A warm welcome to the 105th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Agenda

1. Metrics, Not Myths: CTV’s Festive-Season Reality Check

2. Outlook: Diwali and Beyond

And….Action!

Metrics, Not Myths: CTV’s Festive-Season Reality Check

Part 2 of our “CTV Monetization” focused newsletter shares insights on the important aspect of Measurement and Growing Pains as streamers, agencies and brands double down on Connected Television Advertising this festive season.

For all its promise, CTV in India isn’t without challenges. In fact, as CTV ad spending grows, advertisers have been vocal about certain pain points – chiefly around measurement, transparency, and fraud. The festive season amplifies these concerns because so much money is on the line. Here’s an analytical look at the key issues and what’s being done:

1. Unified Measurement (or the lack thereof): Unlike linear TV, which has BARC ratings as a common currency for reach/GRPs, CTV currently lacks an industry-wide standard for audience measurement. Each platform (YouTube, Hotstar, etc.) provides its own metrics, but advertisers want a holistic view – deduplicated reach, frequency and GRPs across all CTV platforms and linear TV combined. “A crucial aspect still absent is the effectiveness measurement,” notes BK Rao of Parle, referring to the ability to quantify incremental reach or GRPs from CTV [bestmediainfo.com]. If an advertiser adds CTV to a TV plan, how many extra people did they reach, or how many more times did the same person see the ad? These questions are hard to answer today. This measurement gap makes some traditional advertisers slightly wary – they’re used to the comfort of a single TV rating point system.

However, progress is underway. Global measurement firms are stepping in: Nielsen has expanded its Digital Ad Ratings in India to include YouTube CTV ads, enabling cross-device reach reporting for YouTube campaigns. And importantly, Comscore is teaming up with Google to launch a dedicated YouTube CTV audience measurement in India in 2025 [exchange4media.com]. Comscore’s plan, announced at Goafest 2025, is to provide continuous, scalable reporting on YouTube CTV viewership (and potentially other platforms down the line) to give advertisers a clearer picture of CTV audiences.

This is a big deal – it mirrors what’s happening in the US with Nielsen’s Gauge and others tracking streaming consumption. By the end of this year, beta data from Comscore’s study is expected, which could be a first step toward an “CTV ratings” service.

The hope is that eventually the industry will have a unified dashboard where a marketer can see, for example, that their Diwali campaign reached X million on linear TV with Y frequency, and an additional Z million on CTV with Q frequency, and overlapping reach of whatever percent. Until then, brands are using proxies – like measuring website traffic lift or sales lift in CTV-exposed areas vs non-exposed – to gauge impact. It works, but it’s not perfect.

2. Transparency and Ad Fraud: Digital advertising’s dark side – fraud and “bad” inventory – has not spared CTV. In fact, the rapid growth of CTV has attracted fraudsters setting up fake CTV app impressions and other schemes. DoubleVerify’s 2024 report highlighted some alarming trends: only 50% of CTV impressions worldwide offered full app transparency (meaning the advertiser knew exactly which app their ad ran on) [campaignindia.in]. In India, where many CTV buys are programmatic, this can be problematic – brands might be unsure if their ad played on a reputable OTT app or some obscure channel nobody watches. Fraud is another worry: bot-driven fraud accounts for 65% of CTV ad fraud incidents, with millions of infected devices globally.

One specific issue is the “TV off” phenomenon – cases where a streaming device remains on (pinging ads) even after the TV is turned off. This leads to wasted impressions. DV estimated that without proper safeguards, advertisers can lose roughly $700,000 per billion CTV impressions to such waste – a non-trivial sum.

Advertisers in India are increasingly cautious about these blind spots. Many are demanding log-level data and third-party verification for CTV campaigns, just as they do for web and mobile. Verification companies like Integral Ad Science (IAS) and DoubleVerify have ramped up efforts in India to monitor connected TV inventory quality.

The good news is that premium publishers (JioHotstar, Google, etc.) are fully on board to combat fraud – after all, they want buyer confidence. The not-so-good news is that fragmentation – so many different CTV apps and devices – makes it complex to standardize transparency. The industry is actively working on CTV standards for app naming, device IDs, etc. to ensure better transparency. During this festive blitz, agencies have been extra vigilant: many now whitelist specific CTV apps for their programmatic buys (to avoid the sketchy long-tail inventory), and they use technology to detect anomalies (like an abnormally high midnight viewership on a cooking app – a red flag for fraud). It’s an ongoing battle, but awareness is high. As one Campaign India piece put it, CTV’s rise is “undeniable,” but the ecosystem is still working through some serious “growing pains” in transparency and fraud that need tightening [campaignindia.in].

3. Performance Attribution: Beyond reach and fraud, there’s the question of ROI measurement. Brands are very interested in the performance outcomes of CTV – e.g. did CTV drive more web visits, app installs, or sales compared to other channels? This is a nuanced area.

CTV is often a top-of-funnel branding medium, but with interactive elements (QR codes, etc.) it’s now contributing to mid-funnel and lower-funnel metrics too. The challenge is attribution: If someone sees a CTV ad and later purchases the product on their phone, connecting those dots isn’t straightforward. Marketers cite this as a pain point – multi-touch attribution models are still evolving to fully credit CTV’s role. Some solutions involve using household IP matching (to link a TV impression to subsequent activity on household devices) or panels that monitor exposure and purchase. These are being tested in India, but haven’t scaled yet. So, advertisers sometimes have to rely on proxy metrics like brand lift surveys or just overall sales trends.

The promising statistic here is that 41% of Indian viewers now prefer ad-supported content over paid subscriptions [campaignindia.in], indicating viewers accept ads on CTV and likely engage with them. Also, 64% of viewers say the context (genre of content) impacts how they perceive ads, hinting that aligning ads with the right content can improve effectiveness. These insights help advertisers optimize and get better ROI, even if the last-mile attribution is imperfect.

In summary, measurement and trust in CTV are works in progress. The industry recognizes that for CTV to truly become “the new prime time” permanently, it must offer the same confidence and clarity that TV did for decades.

The festive season of 2025 might be remembered as the inflection point when CTV proved its reach and engagement – and also when the push for better measurement hit top gear. “If we had this conversation a year ago, I might not have been as confident about CTV. However, today I’m optimistic,” said Srinivas Rao of Wavemaker during IPL, noting how quickly the medium is maturing even on the metrics front [afaqs.com].

Outlook: Diwali and Beyond

As we head deeper into the festive calendar, all signs point to Connected TV truly claiming the mantle of “new prime time” in India. Navratri and Dussehra campaigns have already seen heavy CTV components, and Diwali is expected to bring the largest surge yet. Industry veterans are projecting that 2025’s Diwali-week CTV ad volumes will set new records, possibly doubling what was seen in 2024 for certain platforms.

Early indicators from Onam and Navratri campaigns showed robust digital spends and high engagement on connected devices, and Diwali will likely amplify that trend across the country.

The broader context also favors CTV’s continued rise:

• Consumer behavior is durably changed. The pandemic and subsequent tech boom put Smart TVs in millions of homes, and consumers have gotten used to the flexibility of streaming. With each passing month, more households figure out how to watch YouTube or Hotstar on their TV. By 2026, India could have 80–100 million CTV households, approaching the scale of linear TV households. This isn’t just a metro phenomenon – notably, five of India’s bottom ten states by per-capita income rank among the top ten in CTV growth, showing small-town India is joining the party.

• Advertiser sentiment is bullish. 2024 was seen as a rebound year, but 2025 is all about scale and new benchmarks. “Digital isn’t the side channel anymore, it’s the first screen. Festive discovery, shopping, and entertainment are all digital-first now,” Thakkar of Frodoh observed [storyboard18.com]. When major FMCG and auto advertisers publicly talk about moving 20–30% of TV budgets to CTV, it sends a signal across the industry. Expect even traditionally conservative sectors (like some retail and pharma brands) to test CTV in the coming quarters as success stories pile up.

• The ecosystem is maturing. With big players like JioHotstar, Google, and even device OEMs (TV manufacturers) in the mix, the infrastructure for CTV advertising is strengthening. Already smart TV OEMs act as gatekeepers to high-impact inventory – for instance, Samsung or Xiaomi TVs might have their own ad platforms for the home screen or global content. These developments will create more CTV avenues but also more standardization as global best practices are adopted. Every new measurement integration (Comscore, Nielsen, etc.) and anti-fraud measure improves buyer confidence.

Looking specifically at the festive context: CTV offers a way to combine scale with segmentation during a time when brands want both mass reach and precise targeting. A clothing brand can run a big hero ad for its Diwali collection on connected TV to reach fashion-conscious families, while concurrently retargeting those who showed interest with a mobile coupon.

This holistic approach, stitching together CTV and other digital channels, is becoming the norm. Indeed, many savvy marketers now plan CTV + social + e-commerce campaigns in tandem – for example, a festive recipe show on CTV sponsored by a cooking oil brand, coupled with influencer posts on Instagram and a “buy now” integration with an online grocer. Such 360-degree strategies treat the living room screen as the anchor for storytelling, with mobile and web amplifying it.

In concluding this analytical story: India’s living room is truly reconnected. After a decade where the personal screen (mobile) dominated growth, the shared screen is back in focus – not in the old linear broadcast way, but in a digital, on-demand, highly targetable way. This festive season is proving that CTV has arrived as a mainstay of media plans, commanding real budgets and delivering tangible results. Advertisers are learning to navigate its nuances – paying a bit more per impression, crafting new kinds of ads, demanding better measurement – and by doing so, they are reaping the benefits of an engaged audience that is watching, shopping, and celebrating from the couch.

As Diwali lights up millions of homes, don’t be surprised if the most impactful ad campaigns you see are lighting up the smart TV in the living room. CTV is no longer a niche; it’s where the big stories unfold – and this festive season has made that clearer than ever.

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13th on SonyLIV : Some Lessons Aren’t Taught in Classrooms’ is a heartfelt series that captures the evolving bond between a mentor and his student while exposing the hollow chase of start-up culture. Rooted in realism, it’s powered by strong performances and a story that feels lived-in.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Raising capital for an “attention economy” / sports tech fund with an amazing global startup pipeline - DM me for more details!

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 104th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. CTV Is the New Prime Time During India’s Festive Season

2. Ad Budgets Shift from Mobile to the Big Screen

3. Creative Innovation on the Big Screen

And….Action!

CTV Is the New Prime Time During India’s Festive Season

The Festive Fuel for CTV’s Rise

India’s festive season – from Onam through Navratri to Diwali – has long been prime time for advertisers, and this year Connected TV (CTV) is emerging as the star medium. As families gather for celebrations, many are tuning into smart TVs and streaming devices in the living room, making CTV “the new prime time.” Industry estimates show CTV advertising in India grew from around ₹450 crore in 2022 to ₹1,500 crore in 2024 – a more than 3× jump – and is projected to reach ₹3,500 crore in the next couple of years [financialexpress.com]. This growth is riding on the back of exploding CTV adoption: India hit roughly 50 million monthly active connected TV sets by end-2024 [brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com], up from just 10 million three years ago. That’s a 5× expansion in CTV households, fueled by affordable smart TVs, widespread broadband, and consumers’ shift to streaming content on the big screen.

This festive period is set to be CTV’s breakout moment. Ahead of the 2025 festivities, brands have upped their CTV investments by 30–35% over last year’s festive season, according to industry observers. Many advertisers are now earmarking 30–50% of their digital ad budgets specifically for CTV during the festive push [financialexpress.com], a striking reallocation that underscores CTV’s newfound importance. In fact, digital-first ad spend overall is soaring this time of year – by 20–25% YoY in 2025’s festive quarter [storyboard18.com] – and much of that incremental growth is flowing into connected TV and online video. Shweta Sharma of Hakuhodo Data Labs notes that video and OTT/CTV already account for ~30% of India’s digital ad expenditure and will climb higher this season [storyboard18.com] s. Connected platforms like JioHotstar, YouTube, SonyLIV, and aggregators like Tata Play Binge have become the new festive “living rooms” where brands jostle for consumer attention.

Why the surge in CTV during festivals? One reason is audience behavior. Families often co-view content on big screens in prime evening slots, especially around holidays. According to Dentsu’s Media & Entertainment Report 2023, 65% of Indian TV households have cut the cable cord in favor of Smart TVs, Fire Sticks, or internet set-top boxes [brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com], and families now spend an average of 3 hours daily on their smart TV. These living-room viewing sessions – often during dinner or family time – are incredibly valuable to advertisers. About 74% of Indian viewers engage in shared CTV watching during prime time, making it akin to the appointment viewing of traditional TV’s glory days. It’s no surprise, then, that marketers see festivals as the perfect stage for CTV: the audience is together, attentive, and in a spending mood.

Moreover, categories that thrive during festivals – e-commerce, electronics, auto, fintech, travel, and premium FMCG – align well with CTV’s audience profile. Connected TV viewers skew toward younger, affluent, and urban consumers, the kind of high-intent shoppers brands love to court during Diwali sales and year-end promotions. According to industry leaders, auto brands now channel 20–25% of their video ad budgets to CTV (for instance, electronics brand boAt and others consider CTV “central” to reaching affluent urban households [financialexpress.com]. Likewise, FMCG majors like Godrej Consumer allocate ~80–85% of their internet ad spend to CTV, and Parle Products has redirected 15–20% of its high-definition linear TV budget into CTV. These shifts illustrate how CTV has graduated from experimental to essential in media plans, especially when big cultural moments drive up viewership.

Even last year’s data foreshadowed this trend. The 2024 festive quarter saw CTV’s share of digital ad spend roughly double from about 4–5% to 6–8% [storyboard18.com] (some experts say it even reached low double-digits for certain advertisers). In 2025, projections range from CTV taking 8–15% of total digital spends [storyboard18.com], with key sectors possibly putting 20–25% of their video budgets into CTV. Clearly, brands now view CTV as a “premium showcase window” for festive campaigns, not just a niche add-on.

Ad Budgets Shift from Mobile to the Big Screen

This festive surge in CTV is coming partly at the expense of other screens. Mobile OTT viewing remains massive in India, and brands still invest heavily there for reach – but a notable rebalance is underway. Many advertisers are adopting a “70/30” strategy: ~70% of digital video budget on mobile for broad reach, and ~30% on CTV to hit premium audiences [afaqs.com]. “Advertisers recognise that the audience size on TV (CTV) is comparable to mobile, so they’re opting for a combination,” explains Vaibhav Choudhari of Carat India. The co-viewing, large-screen impact of CTV is drawing categories like automotive, consumer electronics, banking, and high-end FMCG to favor it for metro audiences. At the same time, mass-market brands (e.g. some FMCGs, budget financial products) still rely on mobile to cover India’s vast hinterland for volume reach.

Crucially, CTV isn’t cannibalizing only digital budgets – it’s also eating into linear TV spends. For the first time, many advertisers are openly trimming their traditional TV buys to free up funds for connected TV. Advertising on linear television actually dipped ~6% in ad volumes in 2024, with 12% fewer advertisers on board, per a FICCI-EY report [financialexpress.com]. Some of that pullback is due to economic factors, but much is a deliberate shift: marketers migrating money to CTV for its targeting and measurement advantages. EY-FICCI data shows CTV was just ~4.4% of total TV ad spends in 2024, but is on a fast track – projected to be 35% of TV ad budgets by 2026 and ~42% by 2027 if current growth holds. In absolute terms, that would mean CTV taking roughly a third of all “TV” advertising within the next 2–3 years, a stunning change in the media mix.

Advertisers describe three patterns in how budgets are shifting to CTV:

• Direct migration from linear TV: Brands, especially those targeting affluent urban consumers, are cutting high-definition (HD) TV spends and moving that money into CTV platforms. For instance, Parle now allocates 10–15% of its combined TV+digital budget to CTV, pulling 15–20% from its HD linear TV pot and another 20–25% from digital video to fund it [brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com]. What might have gone entirely to a Star Plus or Zee TV in the past is now partially going to a connected device showing OTT content.

• Incremental digital investment: Some advertisers are simply adding new budget on top for CTV, viewing it as a way to extend reach once linear and mobile plans are in place. This reflects the “CTV + TV = greater reach” approach: GroupM research shows integrating CTV with traditional TV lifts total reach by 4–7% in key markets. So these are new dollars chasing incremental eyeballs (often younger viewers who no longer watch linear TV).

• Consolidation of scattered video spends: In the early days, marketers dabbled small amounts in various OTT apps; now, many are consolidating those fragmented spends into a focused CTV strategy. The idea is that instead of placing a bit of budget on 10 different mobile apps, it can be more effective to buy television-sized impressions via a programmatic CTV buy or a large-screen platform to ensure impact and easier measurement.

The net effect is that CTV ad spending in India is growing 3–4× faster than traditional TV ad spend [brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com]. Deliese Ross of Mudramax notes that at this pace, CTV could account for one-fourth of all TV advertising in India within a few years. And the trajectory may accelerate further as smart TV sales boom (40 million units expected in homes by 2025) and as the infrastructure for programmatic CTV buying matures. In essence, marketers are reorganizing their video plans around a new reality: the “first screen” for many consumers is now an internet-connected one. As one media agency head put it, “Our frameworks now combine traditional TV’s reach with digital’s precision targeting. CTV delivers the best of both – the living room impact of TV with the data and tracking of digital.” [brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com]

Creative Innovation on the Big Screen

With CTV taking center stage, advertisers are retooling their creatives and tech strategies to capitalize on the living room experience. This isn’t just repurposing a 30-second mobile ad; brands are developing CTV-first creatives that leverage the big screen, high-definition visuals, and interactivity:

• Longer-format storytelling: Since CTV viewers tend to watch long-form content (YouTube noted over half of connected TV watch time in India is on videos 21+ minutes long), advertisers aren’t shy to run 30-second or even 60-second spots, akin to traditional TV commercials. The shared viewing context allows for more narrative, emotion, and festive flavor in ads. For example, many Diwali campaigns on streaming platforms resemble mini-films targeting family audiences, designed to be enjoyed on a TV with sound – very different from the short, muted mobile ads.

• Interactive and shoppable ads: One big advantage of CTV is that it can blend digital interactivity with TV. QR codes on TV ads have become a popular tool – viewers can scan with their phone to directly shop or learn more. Kia India recently tried this by integrating QR codes into its YouTube CTV ads for the Seltos SUV, and saw a 3.6× lift in conversion rates compared to standard non-CTV campaigns [financialexpress.com]. Essentially, people watching the Kia ad on their smart TV could scan and book a test drive on the spot. Many brands are now adding “scan to shop” QR codes or short URLs on their CTV ads, recognizing that a viewer with a phone in hand on the couch can be prompted to take immediate action. Early results are promising – these shoppable CTV ads are driving measurable sales lift for consumer electronics and retail brands in festive campaigns.

• New ad formats: Streaming platforms and devices are enabling formats unheard of in traditional TV. “Pause ads” (an ad that displays when a viewer pauses the video), dynamic overlays, and even click-to-WhatsApp banners on TV screens are emerging in India. For instance, an OTT app might show a static brand message or offer on the paused screen – a moment when the viewer is likely to be paying attention. These are less intrusive but high-impact touchpoints unique to CTV. Brands this season are experimenting with such formats to stand out amid the clutter.

• Localized and personalized creative: Digital delivery means CTV ads can be tailored by audience segment or region. YouTube’s latest push in India even allows separate urban vs. rural targeting on CTV [financialexpress.com] , which is a game-changer for creative versioning. A festive campaign can show an “aspirational, premium” storyline to urban viewers and a more “affordability/value” driven creative to rural audiences, simultaneously. Advertisers are leveraging this by shooting multiple edits of the same ad to resonate with different demographics. Studies show localized languages and context can significantly boost ad recall and favorability, so CTV’s targeting is letting brands serve, say, a Tamil ad to a Chennai viewer and a Hindi ad to a Delhi viewer in the same media buy – something impossible on national TV.

• CTV-first production investments: Recognizing that large 4K screens amplify every detail (for better or worse), some brands are investing more in production values for their CTV ads. Higher resolution assets, cinematic visuals, and surround sound mixes are being employed so that the ad “pops” on a living room TV. This festive season, a few streaming platforms even offered “CTV creative workshops” to advertisers, advising them on optimal UI safe zones (so that important text isn’t cut off on a TV frame) and how to include on-screen interactive elements. It’s a sign that the industry now sees CTV as its own creative canvas, not just an extension of digital.

Major streaming players are also racing to innovate on the ad tech side for CTV:

• YouTube has rolled out CTV-specific products like the “Immersive Masthead” (a high-impact ad that takes over the YouTube app home screen on TVs) and introduced an India-first feature for granular geographic targeting (urban vs rural) on CTV. They even launched a Creator Partnerships Hub to help brands produce content and ads suited for YouTube on TV, underscoring how serious the platform is about its “India’s new TV” positioning. The result: YouTube’s own data shows 75 million Indians 18+ watched YouTube on connected TVs in April 2025 [financialexpress.com], and features like these aim to push that even higher by luring traditional TV advertisers.

• JioHotstar (formerly JioCinema + Disney Hotstar) has become a powerhouse after the merger. With vast sports content (IPL cricket, ICC tournaments) and entertainment libraries now under one roof, JioHotstar is focusing on CTV scale and innovation. Notably, JioCinema’s free IPL 2023 streaming in 4K led to many households trying OTT on their big screens for the first time. Advertisers piggybacked on this with interactive ads. This year, JioHotstar has introduced things like multi-camera angles and real-time stats for sports on CTV, giving brands the opportunity to sponsor these features or integrate messaging in non-traditional ways. Additionally, Reliance’s integrated ecosystem means Jio can use its subscriber data to target CTV ads smartly (for instance, offering a Reliance Retail discount code on-screen to a JioFiber broadband user).

• SonyLIV, while smaller, is leveraging its strengths in premium content (like sports, original series) to attract CTV viewers who prefer ad-supported high-quality content. SonyLIV partnered with tech firms to improve its ad tech and viewer data analytics. For example, a strategic tie-up with TCS in 2023 aimed to enhance SonyLIV’s personalization and ad delivery, indicating a push toward more CTV-friendly, data-driven advertising. We’re seeing SonyLIV pitch “CTV-first” packages to brands around its sports streams (like UEFA football or cricket), emphasizing the high dwell time of a connected TV viewer versus a casual mobile scroller.

• Tata Play Binge, an aggregator that bundles 20+ OTT apps, is an interesting player in the CTV space. Essentially a bridge between DTH (traditional TV) and OTT, Tata Play Binge targets those using smart set-top boxes or smart TVs to access multiple services in one interface. While Binge itself is subscription-driven, it offers advertising opportunities in its UI and on certain free content streams. Tata claims its Binge users are “super streamers” who spend a lot of time on connected TV apps, thus an attractive segment. This festive season, Tata Play Binge has run a campaign “India is Now Bingeing” celebrating co-viewing habits – implicitly nudging advertisers that their platform is where the modern joint family flips through OTT content together (and where brands can insert themselves in that journey).

Taken together, these developments show an industry gearing up to treat CTV not as digital video “as usual,” but as a hybrid of TV’s storytelling and digital’s engagement. The creative bar is rising. One executive quipped that streaming ads used to be recycled TV ads or YouTube spots, but now the pendulum has swung – some TV commercials are being cut from CTV ads! In other words, the innovation cycle is now starting in digital and then extending to traditional, rather than vice versa.

Measurements & the CTV Advertising Outlook for this festive season coming up on the next newsletter! Until then, Happy Streaming.

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India’s highest grossing animated film just released on Netflix and promises to be a home run for their viewership as well - The mythological animated film Mahavatar Narsimha achieved significant box office success, crossing ₹300 crore in worldwide gross collection. Made on an estimated budget of around ₹40 crore (more than 7x return), it has become a huge hit and an unexpected success for Indian cinema, especially for an animated film!

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Raising capital for an “attention economy” / sports tech fund with an amazing global startup pipeline - DM me for more details!

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 103rd edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. Regional Indian OTT Streaming Landscape in 2025 [Part 2]

2. Dialects – Stage

3. Marathi – Planet Marathi

4. Punjabi – Chaupal

5. Common Trends and Outlook

And….Action!

Regional Indian OTT Streaming Landscape in 2025 [Part 2]

Depth beats breadth. If Part 1 showed how language-first platforms scaled, Part 2 zooms further in—dialect-first (Stage’s Haryanvi/Rajasthani/Bhojpuri surge), category-defining boutique (Planet Marathi), and community-led Punjabi (Chaupal). The common playbook is clear: ultra-local originals that feel native, SVOD pricing built for households, diaspora as an ARPU kicker, and distribution via telco/aggregator bundles. Under the hood, AI-led dubbing/subs and smarter UIs widen reach across regions. The tension remains profitability vs. growth—expect selective price lifts, shorter windows, and alliances (even M&A) as smaller apps seek scale. Read on for how these three operators execute the strategy—and what it signals for the next wave of regional streaming.

Dialects – Stage

Among regional streamers, Stage stands out for targeting not just a language but local dialects – an ultra-local strategy that has started to pay off remarkably. Stage launched around 2019 focusing on Haryanvi content (the dialect of Haryana) and later expanded to Rajasthani, with a recent foray into Bhojpuri in 2024. In doing so, Stage is tapping audiences often overlooked by both national Hindi and other regional services. As of early 2025, Stage announced some eye-popping growth figures: 4.4 million paying subscribers (households) on a base of over 20 million app installs. Its Annual Recurring Revenue hit ₹180 crore (~$22M) after a 289% surge in revenue and 286% jump in subscribers in 2024 – making it arguably India’s fastest-growing OTT platform. This growth was fueled by hit original shows tailored to local culture, like the Haryanvi web series Videshi Bahu, Kaand 2010, and Rajasthani drama Bhawani, which went viral in their markets. Stage also premiered the National Award-winning Haryanvi film Dada Lakhmi, showing it’s curating premium content for dialect audiences.

Stage’s content approach is pure hyper-local originals – since Haryanvi or Rajasthani have little to no pre-existing library of films/TV, Stage invests in creating web series, comedy sketches, poetry and folk content with local artists. This strategy not only fills a content void but also fosters a community feeling. The platform’s founders often say Stage is as much a cultural movement as a streaming service: by narrating stories in one’s own dialect, it aims to instill pride in local heritage among young viewers. Indeed, Stage reports a large portion of its users are Gen-Z and millennial “Bharat” users from smaller towns. It’s not uncommon to see comments about viewers getting to hear their own village’s dialect on screen for the first time. This community-centric approach also translated into business success – Stage found that people will pay for content in their language if it resonates. Starting initially as a free, ad-supported app, Stage pivoted to a subscription model and proved skeptics wrong by monetizing regional pride. By late 2024, Stage was reportedly generating ₹15 crore+ revenue per month and even its first language (Haryanvi) segment had turned cash-flow positive, a rare feat for an indie OTT.

The monetization is 100% subscription (no ads). Stage uses an affordable pricing model targeting “households” – e.g. one plan might cover multiple family members – to penetrate deeper into rural markets. In March 2025, Stage raised $12.5 million in Series B funding co-led by venture firms Goodwater Capital and Blume Ventures.

This capital is earmarked to expand into more dialects (the founders have mentioned ambitions to launch content for Marathi dialects, other Hindi belt dialects, etc.) and to strengthen production quality further. With Bhojpuri content just launched (Bhojpuri has ~50 million speakers), Stage could unlock another huge user segment. The broader context is that most hyperlocal OTT attempts in India (there have been a few in Gujarati, Punjabi, etc.) struggled to scale or ran out of funds.

Stage is breaking that mold with its explosive growth, though it acknowledges challenges like having to build an entire content industry from scratch in dialects that lack organized film industries. For 2025, the key watch-out is whether Stage can retain users as it scales and whether its unique content can keep flowing. But for now, Stage’s story is one of the most compelling in regional OTT – a testament to the power of going vernacular at the granular level, and evidence that digital media is enabling new cultural voices to find their audience.

Marathi – Planet Marathi

Planet Marathi OTT was* a boutique platform serving Marathi-language content. Launched in late 2020 (fully operational by 2021), it set out to be the go-to OTT for Marathi cinema and original shows – a space that, unlike Tamil or Telugu, was relatively untapped digitally. Backed by entrepreneur Akshay Bardapurkar, Planet Marathi has curated what it claims is the largest library of Marathi content on any OTT, spanning classic and contemporary Marathi films, theater, as well as original web series across genres (romance, comedy, political drama, thrillers, etc.). Notable content includes award-winning films like Goshta Eka Paithanichi and edgy series like Raanbaazaar, which have been talked about in Marathi media.

In terms of performance, Planet Marathi started modestly – in its first year it saw about 550,000 app installs and 24 million video plays. It hasn’t publicly disclosed subscriber counts, but it did announce a 500% increase in subscriber base overseas (in markets like the US, UK, Africa) in one year – indicating that the Marathi diaspora is a key target. To fuel its next stage, the platform raised $5 million in mid-2024 from a U.S.-based PE firm. This funding is being used to strengthen both the content slate and the tech platform. In fact, Planet Marathi partnered with a media-tech company called Dcafe to upgrade its streaming tech, suggesting a focus on improving user experience and possibly integrating better recommendation, payments, etc. On the content front, the investment allows them to commission more originals and acquire marquee film titles. For example, Planet Marathi has been known to nab streaming rights for acclaimed Marathi films and also produce originals that push the envelope (one upcoming political thriller Raaji-Naama was teased in news).

The business model here is mainly SVOD (with subscriptions priced for both domestic and international markets, typically a few hundred rupees annually in India). Given the relatively smaller native audience (Marathi is spoken primarily in Maharashtra), Planet Marathi has likely leaned on strategic marketing – tying up with Marathi film stars for promotions, and pushing its service in local events and Marathi cultural festivals. Its founder has been vocal that Planet Marathi’s mission is to “blur boundaries” and let Marathi content compete with the big leagues. This reflects an ambition to elevate regional content quality. Still, the platform faces the reality that giants like Amazon’s Prime Video and Netflix also acquire Marathi films; hence Planet Marathi is carving a complementary space by focusing on exclusives and nurturing Marathi talent. As per industry chatter, Planet Marathi’s challenge is scaling its subscriber base beyond niche figures – but its 2024 funding suggests optimism. In 2025 & beyond (and if it were to come back to life), it may explore bundling (perhaps joining aggregator apps) to increase reach. Overall, Planet Marathi exemplifies the passion-driven regional OTT: not a market leader by numbers, but enriching the OTT ecosystem with authentic Marathi storytelling and serving a loyal fan base that wasn’t priority for the global players.

Punjabi – Chaupal

Chaupal is a dedicated OTT platform for Punjabi content, launched in mid-2021. It was born from the team behind Pitaara TV, a popular Punjabi movie channel, and was envisioned as a one-stop digital destination for Punjabi movies, web series, music, and more.

The word Chaupal refers to a community gathering place in villages – fittingly, the platform seeks to bring Punjabi communities together through entertainment. Chaupal’s catalog includes a robust library of Punjabi films (from classics to recent hits) and a slate of original Punjabi web series and short films. Interestingly, it has also branched out to host some content in Haryanvi and Bhojpuri on the same app, though its primary focus remains Punjabi. This makes Chaupal somewhat of a multi-language platform for northern heartland content, potentially overlapping a bit with Stage’s territory on dialects.

In 2024, Chaupal made strategic moves to broaden its reach beyond the standalone app audience. It partnered with Amazon Prime Video Channels to be offered as an add-on subscription for Prime members in certain markets like Canada and New Zealand. This is significant because it taps the large Punjabi diaspora in those countries by piggybacking on Amazon’s platform (easing access and payment). Domestically, Chaupal joined forces with OTT aggregators as well – for example, it’s available on the OTTPlay Premium service and Airtel Xstream. Airtel’s own aggregator pack, which launched in 2022-23, now includes Chaupal alongside other regional OTTs. Such collaborations indicate a trend where smaller OTTs gain distribution muscle via alliances with bigger platforms. While Chaupal’s standalone subscriber numbers aren’t public, these partnerships suggest a growing confidence in its content library’s value. Indeed, Chaupal has managed to secure big-ticket Punjabi films for digital release – it offered the streaming premiere of Carry on Jatta 3, a blockbuster Punjabi comedy, giving its subscribers first access to the hit movie. Additionally, it releases new Punjabi films on the platform within a short window after theatrical release, and has produced originals starring well-known Punjabi actors and YouTubers.

