How Many OTT Subscribers Does India Have? (2026)

How Many OTT Subscribers Does India Have? (2026)

By Ashok Sachdev, Founder of JustShoot · Published 10 October 2026 · Sources read 10 October 2026

Short answer: Two current figures, both from 2025, give two answers. FICCI–EY counts 216 million paid video subscriptions across 143 million households. Ormax Media counts 148.2 million active paid subscriptions — ones used at least once in the previous month, including those bundled with telecom plans. Both are subscriptions, not people. Meanwhile, Ormax counts 601.2 million Indians who watch any online video in a month, most of them without paying.

So the answer depends on the question. "How many paid video subscriptions exist?" — about 216 million. "How many are actually used?" — about 148 million. "How many people stream?" — about 600 million.

The numbers side by side

Why 216 million and 148 million are both right

The two numbers count the same kind of thing — subscriptions — with different filters.

• FICCI–EY counts paid subscriptions that exist. That includes subscriptions bundled into mobile and broadband plans, many of which customers never open.
• Ormax counts subscriptions that were used at least once in the previous month, based on a survey of 15,600 people.

The two also use different methods — an industry estimate against a consumer survey — so the gap of about 68 million cannot be read precisely. But a large part of it is likely subscriptions people hold and do not use, often ones that came with a phone or broadband plan. Neither number is a count of people: one household can hold several subscriptions.

A rough guide from FICCI–EY's own two figures: 216 million subscriptions across 143 million households is about 1.5 subscriptions per paying household. That is our arithmetic, not a published figure.

Paying is still the minority

Set the paid numbers against Ormax's 601.2 million monthly online video viewers. Even if every one of the 148.2 million active subscriptions belonged to a different person — which they don't — most Indians who stream would still not be paying for it.

The rest watch free, ad-supported video: YouTube, free tiers of OTT apps, and short-video apps. That is why YouTube's reach in India is so much larger than any subscription service's. For YouTube's own numbers, see YouTube users in India and daily watch time, and for its paid tier, how many people pay for YouTube Premium in India.

Where the growth is

• Subscription revenue grew 60% to ₹16,300 crore in 2025 across video, music and news, according to FICCI–EY, which points to premium sports, big films and exclusive originals behind paywalls, and hybrid subscription-plus-advertising models. FICCI–EY expects digital subscription revenue to reach ₹24,800 crore by 2028.
• The free audience is still growing, but more slowly: Ormax's online video universe grew 9.9% in 2025, below the 13–14% of the previous two years.
• The TV screen is growing fastest. Ormax counts 129.2 million connected-TV viewers, up about 85% in a year. For what that means for YouTube, see connected-TV viewers in India.

What this means for a YouTube creator in India

Your competition in the evening is OTT, not other creators. Paid OTT is where films, series and cricket live. A long YouTube video competes for the same time slot, especially on the TV screen.

But your audience is the larger one. Most Indians who stream do not pay for OTT. Free platforms — YouTube first among them — reach the majority, which is why ad-supported YouTube revenue, not subscriptions, still drives most creator income. Estimate yours with the free YouTube income calculator.

Make it worth choosing over a series. When a viewer could open a paid OTT app, your video has to justify the time. That comes down to the opening minute and the structure behind it. For India-specific earning benchmarks, see how much Indian YouTubers earn.

How to quote these numbers

• "216 million paid video subscriptions across 143 million households in 2025 (FICCI–EY)" — not "216 million subscribers".
• "148.2 million active paid OTT subscriptions (Ormax, mid-2025)" — say "active" and "including bundles".
• "601.2 million online video viewers (Ormax)" — this is everyone who watched online video, paid or free.

Where JustShoot fits

Competing with a paid series for someone's evening takes a script that holds. JustShoot runs the pre-production pipeline — research and fact-check, script, storyboard, thumbnail brief, SEO package and shorts — in your channel's own voice, in 11 languages.

Pricing is per script: Trial ₹0 (7 days, 2 scripts lifetime, no card) · Starter ₹499/mo (3 scripts) · Creator ₹999/mo (7 scripts, most popular) · Pro ₹1999/mo (15 scripts) · Studio custom. No rollover, GST included, monthly only. Details on the pricing page.

FAQ

How many OTT subscribers are there in India? FICCI–EY counts 216 million paid video subscriptions across 143 million households in 2025. Ormax Media counts 148.2 million active paid subscriptions — used at least once in the past month, including telecom bundles. Both count subscriptions, not individual people.

How many people watch OTT in India? Ormax Media's 2025 report counts 601.2 million people who watched online video at least once in the last month, 41% of India's population. Most of them watch free, ad-supported video.

Why do OTT subscriber numbers differ? FICCI–EY counts paid subscriptions that exist, including bundled ones that may go unused. Ormax counts only subscriptions used in the past month, from a survey of 15,600 people. Part of the difference is likely unused, bundled subscriptions; the methods also differ.

How much do Indians spend on digital subscriptions? FICCI–EY reports digital subscription revenue of ₹16,300 crore in 2025, up 60%, across video, music and news, and expects ₹24,800 crore by 2028.

Is YouTube counted as OTT? In Ormax's 601.2 million online video audience, yes — it counts anyone who watched digital video in the last month, on any platform. Subscription counts include paid tiers only, so free YouTube viewing is not in the 216 million or 148.2 million figures.

Sources, read 10 October 2026. FICCI–EY, Media and Entertainment Report 2026 (March 2026), as reported by Storyboard18 (Digital subscriptions jump 60% to ₹16,300 crore as pay models gain ground). Ormax Media, The Ormax OTT Audience Report: 2025 (ormaxmedia.com; fieldwork June–July 2025), and coverage in afaqs (16 September 2025) for the 148.2 million active-subscription figure. The 1.5-per-household figure is our arithmetic.