An Empirical Study of Change in Usage Level of Various OTT Platforms by Users in Kerala during COVID-19

In the past few years, over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services that offer direct streaming services to viewers have gained popularity around the world. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic there has been an increasing number of viewership of over the-top (OTT) media platforms in India. The goal of this study is to examine the changes in usage level of OTT platforms by various users in Kerala during COVID-19. The study is quantitative in nature. Primary data was collected through online questionnaire. Statistical tools like chi-square and correlation were used for data analysis. The study has focused on the impact of various variables/factors, such as subscription cost, visual and audio impact, convenience, and genre preferred. In addition, the study focusses on the demographics that are engaged in OTT subscription. The findings of this study show that content superiority, system quality, and service differentiation had a beneficial impact on perceived value, which in turn influenced purchasing intentions and continuous usage intentions positively. It was found that service differentiation had a positive effect on buying intentions and continuous use intentions, using perceived value as a medium. High subscription cost and lack of ambience were some of the problems faced by most of the OTT users, and while analysing the demographic factors, we found that the younger generation (18-30 years) has the most influence on the purchase and continuous intention of OTT subscription.