India’s over-the-top (OTT) ecosystem is seeing a decisive shift towards paid consumption, with overall subscription revenues surge by 60% and the video subscription revenue crossed ₹14,800-crore mark in 2025, according to the latest FICCI-EY media and entertainment report. 

The newly released report underlined the scale of growth in the segment, noting that “in 2025, digital subscription revenues grew 60%, led by video, music and premium news offerings, reflecting a clear consumer shift towards paid content across platforms.” 

Video streaming remained the key growth driver. As the report put it, “video subscription revenue grew 61% in 2025 to reach ₹14,800 crore driven by strong demand for local and sports content, alongside increased adoption of connected TVs and bundled offerings.” 

The expansion in paid consumption is also visible in subscriber numbers. The report said, “143 million households paid for 216 million video OTT subscriptions during the year, indicating increasing multi-platform adoption and willingness among consumers to pay for differentiated content.” 

Bundling strategies reshape distribution 

A key driver behind this surge has been large-scale bundling and pricing innovation by platforms and telecom operators. The report noted that “bundling strategies were implemented at scale across telecom and aggregator partnerships, and we estimate that 71% of all subscriptions were bundled on average, significantly improving reach and affordability.” 

It added that platforms are experimenting with pricing tiers, stating “many platforms introduced premium ad-free plans while also incorporating limited advertising into existing tiers, along with mobile-only and single-device plans to cater to price-sensitive segments.” 

Premium content drives monetisation 

Content continues to be the biggest lever for subscription growth, especially in sports. The report highlighted that “premium international and sports content, including properties like the IPL and ICC events, were increasingly placed behind paywalls, which played a critical role in expanding the paid subscriber base.” 

This has pushed the overall OTT market to a new scale. According to the report, “the OTT segment crossed INR272 billion in 2025, reflecting the growing importance of subscription-led revenues within India’s digital media ecosystem.” 

Strong growth outlook 

The momentum is expected to continue over the next few years. The report said, “paid subscriptions are projected to grow by nearly 30% over the next two years, supported by deeper regional penetration, higher content investments and increasing adoption of connected TV devices.” 

With consumers steadily moving from free to paid models, India’s OTT market appears to be entering a more mature phase, where monetisation and long-term subscriber value are becoming central to platform strategies.