Best Video Streaming Services in India

For any form of entertainment to gain recognition and appreciation, it depends on two main factors; one is the distribution channel used to reach the widespread masses and second is you, i.e. the consumer. While it is impossible to determine which aspect creates more buzz, it can be safely said that both the mediums need to progress continuously. We, the audience, keep evolving with time in terms of culture, influences, lifestyle etc. and so one factor can be ticked off from the list.

Coming to the distribution channel, it has made a decent amount of growth in the recent times with the help of Apps like Netflix, Hotstar and many more. Although these subscriptions are paid for but content wise they are quite rich and come with a variety of other facilities that make the entire experience a remarkably enriching one. We have compared below the top 5 Apps on the basis of their pricing, video playback, user interface and content.

Hotstar

Are you a movie buff? Or do you like to watch old movies or TV series? Or are you a sports fan who needs to remain updated at all times? Well, then Hotstar is your gateway to all these questions. From movies of different regions to TV serials to LIVE sports, Hotstar offers an abundance of content options you can watch. With Hotstar’s membership offers you get full and unlimited access to latest TV shows, movies and LIVE sports in HD. The first month with Hotstar is free and after that the membership costs around INR 199 per month. They also have original content like On Air with AIB, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai 2 and a whole lot of cineplays among other varieties that you can enjoy watching. If you choose not to opt for the subscription there will still be some decent amount of content for you to look around. Hotstar has a heavy user interface which takes time to load even with a good internet connection.

Netflix

World’s leading subscription service, Netflix, is one of the best platforms to enjoy TV episodes and movies on your phone. There is nothing that you can’t find on Netflix, just type in the name of the movie, TV shows in the search bar and you will find it. You can also share the subscription with your friends and hence at the same time 6 devices can access the same account and by default, you can stream up to 2 movies or series. Their basic subscription costs INR 500 per month and Standard & Premium membership costs INR 650 & INR 800 per month, respectively. Interface-wise, Netflix wins the round of seamless and smooth streaming.

Amazon Prime

If you are a Prime member of Amazon then you can download movies and TV shows over any network and then watch it anytime. It has a great collection of regional content as well as Amazon original series. You get to watch the first episode for free before subscribing to Amazon Prime which costs 999 per year. Amazon Prime will give you a pretty decent streaming experience with a few hiccups here and there, which can be due to problems in the internet connection.

AltBalaji

All the content available on AltBalaji is original and as per their claim the largest content bank seen in India. Available on smartphones, tablets and websites, AltBalaji produces freshly brewed content specially tailored for the Indian audience. They keep adding new series and concepts on their platform suitable for kids and adults. They provide 3 plans; INR 300 for 12 months, INR 180 for 6 months and INR 100 for 3 months. They give a pretty smooth streaming experience with a little bit of delay in loading the videos which also depends on the internet connection you are on.

Spuul

Spuul brings the best collection in Indian entertainment with full-length movies in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam and other languages. You can download as many movies as you want in under 60MB. Other features include Instant Play, casting movies using AirPlay or ChromeCast, adjusting video quality among many other things that you can do on Spuul. You can sign up for the premium package and access premium movies just for INR 150 per month. It has a decent streaming experience which can be made better.

While factors like pricing, content and a good user interface play an important role in deciding the best subscriptions, it is also important to have a sturdy smartphone with a large display, a good battery backup, and a superfast internet connection to make the experience of watching any kind of entertainment an enriching one. Nowadays, phones like Panasonic India Smartphones’ Eluga Ray 700 (5.5” FHD Display, 5000 mAh Battery, INR 9,999/-), Redmi Note 4 (5.5” FHD Display, 5000 mAh Battery, INR 11,999/-) provide all these features packed inside the price range of your comfort.