Chaupal runs on a subscription model with no advertisements (its tagline emphasizes “Watch anytime, anywhere. No ads.”). The pricing is competitive, targeting both India and overseas Punjabi viewers (likely monthly and annual plans, plus bundle offers via Amazon/aggregators). By focusing intensely on Punjabi culture – from comedy and romance films to music and even potentially live Gurbani streams – Chaupal strengthens user loyalty. The challenge, as with others, is sustaining regular content output, which is why close ties with Punjab’s film industry and Pitaara’s production wing are crucial. As of 2025, the Punjabi OTT space also sees competition from global players (Netflix has Punjabi originals, ZEE5 and others stream Punjabi movies too), but Chaupal’s advantage is its curation and depth for a Punjabi-only audience. It caters to linguistic pride much like others, evidenced by its expansion into multiple countries via Prime Channels to reach Punjabis globally. We can expect Chaupal to continue this dual strategy: exclusive Punjabi content plus wider distribution through alliances, ensuring it remains the top-of-mind choice for Punjabi entertainment aficionados online.

Common Trends and Outlook

• Surge in Regional Content Consumption: Across India, viewers are increasingly choosing content in their native languages. Regional language content made up over 50% of total OTT content consumption by 2023 and is projected to exceed 55% by 2026 [fortuneindia.com]. This rising tide lifts regional OTTs – their once niche audiences are now mainstream, and even the big national platforms are investing in regional originals. But the local players have a home-court advantage in authenticity and audience insight.

• Hyperlocal Stories, Global Audiences: A striking pattern is how regional OTTs marry local and global. Platforms are greenlighting stories deeply rooted in local culture (village settings, folk legends, regional history) and finding that diaspora audiences abroad eagerly sign up for a taste of home. For example, Hoichoi’s Bengali service derives a significant 40% of its revenue from outside India. By catering to the diaspora with proper apps, payment options, and localized marketing, these services unlock a lucrative segment willing to pay higher ARPUs than domestic users. Simultaneously, this global reach doesn’t dilute their content; rather it reinforces that local is universal when done well.

• Monetization Models – SVOD-First with Creative Twists: Most regional OTTs are primarily subscription-driven (SVOD), but they’ve innovated within that realm. Price sensitivity is key: monthly and annual plans are far cheaper than those of international OTTs, often supplemented by micro-packs (e.g., quarterly mobile-only plans for a couple of dollars) to onboard first-time users. While pure-play advertising (AVOD) hasn’t been a focus (users often perceive these niche services as “premium” destinations for ad-free viewing), some like Aha have effectively created a freemium model, keeping a large free library to pull in viewers and then upsell them to paid content. Others, like Hoichoi, remain entirely SVOD but found alternate ad revenue by embedding brands in content (for instance, a web series might subtly feature a sponsor’s product) – Hoichoi reported this approach doubled its ad revenues without running any traditional ads.

• Bundling and Partnerships: A common strategy in 2024–25 is piggybacking on larger distribution channels to overcome the reach and payments barriers. Regional OTTs have embraced telco and DTH bundles and the new wave of OTT aggregators. For example, Airtel’s Xstream app bundle includes Hoichoi, ManoramaMAX, Chaupal, Aha, etc., alongside bigger platforms, letting users access multiple services under one login and bill. Similarly, tie-ups like Chaupal on Prime Video Channels or Hoichoi’s partnership with Jio extend these services to users who might not download separate apps. Such deals help regional players save on customer acquisition costs and tap into existing subscriber bases. We also see carrier billing and wallet integrations making it easier for regional audiences to pay for these services (important in smaller towns where credit card penetration is low).

• Content & Tech Innovations: Content remains king – all regional OTTs are investing in original programming that reflects local tastes. We’re seeing genre diversification: beyond the staple dramas and rom-coms, there are experiments with thrillers (Hoichoi’s crime sagas), horror (Hoichoi’s mytho-horror niche), reality shows (Aha’s talent competitions), and even animation in local languages. Stage’s success has opened eyes to completely new genres in dialects. Many platforms are also shortening the film release window or doing direct-to-OTT premieres for regional films, which draws cinephiles to subscribe.

  On the technology front, regional OTTs are catching up with features like offline downloads, improved UIs, and personalized recommendations. Some, like SunNXT, are exploring multi-audio tracks and subtitling using AI to make one region’s content accessible across languages, essentially recycling content to multiple language markets. This could become a trend – for instance, Hoichoi content dubbed in Hindi, or Tamil shows dubbed to Malayalam, expanding a single platform’s appeal.

• Challenges – Profitability and Consolidation: Despite the encouraging growth, the regional OTT sector isn’t without challenges. Most platforms (aside from perhaps Hoichoi and Aha) are still operating in the red, spending heavily on content and marketing to acquire users. The unit economics can be tough: as one industry executive noted, “it’s an industry where you spend ₹1,000 to acquire a customer who leaves after paying you just ₹99” [the-captable.com]. This has led to some shakeout – by 2025 there’s talk of smaller regional OTTs being up for sale or seeking buyouts by larger competitors. Indeed, several southern OTT initiatives backed by TV networks or startups have struggled to scale and either shut down or been subsumed. The consensus is that only a few with strong backing or unique models will survive long-term. That said, those who have built a loyal base enjoy relatively low churn (the community factor helps). Hoichoi, for example, retains ~60% of Indian subscribers on renewal and over 80% of its overseas subscribers [storyboard18.com] – impressive for any OTT. Ultimately, to achieve profitability, many are looking at a mix of cutting content costs (via shorter format content, smarter licensing) and raising ARPU slightly (Hoichoi carefully raised prices in 2024 to support new content, and others may follow).

• The Road Ahead: The regional OTT segment in India is poised for further growth and creative disruption. We may see more mergers or alliances, as hinted, where a stronger platform absorbs a weaker one to aggregate audiences (for instance, a pan-South-Indian OTT merging Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam content under one umbrella to rival a JioHotstar). Conversely, new niche players could emerge, backed by studios or government initiatives (e.g., Kerala’s CSpace for Malayalam indie films). One thing is certain: the big OTTs (Netflix, Amazon, Disney+) are now routinely commissioning regional originals, but the passion and cultural depth of homegrown regional services is not easily replicated. These platforms enjoy a certain trust – they are seen as authentic champions of local entertainment – which they can leverage to stay relevant. In 2025 and beyond, expect regional OTTs to continue innovating with format (maybe live streaming local events, regional sports, stage plays, etc.) and to explore monetization beyond subs – perhaps merchandise, live tours, or NFTs related to popular regional characters, thereby unlocking more revenue from their most engaged fans.

In conclusion, India’s regional OTT landscape in 2025 is vibrant and ever-evolving. The common thread among the successful players is a laser-focus on local language audiences, a high degree of community engagement, and savvy business tactics to punch above their weight. They have proven that India is not one monolithic market but a tapestry of many, and catering to those distinct cultural threads – be it in Bengali, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi or even Haryanvi – can unlock not only millions of viewers but also sustainable businesses in the streaming era. Each of these platforms, with their 2024–25 strategies, contributes to a more diverse, rich OTT ecosystem that reflects the plurality of Indian entertainment.

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I thought this was a light hearted watch and being away from India and living in Dubai, for me this show is a fantastic look into everyday urban Indian life - If relatability was the only thing that could make a show interesting and engaging then ‘Aam Aadmi Family’ (now in its fourth season) is the best show on OTT. Living in a spacious villa in Delhi with modest interiors, the Sharmas led by the family patriarch Sharmaji played by the ever-dependable Bijendra Kala, are like any other Indian family. There is inherent love between them but they bicker just as much - watch it to find out more! Zee5 it is.

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Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

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Agenda

1. Regional Indian OTT Streaming Landscape in 2025 [Part 1]

2. Bengali – Hoichoi

3. Telugu & Tamil – Aha

4. South Indian Broadcaster OTT – SunNXT

5. Malayalam – ManoramaMAX

And….Action!

Regional Indian OTT Streaming Landscape in 2025 [Part 1]

Regional OTT platforms have firmly established themselves by 2025, carving out thriving niches alongside global players. In fact, regional-language content now accounts for over half of all OTT viewership in India [fortuneindia.com]. Whether it’s a Bengali thriller or a Punjabi comedy, localized stories coupled with smart business models are turning “small-town” content into big business. These platforms operate with leaner economics, targeted content, and strategic partnerships, allowing them to compete without trying to be the next Netflix. Below is a look at the key regional OTT players in major Indian languages, their strategies in 2024–25, and common trends shaping this landscape.

Bengali – Hoichoi

Hoichoi (launched 2017) has become the premier Bengali OTT service, boasting approximately 13 million subscribers across 100+ countries. It has achieved this reach by focusing singularly on Bengali content and diaspora audiences. The platform offers a vast library of 600+ movies and 160+ original series, including popular detective thrillers and social dramas that enjoy completion rates as high as 80%. Co-founded by SVF (a major Bengali studio), Hoichoi leverages a steady pipeline of Bengali films and originals – even launching its own film production arm Hoichoi Studios to produce theatrical films that later stream on the platform.

Hoichoi’s strategy emphasizes depth in one language: it has produced over 160 original shows in Bengali and secured premium Bengali movie rights, creating a content moat. At the same time, it’s diversifying reach by dubbing its hit shows in Hindi to attract non-Bengali viewers and via syndication deals – for instance, partnering with JioHotstar to carry Hoichoi content to new audiences (with plans for Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam subtitled offerings). Importantly, Hoichoi has a significant global footprint – around 40% of its revenue comes from international markets (U.S., UK, Middle East, etc.), where expatriate Bengalis are willing to pay for content in their mother tongue. This has driven up international revenues ~40% year-on-year, and the platform notes an 82% monthly retention rate among overseas subscribers, indicating strong loyalty.

Monetization is largely SVOD (subscription). Hoichoi eschews traditional advertising, which keeps the viewing experience ad-free. Instead, it monetizes via product placements and branded content integrations – a strategy that resulted in a 200% YoY jump in advertising revenues without running standard ads. The company has also partnered with telecom and device OEMs (e.g. Vodafone, Samsung) for bundled offers. Thanks to a sustainable, limited-burn approach, Hoichoi is nearing cash-flow breakeven and has even modestly raised subscription prices to fund its growing slate of originals while staying cash-neutral. The subscriber base itself is evolving: while Hoichoi initially targeted 30-something urban viewers, its fastest-growing segment is the 50+ age group, and its audience gender mix (60:40 male:female) is far more balanced than the OTT industry average. Overall, Hoichoi’s 2024–25 gameplan centers on doubling down on Bengali content dominance, expanding distribution (tier-2 city marketing and telco tie-ups in Bengal), and tapping diaspora pockets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East to keep growth momentum.

Telugu & Tamil – Aha

Aha, launched in 2020, has quickly become a regional powerhouse for Telugu (and Tamil) streaming. Backed by film producer Allu Aravind’s Geetha Arts, Aha leveraged an existing studio ecosystem to fill a gap in the market: a dedicated platform for Telugu content. It later expanded to Tamil in 2022, effectively targeting two of the largest South Indian language markets via one service. By early 2024, Aha had grown to around 2.5–2.7 million paid subscribers, up from 1.5M in mid-2021. Its app had been downloaded over 40 million times in core markets, and notably, Aha reports about 12 million monthly active users including a large base of free users consuming its AVOD content. This hints at Aha’s distinct model: unlike most regional OTTs, Aha runs a hybrid AVOD+SVOD strategy, offering a sizable free catalog supported by ads alongside its premium subscription content. In fact, about 70% of Aha’s content is free (ad-supported) – mainly older movies and shows – while the top 30% “premium” content is paywalled for subscribers. This acts as a funnel: the free tier hooks viewers, who then upgrade to watch the latest blockbuster or an exclusive original series.

Content is Aha’s forte, spanning 750+ films and 40+ original shows as of late 2023. It differentiates itself by not only providing the usual mix of movies and web series, but also investing heavily in regional non-fiction formats. Aha has been a pioneer in Telugu reality and talk shows on OTT – e.g. it launched Telugu Indian Idol (a singing competition) and the celebrity talk show Unstoppable with actor Nandamuri Balakrishna. These shows became massive crowd-pullers and “subscription drivers” for the platform. For instance, Unstoppable Season 2 brought a 60% increase in new subscribers over Season 1, and together Seasons 1–2 clocked 35.7 million unique viewers. Similarly, Telugu Indian Idol drew in significant viewership and even attracted multiple brand sponsors despite being on an OTT (not TV) – showing that Aha could generate event-level buzz in a regional market. By focusing on local reality formats and star-led shows that national OTTs hadn’t ventured into, Aha tapped an underserved appetite and boosted its subscriber acquisition.

On the scripted side, Aha’s original web series like Kotha Poradu (rural drama) or Locked (thriller) and direct-to-OTT movies (Color Photo, etc.) have resonated well. 70% of Aha’s content budget is dedicated to originals (Telugu and Tamil), underlining its belief that unique local content is key to retention. The service keeps pricing affordable for mass appeal – annual plans around ₹399-699 and quarterly mobile-only packs under ₹150 – far cheaper than global OTT subscriptions. This low ARPU is offset by scale and high engagement in its target states. To extend its reach further, Aha has pursued aggressive bundling and partnerships: for example, it joined the Airtel Xstream aggregator in late 2023, instantly getting exposure to Airtel’s 5+ million bundle subscribers. (Airtel’s OTT pack now carries Aha’s Telugu and Tamil catalogs alongside bigger platforms, expanding Aha beyond its direct subscriber base.) Likewise, Aha is offered on OTTplay Premium and other super-aggregators, and it frequently partners with cable and fiber broadband operators in South India for bundled deals.

All these moves have made Aha one of the few regional OTTs to achieve scale and a sustainable model. As of 2024, it claims to be profitable in its original Telugu market and is aiming to replicate that success in Tamil. The focus for 2025 is on continued content innovation (they unveiled an ambitious 2025 slate with new originals, spanning genres from fantasy to rom-com) and on user experience improvements (Aha 2.0 app revamp) to keep users engaged. In summary, Aha’s twin-market strategy backed by local reality content and a freemium model has cemented it as a leader in the South Indian regional streaming game.

South Indian Broadcaster OTT – SunNXT

SunNXT is unique in the regional OTT pack as it’s an extension of a traditional TV network (Sun TV Network, Chennai). Launched in 2017, SunNXT was an early mover, designed to digitize Sun TV’s vast trove of content. It serves four major South Indian languages – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam – by hosting Sun TV’s popular serials, game shows, music and a deep library of South Indian films. In fact, SunNXT carries 4,000+ movies and 30+ live TV channels (Sun’s network channels) under one roof. This all-in-one approach quickly attracted a massive user base; the platform saw over 20 million users (installs or subscribers) sign up within a few years of launch, thanks largely to bundling deals. SunNXT’s growth was heavily driven by B2B partnerships – for example, SunNXT has been offered free or at discount to subscribers of Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea’s apps, and even DTH operators, as part of Sun TV’s strategy to widen distribution. These deals have helped SunNXT cross 2 crore+ (20 million) users by combining its direct subscribers with bundled-access users.

The content strategy for SunNXT has been more about breadth and catch-up TV than high-end originals. Subscribers (paid users) get ad-free access to SunNXT’s entire catalog, including live TV streams and catch-up episodes of shows that air on Sun’s channels (often available immediately after TV broadcast). This “tap into TV audience” strategy turned SunNXT into a must-have for soap opera fans who could watch missed episodes or even live television on mobile. In addition, SunNXT has a rich film library – especially Tamil hits, given Sun’s film distribution arm (Sun Pictures) which produces big Tamil films. The platform does have some originals and exclusive premieres, but on a much smaller scale than Hoichoi or Aha. Instead, SunNXT’s differentiator is leveraging its parent network’s strengths: for instance, Sun TV produces made-for-TV movies and then directly secures their digital rights for SunNXT, saving costs on content acquisition. This vertical integration (TV + movies + OTT) gives SunNXT a steady flow of content without huge extra investment.

Monetization is via subscription, with monthly, quarterly, annual plans (pricing roughly ₹50–₹480 depending on plan). There is no separate free tier of SunNXT, but interestingly, SunNXT has allowed some of its content to be accessed on partner platforms without a SunNXT subscription – e.g., certain movies or shows appear in JioHotstar’s free library or Airtel’s app as part of content-sharing deals. Within SunNXT’s own app, a few things like movie trailers, comedy clips, and music videos are free to watch for marketing purposes. By 2024, SunNXT remains dominant in the South Indian OTT segment in terms of pure user numbers (given the millions who have access via bundles). It’s especially strong in Tamil Nadu where the Sun TV brand loyalty is unparalleled. However, industry observers point out that SunNXT has room to improve in technology and engagement – its app experience has lagged behind competitors (drawing criticism for a clunky UI), and the lack of sports or edgy originals means it could lose younger audiences. Sun appears cognizant of this and has hinted at an app revamp and more investment in SunNXT-exclusive content going forward. Notably, SunNXT quietly added some Bengali and Marathi content as well (since Sun launched Sun Bangla channel in 2019 and Sun Marathi in 2023), indicating an interest in broader regional reach. In summary, SunNXT in 2025 stands as a formidable OTT with a broad regional library, sustained by its broadcast might – but its challenge ahead is to innovate beyond being just a catch-up TV archive and keep pace on user experience.

Malayalam – ManoramaMAX

ManoramaMAX has emerged as a success story in the Malayalam OTT space by taking a slightly different approach. Launched in 2019 by the Malayala Manorama media group, it was the first exclusive Malayalam-language OTT platform. What sets it apart is the integration of news and entertainment in one service – reflecting the parent company’s strengths (Malayala Manorama is a top newspaper and runs TV channels). ManoramaMAX offers a diverse mix: live TV streams of Mazhavil Manorama (a leading Malayalam GEC channel) and Manorama News channel, on-demand serials and reality shows (essentially catch-up TV for Manorama’s broadcasts), a library of 400+ Malayalam films, and a growing slate of original web series and shows. It’s effectively a one-stop app for Malayali viewers, blending daily soaps, news updates, movies, and original digital content.

One of ManoramaMAX’s key strategies is early window content for subscribers. If you subscribe to the premium tier, you can watch new episodes of TV serials before they air on television (same-day early access), and see monthly movie premieres on the app before they’re broadcast on TV. This “digital-first, TV-next” approach not only incentivizes fans of Manorama’s shows to subscribe, but also helps the company’s advertising business – by driving buzz to the TV premieres later. (Notably, ManoramaMAX has been recognized with Best Regional OTT Platform awards four years in a row, suggesting it’s kept viewers happy with this model.) On the originals front, ManoramaMAX has produced Malayalam web series and specials that align with local sensibilities, though its original content volume is modest compared to bigger players. It leverages the trust and brand of Manorama: the platform pitches itself as “the Malayali’s home OTT”, even highlighting that a significant chunk of its online traffic comes from the Malayali diaspora in the Gulf (UAE, etc.) who rely on Manorama for staying connected to Kerala. This diaspora focus is important – Kerala has a large expatriate community, and ManoramaMAX, through ManoramaOnline and the OTT, reaches Malayalis worldwide, offering them everything from the latest news to nostalgia sitcoms in one app.

In terms of monetization, ManoramaMAX is subscription-based with an affordable pricing (~₹899/year in India). There may be limited free content (perhaps news clips or select shows) to draw users in, but by and large premium content (the early premieres, full movie catalog, originals) sits behind a paywall. The platform likely benefits from cross-selling to loyal readers and TV viewers – for example, bundling offers for newspaper subscribers, or promotions on the TV channel to download the app. The cross-media synergy is a cornerstone: Malayala Manorama can offer advertisers combined packages across print, TV, and OTT, which means ManoramaMAX doesn’t have to rely purely on subscription revenue. In 2024, ManoramaMAX even clinched the IAMAI award for Best Regional OTT in India, underscoring its role as a “beacon of hope” for niche regional platforms. With Kerala’s government launching its own CSpace OTT (first state-run OTT for classic films), ManoramaMAX may face some home-turf competition, but its head-start and the trust in its brand give it a solid foundation. Going forward, expect ManoramaMAX to continue focusing on its loyal Malayali user base, adding more exclusive movies (perhaps Malayalam film festival hits) and leveraging its unique news-entertainment combo to retain engagement.

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All roads lead to the Dubai International Stadium, aka the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium as the Asia Cup Cricket carnival began yesterday with the marquee clash of India v Pakistan scheduled for this Sunday, the 14th of September. Catch the action live on SonyLIV in India!

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Raising capital for an “attention economy” / sports tech fund with an amazing global startup pipeline - DM me for more details!

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 101st edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. FanCode to the Rescue? Dream11’s RMG Ban and the Pivot to Sports Streaming

2. Dream Sports’ Pivot: Betting on FanCode, Live Streaming and New Verticals

3. FanCode: A Quick Overview

4. Pros: How FanCode Can Fill the Gap for Dream Sports

5. Cons: Challenges and Uncertainties Ahead for FanCode

6. Outlook: Can FanCode Salvage Dream11’s Fortunes?

And….Action!

FanCode to the Rescue? Dream11’s RMG Ban and the Pivot to Sports Streaming

The End of Real-Money Gaming [RMG] in India and Dream11’s Predicament

In August 2025, India enacted a blanket ban on real-money online gaming, shutting down an industry that had flourished for over a decade. This new law – the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 – completely outlawed paid online games (whether skill or chance-based) played for monetary stakes. For Dream11, India’s largest fantasy sports platform, the impact was devastating. Dream11’s parent company Dream Sports saw 95% of its revenue and all of its profits erased virtually overnight. A 14-year-old business that boasted over 260 million users was effectively “knockout punched” in just 72 hours as the bill raced through parliament.

Dream11 had historically capitalized on India’s fervent cricket fan base, allowing users to assemble fantasy teams and win cash prizes. It grew into a tech unicorn valued at $8 billion in 2021. Yet with real-money gaming (RMG) now illegal, Dream11 had no choice but to remove paid contests and pivot to free-to-play modes. The company ruled out any legal challenge to the ban – “The government has made it clear they don’t want this… we’d rather build for the future than litigate the past,” said co-founder and CEO Harsh Jain. In other words, Dream Sports decided to adapt rather than fight, even as the rug was pulled out from under its core business.

Dream Sports’ Pivot: Betting on FanCode, Live Streaming and New Verticals

With fantasy RMG off the table, Dream Sports quickly refocused its strategy on alternative ventures. Jain outlined a vision to rebuild around sports AI, free-to-play fan engagement, and streaming. Among these, the sports streaming platform FanCode – a subsidiary of Dream Sports – emerged as a critical piece of the company’s future. Unlike fantasy gaming, FanCode remained unaffected by the ban, and in fact was highlighted as one of Dream Sports’ ongoing businesses, with existing contracts to stream Formula 1 and La Liga in India.

Dream Sports’ leadership is essentially pursuing a “Dream11 3.0” strategy where FanCode helps fill the revenue and engagement void left by fantasy gaming. The company is financially prepared to support this pivot: despite the turmoil, Jain noted they have sufficient cash reserves to survive a few years post-ban, giving time to nurture new initiatives. Dream11 itself has shifted to free fantasy contests (with sponsorship-based prizes) to keep its massive user base engaged. But to salvage Dream Sports’ fortunes, FanCode’s sports content and streaming services now carry high expectations.

(Aside from streaming, Dream Sports has dabbled in other verticals like fintech – reportedly piloting a “Dream Money” app for investments – and continues to run ventures like DreamSetGo (sports travel). However, FanCode is by far the most prominent consumer-facing arm that can immediately leverage Dream11’s 260+ million sports fans.)

FanCode: A Quick Overview

FanCode is an Indian over-the-top (OTT) sports streaming platform launched in 2019 as part of the Dream Sports family. Co-founded by Yannick Colaco and Prasana Krishnan – both seasoned sports media executives – FanCode was created to serve sports content with loyal followings but limited coverage in traditional broadcast. Over the past four years, the platform has grown rapidly, amassing over 100 million users by 2024. It offers live streaming across a wide array of sports, along with interactive live scores, statistics, commentary, and even an integrated e-commerce shop for fan merchandise [now closing down however].

FanCode’s mission from the outset has been to “democratize” sports streaming in India, giving fans access to matches and leagues that big TV channels or mainstream OTT services often ignore. As Colaco described, India has hundreds of millions of sports fans – but only a fraction get to watch beyond marquee events like IPL cricket or World Cups. FanCode identified this gap and positioned itself as the go-to platform for underserved sports content. By 2022, it was streaming thousands of matches per year across cricket, football, and more. In fact, the platform scaled from about 5,000 matches in 9 sports in 2021 to over 20,000 matches in 17 different sports by 2023 [economictimes.indiatimes.com] – an astonishing expansion that reflects its aggressive content acquisition strategy.

Notably, FanCode isn’t just a streaming service; it’s a holistic sports app. Users can read sports news, get fantasy statistics, follow live scores, and purchase team merchandise, all within the FanCode ecosystem. This multi-pronged approach (content + commerce + community) aligns well with Dream Sports’ vision of engaging fans on all fronts. With Dream11’s fantasy operations curtailed, FanCode’s role in keeping sports fans within the Dream Sports umbrella becomes even more pivotal. You can read about Fancode’s content and monetization strategy in greater detail via our earlier newsletter here.

Pros: How FanCode Can Fill the Gap for Dream Sports

In the wake of Dream11’s collapse in monetization, FanCode offers several key advantages that make it a promising vehicle to carry Dream Sports forward:

• Established User Base & Brand Backing: FanCode isn’t starting from scratch – it already claims over 100 million users on its platform. This huge base has been built under the same parent brand and overlaps heavily with Dream11’s audience of sports enthusiasts. Dream Sports can leverage cross-promotion (for example, nudging Dream11’s 260 million registered users to try FanCode) to quickly funnel traffic into FanCode’s offerings. The credibility of Dream11’s brand and the trust of its investors also extend to FanCode, which benefits from being part of a now-renowned sports tech group.

• Diverse Content Portfolio Year-Round: FanCode’s content strategy of aggregating many “long-tail” sports events means it can keep users engaged throughout the year. Fans of various sports all find something for them on FanCode – whether it’s a La Liga El Clásico football match or a Tamil Nadu Premier League cricket game. This diversity reduces dependence on any single sporting event. Crucially, FanCode has locked in some exclusive must-have content: for instance, if you’re an F1 fan in India, FanCode is essentially your only legal option to watch races live. Similarly, hardcore followers of Spanish football need FanCode for full coverage of La Liga. Such exclusivity can drive subscriber growth even in niche segments. By catering to multiple niches at once, FanCode aggregates a large aggregate audience (the platform says it reaches over 160 million sports fans in India through its partnerships), which could rival the big players over time.

• Flexible, Fan-Friendly Monetization: The pay-per-match/tournament model is a strategic boon in a price-sensitive market. It aligns with Indian consumers’ willingness to pay in small increments (“sachets”) for entertainment. This flexibility can convert casual fans who might not otherwise pay for a full subscription. It also allows FanCode to monetize one-off spikes of interest – for example, selling a large number of passes during the Cricket World Cup Qualifiers or a high-profile F1 race. By not forcing long commitments, FanCode lowers the risk for users to try the service. Over time, some of those one-time users might become repeat buyers or upgrade to subscriptions, especially if they enjoy the experience.

• Sustainable Content Costs: FanCode deliberately avoids bidding wars for India’s top-tier sports properties like the IPL, ICC Men’s World Cup, or the EPL, which are dominated by giants like Disney, Sony, or Viacom18. This strategy keeps FanCode’s content costs at a manageable level. The rights it acquires, while not cheap, are relatively undervalued assets – they have dedicated followings but less competition in the bidding process. (The one major exception FanCode made was Formula 1, indicating it will seize opportunities if the terms are right.) By maintaining cost discipline, FanCode can operate without the exorbitant losses that some broadcasters incur on marquee events. This could translate to a clearer path to profitability. Additionally, FanCode’s entire tech stack is built in-house and runs on scalable cloud infrastructure, which helps control operational costs as it grows.

• Multiple Revenue Streams: Unlike a single-revenue business, FanCode’s hybrid model (subscriptions + microtransactions + ads) spreads out its income sources. This diversification is advantageous for Dream Sports. The synergies between content and commerce also mean FanCode can extract more value from each engaged user. Over time, these complementary streams could compound to make FanCode a robust business. The early traction is visible – FanCode started attracting big-name advertisers and sealed partnerships with multiple IPL teams and international sports bodies for merchandising [now being shut down as per reports].

• Alignment with Sports Ecosystem and Fans: FanCode’s emergence actually reinforces Dream Sports’ broader mission of enhancing sports fandom in India. With fantasy sports, Dream11 had already built a community of engaged sports fans. FanCode allows Dream Sports to continue serving that community in a different way – by delivering the content those fans love. This is a natural extension; it keeps Dream’s user base within its ecosystem rather than losing them entirely to other entertainment options. In fact, Harsh Jain noted that Dream11’s massive user base would be a “cushion” as the company resets its strategy. FanCode is one of the key channels to utilize that cushion. If executed well, Dream Sports can migrate many fantasy users into FanCode viewers, thus salvaging user engagement and cross-selling opportunities even if direct monetization shifts from gaming to streaming.

Cons: Challenges and Uncertainties Ahead for FanCode

While FanCode offers hope, it is not a guaranteed savior. There are significant challenges and caveats to consider:

• Massive Revenue Gap to Fill: Dream Sports’ fantasy business was a cash cow that generated the vast majority of the company’s $300+ million revenue (as per industry estimates) before the ban. Losing 95% of revenue means FanCode and other new initiatives are under pressure to scale up dramatically [economictimes.indiatimes.com]. Sports streaming, especially in niche content, typically monetizes at a far lower ARPU (average revenue per user) than real-money gaming did. It’s unlikely in the short term that FanCode can match the sheer profitability Dream11 once had. This raises questions about Dream Sports’ valuation and financial health if RMG remains off-limits indefinitely.

• Consumer Willingness to Pay: Indian sports audiences have been increasingly spoiled by free or ultra-cheap streaming offerings. For instance, Reliance’s JioCinema streamed the entire 2023 IPL and 2022 FIFA World Cup at no charge to viewers, and Disney+ Hotstar had years of success with low-cost annual sports subscriptions. Convincing users to pay even ₹20-₹100 for a match could be challenging when they are habituated to subsidized models. Piracy and unauthorized streams also remain an issue for European football and F1, which could undercut FanCode’s subscriber base if fans seek out illicit free options. Essentially, FanCode needs to educate the market that certain content won’t be available free and is worth paying for – a shift in mindset that may take time.

• Lack of India’s Biggest Sporting Events: FanCode’s content mix, while broad, omits the absolute top draws that drive peak viewership in India. IPL cricket, ICC senior World Cups, Asia Cup, the top international matches of the Indian cricket team, and the English Premier League football – these tentpole properties are tied up with competitors or broadcasters with far deeper pockets. Consequently, FanCode must compete for sports fans’ attention without the marquee events that bring in tens of millions of concurrent viewers. There is a ceiling to how many casual fans will subscribe if FanCode doesn’t carry the likes of IPL or Team India matches. This could cap FanCode’s growth mostly to “avid” fans of specific sports. (On the flip side, focusing on non-mainstream sports is also FanCode’s strategy to avoid direct battles with giants. But it remains a double-edged sword.)

• Competitive Pressure and Rights Auctions: The streaming market for sports in India is extremely competitive. While FanCode currently has a relatively unique positioning, there’s nothing stopping larger players from swooping into the same space if they see a viable opportunity. If Jiostar, SonyLIV etc decided to bid for, say, La Liga or F1 in the next cycle, FanCode could find itself outgunned by bigger checkbooks. Its exclusive deals are time-bound – e.g. F1 is through 2025, La Liga for five years – and maintaining or renewing them could become expensive if competition heats up. Additionally, telecom-backed streamers might cross-subsidize sports content (offering it free to drive data or bundle sales), which FanCode, as a standalone service, would find hard to match. The risk is that FanCode may get squeezed between the free strategies of mega-platforms on one side and the niche appeal of its content on the other.

• User Retention and Engagement: The very flexibility of FanCode’s pay-per-match model can lead to a fragmented user engagement pattern. A fan might download FanCode and pay for one big game, then disappear for months. Retaining such users and converting them to regular subscribers is not straightforward. FanCode is aware of this concern – it’s why they emphasize having a high volume of content throughout the year to keep users coming back. But ensuring that a one-time viewer of, say, a World Cup qualifier also becomes a viewer of other content requires strong personalization and marketing. There’s a challenge in getting users to mentally consider FanCode as a go-to app (like they might consider JioHotstar or Sony for general entertainment) rather than a one-off utility. In short, building habitual viewership across a disparate sports lineup is an uphill task.

• Transition from Gaming to Media: For Dream Sports, operating FanCode is a different ballgame compared to running Dream11. The company needs to excel in media content operations – managing rights negotiations, production quality, streaming technology, subscriber support, etc. – areas that have their own learning curve. The tech and infrastructure demands (like handling live stream traffic spikes, preventing outages, ensuring low latency) are significant. Early on, FanCode had some fan criticism around stream quality for certain events; as it scales, it must maintain a high-quality user experience to compete with polished global platforms. Moreover, the economics of media (potentially high upfront costs, slower monetization) differ from the high-cash-flow nature of gaming. Dream Sports will need patience and continued investment in FanCode, and there’s always execution risk in such a pivot. Any faltering in content delivery or customer satisfaction could limit FanCode’s credibility in the long run.

