Regional content is king for OTT platforms as 63% viewers are in non-metros

When it comes to watching OTT shows, India does not conform to stereotypes. The fact, along with several interesting revelations have emerged in a new report released by streaming giants Hotstar on Tuesday.

According to the report, contrary to popular perception, 63 per cent of total online entertainment consumption happens in the non-metro centres of India, and Lucknow, Pune and Patna rank above Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata in consumption of content.

The report also revealed 40 per cent of the audience of family drama are men. Interestingly, 41 per cent of "Game Of Thrones" fans have also confessed to watching Hindi family dramas.

The statistics were released in Hotstar's India Watch Report 2019, a comprehensive study of online video consumption behaviour and trends based on Hotstar's pan-India consumer base.

Among other startling revelations is the fact regional content contributes to more than 40 per cent video consumption, with Tamil, Telugu and Bengali topping regional language viewing patterns.

"The accelerated growth of the Indian video entertainment ecosystem has had an unprecedented impact on the consumer. Today, the Indian consumer enjoys a plethora of content to choose from, has moved beyond metro cities, and isn't limited by gender or language. More importantly, this growing accessibility has opened doors to new thoughts and ideas that are shaping a stereotype-defying consumer," said Varun Narang, EVP & chief product officer, Hotstar.