India’s OTT Audience Reaches 664.9 Million as Paid Subscriptions Rise 16% and Connected-TV Audience Jumps 60%

India’s online video audience has expanded to 664.9 million people in 2026, while active paid OTT subscriptions have increased 16% and the connected-TV audience has surged 60%, highlighting a major shift in the way Indian consumers access digital entertainment.

The latest Ormax OTT Audience Report estimates that approximately:

664.9 million Indians

now qualify as OTT viewers.

That represents roughly:

45% of India's population

and an increase of:

11% year-on-year

from 601.2 million OTT users in 2025.

More significantly, the country's active connected-TV audience has reached:

206.9 million people,

up approximately:

60% from 2025.

Active paid OTT subscriptions increased to:

172.6 million

from 148.2 million a year earlier.

The numbers indicate that India's streaming market is no longer expanding only by adding mobile viewers.

It is increasingly developing into a multi-screen digital entertainment ecosystem in which smartphones, connected televisions, social video, micro-dramas and ad-supported streaming formats compete for consumer attention.

India’s OTT Audience Grows 11% to 664.9 Million

India's OTT universe increased from:

601.2 million viewers in 2025

to:

664.9 million in 2026.

That represents year-on-year growth of approximately:

11%.

Ormax defines an OTT audience member as someone who watched at least one online video, whether free or paid, during the preceding month.

The definition therefore captures the wider digital-video ecosystem rather than limiting the market to subscribers of conventional streaming services.

This makes the 664.9 million figure a measure of the scale of India's overall online-video audience.

OTT Now Reaches 45% of India’s Population

The 664.9 million audience represents approximately:

45% of India's population.

That demonstrates the extent to which online video has moved beyond a niche urban entertainment format.

Streaming consumption now spans:

large metros,

smaller cities,

urban households,

and rural consumers.

Affordable smartphones, inexpensive mobile data and the rapid expansion of regional-language content have helped online video reach audiences that traditional subscription television and premium streaming services could not always access as efficiently.

Paid OTT Subscriptions Rise 16%

The most important monetisation indicator in the report is the growth in:

active paid subscriptions.

India had approximately:

172.6 million active paid OTT subscriptions in 2026.

That compares with:

148.2 million in 2025.

The increase represents approximately:

16% year-on-year growth.

Paid subscriptions therefore expanded faster than the overall OTT audience.

That suggests the market isn't only adding viewers.

A larger portion of the ecosystem is also becoming monetisable through subscription-based services.

Active Subscription Measure Includes Bundled Services

The paid-subscription figure includes subscriptions that were:

used at least once in the previous month.

It also includes access obtained through:

telecom bundles

and:

OTT aggregators.

This distinction is important because Indian consumers increasingly gain streaming access through packaged offerings rather than purchasing each platform individually.

Telecom companies, broadband providers and aggregation services can combine multiple streaming platforms into:

one plan

or:

one billing relationship.

This can lower acquisition friction for streaming companies while increasing the number of services available to consumers.

Connected-TV Audience Reaches 206.9 Million

The most dramatic change in the 2026 report is the growth of:

connected television.

India's active connected-TV audience has reached:

206.9 million.

That represents growth of approximately:

60% compared with 2025.

Connected TVs include smart televisions and conventional television sets connected to the internet through external devices.

Their rapid adoption changes how streaming platforms compete for viewers.

Online video is increasingly moving from:

personal smartphone screens

to:

shared household television screens.

India Is Becoming a Two-Screen Streaming Market

For much of the last decade, India's digital-video boom was primarily:

smartphone-led.

Cheap mobile data and affordable Android devices allowed hundreds of millions of consumers to stream entertainment without requiring:

broadband connections

or:

expensive television hardware.

That model is now evolving.

Connected television is creating what Ormax describes as a:

two-screen ecosystem.

Consumers can use phones for:

short-form video,

social content,

personal viewing,

and entertainment on the move,

while connected televisions increasingly serve:

films,

premium series,

sports,

family viewing,

and longer-duration entertainment.

Connected TV Could Change Streaming Economics

The shift toward television screens matters commercially.

Large-screen viewing can create different advertising and subscription economics from smartphone viewing.

