iWorld
Indians among top commute streamers for Netflix
MUMBAI: India is clearly a nation of commute streamers with internet users making the most of their travel time by binge watching. At 88 per cent, Indians are the second-highest public bingers in the world, just a tad behind Mexico with 89 per cent, according to a survey report by Netflix.
Despite being in proximity to strangers, Indians don’t stifle their emotions and end up gasping, laughing and even crying in public. This public activity has been aided by the ability to download series and films for later viewing. Indians are amongst the top mobile downloaders in the world for Netflix content. Binge watching grew by 17 per cent from last year’s 71 per cent.
According to the survey, Narcos, Stranger Things and 13 Reasons Why were the top watched shows in 2017 in India. Indians binge watch in three days, which is faster than the global average of four days. Though mobile viewing is prime, a third (34 per cent) of Netflix viewing in India was through connected TVs.
To gain ground in India, the streaming service launched a slew of new relatable shows such as Sacred Games, Selection Day, Again, and Bard of Blood in association with Red Chillies Entertainment; the first kids original series from India, Mighty Little Bheem and Love Per Square Foot, the first mainstream film from India to be exclusively available on Netflix. These are local stories that will travel across the globe, finding an audience wherever Netflix is available.
Going into 2018, Netflix eyes more partnerships with local content creators. Netflix VP communications-Asia Jessica Lee says, “We are committed to working with producers, creators, talent and crew in India to create more great content. We are constantly innovating to enhance our member experience to be able to better serve members and provide more control over their watching experience.”
Lee is thrilled at the response India has given to Netflix content. She says, “We are pleased with how we have grown in the first two years in India and have witnessed a huge appetite for entertainment and plenty of fan enthusiasm. We have focused primarily on content, partnerships and technology to build a great Netflix experience in the country. In the past year, we have more than doubled our catalogue in India, creating a compelling and growing content library encompassing original and licenced titles.”
Overcoming the issue of low quality of internet in the country, Netflix has invested in its own content delivery network, lowering the cost and boosting efficiency for it as well as for ISP partners. Lee says, “Our open connect programme supports hundreds of large and small ISPs to directly interconnect with the Netflix network for free in regional locations rather than going through third-party transit providers. We have been working on local partnerships to make sure that Netflix is even more accessible in India. Over 2017, we launched partnerships with Airtel Digital TV, Videocon and Vodafone to make it much easier for Indian consumers to watch Netflix, whether on a set-top box or on a mobile.”
Lee opines that people’s tastes are broad even in an individual market like India. “By using advanced algorithms, we can make tailored recommendations based on individual users’ tastes. Since we are across 190 countries, the algorithms now draw upon a much larger audience of over 109 million members. The feature of personalisation and discovery is now even more dynamic and is only going to get better as our content library grows,” she says.
Netflix members around the world watched more than 140 million hours of TV shows, movies, documentaries and more per day – that’s about one billion hours per week. The average global member watched 60 movies on Netflix this year.
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iWorld
Streaming boom crosses 200 million as India shifts to sustainable growth
From content bets to CTV rise, industry leaders map streaming’s next phase
MUMBAI: India’s streaming story has entered a new chapter, and this time it is less about land grab and more about staying power. At a panel on the evolving streaming economy, industry leaders agreed that with subscriptions crossing 200 million and revenues surging, the focus has decisively shifted to sustainable growth, smarter content bets and sharper partnerships.
Moderator EY partner Raghav Anand, set the tone by pointing to the sharp jump in paid subscriptions, driven by a mix of sports, bundling and improved distribution. The result is a fast-maturing ecosystem where subscription revenues are beginning to complement, and in some cases rival, advertising-led growth.
For Amazon Prime Video Svod business India director & head Shilangi Mukherji, the past decade has been about balancing choice with clarity. “It’s not an either-or market anymore,” she noted. “There is space for everything, from television to ad-supported streaming to subscriptions. The real win is when they all grow together.”
At the heart of this growth lies a simple trio: selection, value and convenience. Content remains king, but not in isolation. Platforms are now curating vast libraries that blend originals, rentals, and third-party services, all under one roof. The aim is to create an ecosystem where viewers do not need to hop between apps to find what they want.
Content itself is also evolving. Mukherji highlighted that nearly half of Prime Video’s viewership comes from outside a show’s home region, underlining the collapse of traditional language silos. Stories are no longer “regional” but increasingly pan-Indian, with talent and narratives travelling seamlessly across states.
Franchise-building has become another cornerstone, with a majority of shows designed for multiple seasons. The goal is not just to attract viewers but to keep them coming back, turning series into long-term cultural touchpoints rather than one-off hits.
On the production side, Hungama Digital Media managing director & CEO Neeraj Roy, described an industry that is both resilient and recalibrating. While the pandemic accelerated content consumption and discovery, it also reset market dynamics. Pre-sales have softened, satellite revenues have tightened, and the easy money phase of digital deals has cooled.
“The honeymoon is over,” Roy said candidly. “Now, content has to prove itself. If it works at the box office or with audiences, everything else follows.”
This shift, he argued, is pushing creators towards greater discipline. Fewer projects are being made, but with sharper focus on quality and audience appeal. At the same time, global exposure to diverse content, from Korean dramas to Malayalam cinema, has raised the bar for storytelling across the board.
Another quiet transformation is unfolding in how content is consumed. While mobile remains the primary gateway, especially for payments and discovery, connected TVs are fast becoming the preferred screen for long-form viewing. Mukherji described this not as a battle of devices but as a “force multiplier”, with platforms tailoring plans for mobile-only users, living room viewers and multi-device households alike.
The monetisation playbook is also widening. Beyond subscriptions and ads, platforms are experimenting with rentals, bundled offerings and commerce integrations, building layered revenue streams that cater to different stages of the consumer journey.
Looking ahead, both panellists pointed to global ambition as the next frontier. Mukherji emphasised taking Indian stories to the world through deeper localisation, calling content India’s soft power. Roy, meanwhile, stressed the need for investment in infrastructure, skills and, crucially, transparent data systems to guide creators with better insights.
If the first phase of India’s streaming boom was about scale, the next will be about substance. And as the industry settles into this new rhythm, one thing is clear: the real streaming wars may be over, but the race to win viewers’ time has only just begun.
