iWorld
OTT video can bring about cord-cutting in India sooner than expected
MUMBAI: Despite the popularity and endless love for movies and catch-up content among Indian consumers, original content is emerging as an important category for online video viewers. However, traditional content categories like movies and related content like catch-up TV content dominate the current consumption trend on online video viewing probably due to limited supply of originals in contrast to library content.
In a report by Eros Now and KPMG India based on a survey carried out among 1458 OTT users in 16 cities of India, it has been revealed that 10 per cent of respondents prefer watching original content online given the current availability of the category standing at less than one per cent of overall content. Moreover, the preference for original content was consistent among all age groups proving that the category is no longer limited to millennial audience. The survey also revealed that 30 per cent of respondents prefer original content while 22 per cent prefer catch-up content.
“If you look at television, there are hundreds of channels, there are 8-10 Hindi GECs and in each language there are multiple GECs, each channel targeting same consumers. In a situation like that, there isn't any major differentiation in the content being offered. The question at this stage of evolution of digital platform is that you need to differentiate against other platforms or TV. Right now the effort is to take time away from TV to OTT because the consumer has a limited time available on hand,” KPMG India media and entertainment partner and head Girish Menon commented in a press meet.
“It came out in the survey that most consumers are using these platforms to consume catch-up content. Therefore the same level of brand awarness that exists between TV channels is existing between the platforms at this point because majority of the content is library content. If you see the content that is being consumed other than movies it is TV content, sports and original content. Original and exclusive content will trigger cord-cutting also,” he added.
The study also emphasised on the fact that freshness and uniqueness of content are the key determining factors for installation and uninstallation of apps along with respondents subscribing to platforms as nearly 87 per cent of the respondents install an app considering the quality of content.
30 per cent of the respondents prefer watching content in languages other than Hindi and English. The preference for content consumption is significant in the native languages across large parts of the country, with South India observed to be the most loyal to their native tongue.
Online video platforms are truly going mass as the Indian OTT viewer spends approximately 70 mins per day on online video platforms, with a consumption frequency of 12.5 times a week i.e. more than once a day. Viewers are also accessing ~2.5 platforms at a given time. While the customer sets are fairly heterogeneous, there is a trend of homogeneity that was observed in terms of consumption frequency and duration across age groups, income levels and genders.
The report also revealed that OTT video could usher in cord cutting sooner than expected. While 38 per cent of the respondents could consider cord-cutting in the future as they responded to their entertainment needs being fully met online, 14 per cent of the respondents considered subscription to online video platforms as an alternative to TV subscription.
“Cord-cutting because of regulator set up, quality of content, VAS, that transition in India will potentially jump the curve in the US,” Eros Now COO Ali Hussein said in the press meet.
The importance of telco platforms for the distribution of online video content has again been proved in the survey as three out of ten respondents viewed online video on telco platforms. Jio TV emerged as the platform with the highest usage with Airtel TV being a distant second. The report also added that integrated telco billing is one of the factors that is likely to help drive VOD subscriptions in the future despite the fact that SVOD users preferred dire usage of specific platforms.
"It benefits immensely. I am getting subscriber, money, time-spent, viewership. 80-85 per cent of this country will continue to be bundled market because of the price consciousness," Hussein added.
OTT is increasingly becoming anywhere-anytime phenomenon as nearly 87 per cent of the respondents consumed content on their mobile phones, with nearly 28 per cent of the respondents consuming content during the traditional office hours of 10 am-6 pm.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
