Q2 2025: India generates 21.5B hours of premium VOD viewing, dwarfing other Asian markets

Television, digital video and cinema together underscore India’s position as the powerhouse of Asia’s video content economy. Traditional TV continues to deliver mass-market impact in the country, particularly in regional languages, even as advertisers increasingly divert budgets toward digital video. This dual strength sets India apart from its Asian peers, according to Media Partners Asia’s (MPA) latest Asia Video Content Dynamics 2025 report.

Across the region, TV advertising has been in free fall this year. Korea and the Philippines have seen pronounced ratings erosion, while Thailand and Vietnam still retain resilient Free-to-Air viewership. In India, however, the medium remains central to audience reach, even as digital consumption surges at an unprecedented scale.

In Q2 2025, India generated 21.5 billion hours of premium VOD viewing, dwarfing other Asian markets. JioHotstar led with a 56% share, followed by Amazon (Prime Video + MX Player) at 25%, while Netflix’s share remained much lower than its dominance in Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where it commands between 50% and 80% of consumption. Variety shows have gained traction in India, a trend mirroring Korea, but cricket remains the country’s single biggest driver of engagement, powering both TV and streaming.

The theatrical sector has also staged a robust recovery. India’s box office revenues climbed to $1.4 billion in 2024, led by the strong performance of South Indian films. This contrasts with Korea, where theatrical revenues dropped 17% to $808 million, even though local films retained a 61% share of the box office. Indonesia grew modestly to $294 million, while the Philippines and Vietnam rebounded strongly, with local titles accounting for 41% and nearly 50% of revenues respectively.

Looking ahead, MPA projects a slight dip in 2025, with total investment across the region falling 2% to $15.8 billion, weighed down by declines in FTA and Pay-TV as advertising weakens. Yet even amid this downturn, streaming is expected to overtake Pay-TV, with investment touching $5 billion across the seven markets.

By 2029, content investment is forecast to recover to $16.7 billion, with India nearly on par with Korea. The composition of spend will shift decisively: TV’s share will drop from 59% in 2025 to 51% in 2029, while streaming will climb from 31% to 38%, and theatrical will edge up from 10% to 11%. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for 2025–2029 is projected at +1.5%.

According to the report, behind these consumption trends lies a wave of investment that is reshaping Asia’s video ecosystem. India’s content investment surged to $6.2 billion in 2024, up 19% year-on-year, powered by sports rights and regional content. This made India the fastest-growing market among the seven tracked, narrowing the gap with Korea, which remains the largest market at US$7 billion (+7.1%).

Regional investment overall rose from $13.6 billion in 2022 to $14.8 billion in 2023, reaching $16.1 billion in 2024. While India expanded sharply, Indonesia contracted 7% to $855 million, Malaysia and the Philippines slipped 3–4%, and Thailand and Vietnam also posted declines.

Shifting Industry Dynamics

India’s trajectory reflects wider industry shifts across Asia. Broadcasters are responding to structural ad declines by pivoting into aggregation and licensing models. Streaming platforms are scaling back costly originals in favor of ad-supported tiers and a sharper focus on profitability, as per the report. Local producers are well-placed to thrive, thanks to transferable skills across film, TV, and OTT, but scaling will depend heavily on marketing strength and distribution partnerships.

Artificial Intelligence is also set to reshape the industry, with applications ranging from production workflows and subtitling to data-driven commissioning, localized marketing, and dynamic ad monetization.

“Sports rights in India and Korea are powering much of the near-term growth, while selective bets on premium drama and local storytelling continue to drive engagement,” said Stephen Laslocky, Vice President, MPA. “The challenge for the industry is to balance growth and profitability: to invest smartly in the stories that resonate, adapt to the ad-supported future, and embrace innovations like AI.”