New Delhi, April 16 -- Ad-supported, free-to-watch shows such as Ek Badnaam Aashram and Hip Hop India on Amazon MX Player made a splash when they dropped on the streaming platform over the past two months, topping OTT viewership charts for several weeks and reinforcing the view that AVoD (advertising video-on-demand) content can serve as a potent hook for consumers to convert them into subscribers.

Entertainment industry experts say that while free programming will continue to generate high viewership and reach, given the easy access and sampling, it is the paywalled content for subscribers that will bring in real revenue and engagement. In essence, a hybrid model of content monetization is the way forward for over-the-top platforms, the...