RETRO is the new flavor as Airtel Xstream users go back in time during COVID-19 lockdown

300% surge in streaming of popular 80s and 90s TV shows and 100% growth in demand for Bollywood Classics and Cult Comedies 

Overall streaming volumes up by 50% since mid-March. Average daily session time rises by 40% led by usage surge in non-metros and smaller towns      

Kolkata, May 1, 2020: The COVID-19 lockdown is making Indian turn back the time when it comes to entertainment. Nostalgia has emerged as the biggest trend on Airtel Xstream app - an India-first video network for premium digital content.

The popular app from Airtel offers over 10,000 shows and 400 plus TV channels. While overall streaming volumes have increased by 50% on the app since middle of March 2020, it is shows and movies from yesteryears that have seen the biggest surge in demand from users.        

·         Cult TV shows like Malgudi Days, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Zabaan Sambhal Ke, Rajani and many more have witnessed 300% surge in streaming volumes

·         Bollywood Classics from Chaudhavin Ka Chand, Mother India, Don, Padosan, Andaz Apna Apna and Raja Babu have seen streaming volumes growth of 100% underlining the strong demand of content from the decades gone by.

·         And close to 80% of the demand surge for Retro content is driven by users from non-metros and smaller towns in states such UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This highlights the growing adoption of OTT in these markets as smartphones and 4G penetration increases.

·         The average session time on Airtel Xstream and the number of daily sessions per user are also up by 40% as people are spending more time inside homes.

Says Adarsh Nair – Chief Product Officer, Bharti Airtel: “The current situation has made video entertainment an obvious and large use case. At the same time, it has given all of us more time and space to travel back in time and rekindle some fond memories as the situation also make us emotional. Airtel Xstream has been focused on India-first content and our solid library of classics is giving us a good play and driving up user engagement.”

Airtel Xstream is committed to building new categories of content. Recently it introduced a Kids section to keep the kids at home engaged through science, documentaries, family movies, along with animated entertainment. To motivate the users to not leave their fitness behind, it has also launched series on building strength for obstacle running, in partnership with Devils Circuit.