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How India streamed OTT originals in 2022: Ormax Media report

The ‘Streaming Originals in India’ report analysed streaming content on three parameters - viewership, marketing buzz and content strength.

Disney+ Hotstar led the viewership of Hindi language OTT originals in India last year, according to the ‘Streaming Originals in India’ report by Ormax Media. The platform streamed seven out of the top 15 most-watched original shows, followed by Prime video and MX Player at four shows each.

The most-watched Hindi show was Ajay Devgn’s OTT debut ‘Rudra: The Edge of Darkness’ with an estimated viewership of 35.2 million, followed by ‘Aashram’ season 3 at 34.3 million views and ‘Panchayat’ season 2 at 29.6 million views. This was followed by Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach (23 million views) and The Great Indian Murder (23 million views), which were also streamed on Disney+Hotstar.

However, the second season of Panchayat topped the list of the most liked web shows of the year, followed by SonyLIV’s Rocket Boys and the second season of Delhi Crime on Netflix. Panchayat S2 is at the sixth position on the all-time list, on which The Family Man S2, another Prime Video show, holds the top spot. Sony LIV’s Rocket Boys and Netflix’s Delhi Crime S2 take the next two spots.

Top shows like Rudra: The Edge of Darkness and Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach have been conceptualised and produced by Applause Entertainment.

The most-watched international show was ‘House of the Dragon’ with a viewership of nearly 28.2 million views. The franchise shows, including those from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, dominated the international list, taking eight positions.

Stranger Things S4 is not only the most liked international show, but is also the second most-liked International show till date (since the start of tracking in 2020) after Money Heist (S4 & S5). 

Amongst the most watched Hindi films in 2022, three films that crossed the 24 million viewership mark were all on Disney+ Hotstar. Akshay Kumar-starrer Cuttputlli led with 26.9 million views, followed by Yami Gautam’s A Thursday (25.5 million views) and Govinda Naam Mera (24.4 million views). The platform streamed seven out of the top 15 most-watched films, followed by Prime video and Netflix at four films each.

Karan Johar’s Gehraiyaan (22.3 million views) on Amazon Prime Video and mystery thriller Freddy starring Kartik Aaryan (20.9 million views), on Hotstar, were fourth and fifth in the list.

The most liked Hindi film of the year was A Thursday, followed by Kaun Pravin Tambe on Disney+ Hotstar and Forensic on ZEE5. While Disney+ Hotstar takes 3 of the top 4 spots, Netflix dominates the top 10 list.

When it comes to the marketing buzz, Panchayat season 2 topped the list in Hindi shows. The report defines buzz as a percentage measure of the audience who can recall a show or film unaided. It is an indicator of the talk value of the property based on the degree and effectiveness of conversations around it. Franchise shows took nine out of the top 15 positions on the list.

The most buzzing international show was ‘Stranger Things’ season 4, followed by ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’. Stranger Things (S4) had a higher buzz than all Hindi series, except Panchayat (S2) and Rudra.

The most-buzzing Hindi film was ‘Gehraiyaan’, followed by ‘Cuttputlli’ and ‘Darlings’. Movies that featured theatrical stars dominated the list.

The report mentions that it looked at the top original shows and films released in 2022 in Hindi and international languages. It considered three parameters - viewership, marketing buzz and content strength. It  only focussed on original content and not on content like theatrical films, catch-up television, sports, among others.

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