The latest data on India’s media business points to something larger than continued OTT growth. Streaming has reached almost 665 million viewers, connected-TV consumption is accelerating dramatically, and broadcasters are simultaneously rationalizing traditional television portfolios. A separate regulatory change giving TV networks more flexibility over advertising adds another dimension to the fight for viewers and ad budgets.
Platforms & Trade Sources Reviewed
Today’s review covered the latest Ormax OTT Audience Report 2026, The Economic Times, Financial Express, IBEF, TRAI and current Indian media-industry reporting.
1. India’s OTT Audience Reaches 664.9 Million — But Connected TV Is the Bigger Story
What Happened
India’s OTT audience has grown 11% year over year to 664.9 million viewers, according to the newly released Ormax OTT Audience Report 2026.
Active paid OTT subscriptions grew even faster, rising 16% to 172.6 million. About 45% of India’s population now watches online video, based on Ormax’s survey of 15,000 consumers across urban and rural India.
But the standout number is connected television.
India’s active CTV audience reached 206.9 million viewers — up 60% in a single year. Indian OTT users now consume about 14.9 hours of online video each week, translating into an estimated 517 billion hours annually.
Why It Matters
For years, India’s OTT story was largely synonymous with the smartphone.
That is changing quickly.
More than 200 million people watching through connected televisions means streaming is increasingly moving onto the same large screen traditionally controlled by linear television.
That changes viewing behavior. Long-form movies, prestige series, sports and family entertainment generally become more attractive when the audience is sitting in front of a television rather than filling spare minutes on a phone.
It also changes advertising economics because brands can increasingly buy premium digital video inventory in the living room.
Business/Content Takeaway
India’s next streaming battle may be fought as much on the television screen as on the mobile phone.
For platforms, that means thinking simultaneously about two very different experiences:
Mobile → short sessions, individual consumption, micro-dramas and snackable entertainment
Connected TV → movies, sports, premium series, reality franchises and shared family viewing
Platforms able to serve both behaviors may have a significant advantage.
2. Traditional TV Is Shrinking as Broadcasters Rationalize Channel Portfolios
What Happened
While OTT expands, India’s traditional television industry is undergoing a significant restructuring.
According to The Economic Times, 114 television channel licences were surrendered between 2022 and 2026. Seventeen licences were surrendered by six broadcasters to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting by August 5 this year alone.
Major companies including JioStar, Zee Entertainment, NDTV and B4U Networks have been rationalizing channel portfolios as advertising softens, pay-TV households decline and audiences migrate toward OTT, connected TV and short-form video.
Why It Matters
This does not mean television is disappearing.
India remains one of the world’s largest television markets, and major entertainment, news and sports events still command enormous linear audiences.
But maintaining dozens of narrowly differentiated channels becomes harder to justify when viewers increasingly expect to find content on demand.
A broadcaster can distribute one piece of content through:
- linear television,
- streaming,
- connected television,
- clips and social media,
- FAST channels,
- and regional digital feeds.
That makes the old model of operating a separate traditional channel for every audience segment less compelling.
Business/Content Takeaway
The future may not be TV versus OTT.
It may be one media company distributing the same intellectual property differently across screens.
JioStar is perhaps the clearest example. A major franchise can appear on television, stream on JioHotstar, generate social clips, support advertiser integrations and reach different language markets simultaneously.
The strategically important asset is increasingly not the channel.
It is the content franchise and the audience relationship around it.
3. TRAI Removes the 12-Minute TV Advertising Cap
What Happened
TRAI has repealed the regulation that restricted television advertising to 12 minutes per clock hour.
The move follows the government’s removal of the corresponding ceiling from the Cable Television Networks Rules. Broadcasters will now have greater flexibility in how much advertising they carry and how commercial inventory is scheduled.
The timing is particularly notable because broadcasters are entering the festive advertising season while competing aggressively with digital video platforms for marketing budgets.
Why It Matters
Linear TV has traditionally had one important constraint that digital streaming advertising does not: a prescribed ceiling on commercial time.
Removing that limit potentially allows broadcasters to monetize high-demand programming more aggressively.
But there is an obvious trade-off.
More advertising may generate additional short-term revenue, but excessive commercial loads can also make streaming services — particularly lower-ad or ad-free plans — more attractive to viewers.
The industry therefore receives greater commercial freedom at exactly the moment when audiences have more alternatives than ever.
Business/Content Takeaway
The advertising competition between television and streaming is becoming more market-driven.
TV broadcasters can now optimize ad inventory more freely.
Streaming platforms can offer brands increasingly sophisticated audience targeting.
Connected TV sits somewhere between those worlds — television-style viewing delivered through digital infrastructure.
For advertisers, the dividing line between “TV advertising” and “digital advertising” is therefore likely to become increasingly blurry.
One Data Point Worth Watching: New Formats Are Growing Fast
The Ormax report contains another important signal for programmers.
Micro-drama audiences increased approximately 50%, Korean-drama audiences rose 48%, and anime audiences grew 32%. FAST channels have also reached an estimated 35.2 million viewers in India.
These are still smaller categories than mainstream film and television entertainment, but their growth suggests Indian streaming demand is becoming increasingly fragmented.
A platform no longer needs every viewer to want the same kind of content.
It needs enough distinct audiences to keep coming back.
Short Trend Takeaway
This week’s numbers suggest India is moving into a new stage of streaming development.
The first stage was about getting people online.
The next was about convincing them to subscribe.
Now the industry is entering a third stage:
deciding which screen, format and business model gets the viewer’s next hour.
India has nearly 665 million OTT viewers.
More than 200 million are already watching through connected TVs.
Traditional broadcasters are reducing channel portfolios.
Micro-dramas, FAST, K-dramas and anime are creating new viewing habits.
And advertising rules themselves are adapting as television and digital compete for the same money.
The important question for streaming companies is therefore changing.
It is no longer simply:
“How do we acquire more OTT users?”
It is becoming:
“How do we earn more of the 15 hours a week those viewers already spend watching online video?”
