Producers now need scripts and sponsorships: Are OTT platforms flipping the funding model?

India’s OTT content ecosystem may be thriving on the surface, but behind the scenes, many producers are facing a sobering new reality. Both fiction and non-fiction content projects are being greenlit not solely on creative merit—but on a producer’s ability to bring brands or sponsors to the table.

Multiple industry executives—ranging from production houses to creative studios—told e4m that leading Indian streaming platforms are increasingly making it a prerequisite for producers to line up advertiser support before a show is commissioned.

“I reached out to two platforms to pitch my series and both asked us to get at least one or two brands on board,” said a producer, requesting anonymity. “It’s no longer a pitch-and-wait game. It’s a pitch-and-fund game now.”

Shift in Risk Dynamics

This shift, producers say, marks a reversal in the traditional commissioning model where platforms bore financial risk in exchange for creative control and exclusivity. Today, that burden is gradually shifting to creators.

“It’s hard to blame the platforms entirely—they’re facing pressure from subscribers and advertisers alike. But asking us to bring money to the table upfront dilutes the very purpose of platform commissioning,” said a senior fiction producer who has delivered content for three major streamers.

According to insiders, this trend began picking up pace over the past year as advertising revenues plateaued, subscription growth slowed, and the battle for screen time intensified in an overcrowded OTT landscape. As platforms trim content budgets and seek low-risk, high-return formats, external brand integrations offer a tempting hedge.

Even in branded content—a space where agencies and advertisers are directly involved—producers claim that platforms now expect them to arrive with deals nearly locked in.

Notably, after years of high-stakes content creation and million-dollar webseries, India’s OTT industry is gradually undergoing a sharp course correction. Streaming platforms who once spent an average Rs 1-2 crore per episode on high-end web series have now reduced it to Rs 30 lakh to Rs 1 crore, depending upon the producer and star cast, e4m reported earlier this month. 

Amid monetisation challenges, they have also scaled down their content budget by almost half, from over Rs 5,500 crore in 2021 to about Rs 2,500 crore in 2024, e4m had reported earlier. 

Sponsorships Ease Approvals

Industry observers point to the increasing prioritization of marquee IPs, tentpole originals, and sports content, which demand the lion's share of platform budgets. Smaller, experimental, or mid-budget shows often fall through the cracks—unless producers self-fund or attract co-financing.

“There’s a growing binary—either you’re a headline show backed by a known creator, or you find your own brand support,” said a fiction producer. 

“Having producers assist with in-film branding and brand associations helps expedite the commissioning process for content propositions,” says Pep Figueiredo, COO - PTPL India and Author of Evolving Global OTT Landscape. 

Figueiredo explains, “I have had instances in the past where producers have delivered film and series content in record time thanks to brand backups. It is important for marketing and sales teams to be on the same page as content teams, the impact value of the branding integration then increases, and brands get value for their spends. When branding campaigns and content propositions align & complement one another, our industry wins.”

What This Means for Creativity

The consequences, insiders fear, could be far-reaching. Independent creators may find it harder to break through, and bold storytelling could give way to advertiser-friendly scripts.

“It’s not that brands ruin creativity. But if the first question is ‘who’s sponsoring it’ instead of ‘what’s the story,’ you know the tide has turned,” lamented a Mumbai-based writer-producer

Alarmed by the shift in risk dynamics, some producers are beginning to ask: if we’re expected to bring in brands, why not produce and distribute shows ourselves?

As e4m reported earlier, several mid-sized content houses have already started experimenting with YouTube Originals and other direct-to-digital formats. While monetisation remains a challenge, the creative freedom and ownership it offers are proving to be an attractive trade-off for some.

“If we’re the ones chasing sponsors and funding production, why should we hand over the IP and streaming rights? That’s why you see some of us moving to YouTube or building our own distribution channels,” said a producer who recently launched a successful original series on YouTube.

Platforms’ response 

e4m reached out to JioHotstar, Amazon MX Player, SonyLIV, Zee5 and ShemarooMe for their official stance on these producer-level expectations. Despite several requests, there was no response from any platform till the time of writing these lines.