Remember the time we relied on Netflix to watch the latest season of a favourite show? The time when only one streaming service held the keys to all our favourite shows?
Those days feel like a distant memory now.
In just a decade, India’s television show consumption has witnessed a seismic shift.
Netflix’s arrival in India in 2016 was the first tremor. With its sleek interface and global content library, it introduced urban India to binge-watching. No ad breaks, no waiting for the next episode—just an endless stream of content at your fingertips.
Yet, it wasn’t Netflix that truly revolutionised India’s OTT space.
That credit goes to Disney+ Hotstar, which leveraged its IPL streaming rights to turn cricket fans into digital subscribers. In 2019, when a staggering 18 million viewers tuned in to watch an IPL final on Hotstar, it became clear: OTT was the new television.
This transformation hit hyperdrive during the covid-pandemic when India added a staggering 70 million OTT subscribers between 2020-22, creating an INR 17,000 crore market.
And, the stakes just got higher.
The recent INR 70,000 crore merger between Reliance’s Jio and Disney’s India business is set to transform the OTT space yet again!
The OTT wars are redefining how content is being valued, distributed, and monetised.
In this blog, we’ll dive deep into the strategies, numbers, and future implications of India’s streaming wars. Whether you’re an investor, entrepreneur, or business leader, this analysis will help you understand one of the most significant business transformations happening in India right now.
Let’s dive in!
The OTT revolution in India
OTT or ‘Over-The-Top’ platforms deliver content directly to users over the internet, eliminating the need for cable, broadband or satellite services. With just a compatible device and a Wi-Fi connection, we can stream content from platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, Sony, Zee and many more. OTT platforms have made entertainment available on-demand, anytime, anywhere!
The appeal of OTT platforms-
- Anytime and anywhere access
- Flexible and affordable
- Regional and global content in one place
- Ad-free viewing
- Tailored recommendations
- Exclusive content
- Multi-device access
All these reasons have made viewers flock to OTT platforms.
With over 545 million subscribers and 100 million paid users, India’s OTT sector is on track to grow into an INR 12,000-crore industry by 2025, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36% since 2018.
In my opinion, this scale is the true essence of how far the OTT revolution has played out in India.
OTT platforms in India
From the novelty of the IPL getting streamed on OTT platforms, the way we watch ‘television’ has come a long way!
Today, we barely view television in the traditional sense!
I recently read how in the latest season of Shark Tank India, Sony made the bold move of taking Shark Tank India off traditional television and streaming it exclusively on SonyLiv, its OTT platform.
And guess what! Season 4 on SonyLiv broke records:
- 40% surge in connected TV viewership.
- 22% increase in users.
- 27% spike in viewer engagement.
This makes it clear that OTT is no longer just an alternative to television—it is the new television.
As we increasingly choose digital platforms over cable, content providers are making bold bets to stay ahead in the game.
With so many players competing for attention, here’s an overview of the market share of different OTT platforms.
The landscape is further complicated by strategic alliances.
The recent USD 8.5 billion merger between Disney and Reliance Industries has created a media behemoth, Jio Star, overseeing over 100 TV channels and 50 million streaming subscribers.
With the merger all set to completely transform the Indian OTT space, the big question is – who is actually grabbing our attention?
The answer reveals a uniquely Indian story of how we consume content.
Indian OTT platforms operate through multiple models with different features and offerings.
As the new Jio-Disney entity steps into this landscape, they’re not just combining two companies – they’re potentially creating a new model that could redefine and disrupt how digital content is monetised in India.
But, before that, let’s discuss the original disruptor – YouTube!
The real OTT disruptor
TVF’s “Aspirants” on YouTube got more views than Netflix’s “Sacred Games” despite a fraction of the budget.
This isn’t just an interesting statistic!
It shows how YouTube has fundamentally disrupted India’s content landscape.
Let’s put this disruption into perspective with numbers.
