Theatrical films have continued to remain a key driver of customer acquisition for subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms in India, outperforming original content on metrics measuring subscriber pull, according to insights from Ormax Stream Track.
The analysis, as per media reports, has examined 126 theatrical films across languages that recorded domestic footfalls of over one million. It has mapped these films to their respective streaming platforms in India, attributing equal share in cases where titles are available across multiple platforms.
The findings have shown that Netflix has emerged as the clear leader, accounting for 36% of the total platform share. JioHotstar, Prime Video and ZEE5 have followed, each registering double-digit shares, indicating a more balanced market compared to previous years.
The market dynamics have shifted from a duopolistic structure observed earlier, where Netflix and Prime Video had dominated across Hindi, Telugu and Tamil theatrical films released between 2022 and 2024. In 2025, JioHotstar and ZEE5 have strengthened their presence, contributing to a more distributed streaming rights landscape.
Language-wise trends have revealed that Netflix has further consolidated its dominance in Hindi theatrical films, increasing its share to 57% in 2025 from 50% in 2024. In contrast, the South Indian language market has remained more competitive, with JioHotstar, ZEE5 and Prime Video emerging as key players.
JioHotstar’s overall share has been driven in part by its strong hold over international theatrical titles. Of the 12 international films in the dataset that have crossed one million footfalls and are currently available for streaming in India, 10 have been hosted on JioHotstar, giving it an 83% share in this segment.
Despite the high cost of acquiring theatrical film rights, platforms have continued to invest in such content due to its consistent ability to attract new subscribers, even as they balance budgets towards building owned intellectual property.