Outlook: Can FanCode Salvage Dream11’s Fortunes?

From an analytical standpoint, FanCode offers a viable lifeline for Dream Sports in a post-RMG landscape, but it is not a like-for-like replacement. On the positive side, FanCode aligns naturally with Dream Sports’ core competency – understanding Indian sports fans. The platform was already gaining momentum prior to the ban, and now it has a chance to shine as a flagship business. Dream Sports’ leadership appears fully committed to this new direction; they’ve signaled they will focus on what’s “allowed by law” and innovate in sports tech and media.

In the best-case scenario, FanCode could evolve into something of an “Indian DAZN” – a multi-sport streaming powerhouse that thrives on a subscriber base of serious sports fans. The ingredients are there: a large user funnel inherited from Dream11, unique content that few others provide, and a management team experienced in sports broadcasting. FanCode’s early deals (like F1 and La Liga) demonstrate its ability to snatch opportunities and could attract a critical mass of paying users. Moreover, the fact that FanCode has built a lot of tech in-house (supported by cloud infrastructure) means it can scale relatively efficiently and even explore international markets in the future. If FanCode manages to continue its growth trajectory (5x user growth in three years, as reported [economictimes.indiatimes.com]) and perhaps captures a couple more key rights deals, it could substantially cushion the blow of Dream11’s revenue loss.

However, tempering expectations is important. FanCode is unlikely to immediately generate profits anywhere near what Dream11’s fantasy platform did during its peak. Dream Sports might have to undergo a valuation reset and accept a longer road to profitability. The success of FanCode will hinge on execution excellence and perhaps a bit of luck (for example, favorable outcomes in the next auction of certain sports rights, or no further regulatory curveballs in digital media).

It’s also worth noting that Dream Sports is not putting all eggs in one basket. As mentioned, they are exploring sports analytics and AI-driven products, and even foraying into fintech on the side [entrepreneur.com]. FanCode is part of a broader “reset” to reinvent the company’s portfolio. In that context, FanCode doesn’t need to single-handedly replicate Dream11’s past – it just needs to become a strong pillar of a more diversified sports enterprise.

In conclusion, FanCode stands out as Dream Sports’ best hope to navigate the storm caused by the RMG ban. It transforms Dream Sports from a gaming-centric company into a more holistically engaging sports media company. The platform has already proven that fans will come for the content they crave, and the coming years will test whether FanCode can monetize that interest sustainably. If FanCode succeeds, it not only salvages some of Dream11’s lost fortunes but also positions Dream Sports at the forefront of a new era in India’s sports entertainment industry – one where the passion of fans is tapped through viewing and shopping, rather than betting. As Harsh Jain optimistically put it, after losing fantasy gaming, “we’ll do what’s allowed by law… build for the future” [economictimes.indiatimes.com]. FanCode is a major part of that future, and its journey from here could very well determine Dream Sports’ fate in the coming decade.

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Metro in Dino is set across multiple Indian metropolitan cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, with each city playing a role in the interconnected stories of the film's protagonists. Mumbai is particularly prominent as a central setting! Great watch with strong performances from an A list starcast - on Netflix.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Raising capital for an “attention economy” / sports tech fund with an amazing global startup pipeline - DM me for more details!

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 100th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Agenda

1. Streaming in India – The 100th Edition

2. Pricing: The Relentless Search for Viability

3. JioHotstar: Cricket as a Distribution Weapon

4. Kabaddi & Indigenous Sports: The Power of Local

5. Micro-Drama: The Next Big Bet in Short-Form

6. Global Players: The Quiet Build-Outs

7. What the Top 5 Tell Us About Viewer & Investor Interest

8. The Road Ahead

And….Action!

Streaming in India – The 100th Edition

What 100 Newsletters Tell Us About India’s Streaming Story

Hey Streamers,

Reaching our 100th edition is a moment to pause, reflect, and ask: What have we really learned about India’s streaming and attention economy from the conversations that sparked the most engagement?

Looking back, the five most engaging and debated editions of this newsletter were:

1. OTT Subscription Pricing in India

2. JioHotstar’s Bold Plays with Free IPL & the YouTube Exit

3. Disney+ Hotstar’s Kabaddi Revolution

4. QuickTV & the Rise of Micro-Drama

5. Warner Bros. Discovery’s Expansion Plans in India

Together, these stories reveal how Indian streaming is being shaped by pricing innovation, sports-led strategies, local storytelling formats, and global entrants rethinking their India playbook. Let’s evaluate.

1. Pricing: The Relentless Search for Viability

Our evaluation of India’s OTT subscription pricing struck a chord because it gets to the heart of India’s streaming paradox: the world’s most engaged video market, yet one of the lowest ARPU bases globally.

• Average annual OTT pricing was around ₹735 ($9) – barely 75 cents per month.

• Bundles (Jio, Tata Play, OTTPlay) are driving adoption, while niche platforms experiment with sachet pricing, micropayments, and AVOD.

• The lesson: India’s streaming future will be hybrid, with content-commerce-community integrations needed to lift revenues beyond subscriptions.

Reader interest in this topic shows that:

Monetization remains the existential question for Indian OTTs.

2. JioHotstar: Cricket as a Distribution Weapon

The edition on JioHotstar’s IPL 2025 strategy highlighted how Reliance is reshaping the market by:

• Bundling IPL streaming with Jio recharges, making premium sports feel “free.”

• Exiting YouTube to build its own ad-monetization ecosystem.

• Using 4K streaming to accelerate Connected TV adoption.

This was one of our most debated issues, and for good reason:

JioHotstar is building India’s closest equivalent to Tencent Video/iQIYI in China—sports as the hook, bundling as the moat, data ownership as the prize.

3. Kabaddi & Indigenous Sports: The Power of Local

Our look at Disney+ Hotstar’s Pro Kabaddi League revealed the potential of India’s indigenous sports economy.

• PKL drew 435 million viewers in its debut season, proving that “second sports” can rival cricket with the right franchise model.

• Disney+ Hotstar’s tech, multilingual commentary (even Indian Sign Language), and grassroots focus turned kabaddi into a national spectacle.

The popularity of this edition tells us something bigger:

Audiences and investors are hungry for stories beyond cricket. Indigenous sports, when paired with strong streaming infrastructure, can build loyal fan ecosystems.

4. Micro-Drama: The Next Big Bet in Short-Form

When we covered ShareChat’s QuickTV pivot into micro-dramas, engagement spiked around two themes:

• Format innovation: Episodic, mobile-first dramas are India’s answer to China’s $5B micro-drama boom.

• Monetization potential: Micropayments, in-story commerce, and AI-assisted production are monetization models UGC platforms never cracked.

This reflects a broader shift:

The attention economy in India is fragmenting, and the “short, serialized, sticky” model is emerging as the new growth frontier.

5. Global Players: The Quiet Build-Outs

Finally, our edition on Warner Bros. Discovery showed that global streamers are not retreating from India—they’re adapting:

• WBD is balancing linear TV and OTT, dubbing aggressively in regional languages, and pricing discovery+ at ₹499/year.

• Unlike some peers who pulled back, WBD is steadily scaling 3,500+ hours of content, blending local originals with global IP.

Reader takeaway:

India is no longer a “copy-paste” market for global streamers. Those who localize deeply (languages, genres, pricing) are the ones winning traction.

What the Top 5 Tell Us About Viewer & Investor Interest

Across these editions, three themes stand out:

1. Monetization Models Matter Most – whether via pricing innovation, bundling, or commerce, readers are most engaged when we unpack how money is made in streaming.

2. Sports is Still King, But Not Alone – cricket is the sledgehammer, but kabaddi, football, and indigenous formats are rising, proving India’s fandom is wide, not just deep.

3. Attention Economy is Fragmenting – from micro-dramas to AI-driven personalization, new formats are capturing younger, mobile-first audiences in ways traditional OTT never did.

The Road Ahead

If the first 100 editions were about defining the battlefield—pricing, sports, local formats, and global entrants—the next 100 will be about execution and exits.

• Who monetizes beyond subscriptions first?

• Which sports leagues rise alongside cricket?

• Can micro-drama become India’s “5-minute Netflix”?

• And which global + local hybrids will define India’s next streaming chapter?

One thing is clear: India’s streaming market is no longer about if it will scale, but how the scaling will pay for itself.

Here’s to the next 100 editions, and to all of you who’ve shaped this journey with your curiosity, debate, and insights!

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If you are a fan of Kajol and horror content, this one is for you - fantastic performance and a riveting ride on Netflix. The film delivers a mythologically rooted horror tale that makes for a decent one-time watch.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Raising capital for an “attention economy” / sports tech fund with an amazing global startup pipeline - DM me for more details!

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 99th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. AI in Sports Streaming: Opportunities for Indian Teams & Leagues

2. AI-Driven Highlights & Content Automation

3. Enhanced Viewing Experience & Personalization

4. Advertising & Monetization Innovations

5. Content Management & Fan Engagement for Teams

6. The Road Ahead

And….Action!

AI in Sports Streaming: Opportunities for Indian Teams & Leagues

Indian sports – from major franchises like IPL and ISL to grassroots academies – stand to benefit immensely from AI in media technology. By this we mean AI systems that can observe, decide, and act within video workflows, transforming how sports content is produced, delivered, and monetized. Below, we explore key use cases of such AI for sports streaming and fan engagement, with examples from India and beyond.

AI-Driven Highlights & Content Automation

One of the most impactful uses of AI in sports media is automated highlights generation. Advanced AI agents can watch live game feeds and instantly detect key moments (goals, wickets, slam dunks, etc.), then clip and package them as highlights in real time. This means fans no longer have to wait hours or days for highlight reels; crucial plays can be surfaced almost as soon as they happen. For example, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, AI systems auto-generated “Web Story” highlights for each goal, letting late-arriving viewers catch up with 15-second clips of the action they missed.

Such AI-curated highlights aren’t one-size-fits-all, either. Personalized highlight reels can be created based on each fan’s preferences. An AI might assemble a custom package of every Virat Kohli boundary for a cricket fan, or all goals by a favorite footballer for an ISL follower. This level of personalization keeps fans more engaged by delivering the content most relevant to them.

AI automation also enables covering more games at scale. Leagues and federations in India can leverage AI-driven cameras and production tools to broadcast matches that never made TV before. For instance, Pixellot’s AI camera systems can automatically film and live-stream games with no human camera operator, making it feasible to cover youth and local matches at low cost. The All India Football Federation or state cricket associations could use such technology to bring grassroots competitions to fans online, expanding the sport’s reach. As Pixellot’s CEO noted, affordable AI production “allows anyone in India to enjoy the excitement of sports at every level,” democratizing sports coverage.

Enhanced Viewing Experience & Personalization

AI can turn passive sports broadcasts into interactive, personalized experiences. A prime example is the multi-angle streaming introduced by JioCinema [Now JioHotstar] during the FIFA World Cup. Viewers could seamlessly switch camera angles or enter “Hype Mode” for live stats and trivia. Building on that, AI can intelligently recommend the best camera view (e.g. close-up vs. aerial) based on the game situation, or even automatically toggle to a crowd angle when it detects a big reaction from fans. This creates a dynamic, cinematic viewing experience guided by AI.

Real-time data overlays are another fan-centric feature. AI can integrate live stats, win probabilities, player running speeds, and other insights directly into the stream. Platforms like Spectatr.ai offer an all-in-one interactive player where viewers can see live stats, charts, and even group chat – all without leaving the video. Crucially, an AI-driven interface can display “the right widget at the right time” for each viewer. For instance, if a wicket falls in an IPL match, the AI might instantly pop up the bowler’s stats or a poll (“Was that the turning point?”). Each fan can control what info they see, instead of being stuck with one TV graphic for all. This level of personalization keeps fans engaged longer and caters to casual and hardcore viewers alike.

Language is another barrier being toppled by AI. Real-time translation and commentary dubbing allow broadcasts to reach multi-lingual audiences without requiring separate commentary teams. An AI speech translator can convert an English commentary feed into Hindi, Tamil, or Bengali on the fly, while preserving the excitement and tone. Viewers hear the original commentator softly in the background and a louder AI voice in their preferred language – a technique that maintains authenticity but improves comprehension. This has huge potential in India’s diverse linguistic landscape. Fans of a regional kabaddi team, for example, could enjoy live commentary in their native language even if the production didn’t originally support it. AI models are rapidly improving at handling sports jargon and phrases, making such real-time translation increasingly viable.

Looking ahead, AI chat assistants may become a standard companion to sports streams. Imagine a smart agent you can message or speak to during a live match to ask things like “How many tackles has player X made?” or “What’s the record IPL run chase at this venue?” In fact, prototypes of these exist – recent AI-powered chat interfaces have let fans ask questions about ongoing matches and get instant answers. This kind of agent, exemplified by “Jordy” from Spectatr, can adopt different personas (coach, fan, analyst) and provide context-aware insights in real time. By merging live data with natural language processing, such bots give fans a personalized, interactive analyst at their fingertips. Instead of passively watching, fans actively engage, deepening their immersion in the game.

Advertising & Monetization Innovations

Sports streaming isn’t just about the on-field action – it’s also a major revenue engine. AI opens up smarter ways to monetize content without spoiling the fan experience:

• Automatic Ad Break Detection: In live streams without predefined ad slots, AI can analyze the video feed to pinpoint natural breaks (e.g. timeout, injury pause) and mark them for ad insertion. This is done by generating SCTE-35 markers at the exact right moments. For streaming platforms, it means targeted ads can be inserted seamlessly even if the original feed lacked ad cues. Automating this process not only ensures fans don’t miss action, it also creates new inventory for advertisers, boosting revenue. Harmonic Inc. reported that AI-driven cue insertion has made mid-roll ads in live sports much more precise and profitable.

• Virtual & Contextual Sponsorships: AI and AR are combining to redefine sponsorship in sports video. We’re already seeing virtual signage – digital overlays replacing stadium ads on broadcast – used in sports like cricket and football to geo-target different regions. In India, Star Sports has trialed AR inserts in Pro Kabaddi and ISL, such as a sponsor logo dramatically emerging from the pitch in a replay. AI takes this further by recognizing context in the live footage and injecting sponsor content intelligently. For example, an AI vision system can detect when a team’s logo or jersey appears prominently on screen and instantly trigger a related promotion. One case from esports shows what’s possible: the moment a sponsor’s logo was detected on screen, an overlay popped up a discount code and a quick stat about that sponsor – far more engaging than a static banner [medium.com]. Similar technology could let an IPL stream display a merchandise coupon whenever the camera finds a fan wearing the team jersey, or show a sponsor trivia question every time their billboard is in view. By making sponsorship moments interactive and timely, AI keeps viewers engaged with ads rather than looking away.

• In-Stream Shopping: A particularly exciting frontier is shoppable sports video. As AI identifies objects and people in the live feed, fans could directly shop what they see. Consider an AI that recognizes a star batsman’s special edition bat or sneakers – a “Buy Now” option could appear unobtrusively, letting viewers purchase official merchandise without leaving the stream. Some platforms are already inching toward this by integrating merchandise shelves alongside live video. For example, an AI might highlight the jersey of a player who just scored and offer it for sale in real time. This kind of on-the-spot commerce turns fan excitement into immediate revenue, blending entertainment and retail seamlessly.

• Sponsor ROI Analytics: On the back-end, AI provides unprecedented transparency for sponsorship ROI – a huge selling point for teams and leagues. AI-powered video analysis can track every instance of a brand’s logo across broadcasts, tallying exact screen time and even estimating how many viewers saw it. Instead of manual logging or end-of-season highlight reels, teams can now give sponsors a precise report: e.g. “Your logo was visible for 3 minutes 45 seconds total this match, seen by an audience of 5 million, equivalent to ₹X lakh of media value”. Such data can be broken down by camera angle, game segment, or player (say, logo on a jersey vs. on a billboard). Not only does this justify sponsorship fees, it allows dynamic adjustments – sponsors might pay extra if their logo’s share of screen beat a competitor’s. In short, AI turns every pixel of exposure into a measurable asset, giving Indian sports teams and leagues a powerful tool to attract and retain sponsors with hard numbers.

Content Management & Fan Engagement for Teams

Beyond live broadcasts, AI can supercharge how teams and leagues manage content and connect with fans on digital platforms:

• Media Archives & Replay: Sports organizations accumulate massive archives of games, player footage, interviews, and more. AI metadata enrichment can make this trove easily searchable and reusable. For instance, IPV Curator’s system uses AI tagging to categorize every clip by players involved, play type, emotions, etc., in near real time. A team’s media staff can instantly pull up, say, all goals from last season or all wicket-taking deliveries by a specific bowler, without manually combing through footage. This efficiency lets teams turn around social media highlights, YouTube compilations, or documentary segments in minutes. The Premier League and several NBA/NHL teams already use such AI-driven workflows to “transform raw video into broadcast-ready moments and social highlights faster than ever”. Indian franchises could use similar tools to keep fans engaged with fresh content daily – whether it’s an IPL team posting a nostalgic clip of a past Super Over, or the Indian football federation creating a montage of all goals in the Santosh Trophy.

• Sponsor Integration in Content: Teams can also leverage AI when producing their own media (like weekly web shows or behind-the-scenes vlogs) to seamlessly integrate sponsors. AI tools can automatically detect ideal insertion points in a video and overlay sponsor messages or graphics without disrupting the narrative. They can even ensure the branding is consistent across formats. For example, an AI could help a team quickly generate a “presented by [sponsor]” highlight reel right after a match, by tagging the best plays and stitching in the sponsor’s logo and jingle. This reduces manual effort and gets branded content out while fan interest is highest. It’s no surprise that efficient sponsor integration is considered “vital in sports marketing” – teams are adopting AI-powered content platforms to maximize brand exposure in every piece of media they publish.

• AI Social Media Agents: Engaging the fanbase on social channels is another area where autonomous AI agents shine. Some clubs and leagues are experimenting with AI personas that interact with fans on Twitter (X), Instagram, or team apps in real time. A prime example is “Agent X,” an AI agent designed to manage a sports brand’s Twitter presence autonomously. It monitors tweets constantly for mentions or relevant hashtags, then replies instantly with on-brand, personalized messages. If a fan tweets “What a goal by Mumbai City FC!”, the AI could reply with a short video clip of the goal and a fun comment in the club’s signature voice. Crucially, it uses NLP to understand context and sentiment – responding playfully to celebratory posts or empathizing when the team loses. By automating these interactions, teams can scale up their fan engagement significantly: every fan gets timely responses and content, even during peak moments, without needing a social media army. This kind of agentic AI presence keeps fans invested and feeling heard, driving loyalty in the long run.

The Road Ahead

From automated multi-camera highlights to chatbots and smart ad insertions, AI is poised to redefine sports streaming in India. Early trials have already shown that AI can boost engagement and accessibility – for example, JioCinema’s AI-assisted features attracted new viewers with clip timelines and multi-cam interactivity. As these technologies mature, we can expect even more immersive and personalized live streams. AI will likely handle tasks like real-time audio commentary generation, more sophisticated AR visualizations, and predictive alerts (e.g. notifying fans when a record is about to be broken in-match), all tailored to each viewer.

For teams, leagues, and federations, adopting AI is becoming essential to stay competitive in the digital era. It can turn a simple live stream into a rich, interactive digital experience that appeals to young, tech-savvy fans who demand more than old-school broadcasts. Perhaps most importantly, it opens new revenue streams – whether through hyper-targeted advertising, in-video commerce, or global fan reach via language localization. In the words of one industry expert, AI is “maximizing engagement, boosting accessibility, and increasing monetization opportunities” in sports streaming. The organizations that embrace these AI tools early – be it an IPL franchise enhancing their OTT platform or a state-level league live-streaming via AI cameras – will set the pace for the next generation of sports entertainment in India.

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My wife are I were watching Pratik Gandhi for the first time in a web series since Scam! And it was worth it - great “espionage” content and thrills about a true story of a resilient Indian spy who must defeat his counterpart across the border in a battle of wits and trade craft to sabotage a nuclear program.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Raising capital for an “attention economy” / sports tech fund with an amazing global startup pipeline - DM me for more details!

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 98th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. From Anime to Animation: Emerging Genres Winning India’s Streaming Audience

2. Anime’s Surging Popularity on Indian Streaming

3. Local Animated Originals Gain Traction

4. Major Streaming Platforms in India’s Animation Scene

5. Audience Demand and Outlook

And….Action!

From Anime to Animation: Emerging Genres Winning India’s Streaming Audience

India’s streaming landscape is experiencing a content revolution as animation and anime gain mainstream traction. Once considered niche, Japanese anime and other animated genres are now winning over Indian OTT audiences in huge numbers. Improved internet access, affordable subscriptions, and rich content libraries have made it easier than ever for Indians to enjoy animated content – from beloved childhood cartoons to cutting-edge anime series – on-demand. Streaming platforms are responding with expanded catalogs and originals in this space, recognizing that animation is no longer just for kids but a major draw for Gen Z and millennial viewers as well. The result is a vibrant new chapter for streaming in India, where anime and locally-produced animation are emerging as blockbuster genres alongside traditional live-action fare.

Anime’s Surging Popularity on Indian Streaming

Classic anime characters now light up streaming screens in India. Anime (Japanese animation) has exploded in popularity on Indian OTT platforms, transitioning from a niche subculture into a mainstream phenomenon. Surveys and streaming data indicate a surge in Indian anime viewership, with one study finding that India now ranks second only to China in overall anime audience size. In fact, an estimated 73% of Indians had watched some anime content by 2020, reflecting a massive appetite that has grown in recent years [timesofindia.indiatimes.com]. This trend is fueled by streaming accessibility and localization – many popular series are now available with Hindi, Tamil and Telugu dubs, lowering language barriers for fans outside the English-speaking urban centers. As a result, titles like Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer and more have built big fanbases in India, with younger audiences binge-watching these series daily.

Social media buzz, fan conventions, and even Bollywood celebrity endorsements (e.g. actors lending their voices to Hindi dubs) have further propelled anime into the mainstream. The fandom is vocal and growing: more than 31% of global consumers now watch at least one anime series weekly, and Netflix reports that over half of its 300+ million subscribers (roughly 150 million people) watch anime content [timesofindia.indiatimes.com] . In India, this worldwide anime wave is clearly visible – streaming has made anime readily accessible, and Indian viewers are tuning in by the millions.

Local Animated Originals Gain Traction

Anime isn’t the only animation genre on the rise – Indian-made animated series are also finding success on streaming platforms. In particular, mythological and fantasy animations based on Indian stories have struck a chord with broad audiences. A prime example is The Legend of Hanuman, a high-quality 3D animated series released as a Hotstar Original. Season after season, Hanuman has topped the OTT viewership charts in India, even outperforming many live-action shows [animationxpress.com] .

Recent data from Ormax Media (which tracks streaming viewership) showed The Legend of Hanuman Season 6 drew 5.8 million viewers within its first 3 days on Disney+ Hotstar – ranking as the #1 most-watched show across all Indian streaming platforms that week. Earlier seasons similarly dominated the charts, with Season 4 garnering 6.1 million views in its first week.

Another hit, Baahubali: Before the Beginning – Crown of Blood (an animated spinoff of the Baahubali film franchise), also climbed to the top of Hotstar’s rankings and amassed 11 million viewers in its first 3 weeks. These successes are groundbreaking – it’s unprecedented for two animated series to grab the top slots in India’s streaming top 10, surpassing all live-action content. It signals that Indian audiences are increasingly open to animation aimed at older age groups, not just children. As Baahubali creator S.S. Rajamouli (who co-produced Crown of Blood) put it, the goal is to “reshape Indian animation for a broader audience beyond kids.” economictimes.indiatimes.com.

The approach is working: by blending familiar Indian characters and epics with high production values, these shows have attracted family and youth audiences at scale. Global streamers are taking note too – Netflix’s first Indian animation original for children, Mighty Little Bheem, became a global hit viewed by over 27 million households worldwide, demonstrating the international potential of Indian animated IP. All told, whether it’s Japanese anime or homegrown Indian cartoons, animated content has proven its ability to win over India’s streaming audience when it combines strong storytelling with cultural resonance.

Major Streaming Platforms in India’s Animation Scene

Multiple OTT players in India are now competing to serve this booming demand for anime and animation.

India’s animation and anime streaming market is now a fiercely competitive arena, with major OTT players adapting their strategies to capture a growing and diverse audience. JioHotstar continues to dominate family and kids’ animation through its vast library of Disney and Pixar films, Marvel/Star Wars animated series, and household anime names like Doraemon, Shin-chan, and Pokémon, all localized into Indian languages. Its original Indian animation hit The Legend of Hanuman further strengthens its local appeal. With freemium access and premium plans starting at ₹499 / year [mobile only], JioHotstar remains a mass-market leader, leveraging both global franchises and local productions. Amazon Prime Video takes a bundled approach, offering a wide mix of kids’ and adult animation, alongside an affordable Crunchyroll add-on at ₹79/month for anime enthusiasts. Standouts here include Demon Slayer, Goblin Slayer, and Iruma-kun, in addition to original titles like Baahubali: The Lost Legends. Netflix, meanwhile, pushes aggressively into anime, carrying global hits (Naruto, Death Note, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) and producing local gems like Mighty Little Bheem, catering to both mobile-first viewers at ₹149/month and premium family audiences.

Specialist player Crunchyroll has rapidly emerged as India’s anime powerhouse, becoming the country’s second-largest user market within months of launch. With 800+ titles, over 80 dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, or Telugu, and pricing starting at just ₹79/month, Crunchyroll’s local-language strategy is resonating — 65% of its India viewership comes from dubbed content. Its deep catalog, simulcast availability, and fan-focused outreach (Comic Con sponsorships, celebrity ads) make it the go-to for dedicated anime fans, featuring titles like One Piece, Solo Leveling, and Naruto Shippuden.

JioHotstar’s Anime Hub, launched in partnership with Muse Asia, is another sign of anime’s mainstreaming. With 60 titles like Spy x Family, Tokyo Revengers, and Sword Art Online, and aggressive pricing for early adopters, Jio is targeting its massive base of price-sensitive users. While its catalog is smaller than Crunchyroll’s, Reliance’s resources could enable further expansion and even original productions in the future.

The broader ecosystem includes Sony LIV (historically tied to Animax), Zee5, and AVOD services like YouTube and MX Player, which offer free access to Hindi-dubbed anime and kids’ cartoons. Official YouTube channels (e.g., Muse Asia, Toei) and ad-supported experiments from MX Player show that anime can draw significant AVOD traffic, especially among cost-conscious viewers. Together, these players are shaping a layered market: premium SVOD platforms attract paying fans with depth and exclusivity, while free services serve as on-ramps for new audiences. The more prolific animation hubs are Netflix for its global anime and original Indian animation, Crunchyroll for breadth and hardcore anime appeal, and JioHotstar for aggressively priced mainstream anime offerings — a mix that reflects both India’s price sensitivity and its fast-growing appetite for animated storytelling.

Audience Demand and Outlook

All indicators suggest that India’s appetite for anime and animation will continue on its sharp upward trajectory. The audience demand is already substantial – for instance, one industry survey found 83% of Indian respondents preferred anime over other forms of animation when given a choice [timesofindia.indiatimes.com] . This aligns with global data showing anime to be one of the fastest-growing content genres (118% demand growth worldwide from 2020–2022) [restofworld.org]. The big streaming platforms are taking note of this demand: Netflix’s content strategy now prominently features anime (with numerous new titles announced at Anime Expo 2025), Amazon is integrating anime channels, and JioHotstar is leveraging its anime-filled kids lineup – all of which validate that anime/animation is driving engagement.

In terms of subscriber numbers, the platforms that effectively supply animated content have seen gains. Netflix, for example, credited its anime investments as a factor in its India growth – it ended 2024 with ~16% share (up from 13%) [medianews4u.com]. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video’s ~20 million Indian users remain solid, and Amazon’s push into anime could help with retention of younger subscribers who might otherwise churn to specialized services.

The entry of Crunchyroll and others adds healthy competition, but also grows the pie by converting former pirates and expanding the fan community. Industry analysts project the Indian anime market to grow at ~13% CAGR through 2028, on track to exceed $5 billion by 2032 [restofworld.org]. Importantly, there is still a huge untapped audience: India has over 500 million internet users and OTT viewers, but only a fraction are currently tuning into anime regularly. As connectivity spreads and content becomes even more localized (e.g. upcoming Indian-themed anime productions by Crunchyroll and others), we can expect animation’s reach to broaden to smaller towns and regional-language audiences.

The cultural acceptance of animation as a valid entertainment choice for adults is also rising in India – a significant shift from a decade ago. With fan conventions thriving and merchandise sales for anime skyrocketing in the 15–30 age group, the ecosystem around streaming content is flourishing too. In summary, from Naruto to Hanuman, and from subscription giants to ad-supported upstarts, animation is no longer on the fringes of India’s streaming sector – it’s a central growth driver.

Streaming platforms that embrace these emerging genres and curate them smartly are winning India’s audience today, and stand to reap huge rewards as this animated content boom enters its next phase. The competition will be intense, but one thing is clear: India’s streaming viewers are happily along for the ride, eyes glued to the colorful worlds of anime and animation like never before.

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Mighty Little Bheem is an animated children series, Netflix's first animated series from India . It follows an innocent but super-strong toddler, Little Bheem, on his mischievous adventures in a small Indian town. The toddler is a baby version of the mythological-inspired 9-year-old character from the popular Indian series action comedy animated series Chhota Bheem which has aired on Turner Broadcasting's Pogo TV channel from 2008! Enjoy.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Raising capital for an “attention economy” / sports tech fund with an amazing global startup pipeline - DM me for more details!

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 97th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. Women’s Sports Streaming in India: A New Era of Opportunity

2. The Cricket Catalyst: Women’s Premier League (WPL)

3. Streaming Platforms Bet Big: JioHotstar and Competitors

4. Revenue Potential: Ads, Sponsors and Subscriptions

5. Gauging the Interest: By the Numbers

6. Outlook: Leveling the Playing Field

And….Action!

Women’s Sports Streaming in India: A New Era of Opportunity

India’s sports streaming landscape is undergoing a paradigm shift as women’s sports emerge from the sidelines to take center stage. For years, cricket (especially men’s cricket) has dominated both viewership and revenue in Indian sports media. Now, with the advent of high-profile women’s leagues and dedicated channels, streaming platforms see immense potential in engaging new audiences and advertisers through women’s sports content. In this issue of Streaming Lab, we explore how platforms are capitalizing on the momentum – from the blockbuster Women’s Premier League cricket to a 24/7 women’s sports channel – and what it means for viewership and revenue in India.

The Cricket Catalyst: Women’s Premier League (WPL)

The launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in 2023 was a watershed moment for women’s sports in India. Backed by a ₹951 crore (US$116 million) media rights deal with Viacom18, the inaugural WPL season immediately drew unprecedented viewership. In fact, the 2023 WPL final attracted over 10 million live viewers, the highest ever for any women’s sports event globally. Across its first 14 matches, the debut season amassed around 50 million viewers (TV + digital) – a figure that stunned even optimists.

Fast forward to the second WPL season (2024), and the audience only grew. Cumulative TV viewership doubled to reach 103 million in the first 15 games. By 2025 (third season), opening match viewership on television soared to 3 crore (30 million) viewers, with TV ratings up 150% and digital viewership up 70% over the prior year. According to India’s cricket board, the WPL’s reach has expanded to about 300 million fans – a level of interest once unimaginable for women’s sports. To put it in perspective, the WPL 2025 opener drew nearly three times the peak global viewership of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. Such comparisons underscore how women’s cricket in India is shattering global benchmarks, firmly establishing itself as a marquee property.

The WPL’s debut season on JioCinema drew record viewership – the highest ever for a women’s sports tournament.

Beyond the raw viewership numbers, fan enthusiasm and on-ground engagement have skyrocketed. Stadiums that were half-empty for women’s matches a few years ago are now buzzing with tens of thousands of fans. In 2023, the league initially even offered free tickets to build interest, but by 2024, crowds were paying and cheering with fervor. Traditional powerhouse franchises like Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore brought their established fanbases, and fans responded by showing up in team jerseys, chanting players’ names and waving “I 💗 WPL” banners. In Bangalore, the RCB Women’s team sold out nearly every match in 2024 – evidence that the appetite for women’s cricket is both real and rapidly growing, not merely an IPL sideshow. As one BCCI executive noted, “the response to WPL has exceeded even our expectations – from viewership to sponsorship to fan turnout, everything has been extraordinary.”

