India, with more than 700 million internet users and over a billion digital consumers, is on track to become a streaming mandala, a canyon of social media gone wild, and a kind of kaleidoscopic canvas for digital storytelling. Such transformation lies at the heart of big data, an industry defining five v's: volume, velocity, variety, veracity and value. Big data and its power are no longer something you have to simply understand; rather, it is vital for you and your audience to effectively utilize this ever-evolving space.

The Big Data Boom in Indian Media

According to PwC report, M&E industry in India will cross $55 billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 10.5%. A vast bulk of this growth is in fact propelled by the digital platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and home grown players like ZEE5 and MX Player. The big data characteristics —volume and velocity—are very important in these platforms, which generate and process them. It is a goldmine of information about who has clicked, paused, rewound and who was searching for what.

For instance, Netflix’s recommendation engine checks through 250 million hours watched in daily content to show you the shows and movies that are suitable to you. This has resulted in the production of hyper localised content as in Sacred Games, Delhi Crime and Panchayat, two of which tap into regional audiences in India. India’s linguistic and cultural diversity makes them come up with an already diverse variety of data from demographic details to viewing habits which they can cater differently for.

The Influence of the Big Data on content creation

Among the most important impacts of big data on Indian M&E sector is in content creation. Content decisions have always been made based on intuition and very sporadic market research. Data analytics today allows creators to provide their audiences what they want in precise terms. Disney+ Hotstar’s success with The Great Indian Family and Special Ops can be, to a large extent, because of its capability to analyse viewers’ data and come up with trending genres and themes.

Real time decision making is only possible with velocity of data—how fast it is collected and processed. ZEE5 and SonyLIV among other platforms pivoted quickly to produce short form content and web series during the time of Covid 19 to catch on to the craze for at home entertainment during this pandemic. The value of agility is directly related to using big data to know about how the behavior of consumers changes.

Moreover, the variety of data sources—social media trends, search engine queries, and even sentiment analysis—helps creators fine-tune their narratives. An example includes audience preferences for high stakes drama and real life stories that have been picked up by data, and which led to the popularity of crime thrillers and biopics in India.

Personalization: The Key to Audience Engagement

Personalization is not optional in a country as diverse as India. The big data enables the platform to provide a different set of tailored content experiences based on a viewer from Tamil Nadu compared to Punjab. The volume of data generated by millions of users makes it possible to customize this level.

Take YouTube India, for example. It has over 450 million users and is based on big data to suggest the videos in the regional language, trending music and, even, obscure content – like DIY tutorials or spiritual discourses. Yet, it has come with this hyper-personalization and YouTube has become the platform of choice for Indian audiences, accounting for over 80% of the video streaming in the country.

Conclusion

The energy in the Indian media and entertainment industry is palpable, standing at the doorstep of a whole new era, fuelled by the advent of big data. Harnessing big data characteristics (volume, velocity, variety, veracity, and value) allows stakeholders to tap into new opportunities and stay out in front of the evolving landscape. For audiences, this means richer, more personalized, and culturally relevant content. For creators, it’s a guide to the keys to success in an increasingly competitive and fragmented marketplace.