Airtel Xstream (earlier Airtel TV) is the Live TV and Video on Demand (VoD) streaming platform of Bharti Airtel. The operator offers a free subscription to Airtel Xstream for all the subscribers of its Truly Unlimited prepaid plans much like Jio offers Jio TV and Jio Cinema to its bundled plan subscribers. Airtel Xstream curates content from various OTT platforms like Zee5, Sony Liv, Hungama Play, Shemaroo me, Eros Now, etc. Now, Zee5 premium content is scheduled to leave Xstream platform by next month.
Earlier this month OnlyTech was the first to report that Airtel had started offering a free subscription to Zee5 premium for its subscribers on truly unlimited prepaid plans above Rs 149. This offer is available for qualifying recharges up to 12th July 2020. As of now all Zee5 premium content except for Alt Balaji originals is also available on the Airtel Xstream platform but this will be removed by next month.
After 12th July, Airtel subscribers will be able to buy Zee5 premium subscription directly through the Airtel Thanks app at a discounted rate. The details regarding the pricing of this offering will be declared by Airtel towards the end of this promotional offering. The free shows of ZeeTV and &TV will continue to be listed on Xstream and accessible with qualifying bundled packs.
As the online content streaming market in India grows, all OTT platforms are competing against each other for a larger slice of the subscriber market pie. In such a scenario, original premium content acts as a differentiating factor, and having them exclusive to the platform ensures subscriber stickiness. Hotstar had adopted this strategy early on and currently ranks at the top position among all OTT players.