- YouTube generated INR 14,300 crore in revenue in India (January 2025)
- Reaches 467 million users in India
Traditional OTT platforms, in comparison, have struggled to achieve similar penetration.
Netflix, despite its global dominance, reaches only 13% of India’s digital video viewers.
So, how did YouTube manage to do this?
Three pillars of YouTube’s disruption
1. Democratisation of content creation
YouTube’s low entry barriers and meritocratic reward system have been instrumental in its ability to transform people into content powerhouses.
The moral: real relatable content > big budgets and production value.
2. The revenue revolution
YouTube’s multi-layered monetisation model has created a sustainable creator economy:
- Ad revenue: Top creators earn INR 1-2 crore annually from ads alone
- Brand collaborations: Premium creators command INR 5-50 lakh per integration
- Super chat and channel memberships: Live streaming features enable direct viewer support
- Merchandise and spin-off businesses: Many creators have launched successful ventures beyond content. Take, for example, Physics Wallah who grew from a YouTube channel to an EdTech unicorn valued at USD 1.1 billion.
The moral: Scale breeds innovation
3. Community-first approach
YouTube’s success stems from its community-building features:
- Regular engagement through comments and community posts
- Live interactions through streaming
- Content in regional languages and dialects
- Consistent upload schedules build habitual viewing
The moral: Accessibility trumps exclusivity
A few other aspects caught my eye too —
- While other OTT platforms spend millions on deciding what shows to create, YouTube lets the market decide.
- While other platforms guard their premium content behind paywalls, YouTube’s free-first approach has created an ecosystem worth INR 14,300 crore.
- The platform’s ad-supported model aligns perfectly with Indian consumers’ preference for free content.
- As Indians upgrade their TV viewing experience, YouTube is becoming the default entertainment option.
- This challenges the fundamental assumption that premium content needs a premium platform.
As traditional OTT players scramble to adapt to YouTube’s model, the JioHotstar merger is set to change the game all over again!
The new game changer: JioHotstar
What makes the merger between JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar transformative is its unprecedented scale and unique approach to content accessibility.
By combining JioCinema’s free-tier model with Disney+ Hotstar’s premium content library, JioHotstar has created India’s largest streaming platform, reaching 500 million users with over 300,000 hours of content.
The platform’s competitive edge lies in three key innovations:
First, its comprehensive content aggregation brings together entertainment giants like NBCUniversal, Warner Bros, Discovery, HBO, and Paramount under one roof.
Second, with rights to the IPL, ICC events, Premier League, and Wimbledon, JioHotstar is positioned to dominate India’s lucrative sports streaming market. The platform’s technical innovations, including 4K streaming, AI-powered insights, and multi-angle viewing, promise to revolutionise how Indians experience live sports.
Most intriguingly, JioHotstar’s “Sparks” initiative signals a shift toward embracing India’s creator economy. By bringing digital creators onto a mainstream OTT platform, it’s bridging the gap between traditional media and new-age content.
The platform’s “limited free access” model could be the key to solving India’s subscription growth challenge, potentially creating a sustainable middle ground between fully paid and completely free services.
It will be interesting to see how this merger changes the OTT industry.
In summary
OTT platforms have fundamentally transformed content consumption, offering viewers flexibility, convenience, and a diverse range of programming across devices.
Advancements in technology—5G, AI-driven personalisation, multi-language capabilities, and immersive viewing experiences—are further enhancing the user experience and expanding the reach of streaming platforms.
India stands at the forefront of this evolution. As the market matures, we will likely see deeper investments in regional content, AI-driven personalisation, and hybrid monetisation models that balance subscriptions with ad-supported content.
With the JioHotstar merger reshaping the competitive landscape and digital adoption surging across urban and rural markets, the question arises – Is the future of OTT about big-budget productions, or is it about authentic, consistent engagement?
In my opinion, the true potential lies in the ability to scale, provide a personalised user experience and use cutting-edge technology to improve how content is delivered and experienced.
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Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for informational purposes and should not be interpreted as soliciting, advertising, or providing any advice.