The new era

Remember the time when we used to wait for a week for the next episode of our favourite shows? Or the soap operas that made you come back to the idiot box day after day. That feels like a long time ago. In today’s time, no one waits. With the entry of giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, web content is slowly but surely taking over the entertainment space

As Silk, donned by Vidya Balan, from the movie ‘The Dirty Picture’, said people like only three things in life “Entertainment, entertainment and entertainment”. And the pursuit of the same has never ceased.

Mankind, from the times immemorial, has been striving for excellence. From the creation of fire to the wheel, man has come a long way. In this quest of the perfect life of comforts, there was a clear need for entertainment in one’s life.

From the deadly gladiator fights in Colosseum to plays in theatres; people have always enjoyed a good bout or a tear-jerking drama. With the advent of technology the expedition to redefine entertainment has always been on the cards.

Radio was the first electronic media, which entertained the masses throughout the world. And then came talkies followed by television and from there entertainment knew no bounds.

Remember the time when we used to wait for a week for the next episode of our favourite shows? Or those times when we were thrilled by the fact that our parents got a brand new colour TV? That feels like a long time ago. In today’s time, no one waits for a TV or for a week!

Well, times have clearly changed a lot. We went from black and white TV to Colour TV to Cable TV, D2H and now internet. Means and modes of digital entertainment changed. PC and laptops replaced the good ol’ TV and with the internet, web content is ruling the roost.

With the entry of giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, et al, apart from the free web content on YouTube, marking a new era in digital entertainment.

Although these streaming websites come with a subscription people are still lapping on to it for its exciting and gripping content.

We, as consumers, constantly look for new and fresh content. Our attention span and patience decreased. With this, the platform for online entertainment was born.

Shabana Mukhtar, an MNC employee, says, “I can't really state just one reason because of which I am hooked to Netflix but there are multiple factors. First of all, as a millennial, I look for content to which I can relate and it's no secret that Indian soap operas do not really provide us with any gripping entertainment that can hook us.

Moreover, the platforms like Netflix inculcate diversity. Look at the content-rich programmes. They are not just of one kind but they are varied - in terms of subjects, genres, representation and what not. Also, Netflix does not give me the feeling that I am glued to an ‘Idiot Box’ rather I find some food for thought!”

So, why this sudden change happened? One of the major reasons for this could be the issue of mobility. As people became more mobile, the need for entertainment increased its demands.

For online streaming sites like Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime, etc, just need a stable phone internet connection and your favourite shows are just a click away. People became busy, and no one has the time to sit in front of an immobile apparatus to entertain them.

P Umesh, MNC employee, shares, “I watch series while commuting to the office. Earlier I used to listen to music and now I feel it was just a drab. With 4G phones, I can watch content wherever. With the influx of many big players in the market, I am sure the industry will take a leap forward.”

Another question which comes to mind was that how did online content became so famous. Well, uploading content on the internet doesn’t cost money. You can make a series and upload it and it’s free for the users.

And this churned a new industry and people don’t mind shelling out a few bucks to keep them entertained. The choices are plenty and in urban areas, millennials are subscribing to multiple streaming services.

“It has a year or two since I subscribed Netflix and I have not missed a single payment day. I got a free month trial of Amazon Prime and I liked the content and I subscribed there also.

As the fee is affordable one can subscribe to multiple services. Now entertainment is at my fingertips and I can choose to watch whatever and that too whenever. Video on demand is the future of entertainment,” says JK Kumar, a corporate employee.

These days no one waits for a show to reveal the next episode in a week. We live in an era where binge watching is the trend.

P Pranay, a master's student of media and communication at Christ University states that he does not like interrupting the flow of the story and he just glues to screen.

“In some instances, the shows are made to be binge watched. Giving a gap lessens the thrill and tension, which the makers try hard to mount. It would be a disservice to them but then again binge watching is not exactly a healthy habit either.”

G Sumedha, who works in the development sector, states “I binge watch because I don't have the patience of waiting for a week to see the next episode.

My favourite shows are ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Orange Is The New Black’ and I hope that they make original Indian series too, which is on par with the shows which stream on these sites.”

People aren’t dependant on TV any longer because many big online players came in the market. As that happened, TV manufacturers have ramped up the functions of a TV and made it smart.

These days TV is used to stream online. While on one hand technology has never failed to disappoint us, on the other, it has made us extremely dependent. The dissemination of content on the web rather than broadcasting it through satellite is an amazing example of that.

“I bought a smart TV just to stream online content. I stream Netflix on my TV. Firstly, I like that I control what I want to watch I don’t have to depend on a schedule and reserve my time to watch it when it airs.

Secondly, watching content-rich series on a big TV is a different experience altogether. With streaming sites giving an option of multiple screens I can watch it on a laptop, my phone and TV. I must say technology has spoilt us (laughs),” CH Abhijeet, a software professional, shares.

It is amazing to know that what started like a social media has now graduated to become a full-fledged business. Producers look from producing more web content than TV content because the viewers are more on the web.

The evolution of the content is interesting. There was a time when people depended on the big screen to see a movie and then TV came in and now with the rampant web content, no one has to wait. To facilitate this, our gadget got modified accordingly and now not only is it easily accessible but also readily available.