India’s vibrant cultural diversity reflects seamlessly in its entertainment landscape, making content as varied as the people who consume it. OTT platforms have increasingly embraced this diversity by curating expansive libraries featuring stories in multiple languages and from varied geographies to attract a broader audience. But as the race to capture consumer attention heats up, expanding content is only one piece of the puzzle. Platforms are also finding innovative ways to connect with viewers on a deeper level. Shemaroo Entertainment, a name synonymous with Indian entertainment, has been no exception.
With its rich legacy and strategic initiatives, including its broadcast channels and the OTT platform ShemarooMe, the company has successfully established a meaningful presence in the hearts and minds of its audience.
When asked about the markets, genres, or platforms that exceeded expectations in driving revenue growth this year, Saurabh Srivastava – Chief Operating Officer – Digital Business at Shemaroo Entertainment, shared, “Our results clearly demonstrate the continued strength and resilience of our digital B2B and B2C business, which have consistently outperformed expectations. While the domestic B2B segment has encountered some challenges due to industry dynamics and external factors, we believe these issues are manageable over the medium term. The performance of our digital B2C and B2B business has been a reassuring aspect of our overall results, reflecting its stability.”
Anuja Trivedi – Chief Marketing Officer, Shemaroo Entertainment, highlighted that their business is divided into several segments- Broadcast, OTT, Digital, and Syndication. At the beginning of 2024, in the broadcast segment, they launched the original show, ‘Chaahenge Tumhe Itnaa’. Later, they introduced two more originals on Shemaroo Umang, ‘Shamshaan Champa’ and ‘Main Dil Tum Dhadkan’. Additionally, they revived a beloved classic, Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’, which aired on Shemaroo TV and continues to be a favorite among the masses.
“On the ShemarooMe (OTT platform) front, we’ve had a strong year. ShemarooMe, primarily focused on Gujarati content, has been home to some of the biggest Gujarati titles of the year. To engage our audience further, we launched a special initiative this quarter, ‘13 weeks, 13 titles,’ offering a fresh title every week. This initiative featured landmark Gujarati films, including ‘Hellaro’, ‘Jhamkudi’, and ‘Raado’, all of which found a new platform on ShemarooMe. We’re thrilled to bring the finest Gujarati content under one roof for our dedicated viewers,” she added.
Srivastava emphasised that one of the significant pillars of Shemaroo’s digital business is its presence on public video platforms such as YouTube and Meta, with YouTube being the more significant revenue generator.
“We continuously refresh our content offerings, ensuring a dynamic experience for users. Recently, we launched titles like ‘Housefull 2’ and ‘Highway’ among other popular releases. Our flagship YouTube channel, Shemaroo FilmiGaane, has now surpassed 70 million subscribers, cementing its position as our largest channel by subscriber count,” he said.
Furthermore, he went on to say that remaining active on a platform of such scale and consistently growing, not only in terms of views but also subscribers, validates that you are both refreshing and relevant to consumers.
“Our journey with YouTube in India has been closely aligned with the platform’s growth in the country. From the outset, we’ve built a strong, robust business and developed a deep understanding of the platform. This has allowed us to continuously evolve alongside YouTube’s growth. As the platform has expanded, so have we,” Srivastava said.
“When it comes to the YouTube algorithm, there’s a temptation to overanalyze or second-guess what works. While experimentation is valuable, excessive focus on trying to predict the algorithm can be counterproductive. Instead, we prefer to stick to the fundamentals, consistently refreshing content, keeping our information relevant, and maintaining clarity for our audience. We avoid clickbait or shortcuts that could compromise the long-term user experience for short-term gains. This approach has helped us create sustainable value, which is evident in the growing views and consistent growth across our channels,” he added.
Trivedi added that through a dipstick study conducted with their YouTube users, it was established that Shemaroo’s content is strongly perceived as safe for family viewing whenever the Shemaroo logo is visible on a video. This perception has been built over years of delivering quality. As connected TV penetration increases, this trust in Shemaroo Entertainment as a family-friendly brand continues to grow.
Srivastava said, “As a responsible consumer brand, we prioritise ensuring that the content we produce is safe for the intended audience, safeguarding the views we aim to generate.”
Srivastava shared insights into how ShemarooMe has successfully balanced and enhanced its offerings across the AVOD, SVOD, and other models amidst their growing prominence. He also highlighted the specific innovations and strategies Shemaroo Entertainment has implemented to solidify its position within these evolving segments.
He mentioned that at ShemarooMe, they have embraced several key learnings to shape their business planning. Firstly, they recognise that various monetisation models- be it SVOD, AVOD, or hybrid, will coexist and evolve over time. Each model is valid, but their effectiveness depends on the audience being targeted and the platform’s strategic approach.
