Subscribers vs TRPs: Where does television fit in the new viewing economy?

On any given evening, a loyal viewer of Anupamaa no longer has to wait for the 10 PM slot on Star Plus. The episode is already available on JioHotstar hours in advance. Similarly, shows like Ye Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, which airs on Star Plus at 9:30 pm, and Seher Hone Ko Hai at 8:30 pm, are now available to watch earlier on OTT platforms before their linear telecast.

What began as a simple convenience feature- early access for digital users- has evolved into one of the clearest signals of how India’s television ecosystem is being recalibrated in the current ratings environment. The question is no longer whether OTT and TV coexist, but how this “first on OTT” window is reshaping how audiences are counted, valued and engaged.

Not OTT-first, but no longer TV-first either

Broadcasters are careful about how they frame this shift. Officially, television remains the primary premiere platform, with OTT positioned as an extension.

Anil Solanki, Senior Director, Dentsu X, said, “Broadcasters are clearly leaning into OTT for premium content discovery and younger audiences, but it’s not a replacement for TV — it’s an extension. OTT-first or simultaneous releases are helping build early buzz, deepen engagement, and monetise across multiple touchpoints, which is increasingly shaping content strategy and windowing decisions. In the long term, this hybrid approach will rebalance—not replace—television. TV will continue to deliver scale and trust for advertisers, while OTT drives targeting and engagement. The real shift is in economics: networks are moving from a single-revenue model to a multi-platform monetisation strategy, which, if managed well, can strengthen overall value rather than dilute it.”

A JioStar spokesperson emphasises that the strategy is less about prioritising one over the other and more about expanding reach.

“We’re focused on serving consumers wherever they are, across both OTT and television. The ‘first on OTT’ approach is about giving viewers the convenience to watch content on their own time and it has actually helped expand the overall viewer base rather than take away from TV. Television continues to deliver unmatched scale and remains the go-to platform for advertisers, while digital adds flexibility and deeper engagement. Together, they’re not just coexisting, they’re strengthening the ecosystem for both viewers and brands,” the spokesperson said.

Alongside early-access drops, another format quietly gaining ground is the simulcast model, where episodes premiere at the same time on both television and OTT. This approach reflects a more balanced strategy in the current ratings environment—one that avoids privileging either platform while maximising reach and engagement simultaneously. For broadcasters, simulcast ensures that appointment viewing on TV remains intact while also capturing digital audiences who prefer on-demand access. It also allows advertisers to benefit from both scale and precision at the same moment, rather than across staggered windows. In a landscape where measurement is becoming increasingly cross-platform, simulcasting offers a cleaner, more unified view of performance, making it an attractive middle path between traditional TV premieres and OTT-first releases.

In other words, the industry’s stance is clear: this is an additive model. And in a ratings ecosystem that is itself evolving, that positioning becomes even more relevant.

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The real shift: from mass reach to measurable relationships

For decades, television operated on a single currency—ratings. A successful show meant high TRPs, directly translating into advertising revenue. But that equation is becoming more layered.

India’s audience measurement landscape is in transition. While traditional TV ratings—driven by panel-based systems—continue to underpin advertising deals, their singular dominance is gradually softening with the rise of digital measurement and cross-platform tracking.

OTT platforms offer census-level visibility, capturing every stream, pause, and drop-off in real time. At the same time, multiple measurement efforts across the industry are working towards integrating linear and digital viewership into a more unified framework.

This is subtly changing how success is defined. Broadcasters and advertisers are increasingly evaluating performance through a combination of television reach and digital depth, moving from a ratings-only lens to a more data-diverse approach.

A senior industry expert noted that broadcasters’ OTT-first approach may be gradually eroding television viewership. When shows premiere on OTT platforms ahead of their TV telecast, audiences are less inclined to wait, often consuming the content online instead. Over time, this shift weakens habitual TV viewing and viewer loyalty. It also signals that broadcasters may be placing greater emphasis on digital performance metrics and data from OTT platforms, rather than prioritising traditional television ratings.   

Manesh Swamy, co-founder of FirstAI Consultancy, and an advertising expert, echoes this evolution from a data standpoint. “Yes, increasingly they are prioritizing subscribers over ratings. Broadcasters are putting premium content on OTT first because subscriptions, audience data and direct consumer relationships are becoming more valuable than just TV ratings. A TV rating only tells you how many people watched. OTT tells you who watched, where they dropped off, what else they like, which device they used, whether they paid and whether they came back. That is far more valuable. OTT is no longer just a catch-up platform. For many broadcasters, it is becoming the main stage.”

Early OTT drops, therefore, are not just about convenience—they are about building measurable relationships alongside reach.

Testing ground before mass exposure

Another advantage of this model is something traditional TV never offered: immediate feedback loops, said experts.

According to Rajiv Khattar, broadcast consultant, “Broadcasters/ content companies are giving OTT first release as it gives them the chance to test the content by giving real time feedback, and if needed they can truncate the production. The monetization is also getting better on ad fronts; on broadcast, the ad revenue and sub revenue are falling, so the first views go to the OTT. This is likely to become a trend as linear TV numbers continue to drop. OTT offers better ad revenue due to targeted advertising, real-time feedback, wider reach, and the flexibility of viewing at one’s own time, which further increases consumption.”

In a ratings-sensitive environment, this acts as a low-risk testing layer before mass television exposure. Insights from early OTT consumption can help fine-tune storytelling, pacing, and even marketing strategies ahead of prime-time broadcasts.

Fragmentation, not migration

Despite the growing importance of OTT, this is not a case of audiences moving wholesale from TV to digital. What’s emerging instead is fragmentation.

Urban, younger, and highly engaged viewers are more likely to opt for early OTT access, while core TV audiences—especially family viewers—continue to watch at scheduled times. In many households, both behaviours coexist: one member watches early on OTT, while others tune in later on television.

This dual consumption pattern is not accidental—it is central to the current strategy. Early access expands the total consumption window of a show, rather than replacing one platform with another.

Why TV still holds the centre

Even as measurement evolves, television continues to anchor the ecosystem. Its unmatched scale, especially in non-metro markets, remains critical for advertisers. Bulk ad spends are still driven by GRPs and prime-time visibility, and scheduled viewing continues to be deeply ingrained in Indian households.

Daily soaps, news programming, and live events still derive their strongest impact from linear TV. In this sense, OTT may be reshaping engagement, but TV continues to define reach.

The bigger picture: coexistence in a recalibrated ecosystem

The “first on OTT” trend may appear incremental, but it reflects a deeper recalibration aligned with the current TRP and measurement landscape.

Television is no longer the sole entry point for content, and OTT is no longer just a catch-up layer. Instead, each episode now performs multiple roles—delivering scale on TV while enabling targeted engagement on digital.

The shift, then, is not from TV to OTT, but from a single-metric ecosystem to a multi-metric one. And in that transition, early access is less about disrupting television and more about strengthening how content is discovered, measured, and monetised across platforms.