Streaming Platforms Bet Big: JioHotstar and Competitors

The surging popularity of women’s sports has prompted India’s streamers to ramp up coverage and innovate on distribution. JioHotstar – the new powerhouse formed by the 2024 merger of Viacom18’s JioCinema and Disney’s Hotstar – now commands the lion’s share of sports rights, including women’s events. (JioHotstar’s parent, JioStar, controls 75–80% of India’s sports broadcast market.) With this consolidation, all key women’s cricket content is under one roof: WPL, ICC women’s World Cups, and India’s women’s international matches. JioHotstar has leveraged its massive reach (over 280 million users as of early 2025) to stream WPL free of charge, using an ad-supported model to maximize eyeballs. The strategy mirrors what JioCinema did with the IPL – making it free in multiple languages – to capture a nationwide audience and then monetize via advertising at scale. For WPL 2023, this approach paid off: average watch-time exceeded 50 minutes per user per match on JioCinema, indicating viewers were deeply engaged with the live coverage.

Viacom18’s sports executives have been vocal about their ambitions in this space. “Our vision is to nurture the WPL into the biggest women’s sporting league in the world, and this is a big leap in that direction,” said Anil Jayaraj, CEO of Viacom18 Sports, after the first season’s success [sportsmintmedia.com]. He lauded the 50+ brands that partnered in year one and noted that WPL is “already on its way to becoming the largest viewed women’s sport event globally”. This optimism is backed by the numbers, and by the diverse advertiser interest WPL has drawn (more on that below).

Other domestic OTT players are also contributing to increased visibility for women’s sports, albeit on a smaller scale. SonyLIV, for instance, has streamed major multi-sport events (like the Olympics and Asian Games) where Indian women athletes won laurels, helping turn stars like P.V. Sindhu or Mirabai Chanu into household names. Niche platform FanCode has picked up digital rights to various under-the-radar sports – from women’s junior world cups to domestic leagues – providing coverage that traditional TV might skip. These efforts, combined with growing social media buzz, mean fans can now watch women’s matches in hockey, football, badminton and more online, even if those sports still trail cricket in popularity.

Interestingly, global streaming giants Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have so far taken a cautious approach in India when it comes to live sports – especially women’s sports. Netflix has zeroed in on sports docu-series (such as a documentary on the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup) rather than bidding for broadcast rights. Amazon, while streaming some sports internationally, hasn’t secured any major women’s sports rights in India to date. That said, the buzz around properties like the WPL hasn’t gone unnoticed – these platforms may well explore women-centric sports content for the Indian market in the future, whether through documentaries, athlete-focused stories, or perhaps select live events if the commercial logic strengthens.

Revenue Potential: Ads, Sponsors and Subscriptions

Is this surging viewership translating into revenue? Early signs are encouraging. Advertising and sponsorships around women’s sports have risen sharply alongside audience growth. In WPL’s case, over 50 brands came on board in 2023; by 2025, more than 70 brands across 45 categories were investing in the league. These aren’t just the usual cricket advertisers (beer, telecom, etc.) – they include new sectors like beauty, fashion, and fintech, attracted by WPL’s relatively affordable rates and its large female fan demographic. For example, cosmetics brands (Kay Beauty, LoveChild) and a jewellery brand (Tanishq) sponsored WPL teams – categories that rarely featured in the men’s IPL. Central sponsorship revenues for WPL doubled from about ₹50 crore in 2023 to an expected ₹100+ crore by 2025 (with team sponsorships contributing another ₹50–65 crore) [exchange4media.com] . Industry analysts estimate the WPL’s overall business value climbed ~7% in a year, hitting $160 million in 2024. Clearly, brands are seeing ROI in associating with women’s sports – tapping into a fresh narrative of women empowerment and an engaged fan community.

From a streaming platform perspective, ad-supported models are the main monetization route for now. JioHotstar, for one, offered the WPL free to all users (just as it did with IPL) to maximize reach, then monetized via ad slots and sponsorship integrations. This has driven huge scale – Jio’s merged platform reportedly hit 300 million+ users during IPL/WPL season, with usage spikes leading to record ad impressions. While exact ARPU from women’s sports isn’t disclosed, the incremental lift in engagement is valuable: many viewers of WPL are women and younger audiences who may not have been as active on the app before. Converting some of these into long-term subscribers for other content is a strategic objective. In fact, one could argue women’s sports content helps reduce churn by keeping the sports calendar busy year-round (WPL in March, then IPL, then other events) and appealing to family audiences. As Indian women’s sports gain consistency and notability, there’s also potential for subscription packages or pay-per-view for niche tournaments, though mass events like WPL will likely remain free-to-stream to build scale.

It’s worth noting that advertisers currently get bargain CPMs on women’s sports compared to men’s cricket – which is exactly why many savvy brands are jumping in now. “Lower advertising rates are very attractive,” says Vinit Karnik of GroupM, pointing out that brands see women’s leagues as a chance for sustained marketing at a fraction of IPL costs [brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com] This may change as ratings climb; but for now, it’s a win-win: leagues get sponsor money and promotion, brands get visibility and goodwill, and fans get more coverage as a result of this virtuous cycle. The revenue mix isn’t only ads, either – subscription impact is subtle but present. For example, some fans have subscribed to Disney+/JioHotstar purely to follow the Indian women’s cricket team overseas or ICC women’s events that aren’t free. And as the content library of women’s sports grows (think documentaries, player interviews, shoulder programming), OTT platforms have more material to attract subscribers interested in sports storytelling, not just live matches.

Gauging the Interest: By the Numbers

Let’s recap with some key metrics that illustrate India’s burgeoning interest in women’s sports streaming:

• WPL Viewership Growth: 50 million viewers in first 14 matches of 2023 → 103 million (TV only) in first 15 matches of 2024. By 2025, 30 million watched the opening match live on TV, and total reach is ~300 million [exchange4media.com]. Engagement per user also high (50+ min per match on digital).

• Women’s Cricket World Cups: The 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup drew 254 million global viewers, up 57% from prior edition. Online searches for women’s cricket in India more than doubled (+103% YoY in late 2023), showing spiking interest even outside WPL.

• Sponsorship Uptick: WPL 2024 was projected to generate ₹125 crore in sponsorship revenue (central + team). Team sponsorships grew 10–20% in 2025 vs 2024, with new brand categories entering. Over 70 brands partnered with WPL 2025 (up from 50 in 2023).

• New Leagues: Women’s Hockey League 2024 drew ~15 million viewers; Women’s Kabaddi challenge matches (as part of Pro Kabaddi) and the women’s Indian Football league, though still nascent, have seen record social media engagement whenever national team stars are involved. These numbers, while modest compared to cricket, are leaps ahead of where they were a few years back.

• AWSN Channel Launch: A dedicated women’s sports network backed by Hollywood star Whoopi Goldberg is now available to over 400 million Indian mobile users via JioTV/JioHotstar.

It plans 2,000+ hours of live women’s sports content through 2025 – a significant increase in exposure time for women’s competitions that previously had virtually no airtime in India.

Such data points paint a clear picture: interest in women’s sports is not a passing fad, but a growing wave. India, with its 650+ million sports fans, is uniquely positioned to lead this movement – and streaming platforms are the vehicle driving it.

Outlook: Leveling the Playing Field

From all indicators, women’s sports streaming in India is poised for sustained growth. We’re seeing the virtuous cycle in action: greater visibility leads to more fans, which attracts more sponsors, which in turn funds better coverage and events. Importantly, this isn’t just about feel-good equality; it’s proving to be smart business. The merged JioHotstar platform, with its near-monopoly on sports rights, certainly has the incentive to push women’s leagues – they fill the content pipeline and bring in new advertisers. We can expect more cross-promotion (e.g. men’s IPL stars promoting WPL, or vice versa), and perhaps special subscription bundles targeting women viewers or junior fans.

Challenges remain, of course. Converting occasional viewers of big events into year-round followers of women’s sports is a work in progress. Not every non-cricket sport will see WPL-level numbers overnight. Yet, the trajectory is undeniably upward. The cultural shift is visible – young girls now proudly wear jerseys bearing names of women cricketers and Olympians, and families watch women’s matches together at home. As one article noted, “fathers bringing daughters to matches, little girls holding signs” is increasingly common, something barely imaginable a decade ago.

For the streaming industry, the takeaway is simple: women’s sports in India represent a growth frontier. Whether through ad-driven streams of live matches, or sports documentaries and shoulder content that enrich the fan experience, there is a sizable audience waiting to be served. Platforms like JioHotstar have seized the first-mover advantage, while others like SonyLIV and FanCode play a supporting role. Global players are watching closely from the sidelines. The next few years will likely see even bigger investments – possibly higher production quality, more regional language feeds (to replicate the IPL’s success), and deeper integration of women athletes into mainstream sports marketing.

In summary, women’s sports streaming in India has gone from niche to next big thing. The revenue potential – via advertising, sponsorships, and future subscriptions – looks increasingly promising as viewership milestones keep getting shattered. And perhaps most importantly, this growth is changing perceptions. As Whoopi Goldberg aptly said during AWSN’s launch, “When She wins, We win.” The rising tide of women’s sports is lifting all boats – fans, brands, and streamers alike – heralding a new era where women’s achievements on the field get the spotlight and streaming screens they have long deserved.

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Live Cricket momentum continues on Fancode with “The Hundred” - The fifth season of ECB’s 100-ball carnival runs 5 – 31 August with the familiar eight city-franchises—Phoenix, Spirit, Originals, Superchargers, Invincibles, Brave, Rockets, and Welsh Fire—playing daily men’s-and-women’s double-headers (64 matches total). Each side gets four home and four away games; the top three enter a knockout culminating at Lord’s on 31 August! Enjoy.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Raising capital for an “attention economy” fund with an amazing global startup pipeline - DM me for more details!

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 96th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. Netflix’s Bundling Strategy in India: Tying Up with Telcos for Growth

2. Netflix Bundles in India: Jio, Airtel, Vi and More

3. Why Netflix Is Embracing Bundling in India

4. The Downsides and Challenges of Bundling

And….Action!

Netflix’s Bundling Strategy in India: Tying Up with Telcos for Growth

Today’s newsletter takes inspiration from the news that is breaking the internet in the Middle East - Netflix made headlines by joining forces with MBC Group’s Shahid streaming service in the Middle East, offering a joint “Shahid+Netflix” subscription on the new MBC+ bundle! Such partnerships promise convenience (one bill, one app) and savings for consumers (MBC claims over 20% savings versus separate subscriptions).

Netflix has long been known for its standalone streaming service, and in India the company has increasingly taken a bundled approach in the recent past. Facing a price-sensitive market and stiff competition, Netflix has begun partnering with telecom operators, broadband providers, and aggregators to offer its service as part of larger packages. This strategy – already common for rivals like JioHotstar or Amazon Prime Video – marks a significant shift for Netflix in India. It mirrors a broader global trend: from the Middle East to the US, streaming platforms are teaming up with other services to reach more users. But what exactly does Netflix’s bundling play look like in India, and what are the pros and cons of this approach?

In this edition, we’ll evaluate Netflix’s bundling strategy in India – which telecom and platform deals are in place, and how they might benefit or complicate Netflix’s growth in the country. We’ll also touch on emerging opportunities (like new bundle channels or payment partnerships) and weigh the advantages versus pitfalls of riding the bundle bandwagon in the Indian streaming market.

Netflix Bundles in India: Jio, Airtel, Vi and More

Until recently, Netflix India subscriptions were sold mostly direct-to-consumer, but that is rapidly changing. Today, all three major Indian telcos – Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) – bundle Netflix into certain plans, alongside a growing number of broadband and TV platform deals. Here’s an overview of where Netflix is packaged in India:

• Reliance Jio (Mobile) – In August 2023, Reliance Jio announced a “first-of-its-kind” prepaid mobile deal with Netflix. Jio launched two 84-day prepaid recharge packs that include Netflix: a ₹1,099 plan with Netflix Mobile (one-screen mobile-only access) and a ₹1,499 plan with Netflix Basic for larger screens. These plans also came with generous 5G data (2GB/day on ₹1,099; 3GB/day on ₹1,499) and unlimited calls. It was the first time Netflix partnered with an Indian telecom for prepaid service – previously, Netflix was offered only on Jio’s postpaid and fiber plans. By extending to prepaid (which dominates India’s mobile market), Netflix instantly gained potential access to Jio’s ~450 million user base. Jio’s move also one-upped rivals, who at the time bundled Disney+ Hotstar with their plans. The strategy seems to be evolving: by 2024 Jio revised its Netflix prepaid offers, introducing higher-data packs at ₹1,299 and ₹1,799 (84-day validity) that include Netflix Basic. In other words, Jio is leveraging Netflix to entice heavy data users and add value to pricier recharges.

• Bharti Airtel (Mobile) – Airtel initially dabbled in Netflix bundling via short trial offers on postpaid plans (notably a 3-month Netflix gift on select plans back in 2018-19). But in 2024, Airtel jumped in more fully. It launched an “All-in-One” OTT bundle pack for prepaid users, which for ₹279/month includes Netflix Basic, along with subscriptions to other platforms like Amazon Prime Video (mobile), Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5 and more (This pack essentially turns an Airtel recharge into a mini streaming bundle.) For higher-data needs, Airtel’s top-tier traditional plans also embraced Netflix – e.g. a ₹1,798 prepaid plan with 84 days validity mirrors Jio’s offering, packing 3GB/day data plus Netflix Basic and other perks. On the postpaid front, Airtel’s premium Airtel Black plans (combined mobile+broadband+DTH bundles) have started to include Netflix as well. In short, Airtel now sees Netflix as a sweetener to attract premium customers, just as it has long offered Amazon Prime or Hotstar on some plans.

• Vodafone Idea (Vi) – Despite its financial struggles, Vi too has turned to Netflix to bolster its appeal. In mid-2024 Vi announced it is “the only operator to offer Netflix Basic under ₹1000” in a prepaid bundle. Vi introduced two Unlimited prepaid packs (roughly ₹1,099 and a slightly cheaper option) that come with unlimited calls, data, and Netflix Basic for 84 days. These give Vi users Netflix access on mobile or TV, similar to the Jio/Airtel offerings. Previously, Vi’s focus was bundling cheaper services (it had deals for Zee5 or SunNXT, and offered Amazon Prime on some postpaid plans). Now, with Netflix in the mix, Vi hopes to lure high-ARPU users despite lacking 5G service. The telco has said it will expand Netflix bundling to postpaid plans as well – likely to its REDX premium tier. For Vi, partnering with the world’s top streaming brand is a bid to stay relevant and retain subscribers, especially as Jio and Airtel race ahead in network upgrades.

• Broadband and TV Bundles – Netflix is also being woven into home broadband and TV subscription bundles:

> JioFiber/AirFiber: Reliance’s fiber broadband service initially included Netflix only on its very high-end plans (₹1,499+). But in May 2024, Jio launched a new ₹888 per month postpaid broadband plan that packs 15 OTT apps — notably Netflix Basic, Amazon Prime (Lite), Disney+ Hotstar, JioCinema Premium, SonyLIV, Zee5 and others. This was a significant move: bringing Netflix and other premium services to an entry-level 30 Mbps plan. JioFiber users on this plan get unlimited data plus the full array of streaming apps as a value bundle. The ₹888 plan essentially democratizes the “streaming combo” that was once reserved for higher-paying customers, signalling Jio’s intent to drive broadband uptake with entertainment. (It also mirrors Jio’s mobile strategy of using content to sell data packs.)

> Airtel Xstream Fiber: Bharti Airtel’s broadband has similarly embraced OTT bundling. In 2023 Airtel started offering Netflix on select high-speed plans (for example, its ₹3,999 1 Gbps plan includes Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar by default). By mid-2025, Airtel went further, revamping its 100 Mbps plans to include Netflix even at lower price points. A new ₹999 fiber plan offers unlimited 100 Mbps internet plus Netflix (Standard with ads), Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and 20+ other services via the Airtel Xstream app. The ₹1,199 plan even adds IPTV with 350+ live TV channels on top of those OTT subscriptions. Essentially, Airtel is bundling an entire entertainment suite – streaming apps and live TV – with broadband to create a one-stop package. Netflix’s inclusion here shows it’s now a standard part of the Indian “triple-play” offering (internet + TV + OTT). Customers benefit from convenience (one bill, integrated viewing via Airtel’s STB or app), while Airtel hopes the content library justifies higher broadband ARPU.

> Tata Play Binge (DTH + OTT): Even traditional DTH players have brought Netflix on board. Tata Play (formerly Tata Sky) launched Binge Combo packs in 2022 that combine linear TV channels with OTT app subscriptions, including Netflix. Users can customize packs with various channel bouquets and apps. For instance, Tata Play’s Netflix Combos start around ₹399–₹449 per month for a basic TV+OTT package. Higher tiers include Netflix (Basic or Standard plans) along with Amazon Prime, Zee5, SonyLIV and more. The appeal is similar: a bundled discount and single interface (the Tata Play Binge box or app) for all content. While these combos require the user to have a Tata Play DTH connection, they blur the line between cable and streaming. Netflix’s presence on Tata Play Binge signaled an early willingness (back in 2022) to be part of aggregated offerings in India. It acknowledged that many Indian viewers still use set-top boxes and might prefer to pay one company for “TV + Netflix” together.

Emerging tie-ups: Beyond telcos and broadband, Netflix hasn’t extensively partnered in other domains yet – but we see hints. For example, some credit cards and digital wallets in India offer rebates or perks on OTT subscriptions (mostly for services like Amazon Prime or Hotstar – Netflix has been a notable holdout in such promotions). The idea of getting a “free Netflix” with your credit card spend is still novel in India; most banks instead bundle more affordable services (as per a Mint report, cards often give free Amazon Prime or TimesPrime membership, but not Netflix). Netflix’s stance of not discounting its product means it hasn’t done the kind of tie-ups Spotify or others have with, say, Times Prime or Flipkart deals. However, as competition grows, we may see creative offers – e.g. a premium credit card covering your Netflix bill as a loyalty reward, or e-commerce memberships adding Netflix as a perk for higher-tier customers.

Why Netflix Is Embracing Bundling in India

Netflix’s pivot to bundling isn’t happening in a vacuum – it’s a response to the realities of the Indian market and Netflix’s own journey here. After a lukewarm start, Netflix has spent the past couple of years fundamentally retooling its India strategy. In fact, Netflix’s leadership outlined a three-pronged approach: improve content, cut prices, and partner with telcos. Let’s unpack why bundling with partners makes sense for Netflix at this stage:

• Reaching Price-Sensitive Consumers: India has hundreds of millions of potential streaming viewers, but most are unwilling (or unable) to pay international-level prices. Netflix learned this the hard way – its initial high pricing meant subscriber growth lagged. In late 2021, Netflix slashed its subscription fees by 18–60%, making the Mobile plan ₹149 (down from ₹199) and Basic ₹199 (formerly ₹499). That helped, but bundling takes affordability a step further. By folding Netflix into a package that users are already paying for (a phone bill or broadband), the perceived cost of Netflix drops. For example, a Jio user paying ₹1,499 for 84 days of service with Netflix might justify it as “getting Netflix effectively for free” during that period. Bundling can thus rope in customers who may never shell out ₹199/month separately for Netflix, but will gladly take it as a value-add with a service they do prioritize (data and voice). In a way, it sidesteps India’s low willingness-to-pay barrier by hiding the cost in a larger bundle.

• Leveraging Distribution Networks: Partnering with big telcos gives Netflix an incredible distribution boost. Jio touts over 400 million prepaid subscribers; Airtel and Vi add hundreds of millions more. These companies have retail reach into every town and village, via recharge shops and sales agents. By tying up with them, Netflix piggybacks on that network. Notably, Netflix can acquire users without each user signing up individually with a credit card on the Netflix app – a huge benefit in a country where digital payments and recurring subscriptions are still nascent for many. The telco essentially becomes the channel to sell Netflix. As Inc42 put it, Netflix can “bank on Jio’s network of dealers” and billing infrastructure to get revenue from users who wouldn’t otherwise convert [inc42.com]. This distribution angle is vital in semi-urban and rural markets. Bundling with broadband operators similarly helps Netflix tap into households that are coming online for the first time via fiber.

• Improving Adoption and Engagement: There’s evidence that these efforts are paying off in subscriber growth. While Netflix doesn’t break out country numbers, industry estimates peg Netflix India at around 10–12 million subscribers as of mid-2024, more than double what it was a few years ago. During Q2 2024, India was Netflix’s #2 market globally for net new subscriber additions – a remarkable surge. Netflix leadership credited a better content lineup and the improved “product-market fit” from pricing and partnerships for this success. In other words, by tailoring plans to local needs (like mobile-only options and bundled plans), Netflix saw uptake soar. A Netflix spokesperson also highlighted that the Jio partnership would bring Netflix’s lineup of Indian and global content to many more customers than before. Early signs suggest that bundling is introducing new audiences to Netflix – people who perhaps were loyal to YouTube or Hotstar, now sampling Netflix because it came with their phone plan. If even a fraction of Jio’s 450 million users activate the Netflix benefit, that’s a massive funnel of potential long-term customers.

• Competitive Differentiation: In India’s streaming wars, being part of a bundle can influence consumer choice of primary service provider. Jio’s inclusion of Netflix in prepaid, for instance, was a direct competitive strike at Airtel and Vi, which at the time were bundling rival Hotstar but not Netflix. Suddenly, Jio could advertise “we have Netflix, others don’t.” Not to be outdone, Airtel and Vi then rushed to ink their own Netflix deals by 2024. This one-upmanship shows that premium content is a battleground for telcos. From Netflix’s perspective, this dynamic is beneficial: it creates a bidding war of sorts for its service. Each operator wants to boast the best entertainment bundle. Netflix can potentially negotiate favorable terms (minimum guarantees or promotional payments) from partners eager to have “Netflix inside.” The end result: Netflix gains more distribution and marketing exposure, essentially funded by telco marketing budgets.

• Increasing Stickiness and Reducing Churn: Bundled subscribers might be more inclined to stick with Netflix. If your Netflix access is tied to your postpaid plan or broadband subscription, you are less likely to cancel Netflix on a whim – you’d have to change your entire plan. This built-in stickiness can bolster Netflix’s retention. It’s similar to how cable TV used to lock in customers with bundles. In a market where users hop between prepaid recharges or churn for better data offers, having Netflix as part of a plan encourages users to stay on that plan for the full validity to enjoy their favorite shows. Moreover, the psychological effect of “free Netflix” could spur higher usage – a user might explore Netflix content simply because it’s there at no extra cost, potentially converting them into a long-term fan who will resubscribe or upgrade in the future.

In short, bundling aligns well with Netflix’s India growth imperative: get many more users to sample and stick with the service, even if it means accepting lower revenue per user initially. It complements the price cuts and local content push that Netflix has undertaken to make itself more relevant to Indian audiences. As Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos noted, the company’s improved performance in India came from “bringing the two most important levers (price and content)” to broaden the audience [livemint.com] – we can safely add “distribution” as a third lever, with telco bundles doing a lot of heavy lifting on that front.

The Downsides and Challenges of Bundling

It’s not all smooth sailing, however. There are some inherent trade-offs and risks in Netflix’s bundling strategy that are worth noting:

• Diluted ARPU and Revenue Share: The most obvious downside of bundles is that Netflix likely earns less revenue per user compared to a standalone subscriber. Telecom deals often involve discounted wholesale rates. Netflix might be getting only a fraction of the ₹199/month it normally charges for Basic when that plan is sold via Jio or Airtel’s bundle (the exact terms aren’t public, but it’s reasonable to assume the telco negotiated a volume discount). While this boosts user numbers, it can drag down Netflix’s average revenue per member in India. If not managed carefully, there’s a risk that Netflix’s subscriber count rises but revenue doesn’t keep pace proportionally. Moreover, telcos might push for even better terms as time goes on or if subscriber targets aren’t met, squeezing Netflix’s margins. In extreme cases, bundling can become a race to the bottom – with so many services bundled, how much value is each one truly capturing? Netflix has to ensure the bundle math makes sense: lots of low-paying users via partners versus fewer high-paying direct users. Thus far, Netflix seems willing to trade ARPU for scale in India, but investors will watch if these bundled subscribers eventually turn profitable.

• Losing Direct Customer Relationship: One of Netflix’s strengths has been its direct relationship with subscribers – it controls the interface, the data, the billing, etc. Bundled subscribers, however, are essentially customers of the telco, not Netflix (in terms of who they interact with for account and payment). This has a few implications:

  • Netflix might get less granular data on user behavior or demographics than it would from direct sign-ups, depending on data-sharing agreements. The telco sits in between, and may not pass all user info to Netflix. For a company that thrives on analytics (what you watch, when you watch, etc.), any data gap could hurt content recommendations or personalization.

  • Limited upselling opportunities: If a user is on a free Basic plan via a bundle, can Netflix easily upsell them to Standard or Premium? Possibly not – the user isn’t entering payment details with Netflix. The telco would have to offer a higher bundle or the user would have to independently upgrade on Netflix (which many won’t bother to if they’re content with the bundled plan). This friction means Netflix can’t smoothly convert a bundle user to a higher tier or cross-sell other services (e.g., Netflix merchandise or games) as easily as with a direct user.

  • Netflix also cedes some brand control. If, say, there’s a problem with the bundled activation (“Why isn’t my Netflix working?!”), users might blame Netflix when the issue could be on the telco’s side or confusion in redemption. Customer support might be handled by the telco’s call center, not Netflix, leading to a less consistent service experience. Essentially, Netflix outsources a chunk of customer service to partners, which can be a double-edged sword if partners don’t handle it well.

• Dependency and Bargaining Power: Relying on big partners can make Netflix’s growth dependent on their strategies. For example, if Jio decides tomorrow to pivot its strategy – perhaps emphasizing its own JioHotstar more and dropping Netflix from a bundle – Netflix could suddenly lose a major pipeline for new users. We saw a parallel in music streaming: Airtel’s Wynk Music thrived when bundled, but when Airtel changed course, Wynk’s user base evaporated. While Netflix isn’t owned by the telcos (unlike Wynk), it is still subject to their marketing whims. The telco could choose to promote a different streaming partner more aggressively or use Netflix as a negotiating chip. Also, when renewal time comes for these deals, Netflix might face hard bargain negotiations: the telco knows Netflix now counts on them for X million users, so they might demand better pricing or terms. If Netflix refuses, the deal could lapse, and those users might not convert to independent subscribers (since they were accustomed to “free” Netflix). This gives the distributors a degree of leverage over Netflix’s future subscriber base in India – a situation quite different from Netflix’s autonomous position in markets where bundles are minimal.

• Cannibalization of Direct Subscribers: There’s a risk that bundling could cannibalize some of Netflix’s existing direct subscriber segment. For instance, if a consumer was paying Netflix ₹199/month directly but then realizes they can get the same Netflix plan effectively at no extra cost by switching to a certain mobile plan, they might do so and stop their direct subscription. In that case, Netflix loses a full-paying user and replaces them with a discounted bundle user. Granted, this likely affects higher-income users (who are more likely to be Netflix subscribers and also have postpaid plans or high-end broadband). It’s a fine balance – Netflix wants new users via bundles, not to simply shift current users into cheaper deals. So far, India’s overall growth suggests bundles are net additive, but the possibility of cannibalization grows as bundles become ubiquitous. If every telecom and ISP is giving away Netflix, why would anyone subscribe individually? Netflix has to keep its direct value proposition strong (such as offering Premium 4K plans or an ad-tier outside bundles) to maintain a segment of standalone subscribers who deliver full ARPU.

• Perception Challenges – “Free” vs Paid: Another subtle issue is one of perceived value. When consumers get something included for free (or very cheaply), they may undervalue it. There’s a concern that bundled users treat Netflix as a nice freebie but not something they’d actively pay for if it wasn’t included. This could affect engagement quality – e.g. they might not become loyal fans or advocates for Netflix content in the same way a paying subscriber might. Also, if for some reason the bundle goes away, those users might not be willing to become paying Netflix customers, because psychologically they’ve always gotten it without a separate bill. In essence, Netflix could be training a segment of users to expect entertainment as a packaged commodity rather than a premium service. Over time, this might pressure Netflix to keep being part of bundles (with discounts) to retain those users, limiting its pricing power in the market.

• Integration and Experience Issues: Executing bundles well is not trivial. Users have to be able to easily activate and use Netflix as part of their provider’s ecosystem. Any hiccups – say, confusion in how to sign in with the bundled account, or suboptimal streaming quality if accessed through a third-party app – can hurt Netflix’s reputation. For example, some Tata Play Binge users initially faced cumbersome steps to link their Netflix account. Netflix on telco apps may not support all features (like profiles or downloads) as seamlessly. Ensuring a smooth, native-feeling experience for bundled users requires technical integration and cooperation with partners. This is an ongoing challenge to maintain consistency of the Netflix experience across many platforms (telco apps, set-top boxes, etc.). Netflix has to work closely with partners so that, for instance, the latest app version and content library updates reflect promptly on those platforms. Any mismatch could lead to user frustration (“Why is the Netflix app on my Xstream box not showing the new episode?”). Thus, operationally, bundles add complexity.

Despite these challenges, Netflix likely views them as manageable trade-offs given the prize of Indian market leadership. Indeed, Netflix’s co-CEO famously set a goal of reaching “the next 100 million users from India” (a very ambitious target) – something that almost certainly requires creative bundles and partnerships. However, Netflix will need to constantly monitor and fine-tune these partnerships: negotiating fair revenue shares, retaining the ability to connect with users, and making sure the bundled Netflix experience is as good as the standalone one.

Bottom Line: Netflix bundling in India represents a blending of the old and new – the old cable/telco model of aggregated content with the new world of on-demand streaming. It has proven to be a powerful catalyst for Netflix’s Indian ambitions, unlocking new user segments and cementing Netflix as a key part of the digital entertainment bundle. The strategy comes with caveats around revenue and control, but if managed well, it positions Netflix as a service that’s deeply embedded in India’s digital fabric, rather than a standalone luxury. And for Indian consumers, it means streaming your favorite Netflix series might increasingly be as simple as recharging your phone or paying your internet bill – no separate login or payment required. In a market as vast and diverse as India, that convenience could be the decisive factor that turns Netflix from a niche urban indulgence into a mass-market habit. As the streaming landscape evolves, one thing is clear: the bundle is here to stay, and Netflix is making sure it’s not left out of the package deal.

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A warm welcome to the 95th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Agenda

1. Rating the Raters: How India’s new OTT measurement framework could reset ad dollars and algorithm wars

2. Why India’s Ratings Needed a Reset (A Brief History)

3. What’s Changing: Inside the New Measurement Framework

4. Pros: A Bigger, Better Ratings Ecosystem

5. Cons and Concerns: Fragmentation, Conflict, and “Too Many Cooks”?

6. Impact on OTT Platforms and Content: The Coming Algorithm Wars

7. Looking Ahead

And….Action!

Rating the Raters: How India’s new OTT measurement framework could reset ad dollars and algorithm wars

The Fight for Eyeballs Gets a Referee: India’s media industry is on the cusp of a measurement shake-up that could transform how streaming platforms compete and how advertisers spend their money. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) has unveiled a draft policy to overhaul audience ratings, opening the field to new players and new technologies. With streaming video now mainstream – India counts over 545 million OTT users and a ₹12,000 crore (~$1.5 billion) streaming market – the absence of a trusted, unified metric for digital viewership has been a glaring gap. The proposed framework aims to fill that gap by “democratising and modernising” how audiences are measured across TV and online platforms [indianexpress.com]. This week, we dive into what these changes mean, weighing the pros and cons of a wider playing field in ratings and how it might intensify the battle for viewer attention in the OTT era.

With so many players splitting viewer attention, a common measurement currency is seen as crucial to compare and monetize audiences.

Why India’s Ratings Needed a Reset (A Brief History)

For decades, Television Rating Points (TRPs) – essentially TV viewership scores – have been the currency of India’s ₹90,000+ crore advertising industry [storyboard18.com]. These ratings, provided exclusively by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) in recent years, determine where ad dollars flow on traditional television. BARC was formed by broadcasters, advertisers, and agencies in 2015 to restore credibility after earlier private rating systems (TAM and INTAM) fell into disrepute amid data leak and manipulation controversies. While BARC’s industry-backed governance brought more trust, the system has struggled to keep pace with changing viewership habits. Its panel of about 58,000 people-meters covers only 0.025% of India’s 230 million TV households – a sample critics argue is too small to capture India’s vast diversity. More importantly, TRPs have only measured linear TV consumption, leaving out the booming viewership on smartphones, smart TVs, and streaming apps. In 2020, a high-profile TRP rigging scandal further underscored the system’s vulnerability, prompting calls for reform. Simply put, the way Indians watch video has evolved, but the way we measure it has not. This is the backdrop against which the government is now looking to “rate the raters” and rewrite the rules.

