New Delhi, Sept. 14 -- With Warner Bros. Discovery shutting down standalone operations for discovery+, its video streaming platform, and ending its direct-to-consumer operations in the country, experts say the writing on the wall is clear. Market economics no longer favour niche streaming services in a market dominated by broadcaster-led apps and foreign giants like Netflix and Prime Video.

The cost of creating high-quality content is far too high and returns don't add up, especially when short-form content is emerging in a big way. However, given that many of these companies own exhaustive catalogues, they continue to remain available via aggregator platforms and licensing deals with rivals.

Among other examples, HOOQ, Spuul and BigFli...