Aamir Khan’s pay-per-view bet tests India’s OTT market
OTT platforms engage a smaller but paying audience, offering higher completion rates and longer shelf life.According to the Ficci EY Media and Entertainment Report 2026, TVoD revenues in India are projected to rise from ₹500 crore in 2025 to ₹740 crore by 2028. Yet monetization remains skewed towards micro-transactions and subscription models, rather than pay-per-view-led revenue.YouTube is India’s leading ad-supported video platform by reach and watch time, reaching four out of five internet users aged 18 and above.
The YouTube pay-per-view release of Sitaare Zameen Par reportedly generated 20 times usual volumes, although no official figures were disclosed.In this case, while Khan attempted a solid innovation, traffic on YouTube may have slowed over time, making the SonyLIV deal a logical move to reach more paying subscribers and build a longer-term relationship between the actor and the platform, according to film producer and distributor Yusuf Shaikh, founder and chief executive of low-cost theatre chain Janta Cinema.Girish Johar, film producer and trade expert, said streaming platforms still limit acquisitions and insist on theatrical releases to gauge box office performance before pricing a film. In such a scenario, the pay-per-view strategy may have emerged as a viable experiment in order to reduce the reliance on OTT at a time that several films remain unreleased for want of digital buyers.“The move hasn’t really seem to have paid off but it remains to be seen if other films, including those backed by Aamir Khan Productions itself, take that route,” Johar added.Catch all the Industry News, Banking News and Updates on Live Mint.
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