New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) The over-the-top (OTT) sector has significantly contributed towards India’s soft power by enabling global access to Indian stories, creative talent, cultural heritage, and independent filmmaking, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L. Murugan, said that as per industry estimates (FICCI-EY Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2025), the video subscription revenues posted an 11 per cent growth rate in 2024 to scale the Rs 9,200 crore mark. The number of users paying for streaming content on OTT platforms are estimated between 9.5-11.8 crore individuals.
He also stated that Prasar Bharati’s platform ‘WAVES OTT’ has further strengthened this outreach by making Doordarshan and All India Radio’s rich archives, regional arts, documentaries, classical music, literature-based programming, and multilingual content accessible to audiences worldwide.
‘WAVES OTT’ has recorded a robust growth with more than 80 lakh downloads by users in the first year of its launch. This reflects the rising demand for multilingual Indian content and public service media on digital platforms, the minister pointed out.
The platform is currently in a growth and expansion phase, with a steadily increasing international user footprint. Revenue streams from international markets are being progressively developed through strategic partnerships, he explained.
It has introduced a framework to support emerging filmmakers and creators, providing them with a technology-driven distribution platform to reach diverse global audiences.
‘WAVES OTT’ is primarily a subscription-free public service platform and does not operate on a subscription-based model. Advertising is its main source of revenue. It focuses on democratising access to public broadcasting content across India and globally, the minister further stated.
The newly-inserted Section 7(1B)(ii) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 (as amended in 2023), empowers the Central Government, under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 to take remedial action against intermediaries hosting pirated film contents, the minister added.
–IANS
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