‘Farzi’ most-watched SVOD series in India of all time: Ormax study

Ormax Media has released its study, titled ‘Streaming Originals in India – The 2023 Story’, which showcases the most-watched shows and films in the OTT universe in India in 2023.

As per the study, ‘Farzi’ is the only show to cross the 30-million viewership mark in 2023, and is now the most-watched SVOD series in India of all time. ‘The Night Manager’ is placed second with a viewership of 28.6 million. Both Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar have 6 shows in the Top 15 list. Two AVOD shows from JioCinema – ‘Asur 2 and ‘Taali’ – feature in the Top 5 most-watched shows of the year.

Among the most-watched Indian unscripted shows, ‘Bigg Boss OTT S2’ tops the list with a viewership of 19.5 million, followed by ‘Koffee With Karan S8’, which garnered a viewership of 15.4 million. The Top 10 list has a healthy mix of sub-genres (TV show extensions, documentaries, task-based reality competitions, etc.), indicating that the non-fiction category now has significantly more width on OTT than a year or two ago.

Varun Dhawan- Janhvi Kapoor starrer ‘Bawaal’ on Prime Video topped the list of most-watched Hindi films on OTT with a viewership of 21.2 million. It was followed by JioCinema’s ‘Bloody Daddy’ with a viewership of 17.0 million. Netflix features strongly on this list, with six films on the platform crossing the 9-million viewership mark.

Among the most-watched international shows, Priyanka Chopra Jonas-starrer ‘Citadel’ was ahead of the rest of the pack by more than 50%, with a viewership of 17.0 million. ‘The Mandalorian S3’ was placed in the second spot with a viewership of 11.3 million. Every other entry in this list, except ‘Citadel’, is a franchise show or brand extension.

‘Extraction 2’ and ‘Heart Of Stone’, both on Netflix, are the only two International films to cross the 8-million viewership mark. Two documentary films feature in the top 10 most-watched International films of 2023, both based on the Korean band BTS.

Marketing Buzz

Buzz is a strong indicator of the talk value of the property, that is, the degree and effectiveness of conversations around it among regular OTT audiences.

As per Ormax Stream Track, ‘Farzi’ (Prime Video) generated the maximum Buzz, followed by ‘Asur S2’ (JioCinema). Only three out of the Top 15 ‘buzzing’ shows are franchise shows in 2023 (unlike nine shows in 2022).

Films featuring theatrical stars dominate the list. Shahid Kapoor-starrer ‘Bloody Daddy’ tops the list with peak buzz of 21%, along with ‘Bawaal’. Seven out the Top 10 films of 2023 on Buzz are from Netflix.

Only four International properties managed to touch the 15% mark on Buzz in 2023. Seven properties on this list are from Netflix, indicating the strength of their international slate compared to other platforms.

Content Strength

Based on Ormax Power Rating, which represents how much a show or a film is liked by its viewers, ‘Asur 2’ (JioCinema) is the most-liked Hindi series of 2023. ‘Farzi’ (Prime Video) and ‘The Railway Men’ (Netflix) are the only other shows to cross the 70-mark on OPR in 2023.

‘Mission Majnu’ (Netflix), followed closely by ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’ (ZEE5), is the most-liked direct-to-OTT film of 2023.

With the exception of ‘Money Heist’ (S4 and S5), ‘Loki S2’ is the second most-liked International show till date (since the start of tracking in 2020). The Top 10 list features shows from a variety of genres and languages.

Chris Hemsworth-starrer ‘Extraction 2’ emerged as a break-out success in terms of its audience likeability, being the only International direct-to-OTT film to cross the 75-mark, 10 points higher than the 2nd position (‘The Killer’) on the list.