After years of rapid expansion and aggressive experimentation, the Indian OTT industry paused in 2025 to reassess its direction, with platforms increasingly focusing on sustainability, sharper positioning and audience retention. 

Reflecting on this shift and outlining his outlook for the year ahead, Pratap Jain, Founder and CEO of ChanaJor, said the past year marked a clear turning point for the digital streaming ecosystem.

According to the OTT Platform, Jain observed that 2025 brought a decisive move away from blind scale and volume-driven growth. He noted that platforms became more conscious of costs, content performance and loyal viewership, signalling a maturing market where discipline began to outweigh hype. According to him, the conversation shifted from who launched the most shows to who truly understood their audience, with growth, retention and relevance emerging as the key priorities.

This broader industry correction also influenced ChanaJor’s internal strategy during the year. Jain said the platform chose to invest more thoughtfully rather than expand aggressively. From a content perspective, the focus remained on stories that genuinely connect with Hindi-speaking audiences, while business decisions followed viewer behaviour and completion patterns. He added that 2025 marked a shift from experimentation to conviction-driven storytelling for the platform.

Language and regional focus continued to be central to ChanaJor’s growth strategy. Jain said the platform’s positioning as a Hindi-only service emerged as a major strength in 2025, enabling it to connect deeply with audiences across Tier 2, Tier 3 and emerging markets. He emphasised that depth within Hindi storytelling, rather than language diversity, remains ChanaJor’s long-term advantage and will continue to guide its content strategy in 2026.

Marketing approaches across the OTT space also reflected the industry’s growing emphasis on efficiency. Jain pointed out that spends in 2025 were largely performance-driven, focused on digital discovery, platform integrations and content-led promotions with measurable outcomes. Looking ahead, he expects a gradual move towards stronger brand-building efforts in 2026, while maintaining performance discipline as trust and recall become increasingly important for sustained growth.

Sharing his vision for the coming year, Jain said ChanaJor’s key resolution is to communicate its identity more clearly. Instead of aggressively marketing every release, the platform aims to reinforce what it stands for—authentic, rooted Hindi stories that audiences can relate to. He believes consistency in messaging will matter more than frequency as the platform matures.

On the industry outlook, Jain said 2026 is likely to be shaped by a stronger focus on viewer retention and engagement, the rise of short and micro-format storytelling with high relatability, and platforms building clear cultural and language identities rather than trying to cater to everyone. According to him, OTT platforms that remain focused, understand their audiences deeply and tell honest stories will be best placed to succeed in the year ahead.