India’s OTT audience has grown to 664.9 million people, covering 45% of the country’s population, according to the sixth edition of the Ormax OTT Audience Report 2026 released this month. Active paid OTT subscriptions, including those bundled through telecom plans and OTT aggregators, now stand at 172.6 million, up 16% from 148.2 million in 2025.
The report, based on a study conducted in June and July 2026 among 15,000 respondents across urban and rural India, also found that India’s connected TV (CTV) audience jumped 60% year-on-year to reach 206.9 million users. The findings carry direct implications for advertisers and marketers reallocating budgets across streaming, CTV and traditional television.
Why Is India’s OTT Audience Growth Significant for Marketers?
An 11% year-on-year increase in India’s total OTT universe, from 601.2 million in 2025 to 664.9 million in 2026, confirms that streaming has moved decisively past early-adopter status into mainstream household viewing across both urban and rural markets. For marketing teams and media planners, the 60% surge in connected TV audiences is arguably the more consequential number, since CTV inventory allows for more targeted, addressable advertising than traditional linear television. Ormax defines an OTT audience member as anyone who watched at least one online video, free or paid, in the previous month, meaning the 665-million figure spans both premium subscribers and free ad-supported viewers.
What Does the Paid Subscription Growth Mean for Streaming Platforms?
Paid OTT subscriptions climbing 16% to 172.6 million signals that Indian consumers are increasingly willing to pay for streaming content, whether through direct app subscriptions or telecom-bundled plans that have made premium content more accessible in price-sensitive markets. This dual growth, in both free ad-supported viewership and paid subscriptions, gives advertisers two distinct audience pools to target: a mass-reach free tier and a smaller but higher-intent paid tier. Streaming platforms and their ad-sales teams are likely to use the report’s data to court brands shifting budgets away from traditional television toward digital and CTV inventory.
Industry Reaction and Expert Commentary
Ormax has positioned its OTT Audience Report as an increasingly authoritative independent data source for India’s streaming ecosystem, with each yearly edition adding depth that platforms, advertisers and investors use for planning. Media buyers tracking the space note that the 60% CTV growth figure, in particular, is likely to accelerate advertiser interest in connected TV as a distinct ad inventory category separate from mobile-first OTT viewing. The report lands as India’s broader digital ad spend continues to grow at a double-digit pace, with social and video formats increasingly competing with search for marketing budgets.
What Happens Next?
Streaming platforms and advertisers are expected to reference the Ormax 2026 figures through the rest of the fiscal year as they finalise media plans and pitch CTV-specific ad packages to brands. Ormax has not indicated when its seventh edition study will begin fieldwork, but the report has followed an annual cadence, suggesting the next survey will likely run in mid-2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
How large is India’s OTT audience in 2026?
India’s OTT audience reached 664.9 million people in 2026, representing 45% of the country’s population, according to the Ormax OTT Audience Report.
How many people in India pay for OTT subscriptions?
Active paid OTT subscriptions in India stand at 172.6 million as of the 2026 report, up 16% from 148.2 million in 2025.
How fast is India’s connected TV (CTV) audience growing?
India’s CTV audience grew 60% year-on-year to reach 206.9 million users, according to the same Ormax report.
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