Streaming platforms switch channels to South India, small-town viewers

Streaming platforms are zeroing in on Tier-II and Tier-IIl cities and southern India to attract subscribers.

- ROSHNI SHEKHAR

They are expanding their content slate and rolling out more bundled offers to counter slower growth compared to the 2023-24 period.

JioHotstar, for instance, plans to double its original programming hours in southern languages over the next 12-18 months, with the region serving as both a core base and a growth engine. ZEES, the over-the-top (OTT) platform of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, aims to expand reach in the South through language-specific subscription packs. In Hindi-speaking markets (HSMs), its strategy revolves around small-town, culturally rooted stories, with a strong push for direct-to-digital films. Netflix India and Prime Video did not respond to email queries from Business Standard.

“The South today isacreative engine shaping the future of Indian entertainment. Stories rooted here are breaking out nationally, making the South portfolio a cornerstone of ourstrategy. We're doubling down with an expanded slate across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, and will double our original programming hours in the next 12 to 18 months,” a spokesperson for JioStar said.