iWorld
India has 96 mn SVOD subscriptions, 40.7 mn subscribers: Ormax report
Mumbai: India has 353 million OTT users and 96 active paid subscriptions, according to Ormax OTT Audience Report 2021.
The research is based on a sample size of 12,000 across urban and rural India, was conducted from May to July 2021. The report breaks the universe by gender, age, NCCS, pop strata, states, and cities.
The findings revealed that one in four Indians watched online videos at least once in the last one month. Apart from 96 million active paid OTT subscriptions, there are 40.7 million paying (SVOD) audiences, that is, an average of 2.4 subscriptions per paying audience member. 66 per cent of these paid subscriptions are with the male audience. The top six metros contribute only 11 per cent to India’s OTT universe but 35 per cent of total paid subscriptions. Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai are the top three cities in this regard, with more than eight million active paid subscriptions each.
“India’s OTT audience universe is rapidly growing, and an accurate estimation of market size is a crucial strategic component in a growing category,” said Ormax Media, founder and chief executive officer, Shailesh Kapoor. “While streaming companies have data on usage and subscription of their own platforms, there is no industry-level audience research available to size and profile the Indian OTT market at large. This research, which will be conducted in the same period every year, aims to plug this significant data gap in the streaming industry in India.”
Kapoor further said OTT is no longer a niche category, but at 25 per cent penetration, there is still a huge potential to grow the market, especially outside the top cities. “We have seen a rise in regional OTT platforms in India over the last year. This report provides market and demographic level data for platforms to take sound investment decisions on regional products, be it a stand-alone app or regional content within a national app,” he added.
iWorld
Banijay Asia’s The 50 tops OTT charts with 8.1 million JioHotstar views
Reality competition becomes most watched show on JioHotstar in debut week.
MUMBAI: Fifty contestants walked into a palace, but millions of viewers showed up for the drama. Reality competition The 50, produced by Banijay Asia, has emerged as the most watched show on JioHotstar, clocking 8.1 million views in its debut week. The figure, reported by Ormax Media, places the show at the top of the OTT viewership charts and marks a strong opening for the digital reality format.
Adapted from a popular French format, The 50 brings together 50 personalities from television, digital platforms, music and reality shows inside a grand palace setting. Over the course of a 50 day competition, participants form alliances, compete in unpredictable tasks and navigate eliminations as the field steadily narrows.
Guiding the game is a mysterious figure known as The Lion, an unseen game master whose voice introduces twists, challenges and strategic turns throughout the show, adding an extra layer of suspense to the contest.
What distinguishes The 50 from typical reality competitions is its audience driven prize structure. Instead of the winner taking home the final reward, the prize is awarded to one of the winner’s registered followers through the show’s dedicated app. The mechanism effectively turns viewers into participants, allowing fans to have a direct stake in the outcome.
The contestant lineup features a mix of television actors, reality stars and digital creators, including Karan Patel, Urvashi Dholakia, Divya Agarwal, Mr Faisu and Dushyant Kukreja, each bringing their own fan following to the show.
With its blend of celebrity personalities, strategic gameplay and interactive viewer participation, The 50 has quickly carved out a strong foothold in India’s digital entertainment landscape. Its 8.1 million views in the opening week underline the growing appetite for large scale reality formats designed specifically for OTT audiences.