Consumers watching television may spend longer with:

premium entertainment,

live sports,

films,

and episodic series.

Television viewing is also frequently shared among multiple household members.

For advertisers, connected TV can combine characteristics of traditional television with digital capabilities such as:

targeting,

measurement,

frequency management,

and interactive formats.

This could make CTV inventory increasingly valuable.

Smart-TV Adoption Is Supporting Growth

The connected-TV boom is being driven partly by the rapid penetration of:

smart televisions.

Internet connectivity has become increasingly standard in new television sets.

Consumers no longer need specialised devices to access streaming applications.

Most modern smart TVs provide direct access to platforms and video services through built-in operating systems.

As households replace older television sets, internet-enabled televisions naturally become a larger portion of India's installed TV base.

This can expand connected-TV adoption even without consumers making a deliberate decision to switch away from linear television.

Broadband Expansion Also Supports CTV

Television streaming requires more reliable connectivity than many mobile-video use cases.

The spread of:

home broadband

and:

fiber connections

therefore supports connected-TV growth.

High-speed fixed broadband allows households to stream:

high-definition,

4K,

live sports,

and other bandwidth-intensive content

more consistently.

Telecom companies have also increasingly bundled broadband with:

OTT subscriptions.

This creates an integrated proposition combining:

internet connectivity,

streaming platforms,

and entertainment.

OTT Users Spend 14.9 Hours a Week Watching Online Video

India's average OTT audience member now spends approximately:

14.9 hours per week

watching online video.

The figure includes time spent across:

traditional OTT platforms,

social video,

micro-drama platforms,

and FAST channels.

That equates to more than:

two hours of video per day

on average.

The scale demonstrates that streaming isn't simply an occasional entertainment activity.

It has become a substantial component of Indians' weekly media consumption.

India Generates 517 Billion Hours of Annual Online Video Viewing

When aggregated across the country's enormous audience, online video consumption reaches approximately:

517 billion hours annually.

That number illustrates why India is strategically important for:

streaming companies,

advertisers,

content studios,

telecom operators,

and technology platforms.

Even relatively small improvements in monetisation per hour of viewing could create significant commercial value when multiplied across hundreds of billions of consumption hours.

The challenge is converting that attention into sustainable revenue.

India Has Scale but Monetisation Remains Complex

India's OTT market has always presented a distinctive economic problem.

Audience scale is enormous.

Average consumer willingness to pay, however, can be lower than in mature Western streaming markets.

This has encouraged platforms to experiment with:

lower-cost subscriptions,

advertising-supported tiers,

telecom bundles,

free viewing,

and hybrid monetisation models.

The 16% increase in active paid subscriptions suggests monetisation is improving, but free and advertising-supported consumption still remains central to the market.

Micro-Dramas Are Among the Fastest-Growing Formats

The report also highlights rapid changes in content preferences.

Micro-drama audiences increased approximately:

50%.

These short, serialised dramas are designed primarily for:

mobile consumption.

Episodes may last only a few minutes and are often structured around:

rapid storytelling,

frequent cliffhangers,

and high-volume release schedules.

The format has already become a major digital entertainment business in China and other Asian markets.

India is now seeing similar growth.

Micro-Drama Growth Creates a New OTT Segment

Micro-dramas differ significantly from conventional streaming series.

Traditional OTT originals may involve:

large budgets,

long production cycles,

and episodes lasting 30 to 60 minutes.

Micro-dramas can be produced more quickly and consumed in short sessions.

This makes the format well suited to:

commuting,

waiting periods,

and smartphone-first entertainment.

Their growth also creates room for new specialist platforms that do not need to compete directly with established services across expensive films and premium long-form series.

K-Dramas Grow 48%

Korean dramas were another rapidly expanding category.

Their audience increased approximately:

48%.

K-dramas have gained significant popularity among Indian viewers through:

streaming availability,

subtitles,

dubbing,

social-media discovery,

and the broader rise of Korean popular culture.

The growth demonstrates how streaming has reduced geographic boundaries in entertainment.

Indian consumers can discover and watch international content with far less friction than in the traditional broadcast era.

