In a landmark achievement, Mirzapur S3 on Amazon Prime Video has emerged as the most-watched OTT original in India for 2024, surpassing a staggering 30.8 million viewers. It also recorded the highest marketing buzz of the year, with a peak of 60%, ranking third all-time, following Mirzapur S2 and The Family Man S2, according to a recent report by Ormax Media.
Other Top Hindi OTT Originals
- TVF’s Panchayat S3 (Prime Video) follows closely with 28.2 million viewers.
- Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi (Netflix) attracted 21.5 million viewers.
Hindi OTT Films
Netflix also dominated the Hindi direct-to-OTT films category, claiming 11 out of the top 15 spots. The most-watched films included:
- Do Patti (15.1 million)
- Sector 36 (13.9 million)
- Sikandar Ka Muqaddar (13.5 million)
Regional Content
- Disney+ Hotstar led the Tamil and Telugu OTT markets, with Save the Tigers S2 emerging as the most-watched Telugu original with 5 million viewers.
- In Tamil, Prime Video’s Inspector Rishi and Disney+ Hotstar’s Chutney Sambar dominated the charts.
International OTT Success
- Netflix’s Squid Game S2 not only topped the viewership charts in India but also broke records globally, surpassing Money Heist as the most-watched international original of all time. It achieved the second-highest marketing buzz ever for an international series.
- Other international hits included House of the Dragon S2 and Prime Video’s Road House.
Marketing Buzz vs. Audience Likeability
While Mirzapur S3 and Squid Game S2 led the buzz metrics, audience likeability was dominated by Panchayat S3, which topped the likeability charts for Hindi series of 2024. Among Hindi direct-to-OTT films, Netflix’s Maharaj received the highest likeability score.
Regional Breakouts
- ETV Win’s #90’s – A Middle-Class Biopic and Prime Video’s B&B: Bujji and Bhairava both scored above 75 in audience likeability (OPR), proving that smaller viewership numbers do not necessarily mean a lack of resonance with the audience.
This report highlights the ongoing trend of strong storytelling being more influential than heavy marketing, particularly with regional content and lesser-known titles gaining traction through word-of-mouth and quality narrative.
