Bharti Airtel’s video network for digital content Airtel Xstream has been witnessing a surge in the consumption of Retro content by over 300%. Nostalgia has emerged as the biggest trend as Indians turn back the time.
There has been a surge in the streaming of popular 80s and 90s TV shows with 100% growth in demand for Bollywood classics and Cult comedies. The streaming volumes have gone up by 50% since mid-March with average daily session time increasing by 40% led by usage surge in non-metros and smaller towns.
TV shows like Malgudi Days, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Zabaan Sambhal Ke, Rajani, and more have seen surge by 300% in viewing. Interestingly, Airtel Digital TV has also launched Malgudi Days service channel on channel number 102 following the surge in viewing on it Xstream app. Malgudi Days is available at a price of Rs 1.5 per day.
“The current situation has made video entertainment an obvious and large use case. At the same time, it has given all of us more time and space to travel back in time and rekindle some fond memories as the situation also make us emotional. Airtel Xstream has been focused on India-first content and our solid library of classics is giving us a good play and driving up user engagement.”
Adarsh Nair ,Chief Product Officer, Bharti Airtel
Mother India, Don, Padosan, Andaz Apna Apna, Chaudhavin Ka Chand and Raja Babu have seen volume growths by 100%. There is a strong demand for Bollywood classics.
Out of the surge, 80% demand is driven from users living in non-metros and smaller towns in states such as UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The average time spent on Xstream app has also increased by 40%.