Anime Audience Rises 32%

Anime audiences increased approximately:

32%.

Japanese animation has developed a particularly strong following among:

younger viewers

and:

digitally engaged audiences.

Streaming services have expanded availability through both:

subtitled

and:

dubbed content.

Anime also benefits from strong online communities that drive discovery and engagement across social-media platforms.

Its growth reinforces the increasingly fragmented nature of digital entertainment consumption.

Streaming Is Creating More Niche Audiences

Traditional television programming often needed to attract broad audiences because a limited number of channels competed for mass-market viewing.

Streaming operates differently.

Platforms can economically serve:

niche audiences

because digital distribution has fewer scheduling constraints.

One service can simultaneously host:

mainstream Hindi entertainment,

regional dramas,

anime,

Korean shows,

documentaries,

sports,

and micro-dramas.

This allows entertainment consumption to fragment into increasingly specialised interest groups.

FAST Channels Reach 35.2 Million Viewers

Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television, commonly known as:

FAST,

is also beginning to establish a meaningful Indian audience.

The report estimates approximately:

35.2 million people

now watch FAST channels.

FAST services resemble traditional linear television in that programmes play continuously according to a schedule.

The difference is that distribution occurs through:

internet-connected devices

and the service is generally:

free to consumers

because advertising funds the content.

FAST Could Bridge Linear TV and Streaming

FAST represents an interesting middle ground between:

broadcast television

and:

on-demand streaming.

Consumers don't need to choose individual programmes every time they open the service.

They can simply select a channel and watch whatever is currently playing.

At the same time, the platform retains digital advantages such as:

internet distribution,

targeted advertising,

and connected-device reach.

This could appeal particularly to consumers transitioning from conventional television toward streaming.

Advertising Could Become More Important to OTT

As India's connected-TV and FAST audiences expand, advertising could become an increasingly important part of streaming economics.

The early phase of the global streaming industry focused heavily on:

paid subscriptions.

Platforms increasingly recognise that advertising can expand monetisation by serving consumers who don't want multiple paid subscriptions.

India is particularly well suited to this model because of its:

large audience

and:

high price sensitivity.

Hybrid services can potentially combine subscription revenue with advertising revenue.

Major Platforms Are Building Hybrid Models

Large streaming services are increasingly experimenting with combinations of:

free content,

advertising-supported viewing,

paid subscriptions,

and bundled access.

This allows companies to serve different consumer groups rather than forcing every viewer into the same payment model.

A highly engaged user may pay for:

premium access.

Another consumer may prefer:

free advertising-supported viewing.

Both audiences can generate revenue under a hybrid strategy.

OTT Aggregation Is Becoming More Important

The rise of 172.6 million active paid subscriptions doesn't necessarily mean Indian consumers are independently managing dozens of streaming accounts.

Aggregation is becoming increasingly important.

Telecom and broadband operators can package multiple platforms into:

one subscription

or:

one recharge plan.

This can simplify the consumer experience.

It also changes distribution economics because platforms increasingly depend on:

telecom operators,

device manufacturers,

and aggregators

for customer acquisition.

Platform Competition Is Shifting Toward Engagement

As market penetration rises, the industry's focus is likely to shift from simply acquiring users toward:

engagement.

A platform can have millions of registered accounts but generate little value if consumers rarely use it.

Companies increasingly need to measure:

watch time,

retention,

repeat viewing,

content completion,

and advertising impressions.

The Ormax definition of active paid subscriptions already reflects this emphasis by counting subscriptions used at least once during the previous month.

Forty-Four Cities Now Have More Than One Million OTT Viewers

OTT consumption is also spreading geographically.

The report identifies:

44 Indian cities

with OTT audiences of at least:

one million people each.

This demonstrates that streaming scale is no longer limited to:

Mumbai,

Delhi,

Bengaluru,

Hyderabad,

and other major metros.

Large digital audiences are emerging across a much wider group of cities.

That creates opportunities for regional advertisers and content producers.

Regional Content Remains Critical to India’s OTT Growth

India's language diversity makes regional content particularly important.

A platform serving only Hindi and English cannot fully address the country's potential audience.

