Experts said the interactive nature of some of the latest non-fiction shows is paying off for streaming services. However, while brand interest is decent, there is still some time to go before the titles truly start bringing returns.
According to media consulting firm Ormax, the fourth season of Shark Tank India on SonyLIV was the third most viewed streaming original of the week with 3.8 million views. The third season of Bigg Boss OTT on JioHotstar was the most watched Indian unscripted show in 2024, with 17.8 million views, followed by The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix with 15.7 million views.
“OTT platforms have increasingly embraced a TV+ strategy, bringing in everything from experienced TV producers and talent to familiar formats and genres that mass audiences have enjoyed,” said Sai Abishek, head of factual and lifestyle cluster, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery. “This shift has allowed popular non-fiction and reality shows to find a home on streaming platforms, seamlessly bridging the gap between traditional television and digital consumption.”
He added that titles like My Daughter Joined a Cult and Cult of Fear: Asaram Bapu have become popular with Indian viewers, along with Reality Ranis of the Jungle, a localised version of a Warner Bros. format under the Discovery brand.
Broader appeal
“On the other hand, while OTTs have expanded creative freedom and genre diversity, the overall approach is becoming more TV-like in its intent to cater to a much broader audience base,” Abishek said. “Platforms are now thinking bigger – adapting strategies that align more with TV’s mass appeal. This is crucial as the OTT audience in India is still only a fraction of the total TV viewership, and tapping into those familiar formats helps drive mainstream adoption and sustained engagement.”
Non-fiction shows provide opportunities for brand integration and sponsorship, and also have more episodes than fiction shows, resulting in higher ad inventory for AVoD (advertising video-on-demand) platforms, said Rajat Agrawal, chief operating officer of Ultra Media & Entertainment Group.
Non-fiction appeals to a broader audience, including older and non-metro viewers who prefer family-oriented content, Agrawal added. The company’s Marathi OTT platform, Ultra Jhakaas, hosts Café Comedy, a stand-up show.
Early efforts by platforms to tap into the appetite for non-fiction are paying off. Shark Tank India 4, which premiered exclusively on SonyLIV, drove a 40% surge in connected TV (CTV) viewership, a 22% increase in users, and a 27% rise in engagement over the previous season. Celebrity MasterChef India, streaming on both SonyLIV and Sony Entertainment Television, contributed to a 26% rise in viewership and a doubling of both watch time and subscriptions.
Kaushik Das, founder and CEO of AAO NXT, an Odia-language OTT platform, said streaming has transformed non-fiction content by giving audiences unfiltered, on-demand access to real stories that matter.
“Unlike linear TV, which is restricted by fixed schedules and regulatory constraints, OTT allows us to tell raw, authentic, and hyperlocal narratives that resonate deeply with viewers. It also enables binge-watching and long-form storytelling, keeping audiences engaged in ways that TV simply cannot,” Das said.
The platform believes there is an untapped audience for regional non-fiction shows such as documentary series Ardha Satya, which sheds light on Odisha’s real-life issues and investigative stories, and Capital Talkies, which celebrates the history of Odia cinema.
Monetisation challenge
“We are doubling down on non-fiction. We have an exclusive new series in the pipeline that explores real-life crime and human-interest stories from Odisha. We’re also working on a docu-reality series that captures Odisha’s evolving cultural and business landscape,” Das said.
Platforms claim advertisers have taken strong notice of non-fiction slates because they offer high engagement and credibility. However, experts pointed out that in the absence of a standard viewership or engagement measurement system on OTT, and with competition from social media and short-form video, overall monetisation remains a challenge.
“Brands don’t really want to invest beyond a certain threshold in OTT, given the number of options they have today. Perhaps the more premium brands can, but certainly not the mass-market ones. The cost per thousand impressions is still so low and the population so large that digital advertising continues to remain a challenge,” said a streaming platform executive, asking not to be identified.
