Your attention is the new currency for India's streaming apps.

As monetization gets trickier, over-the-top (OTT) content platforms are also working to earn more from each subscriber—without raising subscription prices—by blocking password sharing, as Netflix has done, and by introducing cheaper advertising-supported video-on-demand plans, like Amazon Prime Video.

“For us, watch time and user engagement are as important as subscription numbers. Without strong engagement, subscriber growth is shallow and eventually leads to churn. Users stay only if they find compelling, consistent content," said Ujjwal Mahajan, co-founder, Chaupal, a home-grown streaming platform serving Punjabi, Haryanvi, and Bhojpuri content.

The platforms monthly retention rate has increased from 17% to nearly 70%, driven entirely by better watch time and users staying on the platform for longer durations, Mahajan added.

Metrics such as total time spent by users on a platform, time spent per session, content completion rates, and user interactions, including likes, comments, and shares, are being prioritized, as paid subscriptions are no longer growing at the massive 30-40% rates seen at the peak of the pandemic, agreed industry experts.

But, at the same time, as services attempt better monetization, there has been a decrease in content budgets, with a 20-50% reduction across the board. “The average content budget per episode has dropped from ₹1-2 crore to ₹30 lakh to ₹1 crore, depending on the producer and star cast," said Rajat Agrawal, chief operating officer and director of film production company Ultra Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

Instead “platforms are investing more in regional language content, with budgets ranging from ₹5-10 crore per season", said, adding that compact web series—tailored for mobile audiences or YouTube-style formats—with five to seven episodes and budgets of ₹90 lakh to ₹1 crore are gaining popularity.

Monetization challenges

Streaming platforms are facing significant monetization challenges, particularly in balancing advertising and subscription revenue, according to experts.

The industry has seen a shift towards ad-supported models, with platforms such as Prime Video introducing ads to reduce their dependence on subscription revenue.

Meanwhile, Netflix has introduced curbs on password sharing, sending out emails to users who are using an account outside a single household, asking them to transfer their profile to a fresh subscription.

“The way we think about this is that we’re giving people the choice. We have programmed the same content across both (lower and higher subscription tiers). Customers can choose how they want to consume the content, and we shall adjust and learn as we go along," Gaurav Gandhi, vice-president, Amazon Prime Video, Asia-Pacific & Middle East-North Africa, told Mint in an August interview.

Risky gamble

While such moves can help drive up subscriptions, since viewers can no longer share the same account or may prefer to avoid ads, these strategies can sometimes reduce consumer engagement, as some users may still be unwilling to purchase separate plans, especially when theire are free alternatives available, experts said.

Rajesh Sethi, partner and leader-media, entertainment, and sports, consulting firm PwC India, said the hybrid approach is especially suited to India, where price sensitivity is high, and families want flexibility. Cricket broadcasts, Bollywood releases, and regional language series are drawing huge audiences, but platforms must balance this demand with the need to keep costs under control.

More viewers are migrating from mobile to living-room connected TV screens, boosting overall streaming engagement, according to Anil Goel, chief technology officer, global data and analytics company Nielsen.

The industry’s next challenge is not reach, but discovery: with larger content libraries and more choices, platforms must leverage measurement and artificial intelligence to simplify navigation and improve the viewer experience. “At the same time, engagement metrics, including session duration, return frequency, and drop-off behaviour have become essential for understanding true platform performance," he said.

"With billions of content pieces now competing for attention, discovery friction has emerged as a critical metric; viewers often spend significant time simply deciding what to watch, making ease of navigation and personalization measurable drivers of engagement," Goel added.

Another area rising in importance is cross-platform attribution. Viewers may first encounter a title or ad on TV, continue browsing on a mobile device, and complete an action elsewhere. Measuring the influence of each touchpoint requires more advanced data models and AI-driven intelligence, especially as device fragmentation continues to grow, he explained.