Most popular Indian OTT originals reach one-third of overall streaming universe amid content discovery challenges

The local OTT business is still struggling with paid subscriptions and discovery issues, given the number of options available across shows, languages and platforms. However, others pointed out that the need for better algorithms and product experience comes into play here.

The third season of comedy drama Panchayat on Amazon Prime Video had a viewership of 28.2 million earlier this year, according to a report by media consulting firm Ormax. The top two Hindi language web series of 2023, Farzi (Prime Video) and The Night Manager (Disney+ Hotstar), garnered viewership of 37.1 million and 28.6 million, respectively. Ormax estimates India has 99.6 million active paid OTT subscriptions.

“Reaching one out of every three people paying for OTTs, across so many different platforms and tastes, is a healthy number,” said Siddharth Devnani, co-founder and director at digital agency SoCheers.

Devnani added that just as the YouTube feeds of no two people are ever the same, not every OTT show is tailored to cater to each individual, even though some come with broader appeal than niche content.

“OTT platforms allocate significant production budgets to their original content as each original series becomes a brand in itself, cultivating a loyal audience. The reach of each original title starts from its initial launch year, with many successful titles showing an upward trend in active viewers year-over-year,” said Chandrasekhar Mantha, partner, media and entertainment leader, Deloitte India.

Urban, rural variations

The two key drivers that introduce successful originals to new viewers are mass marketing and the recommendation engine operating in the background. OTT platforms have reached a level of maturity where both levers are used optimally, Mantha added.

Further, discoverability varies across urban and rural audiences. Urban viewers rely heavily on online data, social recommendations, and peer word-of-mouth, while rural audiences tend to depend largely on peer suggestions. With such diverse audience content preferences, producing shows with universal appeal is challenging, Mantha pointed out.

To be sure, experts emphasise that 30% viewership is decent, given that all these shows stream on a single platform with market reach that may be limited in its own way. The shows reach 60-70% of the OTT’s audience base despite appeal that may vary across women, children and other segments.

“While popular shows like The Family Man and Panchayat have captured the imagination of a significant audience, the diversity of content on OTT platforms means that audience preferences are highly fragmented. Not every show will resonate with all viewers as interests vary across genres, languages, and storytelling styles,” said Bhavesh Joshi, founder and CEO of MovieMe, a content discovery app.

Additionally, India’s OTT audience is incredibly diverse in terms of regional preferences, language barriers and socio-economic backgrounds. A show that performs well in the metro areas might not necessarily have the same impact in smaller towns or rural regions.

Furthermore, content discovery plays a critical role—many successful shows gain traction over time through word-of-mouth or targeted marketing, but not all viewers discover them at the same time, Joshi pointed out.

The abundance of content available across multiple OTT platforms creates a highly cluttered environment, making it difficult for any one show to stand out. With new titles released almost every week, viewers are often swamped by the sheer volume of choice and discoverability becomes a significant challenge.

Many successful shows rely heavily on recommendation algorithms, social media buzz and word-of-mouth to break through this clutter, but audience engagement with these channels is also reaching degrees of saturation.

“Subscription costs or preferences might keep them from accessing all shows. The sheer volume of new releases can overwhelm viewers, leading to decision fatigue and many shows going unnoticed. Even some successful shows might appeal strongly to a niche audience but may not resonate universally. This can limit how far a show’s reach can extend,” said Sahil Chopra, founder and CEO, iCubesWire, a marketing agency.

Promoting content

He added that the abundance of content often dilutes the visibility of individual shows. Even with marketing, only a few titles manage to break through and gain a substantial audience.

Additionally, platforms use algorithms that sometimes prioritise specific content over others, which can bury potentially good shows. While platforms invest in personalised recommendations, discoverability remains a persistent challenge in such a crowded market.

“Platforms may prioritise promoting certain titles over others, depending on licensing agreements or strategic focus, which can further limit the exposure of particular shows. For viewers, this means that they may never come across some titles unless there is significant external promotion,” said Joshi.

The discoverability issue further underscores the need for better content curation and more sophisticated algorithms that can help surface shows tailored to individual viewing preferences. In addition, creating dedicated platforms to showcase lesser-known or content beyond the mainstream is going to be a crucial requirement in the future, he said.