Streaming platforms are cutting back on the number of original shows made in Indian languages, after the surge seen during the pandemic. Following an 18% decline in 2024, the number of originals fell another 13% in 2025, according to media consulting firm Ormax. This slowdown is partly due to the ban on certain adult-content apps such as Ullu and also the merger of Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema into a single platform, which has reduced the combined volume of releases compared to when they operated separately.
Hindi continues to dominate, accounting for 60% of streaming originals in India in 2025, though lower than its 65% share in 2024. Telugu originals have recorded growth—from 28 in 2024 to 35 in 2025. Scripted content dominates across platforms, with fiction series and direct-to-OTT films making up between 75% and 100% of originals. This means that little space is being given to unscripted formats like reality shows, music contests, or stand-up comedy.
“The slump in Indian OTT (over-the-top) originals comes from a mix of market forces and strategic shifts. After the pandemic‑era splurge, platforms have slashed content spend by roughly half and are now green‑lighting far fewer shows and focusing on ‘big‑ticket’ titles instead of many small projects. Also, various platforms merging together have created transition periods where commissioning has stalled and overall output has dropped,” said Rajat Agrawal, chief operating officer, Ultra Media & Entertainment Group.
Also, with most potential consumers already on board, growth now depends on retaining existing subscribers, so platforms chase fewer, high‑impact shows that can deliver a stronger ROI (return on investment) rather than a large, diverse slate, experts like Agrawal said.
To be sure, one of the biggest challenges facing the streaming business is unsold inventory and falling acquisition prices, as studios are sitting on hundreds of crores of ready‑to‑release films and 40‑45 web series that no buyer wants.
OTT revenues in India are estimated to be around ₹37,000 crore, in a mix of advertising and subscriptions.
Meanwhile, the overall content spend has been halved and per‑episode costs are now benchmarked against TV rates, forcing producers to do more with less. Plus, the number of Indian originals has gone down, with many creators switching back to feature films, because a premium series can take over a year to develop.
The rapid commissioning spree also created a shortage of experienced writers, directors and crew, hurting quality and making it difficult to scale new projects.
Still, 2025 has witnessed intense licensing wars for theatrical releases. According to primary market research and media services provider Chrome Data Analytics & Media, Netflix acquired rights to 84 movies, while JioHotstar, including Disney and Marvel titles, licensed 127 movies.
“The OTT market isn’t slowing, it’s recalibrating. Our data shows rising content supply and aggressive licensing activity across platforms. The shift is toward sharper positioning, regional depth and disciplined monetization with streaming now firmly embedded in the broader cinema economy,” said Pankaj Krishna, founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Chrome Data Analytics & Media.
Calling the decline in OTT originals a result of market correction and consolidation, Pratap Jain, founder and CEO, Chana Jor OTT, said that after a phase of aggressive commissioning during 2020-2023, platforms are now prioritizing profitability over expansion. The focus has shifted from scale to sustainability. “Platform mergers and strategic realignments have also played a major role. When two entities combine, overlapping content pipelines are rationalized, naturally reducing the total number of new originals being commissioned,” Jain said. The regulatory scrutiny around adult and explicit content has had a noticeable impact on overall supply, Jain pointed out. A segment that previously contributed consistently to original volumes has either slowed down or gone off the grid.
That said, regional content is one of the strongest opportunities for content revival. Audiences across India are increasingly embracing stories rooted in local culture, dialects and realities, according to industry experts. Investing in regional originals can expand subscriber base in underpenetrated markets, reduce content fatigue in Hindi-heavy ecosystems and deliver strong engagement.
“While the broader trend among international and national players seems to be moving towards more films, regional players are clearly locking in more original content. Our shows have consistently outperformed top movies and continue to drive engagement well beyond their release, so we can confidently say that our trajectory is quite the opposite of what we’re seeing with bigger players,” said Ujjwal Mahajan, co-founder, Chaupal, a platform specializing in Punjabi, Haryanvi and Bhojpuri content.
One of the biggest challenges in the OTT business is finding stories with real depth and skilled writers who can expand a compelling one-liner into an engaging three-hour plus web series, Mahajan added. Piracy continues to be a major issue for all OTT platforms—if those revenues were to come through legal channels, the entire game would change. Additionally, creating awareness around content, especially when there isn’t a big face attached, remains a significant challenge.
However, despite the push for regional content, a significant structural imbalance remains. According to Ormax Media, 49% of all original shows produced in the past year are still based in Mumbai or Delhi. This is in stark contrast to the audience demographic, where these two cities contribute barely 7% of the total OTT audience, which, according to Ormax, has reached 601.2 million.
This disconnect suggests that while investment is shifting, the creative ecosystem has yet to fully align with the ‘Bharat’ audience.
“Future growth will not come from producing more of the same content for the same urban audiences. Instead, it will depend on successfully penetrating regional markets with culturally relevant storytelling and innovating with lower-cost formats like micro-dramas. The industry’s ability to break the 100-million subscriber ceiling will ultimately define its trajectory in 2026 and beyond,” said Avinash Mudaliar, CEO, OTTPlay, a recommendation and content discovery platform for streaming services launched by HT Media Labs (part of the same organization as Mint).