OTT's Struggle and Saas-Bahu Sanskaar 2025

In recent years, India's OTT platforms have experienced a notable shift in content strategy, increasingly mirroring traditional te

levision by producing 'saas-bahu' soap opera-style series. This pivot raises questions about the industry's direction and the challenges it faces in achieving sustainable profitability.

Despite the rapid growth of digital consumption, many OTT platforms in India continue to grapple with profitability. For instance, Zee reported a significant increase in third-quarter profit, largely attributed to cost-cutting measures. However, advertisement revenue declined by 8.5%, reflecting broader industry challenges in monetization.

User engagement on streaming apps in India declined by 16.2% in 2024, dropping from 25.9 billion hours in 2023 to 21.7 billion hours in 2024. This decline is attributed to poor-quality content, digital fatigue, and increased competition from social media platforms, which saw a surge in usage during the same period.

In response to these challenges, OTT platforms are increasingly adopting content strategies reminiscent of traditional television, including 'saas-bahu' soap operas. This shift suggests a move towards familiar formats in an attempt to retain and expand their viewer base. At this rate, don’t be surprised if we soon see Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai launching a brand-new season as an OTT exclusive, rather than just a rerun from TV. The same goes for upcoming mega-productions of Ramayana and Mahabharata—not as fresh interpretations but as formulaic retellings designed to cater to mass sentiment rather than cinematic quality.

Several high-profile original productions have failed to resonate with audiences. Like, Jigra, starring Alia Bhatt, received mixed reviews, with its lackluster script & execution.

While reverting to traditional content formats may offer short-term engagement boosts, it risks stifling innovation & diversity in storytelling. Moreover, such a shift could lead to the reinforcement of regressive themes, potentially alienating progressive audiences. It's crucial for OTT platforms to balance familiarity with fresh, diverse narratives to foster long-term growth and cultural enrichment.

A particularly worrying trend is the increasing push towards religious and Hindu-nationalist narratives on OTT platforms. As traditional TV content finds its way onto streaming platforms, the space for progressive, diverse, and global storytelling continues to shrink. If this trajectory continues, OTT platforms in India risk becoming an extension of state-influenced narratives, limiting artistic freedom and diluting the very essence of what made digital platforms revolutionary in the first place.

"Be it "Kapil Sharma’s" special and "CID" web exclusive are paving the way for other fiction content that’s original and web exclusive or recent release like "Nadaaniyan" or pleasing the whims of "Bollywood’s Cousin’s Cousin" or playing "Extraction" with "Alia Bhatt’s" "Jigra" or "The Office" and other IPs failing or the logics of having Bhakti and Sanskaari Programming….. I can go on, but you get the point."

Thank you and take care,

Aayush Agrawal

Founder and CEO

Pranah Sandbox

https://lnkd.in/d2NQTGkw

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