What’s Changing: Inside the New Measurement Framework

The I&B Ministry’s draft policy (July 2025) proposes to overhaul the “Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies” in India, originally set in 2014. The changes are sweeping. First, the ministry plans to end BARC’s monopoly as the sole ratings provider. Multiple companies will be allowed to measure TV and OTT audiences, creating competition where previously there was none. In fact, the door has been opened wide: OTT platforms, digital distributors, telecom and tech firms can now apply to become official rating agencies under the new guidelines. The goal is to “modernise the audience measurement ecosystem” by bringing in fresh players, methods and investments.

To enable this, the draft removes or amends several restrictive clauses that were seen as barriers to entry. Notably, it would scrap the cross-holding limits and conflict-of-interest rules that so far prevented broadcasters, advertisers, or any entity with media business ties from owning more than 10% in a ratings agency. Previously, these rules were meant to ensure a ratings agency stayed independent. Now, the government is relaxing them to encourage wider industry participation and funding. All rating agencies will, however, have to register with the ministry and follow a new framework of eligibility criteria, operational procedures, data standards, and compliance norms. In essence, the government is swapping strict entry barriers for a regulated open marketplace of measurement services.

Crucially, the new framework isn’t just about TV ratings – it explicitly talks about capturing OTT (streaming) viewership. TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) and the ministry have noted that today’s ratings don’t track audiences on smart TVs, streaming sticks, mobile apps or laptops. The draft guidelines aim to fix these gaps. Future rating agencies are expected to devise “newer mechanisms” to measure viewership from connected TVs and digital platforms in addition to legacy cable/DTH TV. In other words, the definition of “audience measurement” is being broadened to wherever the eyeballs are – whether watching a prime-time soap on a Tata Sky set-top box or bingeing a web series on Netflix. The ministry’s note emphasizes that as viewing habits evolve, “so must the way we measure them.”

Pros: A Bigger, Better Ratings Ecosystem

The government’s “wider playing field” approach comes with several anticipated benefits:

• Innovation and Tech Upgrade: Allowing multiple rating agencies is meant to foster competition, and with it, fresh methodologies. New entrants (possibly deep-pocketed global firms) can bring in cutting-edge technology. We could see AI-enhanced viewership analytics, passive measurement via connected devices, and real-time reporting instead of weekly spreadsheets. Larger sample sizes are on the table too – the draft policy itself calls the current 58,000 homes inadequate and expects a more representative panel. More meters and new digital data sources mean richer, granular insights (urban/rural splits, minute-by-minute viewing, multi-screen behavior, etc.) that were previously elusive.

• Holistic Audience Picture: A key advantage of the new framework is the push toward cross-platform measurement. “The consumer is not living life in silos,” as media veteran Ashish Bhasin puts it – one moment a person might watch TV, the next moment video on a phone [storyboard18.com]. Yet until now, marketers had to piece together siloed data to guess total reach. A unified or at least interoperable measurement system can reveal the full viewership pie: for example, how a popular show’s audience splits between TV broadcast and OTT streaming, or how many unique people you reach if you advertise across both. Such insight helps content creators and advertisers optimize strategies. “Ideally, a content maker or advertiser should know exactly where consumption is happening, who is watching, and for how long,” notes Ashish Golwalkar, former Sony India executive [storyboard18.com]. Capturing OTT audiences in the net – especially on connected TVs where streaming looks a lot like traditional TV – will broaden that view.

• Transparency and Trust (with Checks): With external oversight and multiple firms in the fray, data credibility could improve. No single entity will control the narrative. If one agency’s numbers seem off, stakeholders can cross-check with another’s. This competitive accountability can act as a safeguard against deliberate ratings manipulation. Moreover, requiring all agencies (incumbent BARC included) to register with the government under uniform standards may impose more rigorous auditing and data quality controls. The Ministry is signaling that it will set common data standards and compliance rules, which all players must follow to stay licensed. In theory, that means “rating the raters” – ensuring they deliver robust, fraud-free metrics. The inclusion of OTT in the framework also compels streaming platforms to be more transparent. Even subscription-based streamers that don’t rely on ads may need to disclose viewership data for the greater ecosystem’s measurement. While some SVOD giants might resist at first (why share data if you don’t sell ads, after all?), being part of industry metrics can build credibility with creative talent, investors, and regulators. Over time, as norms solidify, this transparency could benefit the whole value chain with better benchmarking of content success.

• Global Best Practices & Investment: By removing legacy restrictions (like the 10% ownership cap and Indian ownership requirement), India is inviting global expertise into audience measurement. Companies that operate internationally bring learnings from other markets – whether it’s Nielsen’s techniques in the US, BARB’s hybrid TV+streaming panel in the UK, or new digital measurement standards being tested elsewhere. This cross-pollination can only help modernize India’s system. Industry watchers predict an influx of funds (>$50 million) and technology as foreign entrants set up shop. For instance, meters that capture OTT app viewing on TVs, watermarking or fingerprint tech to identify content across platforms, or big-data approaches that complement panel data could all become part of the toolkit. “Global players will inject capital, methodological diversity, and global best practices into what has historically been a domestically controlled and often opaque space,” notes an industry advocate [storyboard18.com]. The end result could be a far more robust ratings ecosystem that keeps pace with the complexity of today’s media consumption.

• Better Monetization and Content Decisions: When viewership data gets richer and more transparent, it’s not just advertisers who benefit. Streaming platforms and broadcasters can also make smarter decisions. They’ll know which content truly performs across all platforms, helping with licensing and production investments. Creators could get more insight into their audiences, not just from their own platform analytics but via independent measurements that capture spillover viewing. As one media consultant put it, “broadening the net of capturing data... is good for both makers and marketers” in understanding the heterogeneity of viewership [storyboard18.com]. In the long run, having credible audience metrics for OTT content might also enable new monetization models (for example, dynamic ad rates for streaming ads based on viewership spikes, or benchmarks to price sponsorships for digital-only shows). It essentially legitimizes OTT content value in the eyes of buyers who have been trained on TV metrics.

Cons and Concerns: Fragmentation, Conflict, and “Too Many Cooks”?

While the new open framework has clear advantages, industry players have also flagged significant concerns. Chief among them: too many rating agencies could muddy the waters.

• Multiple Currencies = Confusion: Advertisers often say they need one common “currency” for audience data – a single number they can trust when buying media. If each agency comes up with different ratings for the same show or channel, it can cause chaos. “One must ensure that there is one measurement system and one currency. Multiple currencies will create disruption,” warns RS Sodhi, echoing a common sentiment among brand marketers [storyboard18.com]. Imagine one rating service says a web series got 50 million views while another (using a different method) reports 30 million – which does an advertiser believe? There’s a real risk of “dueling ratings” that erode confidence in all data. In the past, competition between TAM and a rival ratings firm in India led to exactly this kind of confusion, ultimately forcing the industry to consolidate. Many stakeholders would prefer a unified cross-media metric (say, one agency or a joint industry dashboard) rather than each medium or agency giving its own numbers. The Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF), a key industry body, has already voiced opposition to the multiple-agency idea, advocating instead to strengthen a single measurement body for credibility.

• Economic Feasibility: Running a national audience measurement service is expensive and complex. It involves deploying tens of thousands of meters, sophisticated data processing, and regular field maintenance and audits – easily a ₹1,000+ crore venture to scale pan-India, according to insiders. It’s debatable whether India’s ad market can sustain more than one or two major rating systems given the costs. “Even the suggestion to have a couple of rating companies is economically not feasible. Better [to] improve the existing system,” argues Partho Dasgupta, ex-CEO of BARC [storyboard18.com]. If new entrants find it hard to achieve profitability, there’s a concern that the quality of data or longevity of service could suffer. We might see a scenario where multiple agencies start, but eventually shake out or consolidate – and in the interim, the instability could be problematic for the industry.

• Trust and Neutrality Issues: By allowing companies with media interests (broadcasters, OTT platforms, advertisers themselves) to own or operate rating agencies, the potential for conflicts of interest increases. The earlier 10% ownership cap was there for a reason – to prevent, say, a network from indirectly influencing ratings in its favor. Now those guardrails are being relaxed. This raises an important question: who will watch the watchmen? If an OTT platform runs a measurement service, will other players trust its data? As one media veteran pointed out, BARC’s strength was that it was an industry collective – “one trusts BARC today because it’s an industry body with self-correcting mechanisms... if it’s a private player, why would anyone trust it if it’s just trying to sell you the data?”storyboard18.com. History offers warnings: TAM Media Research, the private ratings provider before BARC, faced allegations of panel tampering and partisan reporting, leading to years of mistrust until it was phased out [storyboard18.com]. The new guidelines do mandate that agencies avoid any other business that could conflict with ratings, and the government could enforce audits. But perception of bias might still plague any non-neutral entity. The success of this multi-agency approach may ultimately hinge on strong regulatory oversight and perhaps an industry council to vet methodologies – otherwise, the first major credibility scandal could take us back to square one.

• Data Fragmentation: Another worry is that each agency might use different methodologies and metrics that aren’t directly comparable. One might use panel surveys, another might lean on set-top box return data, a third could analyze streaming app logs – each will have its own algorithm to extrapolate audience figures. Without a standard baseline, media planners might end up juggling disparate datasets. This is why countries like the UK are striving for unified measurement (e.g. Barb’s Dovetail that combines panel and census data) rather than parallel private systems. If India’s approach leads to one service measuring TV and another measuring OTT separately (and both calling their output “ratings”), that could perpetuate the very silo view the industry is trying to escape. The TRAI has suggested frameworks for OTT data disclosure so that all agencies can tap into similar inputs, but implementation details remain to be seen. Interoperability and data sharing between these new agencies might be needed to truly get a single version of truth.

• OTT Platform Buy-In: The new framework’s effectiveness, especially for OTT measurement, hinges on how cooperatively streaming platforms participate. Many OTT services guard their viewership stats tightly, considering them proprietary or sensitive (for competitive and PR reasons). Notably, subscription-driven platforms (SVOD) with no advertisers – like Netflix – have little incentive to volunteer detailed numbers. “In the case of OTTs, especially SVOD which doesn't attract external advertisers, why would a platform want to disclose their viewership data?” Golwalkar points out. If some major players hold out, the “transparent” measurement could have blind spots. The government might need to nudge or mandate OTT data sharing in some form. An industry expert revealed that BARC had piloted tech to track OTT viewership (through its PrimaVU project) years ago, but “that requires buy-in from all OTT players and this should have happened by now”storyboard18.com. Getting dozens of fierce streaming competitors – from YouTube to Netflix to domestic players – to agree on measurement and share data may prove challenging in practice. Until that happens, any new rating agency attempting OTT metrics might rely on limited panels or third-party data, which could be less accurate or acceptable.

• Regulatory and Privacy Concerns: With big tech and possibly foreign firms entering the fray, some have raised data sovereignty and privacy issues. Audience measurement today can involve tracking viewing behavior at a granular level (devices, apps, possibly personal data). “Foreign players’ entry raises data sovereignty and legal concerns,” warns Sonam Chandwani of KS Legal [storyboard18.com], stressing the need for data localization and strict audits. India’s data protection laws would apply – meaning rating agencies must handle user data carefully and likely keep it within India. Additionally, there’s a competitive angle: if a global giant like Google (which has both YouTube and Android TV data) became a measurement provider, rivals might worry about how that data is used or whether it unfairly advantages their own platform. Robust governance will be required so that the new measurement environment is fair and secure. The ministry appears aware of this, with experts calling for “strict governance and regulatory vigilance” alongside the liberalization [storyboard18.com]. This could entail independent audits of rating methodologies, confidentiality of raw data, and perhaps oversight by a neutral technical committee to prevent any gaming of the system.

Impact on OTT Platforms and Content: The Coming Algorithm Wars

Beyond the boardroom debates on ratings agencies, these changes are likely to reverberate on the ground in how streaming platforms operate. With viewership numbers becoming more transparent and standardized, OTT services will effectively be entering a new kind of arms race – an “algorithm war” for audience attention with high stakes.

Until now, each streaming platform has been a walled garden, using its own recommendation algorithms and marketing strategies to maximize watch-time on its service (and then selectively touting its success metrics). Netflix, for instance, uses its famous algorithm to keep you binge-watching and only releases limited data (like hours viewed for top shows) when it suits them. If India moves to a world where an external rating tells advertisers and media buyers which platforms or shows are truly commanding eyeballs, the competitive pressure on platforms will intensify. Much like TV channels in the TRP era jockeyed for higher ratings week after week – sometimes tweaking show timings or content to boost those numbers – OTT players may start optimizing for the new metrics.

What form could this take? Potentially, product and content strategies might be retooled to win in the ratings. For example, if the new measurement emphasizes “viewing minutes” (total minutes watched, a metric BARC has piloted for premium homes), streamers might double down on autoplay features, longer episodes, or binge-release formats to rack up more watch-time. If unique reach (number of distinct viewers) becomes a key currency, platforms could invest more in mass-appeal content and free sampling strategies to broaden their audience base. Already we saw moves like a popular TV franchise (Shark Tank India) shifting exclusively to OTT and breaking engagement records – with credible cross-platform data, such experiments might become more common as platforms seek to boost their share of total audience. The net effect is that recommendation algorithms and content curation could be increasingly geared not just to serve user tastes, but to maximize measurable outcomes that the industry is watching. In a scenario of multiple rating agencies, one could even envision platforms cherry-picking the metrics or reports that cast them in the best light – leading to a battle of narratives (each backed by some data) about who is “#1” in streaming.

On the positive side, these algorithm wars for viewership could lead to a burst of innovation in user experience and content offerings. Platforms will strive to keep viewers hooked (to score well on the ratings), potentially investing in better personalization AI, user retention tactics, and marquee content that drives water-cooler buzz. We might see OTT services being more transparent with their own dashboards or partnering with measurement firms to highlight strengths (e.g., claiming leadership in a certain demographic or region, backed by third-party data). For content creators, if multiple agencies publish performance insights, it provides more feedback loops to understand what works and where. The competition for audience attention – already fierce – will now have public scorecards, which could push everyone to up their game.

However, there’s a cautionary tale in traditional TV: when channels chased TRPs at any cost, it sometimes led to formulaic or sensational programming aimed squarely at boosting ratings. Streaming platforms until now have enjoyed the freedom to cater to niche audiences or focus on long-term brand value without the tyranny of daily ratings. With the advent of a common metric, they might feel pressure to chase the lowest common denominator or over-emphasize quantity of viewing over quality. For instance, an algorithm might aggressively promote whatever content is likely to generate immediate clicks and views (as YouTube’s has been accused of doing), potentially sidelining content that builds slowly or serves niche but loyal fanbases. It will be a delicate balance for OTT providers to satisfy the new metrics without alienating users – essentially aligning the algorithms that serve viewers with the algorithms that count viewers.

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Highly recommend that you check out the TVF Originals / Specials on Zee5 - The Viral Fever is arguably India’s best web series focused production house with some fantastic writing, slice of life characters and brilliant actors that bring a variety of subjects to life. Enjoy and take your pick!

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 94th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. AI in Indian Filmmaking: Innovations and Insights

2. Pioneering Experiments in India

3. AI Tools Across the Pipeline

4. Voices from India’s Film Community

5. Cultural Storytelling & Local Innovation

6. Challenges and Ethics

7. Looking Ahead

And….Action!

AI in Indian Filmmaking: Innovations and Insights

Global Trends and Outlook. Artificial intelligence is transforming every stage of media production and distribution. An industry report projects the global AI-in-film market growing from about $1.28 billion in 2024 to $1.60 billion in 2025, and nearly $3.75 billion by 2029 [einpresswire.com]. Streaming platforms are a major driver: a 2024 Nielsen study found that streaming now accounts for over 40% of TV viewing [einpresswire.com], pushing companies worldwide to use AI for content creation, personalization and analytics. In India, filmmakers and studios are closely watching these trends. From Mumbai to Bengaluru, creators see AI as a way to speed up production and cut costs while keeping creative control. (Much of India’s film industry – Bollywood and the regional cinemas – is increasingly financed by or tied to streaming OTT players, who want faster turnarounds and data-driven hits.)

Pioneering Experiments in India

The first Indian tests of AI-driven filmmaking have already grabbed headlines. Bollywood veteran Shekhar Kapur, for example, surprised many by using ChatGPT to draft a script for Masoom 2, the sequel to his 1983 classic. Kapur found the AI “astonishingly quick” at grasping the story’s themes: it “conjured up a credible moral dilemma” for the protagonist and produced a coherent outline in seconds [m.economictimes.com]. He noted, however, that his human-written story was still better than the AI’s, and reminded everyone that an AI chatbot “does not see video” or feel emotions. This experiment illustrated how AI can spark ideas and even lay out basic plots – but human writers remain essential for nuance.

Renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur publicly tested ChatGPT for screenwriting. He praised its ability to generate a plausible plot outline (“a credible moral dilemma… in 30 secs”m.economictimes.com) but quipped that “my story is far better than AI’s.” Even so, his experiment signals a new era where Indian directors will routinely use AI as a creative assistant.

Another milestone came with Naisha, billed by its director Vivek Anchalia as “India’s first full-length AI film.” Anchalia began by making an AI-generated music video, which organically grew into an entire movie project. He spent over 1,500 hours training AI tools to create the story, characters and visuals. Remarkably, Anchalia estimates Naisha cost “less than 5%” of what a comparable conventional production would have. He used tools like Midjourney, Luma and Runway to render locations, characters and even lighting, iterating relentlessly until the AI output met his vision.

Anchalia admits the process was painstaking: achieving character continuity (“the same face” across frames) was a “major roadblock” that only resolved after many hours of fine-tuning prompts [thefederal.com]. Still, he believes the technology is improving so fast that true consistency will soon be just “a click” away. These pioneering projects prove that generative AI can dramatically cut budgets in India.

AI Tools Across the Pipeline

AI is finding roles at every stage of production. Bullet points below summarize some key tools and applications:

• Scriptwriting & Writing Aids: Chatbots and AI assistants now help writers brainstorm scenes and dialogue. Global models like GPT-3 are widely used, and Indian companies are building localized tools. For example, Mugafi is an AI-powered screenwriting platform tailored for Indian scripts (it supports Hindi, Tamil, Telugu etc., and adapts to regional formats and storytelling nuances). Such tools offer real-time suggestions, correct grammar, and even nudge writers out of blocks – all while preserving the writer’s unique voice.

• Pre-Production & Storyboarding: AI can generate quick visuals of scenes, characters or full storyboards. As producer Siddharth Roy Kapur notes, AI allows an “audio-visual representation of the storyboard” that used to take months manually. Filmmakers describe AI storyboarding tools that turn scripts into images, concept art or animatics almost instantly. Location scouting and casting can also be aided by AI databases and image generators, speeding up planning.

• Cinematography & Virtual Cameras: Intelligent camera rigs and software can autonomously frame shots and follow action. For instance, Motion Impossible and Kodak have developed AI-driven camera systems that can track actors or execute complex moves without a human operator. In India, directors experimenting with motion capture and virtual production (LED volumes) are beginning to integrate AI controls for real-time lighting and perspective, lowering the cost of big set pieces.

• Visual Effects & CG: Deep learning is now ubiquitous in VFX. AI algorithms can generate hyper-realistic backgrounds, digitally de-age actors or create fantastical elements with far less manual artistry. (Kannada director MG Srinivas cites Hollywood examples like Gemini Man and local films Kalki and Goa that used AI-assisted de-aging, though with some flaws [thefederal.com].) In India’s rich mythological and sci-fi genres, such AI-powered CGI is invaluable for crafting otherworldly visuals on tighter budgets. Adobe, NVIDIA and startups like Flawless AI and DeepDub are among the tech leaders here.

• Editing & Post-Production: AI-driven editing tools can scan hours of footage and suggest cuts, pacing and even highlight best takes. According to Maya Films, automated editing assistants analyze clips to propose a rough cut, saving editors countless hours. Color grading and pattern recognition can be done by neural nets, speeding up post. Indian editors are beginning to use tools like Runway ML and Adobe Sensei to accelerate VFX compositing and rotoscoping.

• Audio, Dubbing & Music: Perhaps the most visible AI use in India is in sound. Advanced voice-cloning enables seamless dubbing of films into multiple languages. Kannada star Shiva Rajkumar’s voice, for instance, has been AI-cloned for Telugu, Tamil and Hindi dubs of his movies. MG Srinivas even launched AI Samhitha, a studio offering such AI dubbing services; he says there’s huge demand from big-budget films being released across languages [thefederal.com]. Music too is touched by AI: producers like Siddharth Tewary have created AI-generated devotional songs (for Krishna Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi) that maintain emotional depth while drastically cutting production time and cost.

Voices from India’s Film Community

Leading Indian filmmakers and analysts offer mixed but optimistic views. Kannada director MG Srinivas (of Ghost and Birbal) calls the advent of AI “a tectonic shift” in our industry, saying, “We’ve had constant shifts in technology in films. Now, it is AI, and frankly filmmakers need to adapt and upgrade themselves.” [thefederal.com]. He used AI to de-age his lead actor and to clone the actor’s voice for multilingual dubbing. Srinivas also notes a practical benefit: “It has become easier to show an AI-generated visual of what I want, to ensure we are all on the same page”. In other words, ideas that were once sketches can now be quickly rendered for the whole crew.

Screenwriter Sumit Purohit (of Scam 1992) cautions that AI tools still have limits. Continuity is a challenge: AI “struggles to recognise the same character in subsequent frames” [thefederal.com], so his team often uses short AI-generated clips for pitches or trailers, not full scenes. But he adds that AI is already useful in drafting trailer visuals and even assisting script sections. “It’s good as a writing assistant as well,” he says. Production planners likewise welcome AI. Chaitanya Chinchlikar of Whistling Woods explains that AI has already entered workflows for pre-visualization, scheduling and background scoring [thefederal.com]. With more India-specific data fed into these tools, they only become more effective for local stories.

Critic Fenil Seta notes that AI can make stars multilingual: “Imagine Shah Rukh Khan talking in Spanish… that’s what AI is helping with now.” [storyboard18.com]. He believes this lowers distribution barriers. Seta also stresses AI’s job-creating side: by cutting production time, “AI will help filmmakers create films at a lesser cost and in lesser time… more avenues will open up so people will get employment, contrary to the belief that it will take jobs away.”. Veteran cinematographer Santosh Sivan echoes this hopeful stance: “AI should be enhancing a film or a piece of art… AI is a technical assistant. It won’t do anything unless a coder tells it to.” [theprint.in]. In short, most Indian filmmakers see AI as a powerful tool to enhance – not replace – human creativity.

Cultural Storytelling & Local Innovation

Some Indian creators are even using AI to revive cultural narratives. Bengaluru’s MAYA Films has a dedicated “MAYA AI” arm that applies AI to heritage projects. For instance, their “Echoes of Freedom” documentary re-imagines India’s 1947 Independence Day through AI. They generated over 2,000 images (many guided by historical photographs and descriptions) to weave a new visual experience of that moment. Importantly, Maya stresses human oversight: their team meticulously checked AI outputs for cultural accuracy, and reframed prompts when the AI “struggled” with Indian historical detail. These examples show AI’s promise in crafting immersive historical stories, provided creators remain conscientious about context and authenticity.

Challenges and Ethics

With great power comes concern. Indian filmmakers are keenly aware of the ethical questions AI poses. Anchalia points out that he never prompts the AI with a real star’s name, to respect privacy and fair use: he only uses generic character descriptions (e.g. “a 22-year-old Bengali woman in traditional dress”) when generating protagonists [thefederal.com]. He and others leave actual actors, musicians and writers in the loop whenever possible. Indeed, Indian law already offers protections: as industry lawyers note, court rulings (like the Amitabh Bachchan case) clearly prohibit unauthorised use of a performer’s likeness or voice [thefederal.com]. So far, Bollywood studios have not faced lawsuits over AI – but many expect the issue to be addressed soon.

Creators also worry that AI content could become formulaic or infringe copyright. Film-maker Abhishek Jain comments that AI’s “ruthless feedback” can sharpen a script without diluting creativity [storyboard18.com]. Fenil Seta emphasizes that AI should be seen as an enhancer: “AI will in no way replace human creativity,” he says – instead it can streamline routines and let artists focus on vision. In practice, most projects we’ve seen use human actors for final performances and composers for music, even if visuals are AI-generated [theprint.in]. The prevailing attitude is that the soul of a film must come from people, not machines.

Looking Ahead

The pace of change is breathtaking. Big tech continues to push AI video tools rapidly. For example, in late 2024 Meta introduced MovieGen, a research system that creates short videos from text prompts [einpresswire.com]. When such capabilities mature, Indian filmmakers will have even more freedom to visualize any idea.

In the near term, both indie and studio filmmakers stand to benefit. Major studios (like Prime Focus) will likely adopt AI to speed up their visual effects. On the OTT side, streaming platforms already use AI-driven editing and promotional tools to tailor content for millions of subscribers. With India’s massive audiences, local streamers may start using AI for targeted trailers, multilingual releases and even new forms of interactive storytelling.

Bottom line: AI is becoming an integral part of India’s filmmaking toolbox. Our creators—from directors to editors to VFX artists—are experimenting with it in every department. So far, the emerging consensus is clear: use AI to amplify human creativity, not replace it. As we’ve seen, when used thoughtfully it can democratize production (empowering smaller teams) and enrich storytelling (bringing new worlds and heritage to life). Streaming professionals should watch these developments closely. The next few years may bring generative TV series, AI-written scripts, or voice-cloned premieres – but success will belong to those who steer the technology wisely, ensuring the human touch remains at the heart of cinema.

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One of the better Netflix movies coming out of India - Aap Jaisa Koi gets South Indian star R. Madhavan flexing his Hindi for a Bollywood movie that is more than a love story - it’s a mirror held up to your beliefs, blind spots, and inherited behavior.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 93rd edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. Opportunities in Indian Streaming: Innovating in the Age of AI

2. Hyperlocal Sports Streaming (Schools & Colleges) – Tapping grassroots sports online

3. AI-Powered Personalization & Discovery – Smarter engines for content overload

4. Short-Form Video for Professionals – The TikTok of business content?

5. AI Tools for Fast & Affordable Video Production – Creating content at scale

6. Enterprise Streaming Platforms – B2B video for communication & commerce

7. Video for Bharat: Agriculture & Rural Communities – Reaching the heartland

8. Kid-Centric OTT Content – The next digital playground

9. Women’s Sports Streaming – Spotlighting the underrepresented half

And….Action!

Opportunities in Indian Streaming: Innovating in the Age of AI

This week, we evaluate what entrepreneurs and investors should be building in the age of AI for India’s streaming industry. From hyperlocal sports to AI-driven content creation, there’s a world of opportunity beyond the obvious.

1. Hyperlocal Sports Streaming (Schools & Colleges)

Everyone knows cricket is king in India – but what about the thousands of school, college, and local league matches and other sports that never make it to TV? A massive untapped audience exists for hyperlocal sports streaming. One emerging startup, SportVot, is leading the way: this D2C platform has live-streamed 35,000+ grassroots matches, profiling over 200,000 athletes. By equipping local teams and tournaments with affordable cameras and cloud-based studios, they help digitize and monetize sports at the grassroots.

The opportunity? Be the “YouTube for school sports”. India has tens of thousands of colleges and schools where passionate games (from cricket to kabaddi) are played yearly. Proud parents, alumni, and local fans would tune in if given the chance. SportVot’s success (3.5 lakh matches streamed and counting) proves the demand.

An entrepreneur could build regional or sport-specific streaming networks – imagine inter-school cricket live from Mumbai, or a national platform for college basketball. The market is massive, and AI can make it scalable: automated cameras, AI-driven highlights, and commentary can keep costs low. Beyond viewership, such platforms uncover hidden talent and new sports IP – all while connecting communities. In short, local sports is the next big streaming arena, waiting for innovators to champion it.

2. AI-Powered Personalization & Discovery

With 40+ OTT services in India, content overload is real. Users spend ages deciding what to watch. Enter AI-powered personalization – a critical layer for any streaming product today. Think of it as the brain that gets to know each viewer. Platforms like Netflix and Prime already thrive on smart recommendations, but there’s room to do even more in an Indian context. Multilingual personalization is one frontier: “In a multilingual country like ours, enabling linguistic exploration is key,” noted Amazon’s Gaurav Gandhi. Viewers shouldn’t struggle to find content in their preferred language or genre – AI can learn their tastes (maybe you binge Hindi thrillers and Tamil rom-coms) and serve up a custom mix.

For entrepreneurs, one idea is a personalization engine as a service – helping mid-tier OTTs or new apps boost engagement via machine learning. Another angle: aggregation + personalization. Startups like OTTplay have launched AI-powered aggregators that unify content from dozens of apps, then use intelligent recommendations to cut through the clutter. OTTplay’s platform spans 32 OTT services and uses a “hyper-personalized discovery engine” to reduce browsing time by ~30%. That’s a big deal when viewers typically waste 20 minutes just scrolling. By leveraging AI to follow each viewer’s “clues” – their viewing history, search queries, even mood – future streaming apps can recommend regional, niche, and popular titles that keep users hooked.

3. Short-Form Video for Professionals

India conquered short-form entertainment with TikTok (before its ban) and dozens of local clones for music, dance, and comedy. But there’s a whitespace in short-form video focused on business and professional content. Think LinkedIn meets Instagram Reels. Today’s young professionals and entrepreneurs prefer snackable insights over lengthy reports. In fact, 90% of Indian B2B marketers say capturing attention is now their top challenge, as decision-makers behave like consumers – seeking content that’s brief, visual, and mobile-friendly. This opens the door for an app or platform dedicated to quick, informative videos: startup how-tos, career tips, news explainers, investor insights – all in one-minute clips.

Why is this promising? Short video is booming even in B2B marketing. Recent industry research shows that under-90-second videos (explainer clips, behind-the-scenes looks, testimonials) are proving indispensable for building brand trust and converting leads [linkedin.com]. In other words, professionals want engaging video content, just tailored to their work and interests. A savvy entrepreneur could create a “professional shorts” platform or a new content format on existing networks targeting this need. Imagine an app where founders share bite-sized business lessons, or domain experts answer questions in 60 seconds. With AI, curation can be personalized (so a finance exec sees finance-related clips, a tech founder sees product hacks, etc.), and even content creation can be assisted (automatic captions, summaries, translations of each short).

Moreover, micro-influencers in business are on the rise – subject matter experts who command niche followings. A short-form medium amplifying their voice could draw a loyal audience. Already, 97% of Indian B2B marketers see video and influencer marketing as key drivers for sales now [linkedin.com]. A “TikTok for professionals” could ride this wave, supported by sponsorships, recruiting tie-ins, or premium learning content. In a world where “attention is currency”, a platform that helps entrepreneurs and executives consume (or create) valuable insights in minutes might just strike gold.

4. AI Tools for Fast & Affordable Video Production

Not every company can afford a Bollywood-budget video team – and that’s where AI in video production comes in. One of the biggest opportunities in the streaming ecosystem today is building tools that let any enterprise or creator make quality videos faster and cheaper. We’re talking automated editing, AI avatars, text-to-video generation, smart dubbing – the works.

Why now? Video content demand is exploding, but human-intensive production can’t keep up. As VideoVerse CEO Vinayak Shrivastav observes, “media companies and streamers [are] producing millions of hours of video… demand for curated content has skyrocketed” [indianstartupnews.com]. His startup (formerly Toch.ai, rebranded to VideoVerse) raised $45M to meet this demand by using AI to automatically transform full-length videos into short clips and highlights in real time. Their AI Magnifi can watch a cricket match or a long webinar and spit out ready-to-publish highlight reels, saving countless hours of manual editing. This kind of AI-driven editing is invaluable for sports leagues, news outlets, or OTT archives trying to maximize content output without ballooning costs.

Beyond editing, consider AI video creation for marketing. Indian startups like Rocketium and Rephrase.ai have pioneered tools to make ad videos or personalized clips at scale. In fact, Cadbury’s 2021 Diwali campaign famously used a deepfake avatar of Shah Rukh Khan to create thousands of localized ads for small retailers – a glimpse of how AI can customize content for diverse audiences. There’s also huge demand for multi-lingual video in India’s market: tools like Dubverse.ai now let you auto-dub videos into dozens of Indian languages with AI voices, removing the language barrier for content creators. Imagine an OTT platform auto-translating and voice-cloning its hit show into 10 regional tongues overnight – that’s a game changer for reach.

