Tata Docomo in partnership with YouTube and Apalya Technologies has announced the launch of a video data plan called “YouTube Recharge”, a first of its kind in India. This is an effort to make video content more affordable to a large base of mobile Internet users in the country.
 
Through this initiative, Tata Docomo will be catering to a key consumer demand of providing affordable and open access to popular video sharing sites like YouTube and Apalya’s Live TV streaming service by bringing in transparent and affordable pricing to the end users.
 
“We have always believed in providing an open and easy access Internet to our subscribers with the best in class network at affordable rates. With this new product offering, we are the first service provider in India to enable our users to enjoy affordable access to a vast repository of premium and popular video content on YouTube and to live TV channel content available on Apalya’s Mobile TV service. With the YouTube Recharge plan, we are bringing down the barriers that inhibit users from enjoying their favorite video content on mobile by bringing down the cost by over 50%”, said Gurinder Singh Sandhu, Head-Marketing Mobility, Tata Teleservices.
 
The new YouTube Recharge plan, will enable mobile Internet users to enjoy full access to their favorite content, whether it is Bollywood music, educational videos and beauty tutorials on YouTube, or live TV programming on Apalya’s Mobile TV. Research shows that online video consumption is pegged at 3.7 billion videos per month in the country. According to comscore, the total online video audience in India saw growth of over 70 percent in 2013 with the average viewer watching 18 percent more videos and spending 28 percent more time viewing.
 
“Today, people turn to YouTube to get content whenever and wherever they want it, and we want to bring them a fantastic YouTube experience across devices. By working with Tata Docomo to introduce more affordable ways to watch videos from mobile devices, we hope Indians will be able to get more out of YouTube at a better price”, said Gautam Anand, Director Content Partnerships & Operations for YouTube Asia-Pacific.
 
About 40 percent of traffic on YouTube now comes from mobile phones and tablets, and the proliferation of smart phones in combination with affordable data plans can spur the growth of online video consumption in India.
 
YouTube Recharge Plan: