Aha’s Telugu Indian Idol: How regional OTT is redefining branded entertainment

Over the last five years, entertainment consumption in India has undergone a dramatic transformation. The Covid-induced lockdowns may have dimmed the lights in cinema halls, but they ignited a new era for over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms. What accelerated this shift was a perfect storm of affordable data, expanding internet penetration, and growing comfort with digital payments—all of which made streaming a daily habit for millions of Indians.

According to PwC India’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2024–2028, India’s OTT market is projected to reach around ₹35,000 crore by 2028, growing at a CAGR of approximately 14.9% from 2023 to 2028. Regional language content already accounts for more than 50% of total OTT viewership and continues to drive market growth.

As audiences increasingly gravitate toward language-first and culturally rooted stories, regional OTT platforms have become the next frontier of digital entertainment and brand engagement.

Amid this shift, Aha has cemented its position as the fastest-growing regional OTT platform with a strong presence across Telugu and Tamil markets. In just six years, it has built a loyal audience base spanning India, the U.S., and key global diaspora markets by combining premium storytelling with deep cultural resonance.

Among its standout properties, Telugu Indian Idol has redefined what non-fiction entertainment can achieve in the regional OTT space. Introduced in 2022, the show aimed to bring a world-class musical talent platform to Telugu audiences, one that not only celebrates local voices but also provides national-level visibility to emerging artists.

Now in its fourth season, Telugu Indian Idol has evolved into a true cultural phenomenon—delivering 2.5X reach, 2X subscriber growth, and 2.7X watch time, while achieving a complete sponsorship sell-out with 14 major brands on board. The show’s success underscores not just Aha’s growing audience pull but also rising advertiser confidence in regional OTT as a powerful, emotionally engaging, and brand-safe medium.

To understand what’s fuelling this momentum, exchange4media spoke with Umesh Kaipenchery, Revenue Head and Senior Vice President at Aha, who shared insights into the evolution of Telugu Indian Idol, Aha’s approach to brand collaborations, and why regional OTT is emerging as the most exciting space for both advertisers and audiences today.

Why Brands Love Telugu Indian Idol

According to Kaipenchery, the vision behind introducing Telugu Indian Idol was to create a world-class musical talent platform for regional audiences, the first of its kind, giving Telugu singers national-level visibility while strengthening Aha’s non-fiction content positioning and leadership.

Over four seasons, the format has evolved with grander production, diverse music genres, stronger engagement for brands, and deeper audience interactivity, making it a true celebration of Telugu music and talent.

For advertisers, the show offers a blend of emotion, culture, and scale. Kaipenchery pointed out that Telugu Indian Idol’s massive reach and strong social buzz make brand integrations organic, memorable, and emotionally engaging, unlike conventional advertising formats. “This year, the show achieved record traction from brands with 14 sponsors on board and a complete sell-out, making it the biggest season so far,” he adds.

The sponsor lineup included South India Shopping Mall as Title Sponsor; Star Health Insurance and McDowell’s Soda as Co-Presenting Sponsors; Telugu Matrimony, Adani Ambuja Cement, Patanjali Sunrich, and Flipkart as Co-Powered Sponsors; along with Kajaria, Niloufer Supreme Tea, Kohler, Radhe Realty, TV9, Adonmo, and Snapchat as Special Partners.

This diversity of partners underscores the growing advertiser confidence in Aha and the regional OTT space. With over 20 additional brands purchasing inventories, the show has become a high-impact vehicle for advertisers looking to connect with urban and tier-2/3 audiences in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

As per Kaipenchery, what contributed most to this growth was a sharper synergy between content and marketing. On the content side, stronger talent and powerful storytelling made the show more engaging. On the marketing front, a focused digital-first strategy, influencer collaborations, and consistent social amplification drove massive reach and subscriber growth, turning Telugu Indian Idol into a true cultural moment for audiences.

Customised Solutions That Align With Each Brand’s Objectives

Aha’s approach focusses on customised solutions that align with each brand’s objectives and the show’s emotional narrative.

“At Aha, our brand solutions focus on creating authentic integrations that align with the brand’s narrative and the show’s emotion,” Kaipenchery told e4m. “We start by understanding each brand’s core objective and then craft customised solutions across the show and other touchpoints. This collaborative, insight-led approach ensures every integration feels natural, impactful, and drives measurable value for the brand.”

When asked about standout examples, Kaipenchery notes that it’s difficult to single out a few, as most brands have expressed immense satisfaction with their association. “For us, true success lies in the consistency of these partnerships, many brands return season after season, reaffirming the show’s impact, credibility, and value through strong engagement and recall.”

Revenue Growth, Differentiation, and Milestones

Aha stands out as a 100% global-local OTT, offering regional expertise, premium Telugu content, and deep audience engagement. For national brands, this translates into measurable impact, authentic integrations, and access to a highly engaged, hard-to-reach regional audience, making Aha a preferred choice over other regional OTTs.

In terms of growth, Kaipenchery mentioned that Aha has successfully scaled advertising revenues across recent launches, including Sarkaar Season 5, Chef Mantra Season 4, and the ongoing Telugu Indian Idol Season 4, while also achieving breakthrough revenue on fiction offerings like Vere Level Office. This underscores Aha’s ability to drive monetisation across both non-fiction and fiction formats, largely fuelled by consistent user growth over the past 18–24 months.

Broader Trends in the Regional OTT Ecosystem

The regional OTT advertising landscape is evolving rapidly, as brands increasingly recognise the value of culturally relevant, high-engagement content. Platforms like Aha are emerging as premium destinations where storytelling meets measurable impact, offering advertisers a unique opportunity to reach highly engaged regional audiences that are often hard to access through traditional channels.

Aha, in particular, is bridging the gap between traditional mass media and digital precision marketing, providing a platform that combines the scale of mass reach with the targeting and measurability of digital campaigns. This makes regional OTT not just a complementary medium, but a strategic component in brand media mixes.

Categories such as FMCG, e-commerce, BFSI, consumer tech, retail, auto, and alcobev are leading the charge, investing heavily in integrated, long-term campaigns rather than one-off placements. As per Kaipenchery, advertisers are increasingly opting for story-driven integrations that align with content narratives, ensuring that campaigns resonate emotionally with audiences while delivering quantifiable outcomes in reach, engagement, and brand recall.

Kaipenchery emphasises that this trend reflects growing confidence in regional OTT as a scalable, brand-building medium. “Brands now see OTT as more than just a platform for visibility. They value it as a space where authentic storytelling can coexist with measurable impact, enabling them to connect with regional audiences in a way that is both meaningful and actionable,” he explains.

As audiences continue to seek language-first, culturally rooted entertainment, and brands increasingly pivot towards story-driven campaigns with measurable results, platforms like Aha are set to reshape the way content and advertising coexist, making regional OTT an indispensable part of India’s media landscape.