For entrepreneurs, the field is wide open to build “Canva for video” or the next-gen AI video studio. This could mean a SaaS product that lets small businesses generate slick product videos with just a script, or an AI that auto-edits user-generated footage into a polished vlog. It could be an API that OTT platforms use to generate trailer snippets personalized to each viewer’s taste (action-packed for one user, comedic for another). The key is leveraging advancements in computer vision, generative AI, and voice synthesis to slash the time and cost of video production. Just as tools for creating websites and graphics boomed, tools for creating videos are set to surge – especially in a country where marketing budgets are lean and social media timelines demand fresh video daily. In the AI age, every company will be a media company, and providing them the creative superpowers to churn out quality video easily is a multi-billion dollar opportunity.

5. Enterprise Streaming Platforms (B2B Use Cases)

Not all streaming is about movies and shows – businesses are increasingly streaming their own content. From all-hands meetings and product launches to training sessions and virtual conferences, enterprise video is booming. A recent study by Tata Communications found a staggering 98% of large enterprises now use live video streaming for key events like corporate announcements and town halls [csimagazine.com]. In fact, virtually all companies surveyed consider live streaming essential for communication, with 96% saying it’s highly effective for internal comms and 83% using it to engage customers. This points to a big B2B opportunity: building robust enterprise streaming solutions.

What might that look like? Think of a secure, company-branded “internal OTT” where a firm can broadcast CEO keynotes, host training modules on-demand, or live-stream its annual summit to employees and stakeholders worldwide. Sure, one could use YouTube or Zoom, but businesses increasingly demand broadcast-quality, interactive, and secure streams – something more professional than a basic Zoom call. This is where startups can step in with platforms offering features like high-quality low-latency streaming, end-to-end encryption, participant analytics, and integration with enterprise IT systems. Essentially, an “AWS for live corporate video”.

Moreover, live commerce is another B2B(2C) streaming play. E-commerce players in China have thrived with QVC-style live streams hosted by influencers to sell products. In India, short-video platforms and shopping apps are just starting to experiment with this fusion of streaming and commerce. An entrepreneur could build a platform or toolkit enabling brands (or even local shops) to easily host live shopping events – complete with real-time chat, purchase buttons, and AI-generated product demos. With India’s retail market embracing omni-channel, streaming could become a new storefront.

AI also adds value here: imagine AI-driven analytics during corporate streams (which segment of the all-hands got highest engagement? When did viewers drop off?), or AI translation so that a live session can instantly be sub-titled in multiple languages for a diverse workforce. There’s also room for interactive features – think live polls, Q&As analyzed by AI for sentiment, or even AR/VR meetings as bandwidth grows.

The bottom line: As businesses realize video is a superior medium for both internal and external communication, they’ll seek specialized platforms to do it right. From startups offering plug-and-play corporate webcast platforms to those building niche streaming services for education, healthcare training, or religious congregations, B2B streaming is ripe for innovation. The cherry on top – enterprise clients are willing to pay (and subscribe) for reliable service, making this a potentially lucrative play with recurring revenues.

6. Video for Bharat: Agriculture & Rural Communities

The next 200 million internet users in India will largely come from rural areas – and they won’t be satisfied with just watching city-centric entertainment. There’s a vast opportunity to create streaming and video platforms tailored to agricultural and rural communities. Picture a farmer in Madhya Pradesh getting live video updates on pest control techniques, or a village youth tuning into a livestream Q&A with an agricultural expert in her local language.

Platforms serving this segment are starting to emerge. For example, Access Agriculture, an NGO, launched a multilingual video platform with 200+ agricultural training videos in 80 languages – its new Hindi portal alone could reach 300 million Hindi-speaking farmers and rural entrepreneurs [fao.org]. This underscores the scale: farmers represent a user base in the hundreds of millions, and they are increasingly online thanks to cheap data. Yet most content for “Bharat” (rural India) is still text or audio-based, or one-way broadcast (like the government’s DD Kisan TV channel). High-quality streaming content – whether live or on-demand – focused on farming, rural education, and local community updates is still a blue-sky field.

An entrepreneur might create a “Kisan OTT” – a video hub for farmers with how-to clips on everything from sowing techniques to using government schemes, success-story documentaries of innovative farmers, weather update streams, even entertainment that resonates with rural life. Another idea: interactive live streams for agri-commerce, where buyers and sellers of produce do virtual auctions or produce showcases via live video. Given the rise of rural YouTubers and WhatsApp video sharing, there’s precedent that video engages these communities. The key will be localization (language, dialect, culturally relevant context) and accessibility (offline download options, low-bandwidth streams for areas with spotty internet). AI can help by auto-translating content, compressing videos for low bandwidth, or even providing chatbot advisors alongside videos (ask a question during a live demo of a farming technique and get an instant answer).

7. Kid-Centric OTT Content

If you think adults have screen-time addiction, take a look at any Indian kid with access to a smartphone. Children are spending more time online than ever – a survey found 61% of Indian kids now spend at least 3 hours daily online, mostly watching videos. Yet, the irony is that quality kids’ content in India is still underdeveloped. Ask any 10-year-old what they watch, and you’ll hear about Marvel movies, Japanese anime, or Western cartoons on YouTube/Netflix. Homegrown kids’ programming has been scant (children’s films were <0.2% of our box office, per Ormax Media), largely because of historically low investment. This is changing – and fast. For OTT players and new startups, kids’ streaming platforms and content hubs represent a huge opportunity.

Major OTTs have noticed the trend: ZEE5 launched a dedicated Kids section with 4,000 hours of content across nine languages, Discovery+ added a kids genre, and just recently JioHotstar rolled out a kids content hub featuring popular franchises like Pokemon (1000+ episodes). The pandemic accelerated this shift – with kids stuck at home, Nickelodeon saw 50 million weekly viewers and kids’ OTT consumption spiked. But even with these moves, the surface is barely scratched. India has over 400 million under-18s; serving them (and their parents) with safe, engaging content is both a noble mission and a potential goldmine. As one analysis put it, the kids’ entertainment space presents significant opportunities for producers & investors – a potential goldmine as long as content quality and safety are kept in focus.

What might a kids-centric streaming platform offer? It could aggregate child-friendly cartoons, learning shows, and nursery rhymes from various creators into one safe app (imagine a “Netflix Kids” but desi, with robust parental controls and perhaps gamified learning). Interactive education is a big angle – think of mixing video stories with quizzes or AR games, so kids learn while having fun. Personalization here means tailoring content to age groups and even to individual interests (if little Rohan loves dinosaurs and music, the app serves up animated songs about T-Rex). AI can assist by ensuring inappropriate content is filtered out automatically and even by creating content – for instance, procedurally generating simple animated stories or localizing voices. There’s also scope for Indian IP creation: original characters and stories that reflect Indian culture (the success of Chhota Bheem and its Netflix spin-off Mighty Little Bheem globally is proof that our stories can travel).

Importantly, parents are willing to pay for good kids’ content – be it subscriptions or one-time downloads – if it’s educational and safe. A B2B2C twist could be partnering with schools (many schools recommend edutainment apps to parents or use video content in classrooms). Whether through a dedicated app or via bundling on existing OTTs, kids’ content is set to boom. The next Pixar-like franchise could just as easily come out of Mumbai or Hyderabad, given the talent in our animation studios. For those looking to invest or build in OTT, don’t overlook the little ones – winning their hearts (and screen time) could yield big results.

8. Women’s Sports Streaming

Women’s sports have long been under-televised in India, but that’s changing – and with it comes an opportunity for streaming platforms. The recent Women’s Premier League (WPL) cricket debut was a watershed moment. JioHotstar, which streamed the WPL free, reported the final match drew over 10 million new viewers and clocked 50+ minutes average watch-time per user, making it the most-watched women’s event globally. This clearly signals that if you make women’s sports accessible and affordable to watch, audiences will flock. Now consider all the other women’s sports – from hockey and football to badminton, athletics, and kabaddi – that get far less coverage. There’s a huge whitespace to give these games a dedicated streaming spotlight.

An entrepreneur could launch a women’s sports-focused OTT platform or channel. Start by aggregating live streams and highlights of women’s leagues and tournaments (many of which are currently only on YouTube or not filmed at all). This could include everything from the Indian women’s football league matches, domestic cricket, to even college-level women’s championships. With the backing of AI, one can keep production costs low – e.g., using AI cameras (auto-tracking the action without a large crew) and automated highlight generators to package content nicely. There’s also room for rich storytelling: documentaries, player profiles, and analysis shows focusing on female athletes can engage fans and inspire young girls. In an age of equal opportunity, brands also want to associate with women’s sports – so monetization via sponsorships and ad revenue is viable, as seen by 50+ brands partnering during WPL’s first season.

Another angle is community engagement: a platform could integrate social features for fans of women’s sports to discuss and cheer, or even allow user-generated commentary (imagine college radio-style commentary for a women’s basketball game, done by fans). Interactive stats and gamification (fantasy leagues for women’s matches, prediction games) could further drive interest. Essentially, treat women’s sports with the same glamour and tech innovation that men’s sports have seen, and you unlock a new audience.

Crucially, by investing early in this space, a platform can become the go-to destination as viewership climbs. The success of WPL shows the trajectory.

Entrepreneurs don’t have to compete for IPL or ISL rights; instead, carve out the niche of women’s sports and grow with it. As societal support and participation for women athletes swell, the content demand will follow. A streaming service that champions “half the world’s sports” could not only do good for equality but also score a winning business, capturing loyalty in a less crowded field.

And Finally.

It’s an exciting time to be in the Indian streaming space – the attention economy is up for grabs, and AI is turbocharging what’s possible. We’ve highlighted both consumer-facing ideas (from kids content to sports and rural streaming) and B2B plays (like enterprise video and AI tooling). The truth is, the next wave of streaming innovation will be a mix of both. Consumer products need solid tech under the hood, and enterprise platforms need engaging consumer-grade UX.

A few themes stand out across these opportunities: localization, personalization, and democratization. Whether it’s tailoring content to a dialect for farmers or personalizing a content feed for each user, success will come to those who can cater to India’s diversity with a personal touch. AI, of course, is the enabler that can make this scaling feasible – handling the heavy lift of translation, content curation, or video generation in seconds where humans would take days.

For investors, these niches might just be the whitespace where the next Hotstar or Byju’s of video emerges. For entrepreneurs, the message is clear: think beyond the obvious (don’t just build another Netflix clone) and solve the unmet needs – be it the school sports fan who can’t attend games in person, the startup marketer lacking video skills, or the child craving fun learning in their mother tongue. India’s streaming landscape in 2025 and beyond isn’t going to be one-size-fits-all; it will be a vibrant tapestry of specialized platforms and tools, each capturing a unique audience. And in this race, those who blend creativity with AI prowess will lead the pack.

So, whether you’re hacking away on a new video app or reviewing pitch decks in this space – keep an eye on these emerging opportunities. The Streaming revolution’s next chapter will be written by those who can grab viewers’ attention in new ways, and there’s no shortage of avenues to do just that in the world’s fastest-growing streaming market. Happy streaming and building!

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Massive sports weekend coming up - India v England Third Test match starts tomorrow, 10th July and the Wimbledon finals are this weekend! Let’s go Sports (On JioHotstar in India).

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 92nd edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Agenda

1. South India’s Race to the Bottom (Price) & Top (Engagement)

2. aha’s ₹67 “Pocket Pack” – Low Cost, High Engagement

3. Sun NXT’s Ad-Supported Pivot

4. Content & Distribution Chessboard: Split Rights and Bundles

5. Conclusion: Navigating the New Regional OTT Economy

And….Action!

South India’s Race to the Bottom (Price) & Top (Engagement)

South India’s OTT market is witnessing an aggressive push towards ultra-affordable pricing, with platforms vying to capture massive audiences through rock-bottom subscription rates and hybrid ad-supported models. In the Telugu and Tamil streaming space, players like aha and Sun NXT are experimenting with “race to the bottom” pricing even as they strive for “top of the charts” user engagement.

Recent developments illustrate how regional streamers are blurring the lines between ad-supported (AVOD) and subscription (SVOD) services to grow their base:

• aha’s ₹67 Pocket Pack: A premium Telugu/Tamil content plan at just ₹67 per month, signaling an industry-low price point. This move aims to democratize regional OTT content and boost engagement by bringing in price-sensitive users.

• Sun NXT’s Ad-Supported Push: Sun TV’s Sun NXT platform now offers a basic annual plan (~₹48 per month) with ads, and even a free tier supported by ads – a clear bet on advertising to broaden viewership.

• Content Rights Innovation: Big-ticket South Indian titles like Kalki 2898 AD are adopting split-rights OTT releases – for instance, Hindi on Netflix while Tamil/Telugu versions stream on Prime Video – highlighting creative distribution strategies.

• Telco Mega-Bundles: Telecom giants are bundling regional OTTs into all-in-one packages. Bharti Airtel’s new prepaid “mega bundle” packs include 25+ OTT subscriptions (from Netflix to Sun NXT and aha) for as low as ₹279/month [airtel.in], reshaping how Tamil–Telugu content reaches users.

These trends underscore a fierce competition in South India’s streaming arena, where the price wars are intensifying even as platforms seek deeper user engagement through regional content, advertising, and strategic partnerships.

aha’s ₹67 “Pocket Pack” – Low Cost, High Engagement

aha’s promotional banner for its “Pocket Pack” highlights an affordable ₹67/month plan for Telugu and Tamil content, underscoring the platform’s push for wider reach.

Regional OTT platform aha has set a new benchmark for affordability with its “Pocket Pack” priced at just ₹67 per month. Launched around the Ugadi festival in spring 2025, the pack’s Telugu tagline “Karchu Thakkuva, Kickku Ekkuva” translates to “Less Expense, More Fun,” encapsulating aha’s mission to bring premium Telugu and Tamil entertainment to a broader audience at a bargain price.

According to aha’s CEO Ravikant Sabnavis, this move is part of a commitment to make high-quality regional content accessible to all: “We are excited to introduce the ‘aha Pocket Pack’ as part of our effort to provide affordable and engaging Telugu and Tamil content for everyone… [It] demonstrates our commitment to making premium content more accessible to all… for just ₹67 per month.” [indianbroadcastingworld.com]. Indeed, the Pocket Pack opens up aha’s full library of movies, web series, and originals without a hefty fee, effectively removing price as a barrier for consumers in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

Crucially, aha isn’t just dropping prices – it’s simultaneously upping the engagement game with fresh content and innovative formats. Alongside the Pocket Pack launch, aha rolled out new titles like the nostalgic drama Hometown, a high-energy game show Sarkaar Season 5, the rom-com 3 Roses (Season 2), and even a vertical-format series Apsara. By pairing an ultra-cheap plan with a slate of buzzworthy content, aha is racing to the top in viewer engagement metrics – hoping that once subscribers come in for the price, they’ll stay for the shows.

This strategy also reflects an AVOD/SVOD blur in aha’s approach. Historically a purely subscription-based service, aha began exploring advertising-supported models in recent years. As one senior executive noted back in 2022, “We have a subscriber base of 2 million… the next phase of growth… was through advertising on the platform,” targeting users “who want to pay less… and are okay with watching content with ads.” [moneycontrol.com]. The Pocket Pack, while nominally a paid plan, sits at a price point that’s almost impulsive – blurring the line between a paid subscription and a free service. At ₹67 (~$0.80) a month, it rivals the cost of some ad-supported streaming experiences, suggesting aha would rather onboard millions of users at a low price (and potentially serve them some ads or upsell later) than leave those viewers to YouTube or piracy. Notably, aha’s user base has grown rapidly – from ~1.5 million paid subscribers in mid-2021 to about 2.5 million paid users by March 2024 – and the Pocket Pack could boost those numbers further by converting free viewers into paying (albeit low-ARPU) subscribers.

Early signals show aha’s gamble is resonating. By slashing entry costs and maintaining content quality, aha is positioning itself as “the go-to platform for affordable, high-quality regional entertainment,” solidifying loyalty among Telugu and Tamil audiences. In the long run, the company hopes this wide funnel will yield returns via scale – whether through upselling some users to higher plans, attracting more advertising deals, or simply outlasting competitors in the attention economy.

Sun NXT’s Ad-Supported Pivot

If aha is sprinting towards affordability, Sun NXT – the streaming arm of Sun TV Network – is following a similar path by leveraging the power of advertising. Sun NXT has introduced a Basic subscription tier that costs ₹579 per year (approximately ₹48 per month) and includes ads, targeted at mobile-only viewers. This plan, alongside a premium ad-free ₹899/year option, marks a strategic pivot: Sun NXT is deliberately lowering the paywall in exchange for ad revenue and reach. In fact, Sun NXT now supports multiple business models, including a free, ad-supported tier for certain content. This effectively allows anyone to sample Sun NXT’s vast library of South Indian movies and TV shows without paying, expanding the funnel for potential upgrades.

Today, Sun NXT’s hybrid model is evident. The platform reportedly offers over 4,000 movies plus live TV channels across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, catering to a diverse South Indian audience. A user can watch many shows for free with advertisements, or choose the inexpensive Basic plan for full access with some ad interruptions. Only those who want a fully unrestricted, big-screen experience need to opt for the higher-priced premium tier. By embracing AVOD alongside SVOD, Sun NXT is converting many traditional TV viewers into OTT users without asking them to pull out a credit card at all. This strategy also complements Sun TV’s core business – higher engagement on Sun NXT can reinforce the popularity of Sun’s serials and films, creating a virtuous cycle between broadcast and digital.

Moreover, Sun NXT is riding on distribution partnerships to remain ubiquitous. The service has been bundled with various telco and DTH offerings (from Jio’s apps to cable set-top boxes), ensuring that Tamil and Telugu households encounter Sun NXT as easily as flipping a channel. The result: while exact active subscriber figures today aren’t public, Sun NXT’s user base (including bundled access users) likely runs in the tens of millions, maintaining its reputation as “an OTT fortress in South India” with deep penetration. The ad-supported pivot thus appears to be a win-win: viewers get heaps of free regional content, and Sun NXT gets to massively grow engagement hours, backed by advertising bucks and parent Sun TV’s content pipeline.

Content & Distribution Chessboard: Split Rights and Bundles

Beyond slashing prices, South Indian streaming platforms are also innovating in content rights and distribution to maximize their reach. A striking recent example (August ‘24 however worth talking about from a South Indian OTT perspective as well) is the OTT release strategy for “Kalki 2898 AD,” a big-budget Telugu-Hindi bilingual film. In a rare dual-platform arrangement, the movie’s Hindi version landed on Netflix while the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam versions premiered on Amazon Prime Video. This split-rights approach, almost unheard of in the streaming world, was designed to “maximize viewership and cater to diverse linguistic preferences”. Essentially, the producers leveraged two platforms to target different language markets – recognizing that the Hindi audience and the South Indian audience have distinct streaming platform preferences. For regional OTT economics, this move is telling: content owners are ready to break the norms (splitting rights by language or region) if it means reaching the widest possible audience in each market. It hints at a future where content distribution in India becomes a chessboard of intricate deals, with regional dominance and engagement as the ultimate goals.

Another powerful piece on this chessboard is the role of telecom aggregators bundling OTT subscriptions. The aforementioned Airtel “mega bundle” is a case in point. Bharti Airtel’s new all-in-one OTT pack for prepaid mobile users offers a buffet of 25+ streaming apps – including global giants and regional players like aha and Sun NXT – for a single fee. Starting at ₹279 per month, these packs give users Netflix (Basic), Disney+ Hotstar (branded as “JioHotstar” in Airtel’s promo), Zee5, SonyLIV, Lionsgate Play, and also regional specialists Aha, Sun NXT, Hoichoi (Bengali), Eros Now, and more. In other words, a Tamil or Telugu viewer can get their local favorites and Bollywood/Hollywood content all bundled with their mobile plan – a huge value proposition for consumers and a distribution boon for smaller OTTs. For platforms like aha and Sun NXT, hitching a ride on a telco bundle guarantees visibility to millions of potential users who might not otherwise consider a separate subscription. The trade-off is a heavily discounted revenue share, but again, the bet is that eyeballs and engagement today will translate to loyalty and monetization tomorrow (echoing the Sun NXT CFO’s logic).

These mega-bundles also reflect the blurred lines between competitors and collaborators in India’s streaming ecosystem. Airtel’s pack, for instance, puts erstwhile rivals under one roof – effectively acknowledging that many users don’t want to juggle multiple subscriptions and would prefer a one-stop solution.

For regional OTTs, being part of such a bundle can dramatically broaden their geographic reach (even to markets outside their core region or among diaspora overseas) without huge marketing spends. In the long term, however, it raises questions about brand differentiation: will users recognize the aha or Sun NXT brand if they access it via an aggregator app? Platforms will need to ensure they still offer enough unique content and experience to stand out within the bundle, to avoid being commoditized.

Conclusion: Navigating the New Regional OTT Economy

The Tamil and Telugu streaming sector is entering a new phase defined by aggressive affordability and innovative engagement tactics. The “race to the bottom” in pricing – exemplified by aha’s ₹67/month Pocket Pack and Sun NXT’s cheap annual plans – is not merely a discount war; it’s a strategic effort to on-board the next hundreds of millions of viewers who are price-sensitive but content-hungry. By lowering the cost hurdle to almost nil (even free in Sun NXT’s ad-tier case), these platforms hope to exponentially increase their user bases, especially in regional markets where OTT penetration is still growing. And as they do so, they’re carefully threading the needle to keep users engaged (and eventually paying more) through local-first content and new features.

At the same time, the lines between subscription and ad-supported models are fading. Aha’s journey from purely SVOD to a hybrid AVOD+SVOD model is telling – as its executives observed, the AVOD market is potentially 10x the size of SVOD in markets like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. South Indian streamers are thus not shying away from advertising; instead, they are embracing it as an integral part of their growth strategy. This convergence means the old dichotomy of “free with ads” vs “paid without ads” is giving way to a spectrum of low-cost options with varying degrees of ads and perks. For viewers, that translates to more choice: pay very little (or nothing) and still enjoy a huge catalog of regional content, or pay a bit more for an enhanced experience.

Finally, the developments around content rights splits and telco bundles indicate that collaboration is becoming as important as competition. Regional platforms are leveraging bigger platforms and partners to distribute content farther than they could alone – whether through a clever split OTT release to grab both Netflix’s and Prime Video’s audiences, or through telecom partnerships that put their app on the home screen of tens of millions of phones.

Even major national players are adopting accessibility moves (for example, ZEE5’s recent Free Blockbuster Fridays initiative streams select premium films free for a limited time) to hook new users. All these tactics underline a key theme: in the streaming game, especially in India’s regional markets, growth comes from meeting audiences where they are – on price, on platform, and on preferences.

For readers of The Streaming Lab, the takeaway is clear. The South Indian OTT scene is a microcosm of India’s streaming future – a future where success will belong to those who can win the price-sensitive masses without sacrificing engagement. As aha and Sun NXT sprint ahead with their low-cost, high-engagement formulas, it will be fascinating to watch how this race unfolds. Will ultra-low prices and hybrid monetization secure the loyalty of millions and translate into sustainable revenues?

Or will the strategy need recalibration once the user acquisition phase peaks? One thing is certain: in the race to the bottom of pricing, the platforms are banking on one outcome – that it propels them to the top of audience hearts and minds, creating a foundation for long-term dominance in the regional streaming landscape.

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An Abhishek Bachchan film that I am looking forward to - releasing on Zee5 this Friday. Trailer looks great. Here is the storyline - “An elderly man flees upon learning his family plans to abandon him. His life changes after meeting Ballu, an orphaned eight-year-old boy whose zest for life reawakens his spirit.”

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 91st edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

I invested in Athleteagent, building the IMDb of Sport with Aaron Rodgers, Steelers Quarterback as co-founder, as a precursor to the Pressplay Capital fund formation [I am launching the region’s first fund focused on the attention economy - LPs and Startups, please do get in touch here]. Go Ahead and check out “Why we invested?” by clicking on the image above!

Agenda

1. DPDP Act Rules Hit OTT First-Party Data: How India’s Streamers Are Preparing

2. Stricter Consent Rules and ‘Consent Managers’

3. Cross-Border Data Transfers and Localization

4. How Indian Streaming Platforms Are Preparing

5. Outlook: A New Normal for Indian Streaming

And….Action!

DPDP Act Rules Hit OTT First-Party Data: How India’s Streamers Are Preparing

India’s new Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 – along with draft rules released in early 2025 – is poised to reshape how streaming platforms handle user data. For OTT services (over-the-top video platforms), first-party data (like viewing history, preferences, and profile info) has been a cornerstone for personalization and monetization. Now, stringent data protection requirements mean platforms must rethink consent, data flows, and privacy practices in fundamental ways.

The DPDP framework makes explicit user consent the primary basis for processing personal data, with consent needing to be “free, specific, informed, unconditional, and unambiguous,” given through clear affirmative action. In short, Indian streamers will need to ensure users truly opt in for data use – and can just as easily opt out – or face hefty penalties for non-compliance. This has set the stage for a compliance overhaul in the streaming industry, from how apps obtain consent to where they store data.

Why does this matter to streaming? In the quest for audience engagement, OTT platforms have leaned on personal data to power recommendation engines, targeted ads, and curated experiences. Treating user information casually or without transparency can erode trust – and under the DPDP Act, it can also invite “severe penalties” [campaignindia.in]. On the flip side, those that champion user privacy may turn compliance into a competitive advantage, fostering loyalty by demonstrating respect for user data. As one industry expert noted, prioritizing privacy can become a distinct market differentiator, signalling a commitment to user value beyond just content metrics.

In a market as competitive as Indian streaming, finding the balance between personalization and privacy will be key.

Stricter Consent Rules and ‘Consent Managers’

India’s DPDP Act forces OTT platforms to replace blanket “I agree” terms with specific, ongoing permission for every data use. Bundled consent becomes invalid, so expect separate opt-ins for things like personalized recommendations, targeted ads, email updates, and analytics.

To police this, the Act introduces a licensed Consent Manager. Whether third-party or in-house, it must confirm in real time that a user has approved each data action. Government plans for an API-based Consent Management System could standardize these checks, denying any process that lacks valid consent.

This shift ends the “one-and-done” model. Apps will periodically nudge viewers—“Still OK with us using your watch history?”—so users stay aware and in control. Platforms must redesign interfaces: clearer privacy dashboards, unbundled toggles, and simple “withdraw consent” buttons. If the CMS goes live, many prompts may look and feel uniform across apps.

Industry voices call the move a “pivotal step toward transparency” but warn of consent fatigue if viewers are peppered with too many pop-ups. The challenge is to give meaningful choice without eroding user experience.

Failure carries teeth. Section 33 lets regulators fine violators up to ₹250 crore (≈ $30 million). Unsurprisingly, major streamers are already updating policies, adding opt-outs, and publishing transparency reports. Netflix, Prime Video, and JioHotstar, for instance, now let members switch off personalization or review collected data—goodwill gestures that double as pre-compliance.

More changes are imminent: multi-language notices, shorter policies, and default restrictions on kids’ data. In effect, every viewer should soon see, understand, and control how an OTT platform uses personal information—bringing Indian streaming in line with the world’s toughest privacy norms, but without the labyrinthine legalese of yesterday’s policy pages.

Cross-Border Data Transfers and Localization

Another significant aspect of the DPDP regime is its stance on cross-border data flows – a topic of particular interest to global streaming services operating in India. Many popular OTT platforms (think Netflix, Amazon Prime etc) rely on cloud infrastructure and data centers that may be located outside India, meaning personal data of Indian users often flows across borders. The new law imposes some guardrails here: personal data transfers abroad are allowed by default, except to certain countries that the Indian government may blacklist for reasons such as inadequate data protection or national security concerns [dpo-india.com]. In other words, India has chosen a “negative list” approach – rather than approving specific countries, it will ban transfers to disallowed jurisdictions, and everything else remains permissible. This is somewhat more flexible than the EU’s GDPR (which requires an adequacy finding or safeguards for each transfer) and is intended to let businesses operate globally unless a destination is explicitly off-limits.

For streaming platforms, this means they can continue using global data clouds and services in the US, Europe, etc., for now – since no countries have been officially blacklisted yet. However, they must stay vigilant. The law empowers the government to step in and prohibit data exports to certain territories via a committee or notification. Major Indian tech players are already lobbying on this front. Reliance Jio (which runs JioHotstar), for instance, strongly advocates for keeping Indian user data within national borders. In a recent consultation, a Jio executive backed forming a government committee to recommend what kinds of personal data “should not be transferred outside India,” aligning with Jio’s call to update policies so that Indian data stays in Indian data centers [hindustantimes.com]. Jio’s stance is perhaps unsurprising – data localization could benefit domestic companies with large local infrastructure – but it underscores a real possibility that regulations might tighten further on foreign data transfers.

Netflix and Amazon, which currently handle Indian data largely on global servers, could consider deploying India-based servers or cloud regions if required. The Livemint newspaper noted that global platforms operating in India may face “additional burdens from data localization requirements and restrictions on cross-border transfers, further complicating compliance.” [livemint.com]. While the Act doesn’t force full localization yet, the writing on the wall is that data sovereignty is a priority for regulators – companies might recall how previous drafts of India’s data law had much stricter localization clauses (which were relaxed in the final Act).

One immediate step streamers are taking is updating their data processing and transfer clauses in user agreements and internal policies [storyboard18.com]. Many are performing audits of where all their data flows, to plug any compliance gaps. It’s worth noting that some Indian streaming platforms are inherently more localized – for example, JioHotstar likely keeps data on Reliance’s own servers in India, and ShareChat’s Moj (a homegrown short-video app) would mostly store data in-country as well. These players could turn strict data residency into a selling point (“Your data stays in India”). But even they must be careful when using any third-party services or global CDNs that might transfer data abroad. Meanwhile, international services will be balancing efficiency with compliance – using global clouds for scalability, but ready to pivot to an India-only cloud if the government’s rules demand it.

How Indian Streaming Platforms Are Preparing

With the DPDP law on the horizon (the Act was passed in 2023 but is in the process of full implementation via the 2025 rules), streaming platforms in India – both global players and homegrown services – have sprung into action to get their houses in order. Compliance is a company-wide endeavor, touching legal, tech, product, and even marketing teams. Here’s how some of the key players are preparing:

• Reliance Jio’s new platform after acquiring Disney+ Hotstar—blends JioCinema’s tech with Hotstar’s vast audience. Reliance insists all user data stay on Indian soil: profiles, viewing logs, and device IDs reside on domestic servers, while third-party trackers are swapped for home-grown analytics. The group even lobbied regulators to restrict sensitive data exports.

  JioHotstar’s GDPR-hardened playbooks now show up locally. The app age-gates at sign-up; viewers under 18 need DigiLocker-verified parental consent before any personalised ads or tracking. Fresh consent tiles let users toggle personalised rows, sports alerts, or marketing emails—each switchable in a streamlined Privacy Hub, hitting DPDP’s “easy withdraw” rule.

  Real-time sports telemetry, formerly mined by default, now runs only after opt-in, with sensitive fields hashed or aggregated. When cross-border processing is unavoidable—say, for a U.S. AI model—data is tokenised so raw identities never exit India, keeping JioHotstar within the anticipated “negative-list” limits.

  Governance is equally tight: a Data Protection Officer reports to the board, every product sprint clears a privacy-by-design checklist, and ad-tech partners must show proof of consent.

• Netflix India: Netflix operates globally but has a significant and growing subscriber base in India. Netflix has dealt with strict privacy laws in Europe (GDPR) and elsewhere, so it likely has a mature data protection program. For India, Netflix will be updating user consent flows possibly in subtle ways – for example, when you create a new profile or account, expect clearer prompts about data usage.

  

  Netflix might also provide more in-app privacy options for Indian users, such as toggling personalized recommendations or controlling what data is shared for Netflix’s research and algorithm training. (Globally, Netflix already allows users to thumb up/down content for better recommendations – in India they may frame such features clearly as optional personalization tools subject to consent.) Because Netflix caters to families (they have a Kids profile feature), they will ensure that kids’ profiles are compliant – e.g., no targeted content or ads at all in kids profiles (Netflix anyway doesn’t have ads in its current plans, but if it introduces an ad-supported tier in India like it did in some countries, it will have to be extremely careful with any accounts labeled under 18). On cross-border data, Netflix likely keeps user watch histories and preferences on servers outside India (like AWS in the US or EU).

  Under DPDP, this is allowed unless those countries are blacklisted, but Netflix will keep an eye on any such government notifications. If needed, Netflix could shift to an India region cloud or replicate data locally to continue smooth service. The company has not made many public statements on DPDP, but one can infer from its global stance that it will treat the Indian law with the seriousness of GDPR – meaning rigorous internal audits, updating vendor contracts (since even data processors must comply), and possibly offering Indian users similar rights management as EU users (a way to download your data, delete account info, etc., in compliance with the Act’s provisions).

