Voot: Digital Commerce in the World of Connected Screens

In early 2017, Voot was one of India’s popular video-on-demand (VOD) service providers of movies and television series. By that time, more than 50 million users had installed the application on the Android mobile platform alone. Voot’s parent company, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. (Viacom 18), was popular for its television channels Rishtey, Colors, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central India. Due to a rise in VOD service providers and a growing number of Internet users in India, VOD consumption had been increasing rapidly; therefore, launching Voot was important for Viacom18 to secure a place in the surging digital market. Even though Viacom18 was already a popular television network service provider at the time of Voot’s launch, it was not the first service to enter the VOD market, and its competitors were doing well. Voot had to determine what monetization model to implement and it had to choose a content strategy that would allow it to be competitive in the market, considering its diversified consumer base in terms of language, culture, and economic conditions.

This case is suitable for graduate level courses on digital marketing, services marketing, brand management, or disruptive technologies. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to<ul><li>understand the challenges and risks associated with over-the-top services;</li><li>discuss the sustainable monetization model; and</li><li>prepare a content strategy for a diversified consumer base in terms of language, culture, and economic conditions.</li></ul>

• Video on demand services, Entertainment, Content Strategy, Monetization Models, App/Website