Indian Streaming Orders Drop Again

New series and season orders in India fell for the second consecutive year, according to data released by IMDb. The number of commissioned projects dropped to 145 in 2025, down from 169 in 2024 and 202 in 2023. This decline occurred even as viewer interest in Indian shows on the platform grew by approximately 17 times over the last ten years.

The study, titled “10 Years of Streaming in India. An IMDb Report 2026,” analyzed page views from more than 250 million monthly users. It ranked the top 10 Indian series for each year from 2016 to 2026. Across these 110 ranking slots, only 64 distinct shows appeared. The data highlights a market that is producing fewer titles while maintaining high engagement for established hits.

“Mirzapur” dominated the list with nine appearances. The show made the top 10 every year since its launch. “Scam 1992” was the only other title to achieve five charting positions from a single season. Crime and thriller genres occupied 48 of the 110 spots. In recent years, horror, romance, comedy, and drama categories have gained ground in the rankings.

Prime Video and Amazon MX Player held the largest share of the market. These platforms combined for 34 positions across 17 series. Netflix secured 21 positions but spread them across 18 series. This gives Netflix the broadest range of distinct titles among the platforms examined in the report.

YouTube has become a major entry point for new creators. Thirteen of the 64 charting series began on the platform. Eleven of those shows were later acquired by subscription services. The report credits YouTube with providing a foundation for creators to build stories that attract larger audiences before moving to paid platforms.

The Viral Fever, or TVF, was the most prolific production company. The studio was behind nine of the charting series and 17 of the top 10 slots. That is nearly one in every six entries on the list. TVF’s presence began with “TVF Pitchers” in 2016 and continues with “Sapne vs Everyone” in 2026.

The report identified specific actors as driving this trend. Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, Jitendra Kumar, Kapil Sharma, and Sunil Grover were named as key performers linked to recurring franchises. Kay Kay Menon, Naveen Kasturia, and Mona Singh were cited for their versatility, appearing in at least five series in varied roles. Multi-hyphenate actors like Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi are also noted for bringing established screen personas to new formats.

Hindi-language shows accounted for 66% of Indian streaming originals in 2025. Yaminie Patodia, head of IMDb India, stated the report aims to provide authoritative data for creative and business decisions. She noted that industry leaders from Prime Video, YouTube, Netflix, and TVF contributed to the analysis. IMDb is owned by Amazon.