Disney+ Hotstar led the viewership of Hindi language OTT originals in India in the first half of 2022, according to a report by media consulting firm Ormax. The platform streamed five out of the top 10 most-watched original shows.
Disney+Hotstar’s Ajay Devgn starrer Rudra: The Edge of Darkness (35.2 million views) was ranked the number one show across platforms, followed by the third season of Aashram at 34.3 million views on MX Player and the second season of Panchayat with 29.6 million views on Amazon Prime Video. A Thursday (25.5 million) and Moon Knight (23.4 million), both on Hotstar, were the most watched original film and international series in the six-month period.
However, Amazon’s Panchayat was the most liked show in the time frame considered followed by SonyLIV’s Rocket Boys, said the report. Ormax is a tracking, testing and analytics-led consulting firm for television and streaming services, among others.
Thrillers and human dramas such as The Great Indian Murder (23 million), Human (19.6 million), Masoom (16.4 million) and Escaype Live (16.1 million) were other Hotstar Hindi originals part of the top 10 list.
Lock Upp, the reality show hosted by Kangana Ranaut, that streamed on MX Player and ALTBalaji, also found a mention, with 21.2 million views.
As far as direct-to-digital films go, Yami Gautam’s A Thursday (25.5 million) on Hotstar topped the list, followed by Karan Johar’s Gehraiyaan (22.3 million) on Amazon Prime Video.
The Walt Disney Co has scaled down its ambitious subscriber addition estimates on Hotstar from 70-100 million to 80 million by FY24 in India and other Asian countries, after the loss of the digital rights to the IPL.
It has also revised the numbers for its global subscriber guidance from 230-260 million to 215-245 million.
