The most-watched Hindi show for 2022 was ‘Rudra: The Edge of Darkness’ with an estimated viewership of 35.2 million, as per the ‘Streaming Originals in India’ report released by Ormax Media. The list was followed by ‘Aashram’ season 3 at nearly 34.3 million views and ‘Panchayat’ season 2 at nearly 29.6 million views. In the top 15 list of most-watched Hindi shows, shows streaming on Disney+ Hotstar took seven positions, followed by Prime video and MX Player at four shows each.
According to the company, the report looks at the top original shows and films released in 2022 in both Hindi and international languages. As per its claims, the report considered three principal parameters, viewership, marketing buzz and content strength. The report has highlighted only original content and not content such as theatrical films, catch-up television, sports, among others.
Under the banner of the most-watched Hindi films, ‘Cuttputlli’ led the top 15 list with an estimated viewership of 26.9 million, followed by ‘A Thursday’ at 25.5 million views and ‘Govinda Naan Mera’ at 24.4 million views. In 2022, the report observed that three films on Disney+ Hotstar cross the 24 million India viewership mark and had seven films on the list. This was followed by Prime Video and Netflix with four movies each.
Moreover, the report found that the most-watched international show was ‘House of Dragon’ with a viewership of nearly 28.2 million views. The report observed that franchise shows from the marvel cinematic universe dominated the top 15 international list, and took 8 positions.
When distinguishing shows based on buzz, the report found that Panchayat season 2 had the most buzz in the top 15 list of most-buzzing Hindi shows. The report defines buzz as a percentage measure of the audience who can recall a show or film unaided. It reflects the talk value of the property based on the degree and effectiveness of conversations around it, the report added. Franchise shows took nine out of the top 15 positions on the list, it asserted.
Based on the Peak Buzz on Ormax Stream Track, the most-buzzing Hindi film was ‘Gehraiyaan’, followed by ‘Cuttputlli’ and ‘Darlings’. Movies that featured theatrical stars had dominated the list, the report highlighted. For the report, the most buzzing international show was ‘Stranger Things’ season 4, followed by ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’. Stranger Things season four had a higher buzz than all Hindi series, leaving out Panchayat season 2 and Rudra.
For its third metric, the company identified top players with ‘Ormax Power Rating’ (OPR) which distinguishes how much a show or movie is enjoyed or liked by the viewers. In the report, Panchayat season 2 has the highest OPR of 75 in the most-liked Hindi shows list. This places the show on number six of the all-time list, which is topped by The Family Man season 2 with an OPR of 85. The list was followed by Rocket Boys and Delhi Crime season 2 at an OPR of 67 each.
According to the report, the most-liked Hindi films were A Thursday, ‘Kaun Pravin Tambe’ and ‘Forensic’ with an OPR of 66 each. In the top-15 list, the report found that Disney+ Hotstar took up the top three spots, while Netflix dominated the top 10 list.
Moving beyond the borders, the report found that the most liked TV show was Stranger Things season 4, which is the second-most liked international show since 2020 after ‘Money Heist’ (seasons 4 and 5). The top-10 list was primarily franchise-led, the report commented. For the list of the most-liked international films, ‘The Gray Man’ topped with an OPR of 70. It is the only international direct-to-OTT film to touch the 70 OPR mark in 2022, the report concluded.