychology, and communication being a few of them. These studies have elaborated upon the evolution of the industry, its popularity, challenges and roadblocks specifically in relation to the Indian market. The study in concern tries to trace the evolution of the industry in comparison to the predictions. It tries to verify if the predictions and scope have been met by trajectory and what quantum of growth can be credited to the COVID pandemic lockdown period. This research starts with gathering studies conducted on the industry, specifically in the Indian market, since its existence. With the help of a qualitative meta-analysis, this paper tries to analyse the trends and trajectories predicted vis-a-vis the actual growth in numbers over the years, specifically in the post-COVID era. Researchers aim to suggest a model on the production–consumption patterns and the functioning of the industry.