Game Integration in OTT Platforms: Another step towards gamification

While Netflix broadcasts the immensely popular show Stranger Things on its platform, it also offers old-school arcade games based on the series. This is an interesting twist to the norm, where an Over the Top (OTT) platform goes for direct interaction with viewers. However, Netflix is not the only platform that has adopted this approach.

Don’t be surprised if you see a rummy game tournament played live on an OTT platform in the future. Poker and rummy apps are the one-stop shop for everything related to the games, from teaching rummy rules to organising free tournaments. When an OTT platform explores this segment, it would be worth observing how they gamify themselves.

Harnessing Gaming Potential
The OTT market in India was valued at $234 billion last year, and it is estimated to grow to $836 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 17.2%. It is not known at this point if these estimates consider the benefits of the gaming integration attempted by OTT platforms.

It is an attempt with strong prospects, to say the least. It is going to expand the presence of games on a wider range of devices. Gamers have already shown their keenness for the interoperability of games and devices. This includes features like sign-ins from different devices to resume gameplay, compatibility of games across different devices, and multiplayer games with crossplay features. These are all indications that for gamers, the more there is, the merrier it is.

OTT’s Gaming Powerplay
Netflix’s gamification of Stranger Things is one example, but similar strategies are employed by other OTT platforms too. Multiple seasons of Battlegrounds Mobile India Series events were telecasted on Jio Cinema, another OTT powerhouse in India. Jio Cinema has integrated fantasy sports league apps during cricket matches to boost their viewer engagement.

Before the entry of Jio Cinema, platforms like NODWIN and Star Sports had harnessed the potential of the BGMI Masters Series. These streamed events drew even more viewers than popular sporting events like the UEFA Champions League and the French Open.

Apart from Battlegrounds, tournaments around popular titles like League of Legends, Counter-Strike and Dota 2 draw global viewers. Meanwhile, overseas platforms like Apple Vision Pro have integration with live-stream merchandising for popular events like basketball matches in the US. Live shopping, interestingly, is estimated to be a $50 billion market in the country!

Esports alone has an estimated market base of 50 million, making its integration into OTT a lucrative prospect. Besides, OTT platforms are adopting strategies that are further fading the differences between them and the gaming platforms. Features like virtual watch parties, live streaming interactions, and mobile-friendly vertical viewing of sports events are some of the many ways in which OTT platforms are improvising the viewing experience. In line with the integration of games, we can see a broader gamification approach among most OTT platforms.

Advent into Gamification
OTT platforms have applied a simple strategy to engage more with their viewers. The traditional linear television model relied on a one-way interaction where you flipped through the content, deciding what to watch next. However, the platforms need to engage with their viewer more to increase their retention.

Integrating games into these platforms is one of the key strategies adopted by these platforms. However, gamification spreads their wings further and makes the OTT experience more interactive. Platforms have introduced points and leaderboards to boost user engagement and active user percentages. These measures have transformed the passive viewing experience into an interactive one.

The OTT/Gaming Mashups
Jio Cinema’s Jeeto Dhan Dhana Dhan is one such example of gamification, complete with points, leaderboards and prizes. Netflix has tried game integration with the creation of interactive content like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch or the entertaining You vs. Wild. In this type of content, your participation as the viewer becomes more active and influential in the story, creating an urge to return for more interactive action.

Hotstar chose to create an Indian Premier League (IPL)-theme metaverse to coincide with the cricket league season. Its interactive watch-along feature, Watch N Play, has got IPL viewers interested since 2018. The platform also introduced a portrait-mode viewing of the Cricket World Cup. OTT platforms introduce Multicam views to increase session durations and make viewing more immersive. In Jio Cinema, viewers can enjoy 360-degree cricket footage with the JioDive 360-degree VR Headset.

Domestic OTT platform, Zee5, introduced the Zee5 Super Family, where viewers could curate their on-screen characters from the OTT’s library. Viewers can predict character arcs and earn points, thus adding storytelling and gamification to the conventional viewing experience.

Gamified Entertainment
From honing knowledge of rummy rules on popular rummy game platforms like Rummy Culture to catching up with friends on massively multiplayer online games, gaming has overtaken the traditional entertainment formats in India. It is evident that by adopting game integration and wider gamification, OTT platforms are exploring the exciting prospects of gaming in India. India CSR