OTT platforms ride on foreign markets for returns from big-budget titles

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₹150-200 crore on producing and marketing some of them. The reason: Challenges in the Indian OTT market where paid subscriptions have hit a ceiling, and few new users are signing up. However, industry experts point out such shows are made keeping in mind global audiences and revenue possibilities, and may be amortized across markets, given their relatively broad appeal and commercial treatment.

The audience for OTT platforms rose by 13.5%, reaching 481.1 million in 2023, up from 423.8 million in 2022, according to a recent report by media consulting firm Ormax. While this growth rate is significant, it falls short of the 20% surge seen in 2022. Meanwhile, the investments made in many of these high-budget titles did not translate into compelling or relevant content, industry experts say, and word-of-mouth which is essential for streaming shows and movies, has been mixed.

Also read: Free, ad-supported streaming content gaining currency, attracting advertisers According to estimates by Ormax, Heeramandi had clocked in 6.6 million views in the first week of release, while The Archies had managed 3.8 million. The figure stood at 6.9 million for Indian Police Force and 5.5 million for Jubilee. As far as Ormax Power Rating (OPR) goes, which is a score on a 0-100 scale that represents how much a show or a film is liked by its viewers, the list of top 17 web shows for 2023, does not include Jubilee and the movie ranking does not include The Archies.

Heeramandi and Indian Police Force were both released in 2024, assessments for which haven’t been made yet. Netflix and Prime Video did not respond to queries on the performance of and returns from big-ticket titles. “In case of some big-budget shows, especially Jubilee and The