• ShareChat & Moj: ShareChat, a homegrown social media and short-video platform (Moj is its TikTok-like app), faces a unique challenge because a huge part of its user base are young individuals creating and consuming content, and the service is free and ad-supported. ShareChat’s CEO voiced concerns back when the bill was being drafted that setting the consent age at 18 (higher than some global norms) could be problematic for growth [m.economictimes.com], but the law indeed defines children as under 18. So, ShareChat and Moj will have to obtain parental consent for potentially millions of teen users – or find a workable solution like adjusting the experience for minors.

  They might implement a self-declaration at signup (e.g., “I am 18+” checkbox) to at least identify which users might be minors. For those who say they are under 18 (or perhaps if their usage patterns suggest it), Moj could require an email from a parent or an OTP verification of a parent’s identity via DigiLocker’s upcoming solution. It’s a tricky balance because adding too much friction could drive young users away (and they form a large chunk of Moj’s audience). ShareChat will also have to curtail personalized ads for under-18 users. Likely, they will default minors to a more general content feed. For adult users, ShareChat/Moj will start showing more granular consent notices – perhaps asking for permission to use your content liking and sharing history to recommend new posts, or permission to use your device info for targeted ads.

  In the meantime, ShareChat has been bolstering its compliance team – for instance, looking to appoint dedicated Data Protection Officers and beefing up data security audits. They’ve reportedly begun updating privacy policies to be more transparent about data practices and user rights. Also, since ShareChat is preparing to allow political advertising on its platforms [m.economictimes.com], it must tread carefully: political opinion could be sensitive personal data, and targeting ads by political preferences might invite scrutiny under DPDP’s principles of purpose limitation and consent. We may see ShareChat offering opt-outs for personalized ads or prompts that explicitly ask users if they want to see tailored content.

• Other Indian OTTs (Zee5, SonyLIV, etc.): Other Indian-run platforms like Zee5, SonyLIV,and newer ones like Tata Play’s OTT aggregation will similarly be focusing on hiring privacy professionals and conducting internal audits [storyboard18.com]. Many companies across sectors, from media to finance, have started appointing Data Protection Officers and doing gap assessments to comply with DPDP. Streaming services are no exception – their legal teams are likely working overtime to rewrite privacy policies in plainer language, set up user consent logs, and ensure a mechanism for addressing user rights requests (like if someone asks “delete all my data,” the platform needs a workflow to do so within the lawful time frame).

  Indian OTTs also need to get their advertising partners and tech vendors in line. For example, if an OTT platform uses a third-party ad network to fill video ad slots, that ad network will also have to comply with DPDP (as a data processor or separate fiduciary). This means contracts are being updated with data protection addendums, and some practices like dropping tracking cookies or sharing user identifiers with external ad partners might be curtailed. A practical change viewers might notice is more visible cookie consent notices on OTT websites, and options in apps to say yes or no to “personalized ads.”

  The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), representing digital companies, has been lobbying for a 24-month implementation timeline given the technical and financial effort required [storyboard18.com]. If that grace period is granted, streaming services will use the time to carefully roll out these changes in phases, test what works for user experience, and educate their users about the new privacy options.

Outlook: A New Normal for Indian Streaming

As the DPDP Act rules get finalized and enforcement kicks in (expected soon), streaming industry professionals should prepare for a new normal. Compliance will not be a one-time project but an ongoing process – much like how GDPR transformed companies in Europe. We can anticipate a few outcomes in the coming months and years:

• User Experience Changes: Don’t be surprised if your favorite OTT app’s login or settings page looks different. More privacy notices, consent pop-ups, and granular controls will become standard. The challenge will be to integrate these smoothly so that they inform but not irritate users. The hope is that through smart UX design and perhaps standardized consent interfaces, users will easily understand their choices. A well-implemented system could even improve trust – for example, a clear prompt that explains why an app wants your data can reassure users and lead them to agree if they see value.

• Competitive Differentiation on Privacy: Some streaming platforms might use privacy as a selling point in marketing. We might hear slogans like “Your privacy is our priority” or see features highlighting how little data a service collects. Smaller or newer entrants could attempt to win audiences by saying they are more respectful of data than the big players. On the other hand, the bigger players can leverage their advanced compliance infrastructure as a trust signal – e.g., a global player can say “we comply with the world’s strictest standards, including India’s DPDP Act.” As noted earlier, cultivating a reputation for high privacy standards can enhance audience loyalty.

• Monetization Balancing Act: Streaming platforms will likely diversify revenue strategies. If personalized ads face hurdles, there may be increased experimentation with subscription bundles, premium ad-free tiers, or commerce integrations to reduce reliance on ad targeting revenue. Advertisers and brands will adapt too – focusing on contextual ads, sponsorships, and creative that works in a privacy-constrained environment. In the end, those advertisers still want access to the vast streaming audiences; they will just find new, hopefully privacy-compliant, ways to reach them.

• Stronger Data Governance Culture: Internally, streaming companies in India will mature in how they handle data. Many are establishing formal data governance committees, conducting regular audits, and training employees at all levels about privacy. “Privacy by design” will be more than a buzzword – it will be part of the product development checklist.

  For example, when launching a new feature, the team will consciously decide what user data is absolutely necessary for it to function and how to minimize or secure that data. We’re already seeing major firms hiring Data Protection Officers and data governance leads to oversee these efforts. This professionalization of privacy will likely benefit users and companies alike, by reducing breaches and building resilience against regulatory scrutiny.

• Unresolved Questions: There are still areas that will evolve. The government’s plan for the Consent Manager system needs to be clarified – once standards are in place, will streaming apps integrate with a government-certified consent dashboard used across apps?

  How will enforcement work – will there be audits or only complaint-driven action by the Data Protection Board? The answers will shape how strictly and uniformly streaming services implement the rules. Additionally, if the government revisits the age-of-consent (there’s talk of possibly lowering it to 16 in the future depending on global norms), platforms might have to adjust their processes again. The regulatory landscape might continue to shift with related laws (for instance, there’s concurrently a push for a new Digital India Act that could overlap with some IT and content regulations). Streaming companies will need to stay agile and engaged in policy discussions to avoid being caught off guard.

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In Budapest, wealthy Indian-origin businessman Pankaj Bhatti is found brutally murdered. What initially looks like a hate crime soon unravels into a complex conspiracy. Detective Sherdil, a witty and unorthodox investigator, joins forces with Natasha to solve the case - Diljit Dosanjh and Boman Irani in the same movie make it a worthwhile watch!

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I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your monetization requirements.

A warm welcome to the 90th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Agenda

1. The Shrinking Theatrical-to-OTT Window War in Bollywood

2. The Theatrical Window is Shrinking

3. Why Are Windows Getting Shorter?

4. Aamir Khan’s OTT Rebellion and D2C Experiment

5. Final Thoughts

And….Action!

The Shrinking Theatrical-to-OTT Window War in Bollywood

The gap between a film’s theatrical release and its debut on streaming (OTT) platforms has become a hot-button issue in the Indian film industry.

In recent years, this theatrical-to-OTT window has drastically shrunk – from several months to just a few weeks in many cases. This trend is sparking debate among producers, cinemas, and streaming services over its impact on box-office revenues and movie-going habits.

A high-profile example is superstar Aamir Khan’s bold stance: he turned down a hefty OTT deal (reportedly around ₹150 crore) for his upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par, insisting it will not hit any streaming service in the usual 8-week post-release period.

Instead, Khan is advocating a much longer gap of about six months before the film goes online. His move has reignited the discussion on whether quick OTT releases are cannibalizing theatrical earnings or simply adapting to changing viewer preferences.

The Theatrical Window is Shrinking

Not long ago, Indian films typically took months to reach any “home viewing” format. Before the OTT era, a movie might run in theaters for 10-12 weeks or more, then become available on DVD/TV much later.

However, with the rise of digital platforms, release windows have collapsed. Industry data shows that between 2015 and 2019, average theatrical windows fell by over 80% in both Hollywood and Bollywood. In India’s case, an informal 8-week (~56 days) exclusivity in cinemas used to be the norm for Hindi films (Bollywood) until the pandemic. Today, that standard has eroded: many films premiere on OTT barely 4 weeks after theatrical release.

• 2022-23: Theatrical business resumed post COVID, and Bollywood producers initially agreed to restore an 8-week window from August 2022. But in practice, flexibility crept in. Under-performing movies often dropped to OTT early (sometimes after 4 weeks) to maximize reach and revenue. Meanwhile, South Indian industries (Tamil, Telugu, etc.) largely stuck to a 4-week window, which had long been customary there. Major Hindi multiplex chains like PVR/Inox even refused to screen some South films that insisted on 4-week OTT releases, underscoring the tug-of-war between regions.

• 2024-2025: A “one size fits all” window no longer exists. Studios and streamers often use performance-based windows. For example, a recent Telugu film deal specifies an 8-week OTT release if the movie does well in theaters, but a 4-week release if it underperforms. In other words, a blockbuster will be kept longer exclusively in cinemas, while a flop is sent online sooner. Producers are clearly keen to hedge bets in an uncertain box-office climate.

Why Are Windows Getting Shorter?

Several factors drive the shrinking theatrical window:

• OTT Revenue and Audience Demand: Streaming platforms offer lucrative deals to film producers, especially for quick post-theatrical releases. With audiences now accustomed to on-demand content, there’s high demand to watch new films at home as soon as possible. OTT services have deep pockets and in recent years didn’t hesitate to pay extra to reduce the gap from 8 weeks to 4 weeks for popular titles. For producers, a faster OTT release can mean securing a big payday upfront, reducing their risk if theatrical earnings disappoint.

• Pandemic Habits: COVID-19 lockdowns trained viewers to wait for digital premieres. Even after cinemas reopened, many moviegoers – especially in urban areas – became less inclined to rush to theatres, assuming films would land on Netflix/Amazon within a month or two. This “wait-for-streaming” mentality put pressure on producers to shorten the gap and capitalize on post-release buzz before it fades.

• Box-Office Unpredictability: The fate of movies at the box office is more unpredictable than ever. If a film’s theatrical run tapers off quickly (say, after 2-3 weeks), holding it back from OTT might only diminish its overall revenue potential. Flexible scheduling is therefore on the rise. Studios now often pre-negotiate conditional OTT clauses: for instance, “if the movie drops below X collections by week 3, allow OTT by week 4; if it’s still strong, hold until week 8.” This dynamic strategy ensures that if a film flops, it can start streaming in a month or less to capture whatever audience interest remains. Recent examples include Tamil star vehicles that skipped North Indian theaters entirely to enable early streaming, versus others that delayed streaming because they found a theatrical audience against the odds.

• Producer Calculations: Smaller and mid-budget films, in particular, benefit from shorter windows. These films often struggle to survive beyond the first couple of weeks in theaters (due to limited marketing or being overshadowed by bigger releases). For them, an early OTT debut can stop the bleeding financially. Indian producers say that they’d rather not wait 2 extra months for a theatrical trickle when a streaming launch could yield instant cash and a wider viewership.

  This was evident during a recent legal tussle: producer Dinesh Vijan planned to send the rom-com Bhool Chuk Maaf straight to OTT, skipping cinemas, until multiplex chain PVR sued. The eventual court-brokered compromise had the film release theatrically and hit Amazon Prime Video just 2 weeks later, far shorter than the usual window. The case shocked theater owners but underscored producers’ willingness to fight for OTT flexibility.

• OTT Platforms’ Strategy: From the streamer’s perspective, paying for exclusive rights loses value if they must wait too long. Platforms thrive on fresh content to retain subscribers. They prefer not to delay a big movie’s online premiere for 2+ months after purchase. In fact, streaming services often map out content calendars in advance; an unpredictable holdback complicates their scheduling.

  Thus, they too have pushed for a predictable (and shorter) window. Many Hindi film contracts now simply target a 6-8 week OTT launch by default, and in the South, industry bodies have officially adopted a 4-week norm for streaming after theatrical. Multiplexes in South India have little leverage to oppose this because single-screen theaters and local audiences dominate those markets.

Aamir Khan’s OTT Rebellion and D2C Experiment

Aamir Khan, often dubbed “Mr. Perfectionist” of Bollywood, has added a new chapter to this saga by openly challenging the prevailing release model. His upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par (spiritual sequel to the acclaimed Taare Zameen Par) is set for a theatrical release on June 20, 2025. What’s making waves is that Aamir has refused all OTT streaming offers for the film’s post-theatrical rights.

This is almost unheard of for a modern big-budget film. According to industry insiders, he walked away from an initial offer of around ₹150 crore from a streaming giant (with potential to negotiate even higher). For context, ₹150 crore is a massive sum that could underwrite a large portion of the film’s budget. Rejecting it signals Aamir’s conviction that immediate monetary gains should be sacrificed for what he calls the “long-term benefit of the industry”.

Aamir Khan’s stance is that he wants at least a six-month gap between the theatrical release and any OTT availability. In his own words, “You need that much time to separate the theatrical audience from the home viewers” [brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com].

He believes a film needs the breathing room to build word-of-mouth over weeks and that many people only decide to watch after hearing good feedback, which can take several weeks. But if those people know the movie will pop up on their streaming service in, say, 4-8 weeks, they might never bother to make the effort to go out to a theater.

By enforcing a six-month wait, Khan argues, by the time the film hits OTT, it will no longer be “stealing” any audience from cinemas – anyone who had real interest would have found a way to see it on the big screen in that half-year period. “If you have not watched it in six months, there is very little chance of you watching it in theatres at all,” he says, so only then, after six months, it can safely be made available for home viewing.

This decision wasn’t easy even for Aamir – he has acknowledged that in the short term, “we might lose big money” by not selling Sitaare Zameen Par to a platform immediately. In fact, members of his own production team and family strongly advised against it, given the financial risk. Yet, Khan is adamant that the shorter theatrical windows are a “trap” that could destroy the industry’s future.

He has effectively thrown down a gauntlet, betting that if his model succeeds, others might follow suit in reclaiming a longer exclusive window. And if it doesn’t, as he candidly put it, “we all have to go back to the drawing board.”

However, Aamir is not merely delaying the OTT release; he’s reimagining the post-theatrical route entirely. Reports indicate that Sitaare Zameen Par will not go to any subscription OTT platform at all (at least not in the first 6 months). Instead, Aamir plans to make it available as a pay-per-view (PPV) offering on YouTube roughly two months after its cinema release [hindustantimes.com].

In other words, after the initial theatrical run, viewers who missed it in theaters can rent/buy the film online (likely via YouTube Movies) by late August, but it won’t be part of a flat-rate catalogue on Netflix, Prime Video, etc. This approach is essentially a form of direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming, cutting out the middleman of a large OTT subscription service.

Aamir’s logic here is strategic: a transactional VOD model maintains some of the “event” nature of the film. If you really want to watch it at home, you’ll have to pay specifically for that film (just like buying a ticket, albeit cheaper). This, he hopes, preserves a sense of urgency and value around the movie, unlike the “free on OTT with subscription” scenario which, in his view, “discourages viewers from watching movies on the big screen” in the first place. A source close to him explained that for non-spectacle films especially, viewers have gotten used to skipping the theater if they know it’ll be on a streaming platform they already subscribe to.

But a pay-per-view release “creates a cinema-like urgency”, because the viewer must make a conscious purchase to see the film [hindustantimes.com]. It’s not as ideal as them buying a theater ticket, but it’s psychologically different from it dropping as part of an unlimited buffet of content. It also potentially gives producers more control and revenue share per view, rather than selling all rights in one go.

Final Thoughts

The tussle over theatrical vs. OTT release windows in India is a microcosm of the film industry’s larger challenge: adapting to changing consumer habits without abandoning what makes the cinematic experience special. On one side of this “window war,” we have the forces of technology and economics pulling towards shorter windows – audiences wanting instant access and studios chasing quick returns. On the other side, there’s a push to safeguard the traditional exhibition sector – giving movies longer exclusivity to cultivate a theater-going culture and maximize box-office potential. The middle ground has been shifting over the past few years, and it continues to evolve through negotiations, court cases, and bold experiments like Aamir Khan’s.

Bollywood is at a crossroads similar to where Hollywood was a couple of years ago: finding that sweet spot where theaters and streamers co-exist profitably. The outcome is likely to be a hybrid model – neither the old six-month waits of DVD days nor a complete free-for-all where films drop online immediately. As of 2025, a de facto 4–8 week window is common in India, but this could lengthen a bit if more stakeholders band together as they attempted in 2022. The experience of other markets suggests that a roughly 6-8 week window may become the accepted compromise for most films, with premium exceptions (big hits holding longer) and flops making quick exits.

The one-size-fits-all window approach is likely gone for good. Instead, agility and case-by-case strategy will rule. For audiences, this means some movies you’ll see on Netflix barely a month after release, while others you might not find online for half a year. For the industry, it means constantly balancing between the allure of OTT money and the long-term goal of sustaining theaters.

The stakes are high: India has one of the lowest per-capita theater attendance rates in the world (only ~8.6% of Indians went to a cinema at least once in 2022) [ormaxmedia.com]. Losing more of that audience to living rooms could diminish the cultural impact and revenue of theatrical films.

Aamir Khan’s crusade to expand the window is, at its heart, an attempt to “rewire” the audience mindset – to make going to the movies the primary way to experience new films, with streaming as a later convenience, not a near-immediate substitute. Whether he succeeds or not, the conversation he ignited is a valuable one. It challenges filmmakers to think about the value proposition of a theatrical release in an era of abundant digital content. It also challenges OTT platforms to perhaps reconsider if rushing every film to streaming is truly a win-win, or if a healthier gap could benefit the overall film ecosystem (and eventually even their own libraries with films that have proven theatrical credibility).

In the coming months, watch for how other Bollywood A-listers react. If Sitaare Zameen Par sets a trend, we may see a mini-revival of longer windows – even if not six months, maybe 10-12 weeks for select films – and novel release patterns like premium rentals.

If not, the drift toward shorter windows will likely continue, and theaters will have to find other innovations to draw crowds (better infrastructure, pricing, immersive technology, etc.). As things stand, the theatrical-to-OTT window war in India is far from over, and its resolution will shape the future of movie consumption in one of the world’s largest film markets.

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New Test Captain and a new look India team take on England in their back yard starting June 20th! Looking forward to a spirited performance by the touring side and a fantastic English summer.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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I am launching the region’s first fund called Pressplay Capital focused on the attention economy - LPs and Startups, please do get in touch here.

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your advertising requirements.

A warm welcome to the 89th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

And this news just broke couple of days ago -

Zee Entertainment Enterprises is betting big on micro-dramas as the next frontier in Indian digital entertainment, revealing a strategic equity partnership with startup Bullet to launch a micro-drama application.

The Mumbai-based media giant will invest in and acquire a stake in Bullet, which has been co-founded by serial entrepreneurs Azim Lalani and Saurabh Kushwah. The new platform will be integrated within Zee’s ZEE5 ecosystem, giving it immediate access to the streaming service’s established user base.

Agenda

1. ShareChat’s Micro-Drama Bet

2. The China Playbook: Kuaishou + Douyin

3. Monetization Frontiers

4. Why This Play Is Difficult — And Potentially Lucrative

5. The Role of AI in Content Creation

6. Final Thoughts

And….Action!

ShareChat’s Micro-Drama Bet

Moj’s Pivot and the Launch of QuickTV

China’s micro-drama boom has been nothing short of staggering. Reuters reports that the market for vertically-shot, short-format serialized content in China has ballooned into a $5 billion-a-year industry. Platforms like Kuaishou now host 68 mini-series, some of which attract hundreds of millions of views. It’s estimated that 94 million Chinese users binge-watch 10 or more episodes of micro-dramas every single day.

The implications for India haven’t gone unnoticed. Startups like Flick TV estimate that India could see a $5 billion market for similar short-form serial content over the next five years. Meanwhile, homegrown social platforms like ShareChat are taking strategic action. Moj, its short-video product that once competed fiercely with TikTok clones and reels, saw a worrying ~25% drop in monthly active users in 2023. To combat the churn and rebuild engagement, ShareChat has taken a new swing at entertainment: episodic micro-dramas.

At the center of this shift is QuickTV, ShareChat’s newly launched Android app dedicated to “Short Drama & Movies.” The positioning is clear: fast-paced storytelling for mobile-first audiences. Within months of launch in early 2025, QuickTV amassed around 1.7 million downloads — a signal that user curiosity is real.

This initiative rides on the back of Moj’s and MX TakaTak’s combined user base of 300 million. That’s a massive pipe of potential viewers who are already familiar with short video formats. Now, instead of 30-second viral clips, ShareChat wants to turn them into loyal episodic viewers.

As a leading content studio described it, platforms like Moj are now “powering the micro-drama revolution in India.” This marks a significant shift in strategy: from random UGC clips to serialized storytelling, ShareChat is trying to build a TikTok-meets-Netflix hybrid designed for Indian phones and attention spans.

The China Playbook: Kuaishou + Douyin

To understand the strategic play here, it's useful to glance at China’s success stories. ByteDance's Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) has over 766 million MAUs and pioneered video-commerce integrations. During Singles’ Day alone, 480 million Chinese used Douyin for shopping. Meanwhile, Kuaishou with 712 million MAUs has emerged as the go-to platform for micro-dramas — reportedly hosting 60% of the top shows last year.

These platforms have mastered the formula: hook the viewer with the first few free episodes, then use micropayments to unlock the rest. This episodic monetization creates a mini-freemium funnel, generating stickiness and revenue. India hasn’t seen this play out at scale yet — but ShareChat seems determined to lead the charge.

Monetization Frontiers

The real promise of micro-dramas isn’t just attention. It’s in how you monetize that attention.

Until now, ShareChat’s parent company, Mohalla Tech, has leaned heavily on livestream gifting, video & display ads. In FY24, livestream gifting made up 56% of revenue. But as audiences fatigue from generic content, episodic narratives could offer a more valuable monetization loop. Here are the key levers ShareChat may explore:

• Micropay-per-episode: Viewers pay small amounts to watch episodes after the free teaser. Flick TV is piloting this model already.

• Subscription bundles: Offer access to all episodes in a series or entire genre bundles at a fixed price.

• Commerce & brand integration: Embed brands natively into the storyline and build shoppable content around them.

• Premium ad inventory [less favored as per my sources]: Mini-series could command higher ad rates and open up branded content opportunities.

• Virtual tipping: Allow fans to support shows or creators directly, as Kuaishou does effectively.

In short: micro-dramas provide a structure for time-based monetization and more immersive content experiences that banner ads simply can’t replicate.

Why This Play Is Difficult — And Potentially Lucrative

This is not an easy business. Creating compelling short-form stories that keep users coming back is difficult, especially at the speed and frequency platforms demand.

However, the king and queen are content IPs even in this space. The companies and creators who think deeply about repeatable storytelling formats — and who build characters, cliffhangers, and themes that viewers love — will win. This is what makes episodic content uniquely sticky: the emotional hooks are stronger, and return rates are higher.

The challenge is the discipline required to sustain the content treadmill. While going viral can happen by chance, building story-based video IP is a muscle — one that India’s short video ecosystem is only beginning to develop.

The Role of AI in Content Creation

This is where AI enters the frame. ShareChat and others are likely to tap into AI-based video generation to reduce costs, scale production, and experiment faster. While Video AI isn’t yet consistent enough to handle entire micro-dramas at production quality, we’re seeing rapid improvement.

Tools can already assist with:

• Scriptwriting and dialogue generation

• Storyboarding and scene planning

• Voiceovers and dubbing in regional languages

• Virtual actors and synthetic visuals for low-stakes or experimental content

The key will be speed of iteration. If creators can test and refine stories quickly using AI tools, and if viewers accept minor trade-offs in polish for compelling narrative, it could tilt the economics significantly. Platforms like QuickTV will benefit from AI by keeping content production costs in check while improving output quality over time.

Final Thoughts

The micro-drama bet is a defining moment for ShareChat. It signals a pivot away from pure-feed virality to structured, serialized engagement. With QuickTV, the company is trying to build India’s first scalable short drama platform — one that could monetize deeply, attract new creators, and offer brands a fresh storytelling medium.

It's not straightforward. But as the Chinese model shows, the upside is massive. If ShareChat can execute well, building not just tech but a flywheel of creators, monetization tools, and sticky content IP, then this bet may very well pay off.

Content IP + disciplined content treadmill + fast, cost-effective AI production = a high-risk, high-reward formula.

ShareChat just turned the page. Now we wait to see if the story sticks.

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Gut wrenching at times, but with great direction and A-list performances, this is a watch pretty much thanks to Boman Irani, arguably one of India’s best character actors. Just watched this After the loss of his mother, Amay, a struggling young architect, is forced to live for 48 hours with the one person he cannot stand, his father. It seems like a recipe for disaster. Wrong! It's much worse. Will the young architect crumble, or will this bumpy ride help him rebuild his relationship?

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

I am launching the region’s first fund called Pressplay Capital focused on the attention economy - LPs and Startups, please do get in touch here.

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your advertising requirements.

A warm welcome to the 88th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. AI in Indian Streaming: How Local Platforms and Media Giants Leverage AI

2. AI-Powered Personalization & Recommendations

3. AI for Localization: Dubbing, Subtitles and Beyond

4. AI in Content Creation and Production

5. AI in Marketing, Advertising and Monetization

And….Action!

AI in Indian Streaming: How Local Platforms and Media Giants Leverage AI

Artificial intelligence has quickly become a game-changer for India’s streaming video industry. From OTT platforms like Netflix India, JioHotstar, and ZEE5 to traditional media networks like Star, Sony, and Viacom18, companies are weaving AI into many aspects of their operations. In just the last couple of years, publicly disclosed use-cases show AI enhancing content discovery, personalizing viewer experiences, localizing content into diverse languages, streamlining production, and even boosting ad revenues. This analysis looks at how Indian streamers and media companies are using AI across the board – focusing on recent developments – to stay competitive in a fast-evolving market.

AI-Powered Personalization & Recommendations

One of AI’s most widespread applications in streaming is personalized content recommendation. Global giants set the tone – Netflix’s machine learning–driven recommendation engine, for example, is famously effective: around 75% of what users watch on Netflix comes from algorithmic recommendations, which Netflix estimates saves over $1 billion per year by reducing subscriber churn [theaitrack.com]. In India, both international and homegrown platforms leverage similar AI-driven recommendation systems to keep viewers hooked.

Indian OTT services like ZEE5 and JioHotstar have invested heavily in personalization. ZEE5’s Chief Business Officer has noted that advanced AI algorithms analyze users’ viewing patterns and real-time behavior to deliver “hyper-personalized content recommendations” that reflect each viewer’s unique tastes [financialexpress.com]. By mining data on watch history and preferences across its 76+ million active users, ZEE5’s AI helps each user discover relevant shows and movies from its vast library. JioHotstar likewise crunches massive real-time data streams to tailor suggestions – whether recommending a new Bollywood film or a highlight clip from last night’s cricket match – based on each viewer’s past engagement. In fact, during live sports events, JioHotstar’s platform analyzes what each fan enjoys to personalize the experience: stats overlays for the data-hungry fans, multi-camera angles for those who like to explore, and curated replays or interviews you might have missed. The goal is an intuitive viewing experience where the app surfaces exactly what you’re most likely to enjoy, keeping you engaged longer.

Under the hood, these personalization engines use machine learning models that segment users into micro-clusters and continuously refine predictions of what someone will watch next. They even adapt presentation – for example, Netflix and other platforms famously use AI to test and swap thumbnails or promotional art for each title to maximize clicks. All these AI-driven tweaks add up to a more sticky user experience: content feels tailored to you, which increases satisfaction and reduces the temptation to churn away to a competitor.

AI for Localization: Dubbing, Subtitles and Beyond

Perhaps nowhere is India’s streaming landscape more directly impacted by AI than in content localization. India’s diversity of languages means that dubbing and subtitling content into regional tongues is critical for reach – and AI is now accelerating this process dramatically. A prime example is Eros Now, which in 2022 announced it had become the world’s first streaming service to fully automate subtitling for its entire catalog using AI. By collaborating with Google Cloud’s AI team, Eros built a model (trained on vast amounts of subtitle data) to generate accurate subtitles in multiple languages at near-human quality. The initial rollout focused on Arabic subtitles to cater to the huge Middle Eastern fanbase for Bollywood content.

According to Eros, this AI-driven subtitling slashed turnaround time – what used to take human subtitlers 48 hours per film can now be done in seconds – enabling faster and wider release of content with subtitles. The company noted that solving challenges like gendered terms and varied punctuation across languages took months of refining the AI, but the result is a system that dramatically boosts accessibility of Indian films globally.

Beyond subtitles, AI-powered dubbing is emerging as a game-changer for making content multilingual. Star Sports (Disney Star) – a major sports broadcaster whose content also appears on JioHotstar – made headlines during IPL 2024 by using AI voice technology to offer commentary in multiple languages without needing separate human commentators. In an industry first, Star Sports introduced an AI-driven translation feature that allows its English-speaking international commentators to be heard speaking Hindi in their own voices.

^^ A clip of Steve Smith praising Virat Kohli’s batting in pitch-perfect Hindi went viral, stunning fans and showing the potential of AI voice translation [made together with ElevenLabs]. This made for a mind-bending experience – Hindi-speaking fans could suddenly hear overseas commentators like Matthew Hayden or Stuart Broad “directly” addressing them in Hindi, as if those stars were bilingual. Star Sports’ use of this tech dramatically lowers language barriers, letting broadcasters scale up to 12+ commentary languages to cater to India’s diverse cricket audience without hiring entire commentary teams for each language.

Streaming giants are also exploring AI dubbing for movies and series. Globally, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have begun using AI-driven dubbing to expand the multilingual reach of their originals. This often involves synthetic voices that mimic the original actors, but speak localized dialogue – allowing, say, a Spanish series to have a Hindi or Tamil dub that retains the original actors’ vocal qualities. In India, major studios are eyeing this tech for films too. Abu Dhabi’s AI firm G42 recently revealed that a leading Bollywood production house is keen to use AI dubbing so that superstars like Shah Rukh Khan’s own voice can be used for Tamil or Telugu dubs of their films. Keeping the actor’s real voice (just translated) could greatly improve audience acceptance of dubbed content. The future of localization in Indian streaming will likely see more such AI voice-cloning, real-time translations, and automated captions – making premium content instantly accessible in any language. This is especially crucial as platforms chase the next 100 million viewers from non-English speaking demographics.

AI in Content Creation and Production

Indian media companies are also starting to tap AI to create and edit content more efficiently. A notable example is ZEE5’s experimentation with generative AI to support their content creators. The CTO of ZEE5 revealed in 2023 that the platform is piloting large language models (LLMs) for script writing assistance [analyticsindiamag.com]. In practice, this means AI might help draft story outlines or dialogues for upcoming shows – giving writers a creative springboard or helping generate alternate plot ideas.

While ZEE5 did not disclose which shows are using AI-generated scripts, the CTO hinted that “if everything goes according to plan, we might continue utilizing LLM models in script writing” for content development. This suggests an openness to AI co-writing episodes or at least aiding the brainstorming process for new series. Additionally, ZEE5 acknowledged that many of its developers and creators use tools like GitHub Copilot (an AI coding assistant) to speed up tasks behind the scenes. Generative AI is also being eyed for producing marketing creatives – memes, short-form videos, social media posts – at scale. ZEE5’s team noted that AI-generated “meaningful creatives [and] memes” have helped expand audience engagement around their shows online [financialexpress.com]. In an era where streaming platforms must constantly promote content on digital channels, having AI churn out quick promo videos or meme templates provides a valuable boost to the marketing pipeline.

Another area of content creation transformed by AI is the generation of highlights and edits from live events. Sports streaming, in particular, benefits hugely from automation here. Traditionally, creating a highlight reel of a cricket or football match required a team of editors working after the match. Now, startups and in-house AI tools can do this in real time. For instance, Mumbai-based startup VideoVerse (formerly known for its Magnifi platform) offers an AI-powered system that detects key moments in sports videos and auto-produces highlight reels almost instantly. Using computer vision and deep learning, such systems recognize events like wickets falling or goals scored by analyzing crowd noise, on-screen graphics, and players’ reactions. JioHotstar and other Indian sports streamers have leveraged these tools to post highlight clips within minutes of a big moment – sometimes even during a live match. AI can even auto-generate captions and format these clips for social media on the fly, so that a stunning last-over finish in the IPL can be trending on X moments after it happens, driving viewers back to the platform. This kind of AI-accelerated post-production is becoming a competitive necessity.

ZEE5, for example, shared that it creates tens of thousands of short video reels and snippets every month for shows streaming on its platform and social media– a volume only feasible with AI assistance. By processing 50+ hours of content daily, ZEE5’s algorithms automatically generate promo clips and episode summaries that keep fans engaged. All of this automation frees up human creators to focus on higher-level creative tasks while machine learning handles the repetitive editing and clipping work at superhuman speed.

