Regional content gets at OTT, even though Hindi dominates

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Lata Jha 4 min Read 09 Jun 2025, 02:51 PM IST Individual regional language accounts for only 8-10% of the total viewer. (X) Summary video -streaming platforms see sluggish but steady growth in viewer for regional language content, mainly powered by theater films. As audiences are increasingly seeking authentic local experiences, will the share of local content grow in total OTT investment? Video -Streaming platforms see sluggish but steady growth in viewer for regional language content, mainly powered by theater films. Despite this momentum, Hindi still dominates with a 40-45% share of total consumption, according to Nielsen’s mobile audience match report for March 2025. Regional films such as Dragon, Premalu, Ponman, Thandel, Aavesham and Sankranthiki Vasthunam made it on the list of the top 10 streamed films. In addition to Hindi, however, individual regional language forms only 8-10% of the total viewer. Original webreeks in regional languages ​​have yet to actually break out, even within core markets, which limit the scope of investment in that segment. “We believe that big stories surpass language and geography. Since our launch in India in 2016, we have built up a truly multilingual service – programming in ten languages, with user interfaces in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and English,” said Nikhil Madhok, head of originals, Prime Video, India. The diverse local language leads from the platform – from written series Suzhal: The Vortex, Vadhandhi – The Fable of Velonie, Dhootha and Inspector Rishi, to the Anthologies Modern Love Chennai, Modern Love Hyderabad and unwritten performances such as the Rana Daggubati -Show – India and the Internet, and it has a strong sound in India and the Internet, and it is an edge at the start of the start of the onset of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of the start of The start of the start of the first. Subsequent seasons. ‘Today, nearly 60% of customers on Prime Video India stream content are in four or more Indian languages. Indian content on languages ​​also gets fans worldwide, as more than 25% of Indian titles come from outside India. In fact, the Indian content lived in the top -10 on Prime Video Worldwide last year every week of the year, ‘Madhok said. Also read: Independent producers, boutique studios, turn to the local theater for big profits Deepak Joshi, CEO of Flickfusion Media Inc., USA, which owns the OTT platform Chull, said the company has allocated 70% of its content budget to the developing local original programming, which reflects a non-Hindi market. It is to establish dedicated content teams for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, which ensure that every vertical language is driven by culturally rooted storytelling. By making a chord, this expansion of the storytelling power also enabled crossing for talent actively working in the industries. Prime Video Originals The Family Man Season 2 and Citadel: Honey Bunny showed Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Farzi, Vijay Sethupathi and Jubilee, offered Prosenjit Chatterjee. With titles reflecting the local ethos and actual contexts, platforms say that the attempt is not only to provide entertainment, but also to create authentic viewing experiences that feel personal and rooted in local realities. “With our non-Hindi content thriving, 46% of our total 4K content consumption now comes from South India alone. It not only highlights the demand for high quality storytelling in mother tongue, but also reflects the growing preference for premium viewing experiences under regional audiences,” a Zee5 spokeswoman said. Titles such as Aindham Vedham (Tamil), Sankranthiki Vasthunam (Telugu), Ayali (Tamil), Abar Proloy (Bangla) and Ayyana Mane (Kannada) emerged as success stories for the platform. Among the original performances, Aindham Vedham (Tamil) and Vikatakavi (Telugu) found not only a draw in their local markets, but also made a significant mark in Hindi-speaking markets. The service went to the Kannada market and recently announced its first marathi original Andhar Maya. Arpit Mankar, Head, Non-Bollywood category at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd said that the regional language content can see strong growth over streaming platforms and catch up with Hindi viewer if supported by a consistent and strong pipeline. “Hindi content has the difficult task of trying to strike an agreement with multiple conditions and heterogeneous cultures, while regional content enjoys the natural benefit of being adapted to a more focused, homogeneous audience. Creators in the regional space tend to have deeper and more frequent immersion in their own language and culture, other than many national content. Read also | Bollywood Fables: Hindi filmmakers take a penchant for folklore for mass contact with audiences for too long, regional content is considered peripheral -limited in scope, budget and ambition. The perception is changing quickly, says Dhruvin Shah, founder and CEO of Jojo, a Gujarati language platform. “Investors, advertisers and content creators realize that regional audiences are not only large, but deeply loyal and culturally involved. When it is delivered with quality and intention, commands both involvement and value,” Shah said. To be sure, regional content is currently about 30% of the total investment in the OTT content. It is expected that this share will increase and strongly driven by double and subtitles, and the regional content is expected to result in up to 50% of the total budget allocation made by OTT platforms in the middle to long-term horizon. Although budgets are currently centered on the acquisition of theater films, regional originals can cost around £ 20. Rajat Agrawal, chief operating officer, Ultra Media & Entertainment Group, said that competitive pricing models and flexible subscription plans make the local OTT platforms more attractive to audiences. Furthermore, improved current quality, accessibility and user experience engagement. ‘After the pandemic, the viewing habits changed to become more inclusive and diverse. Multilingual content, be it regional or foreign banks, is to engage audiences like never before. People in rural belts and two-by-two and three cities have also driven the question of folk content, ‘said producer Anand Pandit. Read also | The rise of film universe in Hollywood style in southern films captures all the industry news, bank news and updates on live mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #ott Read Next Story