For years traditional television has played host to reality shows starting from Indian Idol to the Bigg Boss but all that seems to be a thing of the past, with over-the-top platforms now being a preferred platforms. Shows like Bigg Boss, and Laughter Chefs among others has found their new homes in the vast digital realms of streaming services. As per a recent FICCI-EY report, while drama, crime, action, and thrillers were prominent genres in OTT in 2023, reality shows pulled in large numbers of audiences and is expected to increase further in 2024. It is believed that this transformation is not just about a change in medium, but a fundamental shift of how content is created and consumed, and monetised.
India is believed to be a huge market for OTT platforms. To be sure, the revenue from subscriptions for OTT platforms across India amounted to almost Rs 7,300 crore. This was expected to peak at over Rs 10,000 crore by 2026. The overall number of paid online video subscriptions in India amounted to 97 million in 2023, as revealed by a 2024 Statista report. This trajectory is mirrored in the reality show segment also. For instance, Laughter Chefs, a show on JioCinema recorded 687 million reach, 1.4 billion impressions, and 570 million video views on social media, as claimed by Viacom18 in July 2024.
But the question is what makes digital medium ideal to drive consumption of reality shows? Experts opined, that the interactive nature of digital media makes these shows even more exciting. “The engagement is very active in social media, especially when the makers are running some of these shows in digital media. The interaction with the audience moves to next level. Television is not an interactive medium. In KBC, there is a game that runs where users can also play. In my opinion, more interesting shows in the future are going to be digital where consumers will be able to participate more actively. Makers have several ways like gamification of participation, interacting with the audience, conduct voting in different ways to make a show more exciting compared to just a TV show,” Uday Sodhi, founding partner, Kurate Digital Consultant, told BrandWagon Online.
The financial implications of this shift are also noteworthy. OTT platforms are believed to offer a lucrative model for reality shows through subscription-based revenue and targeted advertising. In addition to that, OTT platforms have also opened doors to a global audience. Nowadays, Indian reality shows can be accessed to viewers worldwide. This international reach has not only increased visibility of these shows but also expanded their influence. “Both sponsorship and pay sales have evolved along with consumption. As consumption has gone to TV plus digital, makers have been able to sell bundled content. Secondly, show makers can also sell the show as digital as a separate add-on to those brands who cannot afford the huge amounts that are charged for TV. So, it has increased the base of advertisers because much smaller ad campaign on digital can be taken as compared to TV, and therefore it’s been beneficial from a revenue perspective as well,” a senior media analyst said.
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