When Aamir Khan chose to sidestep the well-trodden OTT path for his latest film Sitaare Zameen Par, opting instead for YouTube’s pay-per-view (PPV) model, it didn’t go down well with everyone. Priced at Rs 100 per rental, the film is now available directly to India’s 550 million-plus YouTube users. But is this direct-to-audience approach genius, risky, or both?
On paper, it’s a clever disruption. While a traditional streaming deal could have netted Khan a one-time upfront payment, reportedly around Rs 125 crore or Rs 100 crore as per what he claims in the latest advertisement that stars the actor alongside his sons, YouTube PPV offers long-tail monetisation, with the possibility of earning more if the viewership holds. But here’s the catch: it’s all tied to rentals, buzz, and algorithms, with no guaranteed cheque at the door.
“Aamir Khan’s decision to put Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube is a clever move. It skips the OTT route and puts the film in front of India’s huge YouTube audience… This approach gives more control and better data, but without an upfront deal, success depends on sustaining buzz and ongoing rentals, making it bold but financially unpredictable,” Jitendra Hirawat, co-founder and CEO of TITO Films, told financialexpress.com.
Unlike OTT platforms that offer safe harbour via upfront licensing fees, YouTube PPV, a form of TVOD (Transactional Video On Demand), grants filmmakers a higher share of each transaction, typically 55% to 60%, alongside control over pricing, timing, and direct access to audience data. It’s a creator-first strategy that fits well with today’s DIY distribution ethos, albeit with heightened risk.
“I do believe Aamir Khan’s decision to take Sitaare Zameen Par to YouTube pay-per-view is a rather unconventional choice, especially when compared to the more obvious and, frankly, easier OTT sale,” said Harish Bijoor, brand expert and founder of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.
The YouTube game
“Traditionally, OTT platforms have provided financial predictability to content producers… But YouTube enables unprecedented content distribution and visibility,” Chandrashekar Mantha, Partner at Deloitte India, said. He adds that YouTube’s reach, 2.5 billion users globally, vastly eclipses the 200–270 million subscribers of leading OTTs.
YouTube boasts a mammoth 550 million in India alone. In comparison, even the largest OTT players operate with a far smaller subscriber base; Netflix had just 270 million global users as of mid-2025. On paper, YouTube’s scale is undeniable. But scale does not equate to guaranteed revenue. That visibility, however, comes at the cost of discoverability pressure. YouTube doesn’t spend on co-marketing like major OTTs often do. Success depends on strategic digital campaigns, audience goodwill, and an unrelenting PR machine. “Had Aamir opted for a traditional OTT deal, he could have made a one-time Rs 125 crore upfront, but this YouTube release means earnings are tied to viewership. For example, if 5 million viewers rent the film, gross revenue would hit Rs 50 crore (YouTube typically takes a 30% cut). The film has already crossed Rs 267 crore at the box office, and the digital run could add significantly to interest holds,” Hirawat added.
From a market perspective, Khan’s pivot is timely. Industry data shows that OTT platforms, once generous with 80–100% markups on production costs, now offer tighter margins, sometimes just 30–40%. Meanwhile, India’s TVOD market, although smaller than subscription-based streaming, is growing at 11.2% CAGR through 2025, as per ABI Research. For creators with strong fan bases and a theatrical run behind them, the PPV route offers a second wind.
“OTT, as Aamir Khan is subtly highlighting with this move, remains a restrictive channel,” Bijoor added. “Cinema distribution in India functions like a tap, it channels the film through a limited network of theatres, both in India and abroad… OTT platforms, by comparison, are also pipes, perhaps wider ones, but pipes nevertheless. They only reach homes with existing subscriptions. And while OTT extends reach, it is still inherently gated. YouTube, on the other hand, is about access purely governed by the internet.” Bijoor said, noting that Khan may be leveraging YouTube’s familiarity across devices to expand his footprint.
“This shift represents a higher risk–higher reward model, where success can translate into substantial financial returns—making YouTube an increasingly attractive platform for content monetisation and audience growth,” Mantha noted.
What this signals for the industry
Khan’s experiment may not be about immediate profits. It could be a litmus test for a future-forward model where creators exert greater pricing control, mine direct audience insights, and gradually wean off the platform-dominated economics of OTTs. Yet, for now, this model is not without friction. It works best when the film already has momentum; in this case, Sitaare Zameen Par has cleared Rs 267 crore at the box office. But for smaller producers without that tailwind, or for titles that lack mass appeal, the PPV path could be a dead end.
Aamir Khan’s move is not without merit. But whether it sets a precedent or serves as a cautionary tale will depend on how well Sitaare Zameen Par performs, not in theatres, but in the scroll-happy, price-sensitive world of digital rentals.