Streaming services increasingly invest in:

Tamil,

Telugu,

Malayalam,

Kannada,

Marathi,

Bengali,

Punjabi,

and other Indian-language programming.

Regional-language content can also perform nationally when subtitles and dubbing make it accessible across linguistic markets.

This increases the commercial value of successful local productions.

Connected TV Could Strengthen Premium Content

Smartphone viewing encouraged formats suited to smaller screens and shorter sessions.

Connected television could strengthen demand for:

premium films,

high-budget series,

live sports,

and event programming.

These formats benefit from:

large displays,

better sound,

and shared household viewing.

Platforms may therefore adjust content investment as connected-TV audiences become a larger portion of consumption.

The rise of CTV could eventually influence not only distribution but also what type of entertainment gets produced.

Sports Could Be a Major Beneficiary

Live sports are especially suited to connected television.

Events such as:

cricket,

football,

tennis,

and other major competitions

are often watched collectively.

Streaming platforms have invested heavily in sports rights because live events generate:

large audiences,

high engagement,

and advertising demand.

As more Indian households connect their televisions to the internet, the difference between:

broadcast sports

and:

streaming sports

becomes increasingly blurred.

Traditional Television Faces Greater Competition

Connected-TV growth also creates additional pressure on traditional television distribution.

Consumers who can access:

streaming apps,

live sports,

FAST channels,

YouTube,

and social video

through a television set may become less dependent on conventional:

cable

or:

DTH services.

This does not mean linear television will disappear immediately.

India still has a large traditional-TV audience.

But connected television increasingly gives households an alternative distribution infrastructure.

Broadcasters Are Becoming Streaming Companies

Traditional broadcasters have responded by building their own:

streaming platforms.

The distinction between television networks and digital platforms is becoming less clear.

Broadcasters increasingly distribute the same intellectual property through:

linear channels,

OTT apps,

connected TVs,

mobile devices,

and social platforms.

The objective is to follow the audience regardless of screen.

This transformation is likely to accelerate as connected-TV adoption grows.

Audio Streaming Has 227.3 Million Monthly Users

The Ormax report also provides a broader view of India's digital-media market.

India has approximately:

227.3 million monthly active audio streamers.

That includes consumers listening to:

music,

podcasts,

and other digital audio.

Of these, approximately:

15 million

pay for audio-streaming services.

The large difference between free and paying users demonstrates how much stronger advertising-supported models remain in audio compared with subscription services.

Paid Audio Penetration Remains Relatively Low

Only a small portion of India's audio-streaming audience currently pays directly for access.

This contrasts with video, where active paid subscriptions have reached much greater scale.

The difference may reflect:

consumer willingness to pay,

free music availability,

platform competition,

and the role of advertising-funded services.

It also illustrates how different digital-media categories can have very different monetisation structures even when audience sizes are large.

India Is Becoming One of the World’s Most Important Streaming Markets

India's combination of:

664.9 million OTT users,

172.6 million active paid subscriptions,

206.9 million connected-TV viewers,

and more than 500 billion annual online-video consumption hours

makes it one of the world's most strategically important digital entertainment markets.

The commercial challenge is no longer whether India can generate digital audiences.

That has already been established.

The next challenge is determining which platforms can convert those audiences into sustainable:

subscriptions,

advertising,

commerce,

and long-term customer relationships.

Conclusion

India's OTT market has reached a new scale, with 664.9 million online-video viewers in 2026, representing approximately 45% of the country's population and an 11% increase from 2025.

Monetisation is also strengthening. Active paid OTT subscriptions climbed 16% to 172.6 million, outpacing overall audience growth.

The most dramatic change, however, is happening on the television screen. India's active connected-TV audience surged 60% to 206.9 million, signalling a transition from a predominantly smartphone-led digital-video market toward a broader multi-screen ecosystem.

Content preferences are also diversifying, with micro-drama audiences growing 50%, K-dramas 48% and anime 32%, while FAST channels have reached approximately 35.2 million viewers.

For streaming platforms, broadcasters and advertisers, the next phase of India's OTT market will increasingly be defined not simply by user acquisition but by connected-TV engagement, subscription monetisation, advertising, regional content and new digital formats.