Even in the film and music production side, Indian creatives have begun embracing AI. In 2023, maverick director Ram Gopal Varma announced he will use only AI-generated music in his upcoming films’ soundtracks, via his RGV DN digital music venture. And major studios are dabbling in AI for VFX and planning – Eros, for instance, partnered with Epic Games to use the Unreal Engine (with real-time rendering, some of which involves AI) in virtual production of movies. While these are early forays, they signal an industry willingness to adopt cutting-edge AI if it can streamline production workflows or open new creative possibilities. At the same time, there’s caution among industry veterans about over-reliance on AI – as seen in Hollywood and Bollywood debates – to ensure that human creativity and intuition remain at the core of storytelling. Nonetheless, the last year has demonstrated that Indian content production is starting to lean on AI: from writing rooms to edit studios, algorithms are becoming collaborators.

AI in Marketing, Advertising and Monetization

For India’s many ad-supported streaming platforms, AI is proving vital in boosting advertising revenue and marketing effectiveness. One of the most publicized examples is JioHotstar’s partnership with Silicon Valley startup Moloco to power advertising on the OTT platform. During the IPL 2023 streaming, it faced the daunting task of serving billions of ad impressions to a peak of 32 million concurrent viewers – a scale unimaginable without smart automation. Moloco’s machine learning–driven ad serving tech rose to the occasion: it delivered targeted ads seamlessly to those 32 million simultaneous users and helped Jio monetize the massive viewership without crashes.

This multi-year partnership, announced in early 2024, is using Moloco’s advanced ML algorithms for real-time price optimization and yield management of JioHotstar’s ad inventory. In simple terms, the AI analyzes viewer data and advertiser bids to decide which ad to show to which user at what time to maximize both ad relevance and revenue. JioHotstar’s Chief Product and Technology Officer noted that by using Moloco’s AI-driven infrastructure, they unlocked “new monetization opportunities” while ensuring ads ran smoothly even at IPL’s huge scale [aijourn.com]. As streaming in India increasingly adopts hybrid models (subscription plus ads), such AI-powered ad engines are becoming essential for profitability.

On the analytics side, AI-driven predictive models help streaming platforms identify users at risk of churning (cancelling) so they can proactively offer discounts or relevant content to retain them. They also assist in dynamic pricing and package optimization – for instance, analyzing consumption patterns to tweak subscription plans or bundle popular content as add-ons. Although specifics are rarely disclosed publicly, ZEE5 hinted that it uses data analytics to refine its subscription pricing and content strategy by understanding user consumption trends in different markets [financialexpress.com].

In marketing campaigns, AI tools now sift through social media and viewership data to inform creative direction – e.g. identifying trending themes for a show’s X campaign, or automatically A/B testing different ad copy. All of this leads to more efficient marketing spends and higher conversion, which is crucial in India’s hyper-competitive streaming wars. The past year has seen a clear trend: streaming platforms that effectively harness AI for monetization (ads or subscriptions) have gained an edge in scaling their business sustainably.

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If you missed the live stream of Netflix’s TUDUM, it is a masterclass in marketing and showcasing the stars, content IPs, upcoming shows and more at Netflix for the coming few months - what a way to build things up with the “sound” created at the beginning of the Netflix app launch as the name of the feature - masterclass in creating culturally relevant brands and businesses! Must watch - great line up.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

I am launching the region’s first fund called Pressplay Capital focused on the attention economy - LPs and Startups, please do get in touch here.

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your advertising requirements.

A warm welcome to the 87th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

Agenda

1. Why Everyone’s Sharing: Sony, JioHotstar & the New Rules of Sports Rights in India

2. Revenue Pressures Driving New Strategies

3. Implications for User Access and Experience

4. Shifts in Competition and Collaboration

5. Expansion of Fantasy Gaming and Sports Ecosystems

6. Collaboration + Competition = Co-opetition

And….Action!

We got covered by Inc42, one of India’s premier startup and venture capital focused media and PR powerhouse. We are doing a first close by the end of this summer with a lower min commitment [will be higher post July 15th]!

Why Everyone’s Sharing: Sony, JioHotstar & the New Rules of Sports Rights in India

In the past two years, India’s sports streaming landscape has been reshaped by high-profile rights deals and unprecedented partnerships. A notable trend is the sub-licensing of digital rights by traditional broadcasters to other OTT platforms. For instance, Sony Pictures Networks India (which operates SonyLIV) struck a collaboration with Jiohotstar for India’s upcoming cricket tours of England in 2025 and 2026. Under this deal, Sony kept the television broadcast rights on its Sony Sports channels, but licensed the exclusive digital streaming to “Jiohotstar”. As a result, all matches of India’s England tour (Tests, ODIs, T20s) will stream on JioHotstar digitally while airing on Sony’s TV network. This kind of multi-platform tie-up was virtually unheard of until recently, and it highlights a new strategic approach to big-ticket cricket rights in India.

A similar example is Sony’s handling of Roland Garros (French Open) tennis rights. Sony retained the primary broadcast and streaming rights for the 2025–27 French Open, but sublicensed co-exclusive streaming access to FanCode. In 2025, SonyLIV and Dream Sports-owned FanCode are jointly streaming every match of the French Open, with FanCode carrying all courts and matches live. This collaboration marks FanCode’s “grand entry into tennis,” allowing it to expand its portfolio while SonyLIV benefits from a wider digital audience reach. SonyLIV’s Head of Growth & Monetization noted that partnering with FanCode “amplifies the reach” of the Grand Slam to ensure fans across India can catch every match live with greater ease. In effect, Sony has chosen a shared-rights model for these events – securing the content but sharing the streaming with another platform to maximize viewership.

Importantly, these are India-specific strategies driven by local market dynamics. Even Disney’s Star India network, after winning the ICC cricket global rights in late 2022, quickly sub-licensed the TV broadcast portion to Zee for 4 years. Disney Star had paid roughly $3 billion for those rights, but by licensing out the television broadcasts to Zee (while keeping digital on Disney+ Hotstar), it could recoup costs and avoid heavy losses. As Zee’s CEO Punit Goenka stated, “long-term profitability and value-generation” were the focus of that deal [Economic Times]. All these moves underscore a common theme: rights owners are no longer insisting on exclusivity at all costs. Instead, they are open to partnerships and sub-licensing that share the burden of hefty rights fees while broadening distribution.

Revenue Pressures Driving New Strategies

Behind these collaborations is a stark reality – spiraling sports rights costs and revenue pressures on OTT platforms. India’s appetite for cricket and other sports content has driven rights values to astronomical levels. For example, the BCCI (Indian cricket board) media rights for 2023–2028 were auctioned in 2023 for about ₹5,966 crore ($693 million) (₹67.8 crore per match). Similarly, the IPL 2023–27 rights were split at a record total (~₹48,390 crore ($563 million), with digital alone over ₹20,500 crore) – a clear sign that no single broadcaster can easily profit from such huge investments under traditional models. OTT platforms in India historically relied on low subscription prices and high volume, making it hard to recover billion-dollar bids. Disney+ Hotstar, for instance, peaked at 61.3 million subscribers in Q4 2022 when it had IPL, but lost over a third of its base after losing that marquee content. By late 2024, Hotstar’s paid subs had fallen to 35.9 million (down from 61M), and its average revenue per user (ARPU) dropped below $0.80 per month – extremely low by global standards, due in part to subscriber churn and free promotions. This “value gap” put pressure on parent Disney’s earnings, prompting cost-cutting and smarter rights deals.

SonyLIV faced a similar calculus. Though SonyLIV rapidly grew from just 0.7 million paid users in early 2020 to 33.3 million paid subscribers by May 2023, much of that growth came on the back of expensive content investments (cricket tours, UEFA football, WWE, Grand Slam tennis, and a slate of originals). Sony’s management has touted that it runs perhaps the only profitable digital media operation in India [MINT]. To maintain that, Sony cannot overspend or overreach on every sports property. Sub-licensing becomes a safety valve: by selling some rights or sharing coverage, Sony can offset costs with licensing fees and reduce the risk of subscriber revenues falling short. The India-England cricket deal likely saw JioHotstar pay a significant sum or share ad revenue for the digital rights, immediately easing Sony’s financial burden while ensuring coverage. In an environment where even giants like Disney Star had to offload rights (as with ICC tournaments to Zee) to focus on digital, Sony’s strategy is to partner up rather than outbid rivals to exhaustion.

Another factor is that India’s advertisers are also splitting their spending across platforms [New behemoths such as Amazon Prime Video adding on to the advertising inventory]. Television ad revenues for cricket have plateaued, and digital ad rates, while growing, are still catching up. OTTs alone might struggle to monetize a Test series or a niche sport sufficiently. The joint deals allow each platform to focus on its strength – e.g. Sony monetizing via traditional TV ads and subscriptions, while JioHotstar goes for massive digital reach and ad impressions. This multi-platform monetization aims to enlarge the total revenue pie so that costly rights become sustainable. In short, rising content costs and tightening OTT economics have forced a pragmatic, partnership-driven approach in India.

Implications for User Access and Experience

For consumers, these developments have been largely positive, translating into greater access and choice. Important sports events are now available across multiple platforms, sometimes even for free, whereas previously a single subscription might have been the only way. The India tour of England in 2025 is a case in point: fans will be able to watch matches on Sony’s TV channels or stream digitally on JioHotstar – whichever is more convenient. In fact, Reliance’s Jio has a strategy of making digital streams free-to-view for users (supported by ads and Jio’s broader telecom ecosystem). During IPL 2023, JioCinema’s free streaming brought in ~449 million viewers online, with concurrent viewership peaking at an unprecedented 32 million during the final. This kind of open access was unheard of a few years ago. Now, with Jio involved in the India-England series, it’s expected that those cricket matches will also be widely accessible at no extra cost to millions of Jio’s mobile subscribers – a stark contrast to the past when a Hotstar “VIP” subscription was required for Team India games.

Even when not free, the flexibility of access has improved. The SonyLIV–FanCode tie-up for Roland Garros means tennis fans have options: SonyLIV offers the traditional streaming (likely with its premium subscription), while FanCode provides an alternative with innovative features and micro-pack pricing. FanCode’s platform allows users to buy a cheap “tour pass” just for the French Open (sometimes as low as ₹69 for a specific series) or a monthly all-sports pass around ₹199. This pay-per-tournament model means a casual tennis fan isn’t forced into a long subscription – they can pay for what they actually want to watch. Manish Aggarwal of SonyLIV highlighted that by partnering with FanCode, they can serve fans “with greater ease and flexibility than ever before” in following every match on their own terms [Exchange4Media]. In practice, a viewer could use FanCode to hop between any live match (since FanCode streams from all courts) or watch on-demand replays – features that complement Sony’s coverage.

The reach to different demographics and regions is also enhanced. Free mobile streaming and low-cost passes are helping penetration beyond metro cities. FanCode reports that nearly 70% of its subscribers come from outside Tier-1 metros, indicating uptake in smaller cities and towns [Forbes India]. Likewise, JioHotstar’s mobile-first approach tapped into hundreds of millions of smartphone users, including many first-time streamers in rural areas. By sharing rights, a broadcaster like Sony ensures that content isn’t confined to its relatively smaller base (SonyLIV had ~33M subscribers) but can ride on a platform with far greater user numbers or unique reach. Overall, Indian sports fans now enjoy more access points – whether via a full-fledged OTT subscription, a bite-sized pass on FanCode, a telco app, or just basic cable – reducing the barriers to watching live sports legally. This broader access can help curb piracy too, since fans have legitimate affordable alternatives.

Shifts in Competition and Collaboration

These partnerships also signal a shift in the competitive dynamics among India’s media companies. Traditionally, Sony, JioHotstar, and Zee were fierce competitors that vied to outbid each other for exclusive rights. Now we see an intriguing mix of rivalry and collaboration. The Sony–Jio/Disney arrangement for India cricket essentially brought arch-competitors together in a win-win deal. By some accounts, the digital rights for that England tour could easily have gone to JioHotstar – but instead, they allied. The result was cooperation over competition, at least for this property.

Another axis of change is the entry of specialist/niche platforms like FanCode into big leagues. FanCode is owned by Dream Sports (parent of Dream11) and was initially seen as a niche streamer for smaller cricket leagues and sports that majors ignored. By 2024, however, FanCode has built a 100+ million user base and struck deals with top sports bodies (ICC, NBA, F1, etc.). Its partnership with Sony for Roland Garros shows that larger broadcasters now recognize the value of niche platforms rather than viewing them purely as threats. FanCode can complement Sony by engaging hardcore fans with deeper coverage, while Sony focuses on broad distribution of marquee matches.

That said, competition is still intense for the most coveted rights. In August 2023, Viacom18 beat Disney Star and Sony to grab the BCCI’s India-home matches rights, securing both TV and digital for ₹5,966 crore. This showed Reliance’s willingness to spend big and assert their dominance. However, even Viacom18 has shown flexibility post-acquisition – for instance, it licensed some ICC tournament matches to free-to-air DD Sports, and it simulcasts many events on both JioHotstar (digital) and its Sports18 TV channel. In summary, competition in India’s sports streaming is no longer a zero-sum game; it’s a more complex ecosystem where former competitors might team up for certain projects while fiercely competing for others, all with the aim of balancing costs and viewership.

Expansion of Fantasy Gaming and Sports Ecosystems

A significant side-effect of wider sports streaming distribution is the boost it provides to fantasy sports and related digital gaming ecosystems. India’s fantasy sports leader Dream11 (part of Dream Sports) has a massive user base – over 220 million users as of 2023 [AWS] – which thrives on real-time sports engagement. The more people watching live sports, the more participants for fantasy contests. Thus, when streaming rights are shared and more accessible, fantasy platforms see increased traffic and opportunity. Dream11 has been quick to capitalize on this trend. It heavily sponsors streaming events and it frequently advertises during matches on TV and digital. By being omnipresent across platforms, Dream11 ensures that whether a fan is watching on SonyLIV, JioHotstar, or FanCode, they’re likely to encounter Dream11’s brand – driving them to pick up the app and make their fantasy team.

The partnership between SonyLIV and FanCode for Roland Garros can also be seen through the lens of Dream11’s ecosystem expansion. FanCode is owned by Dream Sports, so every new user or subscriber FanCode gains (say, a tennis fan drawn by the French Open coverage) is one more user within Dream’s network who can potentially be cross-sold a Dream11 contest, or merchandise, or other sports services. Dream11 may not yet offer fantasy tennis at scale, but the multi-sport content FanCode carries (cricket, football, F1, basketball, etc.) feeds into year-round fantasy engagement. It’s notable that FanCode has partnered with popular fantasy-friendly leagues – e.g., it streams NFL games, Caribbean Premier League, ICC associate cricket matches – which often come with fantasy contests on Dream11. By broadening sports coverage through sub-licensed rights, the Dream11/FanCode duo casts a wider net for sports fans. This not only helps acquire users but also keeps existing fantasy users engaged during off-peak periods (for example, when no India cricket matches are on, those users might still tune in to a FanCode-streamed football match or a minor cricket league and continue playing fantasy).

Fantasy gaming’s growth in India has been explosive (Dream11’s user count jumped from 150M to ~220M in one year [businesstoday.in], and a lot of that is attributed to how accessible live sports has become on digital platforms. The Dream11 ecosystem benefits from any increase in sports viewership – whether it’s IPL going free to 400+ million people, or bilateral series being on multiple apps, or niche sports finding an audience. In fact, Dream Sports has been investing in content (FanCode and even sports news via partnerships with Cricbuzz/Willow [sportbusiness.com]) precisely to ensure fans have more reasons to stay engaged, which in turn feeds fantasy participation. We can already see cross-integration: during live streams on FanCode, there are often prompts and banners related to Dream11. The fantasy experience is being interwoven with live viewing, creating a feedback loop – as fans watch more, they play more fantasy; as they play fantasy, they are incentivized to watch more live action to track their players’ performance.

By expanding the reach of live sports through sub-licensing and multi-platform streaming, the industry is effectively enlarging the addressable market for fantasy sports. Dream11’s executives have spoken about aiming for 500 million users in the coming years – a target that would likely require almost every sports fan in India to be on board. Initiatives like free streams on mobile and collaborative rights deals directly contribute to that kind of reach. In summary, the trend of shared streaming rights is symbiotic with fantasy gaming: it democratizes access to sports content, which boosts fan engagement on platforms like Dream11, and in turn the thriving fantasy sector (expected to be worth hundreds of crores) pours sponsorship money back into sports events and media rights. It’s creating an ecosystem where streaming platforms, sports leagues, advertisers, and fantasy gaming companies all benefit from a larger, more engaged fan base.

Collaboration + Competition = Co-opetition

The sports streaming rights landscape in India has evolved rapidly from 2023 to 2025, characterized by collaboration born out of necessity. Cost considerations and revenue pressures have broken down traditional rivalries, leading to innovative sub-licensing agreements – SonyLIV sharing digital rights with JioHotstar and FanCode, Disney Star licensing TV rights to Zee, and more. For Indian consumers, these moves have largely improved access: more games are available on more platforms (often at lower prices or free), ending the era of one-platform exclusivity for many events. The competitive balance is adjusting as well – rather than a single-platform monopoly over content, we see joint ventures and a patchwork of rights that encourage each player to focus on its strengths. Monetization strategies have diversified into a blend of subscriptions, ad-supported streams, and flexible pay-per-view options tailored to the Indian market’s price sensitivity.

Crucially, these developments are expanding the overall sports fan ecosystem. The easier it is to watch a match, the more fans that come into the fold, fueling ancillary sectors like fantasy sports (exemplified by Dream11’s 200+ million user base) and sports e-commerce. India’s sports economy is thus moving toward a more sustainable model: one that prioritizes reach and engagement alongside direct monetization. While challenges remain (high rights fees, piracy concerns, and ensuring quality of service across platforms), the trend of the last two years suggests a maturing market that is finding Indian solutions to Indian problems. By focusing on partnerships, hybrid monetization, and fan-centric offerings, stakeholders are trying to ensure that premium sports remain financially viable for platforms without putting them beyond the reach of fans. In doing so, they are not only weathering current revenue pressures but potentially unlocking new value – a larger audience base, more advertising avenues, and a stronger link between watching sports and playing along in the fantasy realm. The Indian sports streaming landscape in 2025 is, therefore, one of coopetition (collaborative competition) geared toward long-term growth, wider access, and richer fan engagement, all within the uniquely dynamic context of India’s media and sporting culture.

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This is an older show that we missed on OTT - and over the past few weeks my wife and I have binge watched this “slice-of-student-life” dramedy on Amazon Prime Video - made by arguably one of the best content creators in India, The Viral Fever [TVF]. We just got through the first season and it’s a riveting watch - great screenplay, story and the pressures that come with preparing for one of the toughest exams in the world!

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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I am launching the region’s first fund called Pressplay Capital focused on the attention economy - LPs and Startups, please do get in touch here.

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your advertising requirements.

A warm welcome to the 86th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

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Agenda

1. Amazon Prime Video will start showing Ads in India

2. Why Ads, Why Now? – Implications for the Indian OTT Market

3. Connected TVs and Fire TV Stick – The Big Screen Opportunity

4. Industry Reactions – What Media Buyers and Analysts Are Saying

And….Action!

And we are live with our web site for Pressplay Capital + are in the process of warehousing a couple of startup investments! Smart money investments are welcome to get in touch with us here. We will be delighted to share with you what we are building, get your feedback, and explore collaborations - we are also amongst the only funds that are part of VCLab’s current cohort for emerging fund managers!

Amazon Prime Video is joining the ad-supported bandwagon in India. Starting June 17, 2025, Prime Video subscribers in India will see “limited” advertisements during films and shows. Amazon will offer an ad-free upgrade (an optional add-on) for those who want to keep streaming uninterrupted, priced at ₹129 per month or ₹699 per year. This move aligns with global trends and Amazon’s rollout of ad-supported tiers in other markets, but it carries big implications for India’s OTT landscape. In this edition of Streaming in India, we break down what the new Prime Video ad tier means – from subscription plans and competitors to ad models, CTV opportunities, and expert reactions.

Why Ads, Why Now? – Implications for the Indian OTT Market

Amazon’s decision to monetize Prime Video via ads is driven by both global streaming economics and local market realities. Industry experts note that the Amazon Prime bundle in India has been an incredible deal for consumers – for ₹1,499/year, users get fast shipping, music, video, etc. Essentially, as content costs rise and e-commerce growth stabilizes, Amazon is seeking a “new revenue delta” – either ₹699 from those who pay for ad-free, or ad revenue from those who don’t.

For the Indian OTT ecosystem, Prime Video’s move underscores a broader shift toward hybrid monetization. A recent Deloitte report highlighted that a hybrid model (combining SVOD subscriptions and AVOD advertising) works best in price-sensitive markets like India. While subscription (SVOD) revenue is growing ~19% CAGR (projected $2.9B by 2027), advertising (AVOD) is close behind at ~16% CAGR (projected $2.42B by 2027). In other words, ad-supported streaming isn’t just an afterthought – it’s nearly as large a revenue driver as paid subscriptions in the long run. Amazon clearly wants a slice of this expanding ad pie.

Importantly, by adding an ad tier Amazon broadens Prime Video’s reach to more price-conscious viewers without actually lowering its subscription fee or offering a totally free tier. In India, where consumers are accustomed to free or cheap ad-supported entertainment, Amazon’s hybrid approach could attract new viewers who might not have considered a full-price Prime membership before. Sanjay Trehan, a digital media advisor, notes that by following the global template in a cost-conscious market, Amazon can “leverage its Prime Video audience [with ads] along with innovative CTV ad formats” to expand reach to the mass market without much disruption. At the same time, the small segment of users who truly hate ads can self-select into paying a premium – a strategy to “cater to the bottom and mid tiers... without alienating those willing to pay for a seamless experience” [Economic Times].

And finally, Amazon’s adoption of ads levels the playing field – all major OTT platforms in India (except Netflix) now rely on ad monetization to some degree. Netflix, for now, remains purely subscription-based in India (its global ad-supported tier isn’t offered here yet), banking on mobile-only plans and price cuts to drive growth. But with even Amazon Prime Video going hybrid, pressure mounts on Netflix to consider ads in India eventually. For advertisers, the competitive landscape means more choice: besides YouTube and social media, premium long-form content on OTT can now be accessed via JioHotstar, ZEE5, SonyLIV and Prime Video – each with different audience profiles and content strengths (sports, regional, international, etc.). It’s a battle not just for subscribers, but for advertising budgets and brand partnerships.

Connected TVs and Fire TV Stick – The Big Screen Opportunity

One of the biggest upsides of Prime Video’s ad launch is the expansion of Connected TV (CTV) advertising inventory in India. A large portion of Prime Video viewership happens on the big screen – via smart TVs, Chromecast, gaming consoles, and popular devices like Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. With ads now enabled, Amazon can serve advertisers in these high-engagement living room environments at scale. “This move opens up additional premium ad inventory across both mobile and CTV,” says Yatin Balyan, media investments lead at Omnicom Media Group India. For brands, CTV audiences are especially coveted – they are often more attentive (lean-back viewing on a TV) and more affluent (since smart TV penetration in India skews toward higher-income households).

Fire TV, in particular, gives Amazon a strategic edge. Fire TV devices (the HDMI sticks and Fire OS TVs) are one of the most popular ways Indians stream OTT content on televisions. Amazon not only can deliver Prime Video ads on Fire TV, but the Fire TV interface itself offers advertising real estate (sponsored tiles, banners, screensavers, etc.). Amazon has already been selling these placements – for example, brands can buy sponsored rows or banner ads on the Fire TV home screen to promote their apps or products.

Now, with Prime Video ads, Amazon can present a 360° CTV ad solution: a marketer could run a traditional 30-second spot within Prime Video content and also a companion banner on the Fire TV menu, all targeted using Amazon’s first-party data. The company touts that Fire TV advertising lets brands reach “high-income, tech-savvy users” in a trusted, brand-safe environment – essentially positioning itself as the premium connected-TV platform in India.

India’s CTV viewership is growing rapidly, albeit from a smaller base. Comscore estimates tens of millions of Indian households now stream content on connected TVs, a number rising each year as smart TV prices fall. By bringing ads to Prime Video, Amazon stands to capture a large share of CTV ad budgets, which are projected to be one of the fastest-growing segments of digital advertising. In fact, analysts expect Amazon to account for over 10% of global CTV ad sales by 2026, thanks largely to Prime Video’s ad expansion and the popularity of Fire TV [emarketer]. In India, where traditional television advertising is a $5-6 billion market, the shift of eyeballs to streaming on TV screens is a big opportunity. Advertisers who traditionally stuck to TV (for its mass reach and living-room impact) can be courted by Amazon with the promise of TV-like high-impact ads plus digital targeting.

Moreover, Amazon’s integration of Amazon Ads with Prime Video means brands can plan multi-channel campaigns. As Amazon’s ad exec Alan Moss highlighted, advertisers can achieve “full-funnel business results” by combining “premium content, reach, first-party signals, and innovative ad tech” across Amazon’s ecosystem [Amazon Ads]. For example, a campaign could run on Prime Video (CTV and mobile ads), on IMDb and Twitch (which Amazon also owns), and even as shopping ads – all through Amazon’s platform. This consolidated offering is attractive to marketers and could divert some ad spend away from Google/Facebook duopoly towards Amazon.

From the consumer angle, connected-TV ads are generally less intrusive (a single big-screen ad feels more like a regular TV commercial break). If Amazon keeps the ad frequency low, viewers on Fire TV or smart TVs might not mind the occasional ad. Additionally, Amazon could use interactive features on Fire TV – for instance, using Alexa voice prompts during ads (“Alexa, remind me about this offer” or “Add to Cart”) – to make CTV ads more engaging than plain broadcast ads. Fire TV devices also let Amazon collect valuable data: they know which apps are used, how often, etc., feeding into better ad targeting.

In summary, CTV is a key beneficiary of Prime Video’s ad rollout. It gives advertisers a new way to reach Indian audiences on television screens via OTT. Amazon, with Fire TV in its arsenal, is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend, potentially strengthening its grip on the living room. As CTV adoption in India grows, having Prime Video ads in the mix will help ensure “premium audiences” are covered. As one media report noted, “As CTV becomes more popular in India, ad-supported platforms like Prime Video may capture more premium audiences” in this fast-growing consumer market.

Industry Reactions – What Media Buyers and Analysts Are Saying

The introduction of ads on Prime Video India has generated plenty of buzz in media and advertising circles. Here are some choice quotes and commentary from experts on Amazon’s strategy:

• Mixed Consumer Reactions: “Indian consumers are largely accustomed to ad-supported viewing... I don’t think it’s going to be a big issue,” says Lloyd Mathias, a business strategist [Exchange4Media]. Many observers agree that the average Prime user, who already tolerates ads on TV and YouTube, will accept a few ads on Prime Video in exchange for no price increase. However, others caution that a subset of loyal Prime Video fans will feel “shortchanged – they signed up for an ad-free experience” and might be annoyed. Amazon’s preemptive communication (emailing subscribers about the change and offering a recourse: pay for ad-free) is seen as a wise move to mitigate backlash [Fortune India]. The true test will be in execution: “The success of this move will heavily depend on the ad load, the quality of the ads, and how well Amazon balances revenue generation with user experience,” one analyst noted in Economic Times.

• Strategic Rationale: “This move is understandable and not entirely unexpected – it follows a global template,” observes Sanjay Trehan. Commentators highlight that Netflix, Disney+, and others globally have pivoted to ads; Amazon is doing the same but in its own way. The strategy is seen as a necessity for growth: “In a price-sensitive market like India, you cannot ignore advertising… all OTT platforms would need to incorporate it in some form,” says Nitin Menon [Economic Times]. By unlocking ad revenue, Amazon can double down on content spend without relying solely on subscriber fees. As Menon puts it, it’s a “win-win” because it “allows for greater investment in content and reduces pressure on SVOD growth”. Several experts mentioned Amazon’s move will help it cater to a broader audience – including those in lower-tier cities who are used to free content and might find Prime’s value proposition more attractive if it’s partially subsidized by ads.

• Advertising Community Response: Media buyers are generally optimistic about the new inventory. “Valuable opportunity to access high-quality inventory alongside other OTT services,” is how Yatin Balyan of Omnicom described Prime Video’s ad slots, noting it will help in “more strategic campaign planning” for premium brands. The presence of Amazon’s first-party data is a big selling point – advertisers anticipate better targeting. One agency executive quipped that Amazon’s data could make Prime Video “the Rolls-Royce of OTT advertising – fewer ads, but super targeted to who matters.” There’s also excitement about creative integrations: brands could perhaps get non-traditional placements in Amazon’s content or commerce tie-ins. However, some buyers are in “wait and watch” mode regarding ad rates. If Amazon’s CPM is too steep, they might stick to YouTube and others until Amazon proves its ads drive results. As of now, Amazon Ads has been actively pitching the upcoming ad opportunities, emphasizing that Prime Video has an average monthly ad-supported reach of 200+ million global customers (now extending to India) [Amazon Ads]. This sheer scale combined with the premium context has attracted interest from categories like fintech, automobiles, and electronics brands looking to hit digitally savvy audiences.

• Content & Competition: Some analysts view Amazon’s move as partly defensive – “Prime Video remains one of the top OTT platforms in India, competing primarily with Netflix and JioHotStar (JioCinema+Hotstar)”, notes exchange4media. With that “JioHotStar” merger expected to dominate sports and mass entertainment, Amazon is wise to open a second revenue stream. “It’s a hybrid strategy that’s increasingly the norm,” says Lloyd Mathias [Exchange4Media]. Indeed, having both subscription and ad income gives Amazon more flexibility to compete on content acquisitions (maybe bid for sports rights down the line, or produce big-ticket Originals) without fear of bleeding money. On the flip side, competitors will be watching how consumers react. If there’s minimal churn on Prime, other purely subscription platforms may consider adding an ad-tier too. Netflix, notably, has so far resisted ads in India – but globally it’s seen success with an ad-supported plan. Industry watchers speculate that by end of 2025, India might see a Netflix with ads as well, especially if Amazon demonstrates a smooth rollout.

• Long-Term Outlook: “AVOD is undoubtedly the most promising avenue for growth in the current OTT market,” asserts Shradha Agarwal [Economic Times]. Her view (which many share) is that we’re headed for an era where advertising fuels the bulk of revenue for streaming platforms, especially in emerging markets. Subscription fees, while important, may take a backseat. Amazon’s dual model is seen as validating this outlook. Still, the coexistence of models is expected. “I expect both AVOD and SVOD to grow, as India is a vast market… there are enough takers for an ad-free, seamless experience willing to pay a premium,” Trehan adds. In practical terms, that means Amazon’s gamble is not to move everyone to watching ads, but to segment its audience: the majority will accept ads to keep costs low, while a minority will pay more for no ads. The net effect is a larger total user base and more revenue streams. Early indicators from markets like the US show that an ad-tier can even increase subscriber count (some people join because of the cheaper tier) while a decent chunk will pay to avoid ads – a win-win for the provider. Indian media executives are therefore lauding Amazon’s strategy as “necessary for growth” and likely beneficial if executed well.

Bottom Line: Amazon Prime Video’s introduction of ads in India marks a pivotal moment in the streaming industry. It signifies the maturing of the Indian OTT market – from a land-grab phase of cheap subs and free content to a more balanced, revenue-focused phase. For consumers, it means more choice (and perhaps confronting the true cost of “premium” entertainment).

For Amazon, it’s a bid to bolster its content war chest and stay competitive through a new income stream. And for the industry at large, it validates the hybrid AVOD+SVOD model as the way forward in India, echoing global trends. AVOD is the way to go and will help expand the premium content market. It looks like a smart move to upsell an ad-free experience. In the coming months, all eyes will be on Amazon to see how smoothly they can integrate ads into Prime Video and whether Indian viewers embrace this change or push back. Either way, the streaming game in India has entered a new phase – one where ads and subscriptions coexist to fuel the next wave of growth in digital entertainment.

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Fantastic watch on Amazon Prime Video who are increasingly churning out shows close to the “real” India: This one is called GRAM CHIKITSALAY [Village Clinic]; The young, idealistic and brilliant Dr. Prabhat, takes charge of a neglected Primary Health Centre in a North India Village hoping to bring about much needed changes only to realise it is he who will have do change before anything else.

Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.

Subscribe now

I am launching the region’s first fund called Pressplay Capital focused on the attention economy - LPs and Startups, please do get in touch here.

Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai.

I represent the Adsolut Media business in the Middle East and am a “board observer” for their growth. We have amongst the largest supply of Connected Television premium inventory in the Middle East - Sub-continental corridor along with one of the largest mobile / web inventories as well. Please get in touch for your advertising requirements.