Here’s how Netflix, Hotstar, SonyLiv, Zee5 and Amazon Prime Video compare against Apple TV+

In its latest event, Apple announced that Apple TV+ will go live November 1 onwards at a premium of Rs 99 a month. It will offer users a library of original content, for which the company has invested around $2 billion.

The technology giant has got on board big Hollywood names like Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey to develop a growing list of original series and films for Apple TV+.

But, will Apple TV+ be able to survive the competition from existing OTT players in the Indian market? Let's take a look at what its contenders are currently offering:

Netflix

Subscription plans

Netflix offers three subscription plans – Rs 499 (one screen), Rs 649 (two screens) and Rs 799 (four screens).

The platform recently came up with a mobile-only plan for Rs 199 per month.

Indian Offerings

Focusing on India-based content, Netflix plans to launch 22 movies by the end of 2020. Of this, Netflix has already released eight movies and the remaining 14 will be out soon.

It will also be releasing nine originals this year including Mumbai Indians, which is a series on the IPL franchise, Mighty Little Bheem, and Midnight’s Children.

Reportedly, Netflix will be pumping in as much as $100 million on originals from India over the next two years.

Subscriber base

According to a Red Seer report, Netflix currently boasts of 11 million monthly active users (MAUs).

Amazon Prime Video

Subscription plans

If you want to watch content on Amazon Prime, you have to pay  Rs 129/month or Rs 999/year.

Indian Offerings

Prime has announced its India originals like Abhishek Bachchan’s Breathe Season 2, Richa Chadha’s Inside Edge Season 2, Kabir Khan’s The Forgotten Army and Manoj Bajpayee’s The Family Man.

Subscriber base

Currently, it has as many as 13 million subscribers.

Hotstar

Subscription plans

Hotstar’s Premium service is available for Rs 299/month or Rs 999/year. Another variant of the OTT, called Hotstar VIP, is priced at Rs 365/year.

Indian Offerings

Hotstar is banking on sports content after witnessing strong traction for live streaming of cricketing tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the ICC World Cup 2019.  In fact, is doing more than cricket. Currently, it is also streaming the Pro-Kabaddi League, which has seen significant growth in viewership.

Subscriber base

While the global players are leaving no stone unturned to woo viewers, it is Hotstar that is leading the race when it comes to monthly active users which currently stands at 300 million for the platform.

SonyLiv

Subscription plans

Along with monthly and yearly plans available at Rs 99 and Rs 499 respectively, SonyLiv has also experimented with sachet offerings like Rs 29 per week which will also include live sports.

Indian Offerings

SonyLiv is also focusing on sports content and is offering events like England-Australia cricket series, India tour of West Indies and international cricket tournaments like Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Besides, SonyLiv will be streaming football, NBA, WWE, e-sports – the whole international tournament of DOTA 2 – in a couple of languages.

Subscriber base

The platform, which has 70 million monthly active users, aims to take this number to 100 million by the end of this year.

Zee5

Subscription plans

Currently, Zee5 is offering a discount of 50 percent on its subscription plans.

Hence, an all-access pack for a month is available for Rs 49, while a yearly subscription is priced at Rs 499.

Indian Offerings

ZEE5 has rolled out over 25 original shows across genres, and the platform has plans to launch 72+ shows by March 2020.

Subscriber base

If subscribers are taken into consideration, then Zee5 is a little ahead of SonyLiv with 76.4 million MAUs.