New Delhi, Feb. 18 -- Smaller regional language streaming platforms with limited budgets and little access to top talent are rushing to fill the void left by bigger entities, many of whom have slowed down on commissioning new projects.

Media industry experts said that while local language services such as Hoichoi, Planet Marathi and ShemarooMe can never compete with the budgets and scale of Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar or JioCinema, this is a good time to bolster slates, and grab viewer eyeballs, especially with fiction programming.

After Sony Pictures Entertainment called off its merger with Zee Entertainment Enterprises, both are reviewing OTT (over the top or streaming) budgets. Amazon Prime Video takes long to approve proje...