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Slow start for TV shows on VOD
MUMBAI: Television programming in India has traditionally chased revenues from its first-run life on channels. There has been some mythological content such as Ramayan, Mahabharat and Om Namah Shivay that have enjoyed syndicated revenues or travelled successfully abroad. But generally library content has gathered dust or lived in a state of penury, failing to amass strong audience or advertising support.
Now content owners are trying to open another revenue window: online sites that offer video-on-demand content. Though at a nascent stage, they hope the delivery platform will emerge stronger among younger audiences as the infrastructure on the broadband front improves and bandwidth costs further fall.
Rajshri.com and BigFlix.com have in their menu a horde of TV serials and soaps. While Rajshri.com has shows like Ramayan, Fauji, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Mahabharat, Maayka, Bandini and Ghar Ki Laxmi Betiyaan, BigFlix.com has serials like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Saara Akash, Kumkum, Khichdi, Kehta Hai Dil, and Seeta aur Geeta.
The genre on exposure is broad, ranging from soaps to social drama and comedies. Says Rajshri Media MD and CEO Rajjat Barjatya, “There are people who want to have a repeat view of the shows of their liking. No TV channel repeats its shows after the telecast run expires. The only option is to find them on websites that have them.”
Mythology, however, stands out as the most popular TV content on VoD. On Rajshri.com epics such as Ramayan and Mahabharat have so far got views amounting to 225,904 and 4,135,833 respectively while shows like Fauji has had 152,386 views, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai 537,630, Bandini 85,754 and Maayka 198,237 views.
Avers Barjatya, “You see, somewhere, even today, we are linked to our mythology. Everyone admits that Ramanand Sagar and BR Chopra have made the finest adaptations of Ramayan and Mahabharat respectively. That is why even today, these serials get maximum number of hits.”
The kids genre also exhibits a strong repeat value. Serials like Vikram aur Vetal, Karadi Tales, Tenali Raman and Arabian Nights have their own followers on online streaming sites.
Another genre that has just started peeping in on online streaming websites is the reality TV genre. NDTV’s latest Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayenge is today’s rage among viewers.
Regarding the size of the VoD market, India pales in comparison to the US and other matured markets. “I think it is around Rs 50 million annually. It is taking time to grow primarily because of the lack of infrastructure and bandwidth availability,” avers Shemaroo Entertainment Director Hiren Gada.
For the whole lot of its content, Big Flix has revenue-sharing arrangements with content providers, who are either producers themselves or are holders of digital rights.
“We don’t get into exclusive deals and generally the revenue share model is 70:30,” says BigFlix.com business head Murtuza Kagalwala. “Online streaming gives people ease of use as it fills the needed gap.”
Does it pay to have your TV show on these websites? “Certainly,” says Creative Eye founder-promoter Dheeraj Kumar. “There is always a scope of payment. Sites like YouTube and Rajshri.com, as far as TV shows and serials are concerned, are very reliable and they pay well.”
So what is the commercial arrangement between online sites and content owners? “Firstly, it is done on revenue-sharing basis of 70:30. Then for some shows, producers are paid on the basis of ‘hits’ that the serial gets. In the last option, some websites resort to paying a minimum guarantee,” says Kumar.
Adds Prem Sagar, “To me getting paid on the ‘hits’ is great. See the number of hits our serial gets. It shows that Ramayan is popular even today.”
So how are the online sites making money? On the internet, there are three ways to monetise – charging for downloads, ad supported streaming and subscription of library content.
Adds Barjatya, “Currently, 95 per cent of our revenues come from advertising. As advertising keeps on rising, we are putting a strategy in place to scale up the download business.”
Will there be strong growth for TV shows on VOD? “The size of the market would grow between Rs 700 million to Rs 1 billion in about five years,” says Gada.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
