Squid Game & Criminal Justice: Global & India Streaming Hits
Indian Streaming Landscape: Local Narratives Dominate as International Hits Make Their Mark
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New Delhi, India – Indian streaming audiences continue to show a strong preference for local storytelling, with Hindi-language productions leading the charge in viewership, according to recent data from Ormax Media. The first half of 2025 saw a robust performance from domestic content, particularly in the crime drama and legal thriller genres, with small-town narratives proving especially popular.
Local Productions Reign Supreme in Top 50
The Ormax Media report, which tracks content launched between January and June 2025, highlights the enduring appeal of Indian-made series. Animated series like “The Legend of Hanuman” Season 6 secured a significant spot at No. 6 with 16.2 million viewers, demonstrating the broad reach of mythological storytelling. Similarly, the thriller “The Secret of the Shiledars” captured the attention of 14.5 million viewers, ranking at No. 8.
Prime Video emerged as a strong contender,featuring four entries within the top 20.Its continued collaboration with The Viral Fever (TVF) proved fruitful, with “Panchayat” and the medical drama “Gram Chikitsalay” (11.8 million viewers) drawing considerable audiences. The platform also saw success with the Tamil-language crime series “Suzhal – The Vortex” Season 2, which garnered 8.3 million viewers, and the international action series “Reacher” Season 3, attracting 7.5 million viewers.
Genre Preferences and Emerging Trends
The data underscores a sustained appetite for crime dramas and legal thrillers among Indian viewers. Small-town narratives,in particular,have resonated deeply,indicating a growing demand for relatable and authentic local stories.
Reality programming also demonstrated significant appeal. Amazon MX Player’s music competition “Hip hop India” Season 2 reached 11.1 million viewers, while netflix’s comedy variety show “The Great Indian Kapil Show” Season 3 garnered 10.9 million viewers, both breaking into the top 20.
International Content maintains Presence Amidst Local Dominance
While local productions dominated the upper echelms of the Ormax rankings, international content continued to maintain a presence. The global phenomenon “Squid Game,” produced by Firstman Studio and Siren Pictures, underscored the international appeal of Korean dramas in India.
Among Netflix’s international offerings, the English crime drama “Adolescence” attracted 8.7 million viewers, and the Korean romantic drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines” garnered 5.9 million viewers.
JioHotstar also featured prominently with international titles, including the HBO post-apocalyptic drama “The Last of Us” Season 2, which drew 8 million viewers, and the Marvel superhero series “Daredevil: Born Again,” with 6.8 million viewers. Despite the presence of these global hits, the overwhelming dominance of Hindi-language productions in the top tiers reinforces the paramount importance of local storytelling for streaming success in India.
Ormax Media’s Methodology
Ormax Media’s viewership estimates are derived from weekly primary research conducted across India, encompassing multiple languages.These figures are projected to the country’s entire streaming universe. The methodology counts individual viewers who have watched at least one full episode of a series or 30 minutes of a film. it also accounts for shared viewing on single accounts and includes viewership through unauthorized channels, providing a comprehensive overview of content consumption. The research period covered content launched between January and June 2025, with ongoing tracking for some late-June releases. All language versions and dubbed content were included in the estimates, exclusively for the Indian market.