“For us, the SVOD model is at the core of our strategy. We aim to deliver not just tactical value but a substantial proposition to consumers over their engagement period with ShemarooMe. While a portion of our revenue comes from advertisers, it is primarily through partnerships rather than impression-based ad sales. This is because our platform’s consumption is heavily skewed toward paid subscribers on a pure SVOD plan, free of ads, rather than a hybrid model,” he said.
“Although we’re not dismissing any of these monetisation models, including AVOD, we view SVOD as our current priority. Jumping to AVOD prematurely, without establishing SVOD as a robust revenue stream, has historically impacted the broader industry’s potential in the Indian market. Consumers are willing to pay for content when platforms offer a compelling proposition. However, placing too much content ahead of the paywall early in the journey reduces the incentive for users to adopt an SVOD model,” he added.
Furthermore, he went on to say, “Striking the right balance is crucial. For now, our focus remains firmly on building and solidifying our SVOD offering while keeping other models as part of our long-term roadmap.”
When asked about the marketing strategies employed by Shemaroo Entertainment to elevate its broadcast and OTT platforms in 2024, Trivedi said, “We have focused on two key initiatives. The first is adopting an omnichannel approach to marketing our content, particularly for our broadcast shows. Traditionally, broadcasting is perceived as simply promoting a show on TV and its own channel. However, we’ve broadened this perspective by targeting audiences across multiple platforms.”
For any new show launch, they identify where their consumers are, whether on TV, OTT platform, YouTube, or social media, and tailor the communication to each platform. This ensures that while the show debuts on broadcast, they engage with both digital and broadcast audiences effectively.
Furthermore, she went on to say, “The second initiative is enhancing our marketing focus for ShemarooMe. As the leading platform for Gujarati content, we previously emphasised promoting individual flagship titles to attract subscribers. This year, we shifted to a slate marketing approach, providing consumers with a clearer understanding of the breadth of content they’re subscribing to over a three- or six-month period. For instance, in April, we highlighted a comprehensive slate, and again in October we offered 13 new titles, which stood out as a strong proposition, particularly at a time when the industry at large is scaling back on fresh content.” This approach not only communicated value to our audience but also strengthened their confidence in ShemarooMe’s offerings.
She added that these initiatives, an omnichannel marketing strategy for broadcast and a broader slate-focused approach for digital, reflect their commitment to delivering tailored and comprehensive experiences for the consumers.
With the Indian OTT landscape witnessing a notable trend toward consolidation, Srivastava shared his insights on this development and its potential to shape the industry’s future.
He explained that OTT platforms have become a significant focus for publishers and traditional media houses due to the attractiveness of the digital and direct-to-consumer (D2C) model in the business of creating and distributing content. From the consumer’s perspective, reports indicate that households typically subscribe to two to five apps, depending on factors like location and language preferences, with the average being around three to four.
“Consumers have limited space for subscriptions, and while there’s an abundance of choices leading to fragmentation, their decisions are influenced by their specific needs. This naturally creates room for consolidation. The television industry, for example, achieved profitability through extensive bundling, allowing consumers to choose based on compelling content, which subsequently drove ratings and revenue,” he said.
Srivastava added, “Similarly, in the OTT space, there is always demand for differentiated content that fulfills unmet consumer needs. However, platforms that merely replicate existing offerings must critically evaluate their long-term proposition and unique value for consumers. Consolidation, in this context, isn’t inherently negative, it can streamline the market, eliminate redundancy, and create more viable business models. Such trends are expected in relatively new consumer-focused or D2C domains, as the industry matures and adapts to evolving consumer behavior.”
While discussing the key focus areas for Shemaroo Entertainment in 2025, Trivedi said, “We are on an exciting journey of our direct-to-consumer (D2C) transformation. While, our progress was initially disrupted by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, over the last two to two-and-a-half years, we’ve regained momentum, focusing on both business growth and brand building for Shemaroo Entertainment. Our goal is to carve out a strong and meaningful space in the minds of our consumers, whether through our broadcast channels initiatives or the OTT platform, ShemarooMe.”
She emphasised that in addition to their D2C efforts, their role as significant players in the B2B syndication space remains a priority.
“We’re constantly exploring ways to innovate and expand our capabilities in syndication, striving to push boundaries and uncover new opportunities in this area. Both these focus areas, D2C and syndication, are central to our vision as we move forward,” Trivedi said.
In the short term, the external environment is undoubtedly in a state of flux. While the industry remains optimistic about the medium- and long-term outlook, the current period is marked by significant changes that demand adaptability. As the market stabilises and industry consolidation progresses, staying ahead of the curve becomes crucial for all players.
In conclusion she said, “At Shemaroo Entertainment, we have strategically chosen to adopt a razor-sharp focus and a more calculated, measured approach. This measured aggression ensures we remain grounded and operate on strong fundamentals, enabling us to tackle any uncertainties in the ecosystem, including a potential short-term slowdown in advertising demand.”
“Given that most monetisation within media distribution is heavily dependent on advertising expenditure (AdEx) rather than subscriptions, we are positioned to navigate these challenges from a place of strength,” she added.
