As Hollywood consolidates, India’s English OTT market faces a reset

As global catalogues consolidate under fewer platforms, industry experts believe these international shifts will fundamentally alter consumer choices in India, forcing rivals like Prime Video and JioHotstar to rethink their strategies for targeting up-market, premium users.

The clustering of global libraries reduces friction for consumers who are tired of navigating multiple subscriptions.

Platform responses

While Netflix moves toward a dominant position, Prime Video is fighting back with an “add-on” strategy. It recently onboarded Moviesphere+, a subscription-based platform from Lionsgate that offers heavyweights like The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Mad Men, Borderlands, P.S. I Love You, The Princess Bride, and Jackie Brown.

“English OTT content has demand, but the Indian market doesn’t yet have a single, unified leader in that niche. Netflix is the closest, but it shares space with Prime Video, HBO (via Discovery and Warner ties that currently stream on JioHotstar) and others like MUBI,” said Charu Malhotra, co-founder and managing director, Primus Partners, a management consultancy firm.

“Many consumers pick and mix based on price, a few must-watch shows or trial periods. If global catalogues get consolidated under fewer platforms, that reduces friction for consumers who want one home for the shows they love,” she added.

Malhotra noted that such consolidation could also alter how Indian rights deals are structured. “It may also change how deals are struck for Indian rights, if Netflix has first dibs globally, that puts pressure on free or low-price licensing models,” she said.

“So yes, a structural change is possible. But it will probably be gradual. Even if one platform gets stronger catalogue control, others will fight on price, bundles (telco ties) and specialized content,” she pointed out.

Owning Hollywood

Industry experts argue that leadership in the English OTT space will depend not just on catalogue size but clarity of positioning. A platform that becomes the obvious “home for Hollywood, plus global hits” could capture urban subscriptions, forcing rivals to double down on differentiation—whether through exclusives, regional depth, pricing strategies or curated experiences.

Berjesh Chawla, managing director and lead (communications, media & technology), Accenture in India, said the English OTT category functions differently from mass-language streaming.

“Consumption is concentrated in urban markets and driven by long-running franchisees, making it a depth-driven category rather than a reach-driven one,” he said. “Platforms that can own, organize and consistently serve these franchisees in one place are best positioned to lead the English OTT space.”

For consumers, the most visible impact may come through packaging and pricing. A platform that establishes itself as the “home of Hollywood” could justify premium pricing or higher subscription tiers. However, competitive pressures are likely to keep prices in check.

Prime Video and JioHotstar could respond with bundled offerings or discounts, particularly through telecom partnerships. This could include flexible pricing options or combinations of verticals—such as sports paired with English films, or premium global catalogues bundled with television subscriptions.

Prestige pooling

“The English content ecosystem in India is currently navigating a sobering period of correction. The era of Hollywood studios launching standalone platforms with high-decibel bravado has concluded as global players realize that the Indian consumer is among the most price-sensitive and discerning in the world,” said Keren Benjamin Dias, associate vice-president, brand planning and lead Capital Z, at digital agency White Rivers Media.

“We are now witnessing a centralized pooling of prestige. Studios are increasingly exiting direct operations to double down on their core strength of content creation, leaving the heavy lifting of distribution to local aggregators who possess a native understanding of Indian payment frictions and the technical nuances of regional bandwidth,” Dias added.

Dias also highlighted a structural shift in audience composition. “The most profound shift, however, is that English content is no longer a gated community reserved for the metro elite,” he said, noting that the English-language audience has grown 124% since 2020.

This growth, driven largely by Gen Z viewers, has been aided by high-quality dubbing and culturally resonant subtitling, which have turned Western blockbusters into aspirational content even in tier-two and tier-three cities. Even so, experts caution that the category is unlikely to become fully mass-market.

Premium reset

Calling the English OTT ecosystem in India “stable but stagnant,” Pratap Jain, founder and chief executive officer of OTT platform ChanaJor, said English content no longer drives subscriptions the way it once did.

“What we may see instead is a clearer, stronger premium segment, driven by fewer but more confident players. Consolidation of global content libraries could bring clarity, better experiences, and renewed interest among urban audiences,” Jain said.

“English OTT viewers don’t want endless scrolling. They want good recommendations, clean interfaces, and fewer but better choices. Whoever simplifies discovery will win mindshare,” he added.