Female protagonists of Hindi OTT series are generating significantly stronger audience buzz than their male-led counterparts, despite accounting for a much smaller share of new releases, according to a new analysis by Ormax Media that challenges conventional assumptions about what drives engagement in the streaming market.

Analysing the top 50 non-franchise Hindi fiction series launched between January 2025 and May 2026, Ormax found that female-led shows recorded an average Peak Buzz of 14.1, compared with 9.6 for male-protagonist shows — a difference of 47 percent.

Peak Buzz measures the percentage of audiences who can recall a show unaided when asked about upcoming or recently launched streaming titles and has been identified by Ormax as the strongest driver of lifetime viewership for an OTT original.

The study found that the sample comprised 28 male-led series, 12 with shared protagonists and 10 female-led titles, underscoring a strong supply skew towards male protagonists. Yet female-led shows outperformed on audience recall and conversation.

Prominent titles contributing to the higher Peak Buzz included ‘Mrs. Deshpande’, ‘Chiraiya’, ‘Mandala Murders’, ‘Dabba Cartel’, ‘Daldal’, ‘Khauf’ and ‘Search: The Naina Murder Case’.

According to Ormax, one key reason for these skewed numbers is scarcity. Female-led shows accounted for only 22 percent of the sample, compared with 52 percent for male-led series.

In a streaming ecosystem dominated by established male-centric franchises such as ‘Mirzapur’, ‘The Family Man’, ‘Special Ops’, ‘Criminal Justice’, ‘Panchayat’, ‘Gullak’, ‘Kota Factory’ and the ‘Scam’ franchise, women-led narratives stand out more easily and are therefore better positioned to attract attention.

The report also said female-led stories often generate conversations beyond their plotlines by engaging with themes such as identity, agency, social expectations, safety, ambition, motherhood and systemic barriers.

It cited ‘Khauf’, which sparked discussions around women’s fear and vulnerability, and ‘Chiraiya’, which resonated with audiences through themes including domestic violence, consent, marital rape and dignity.

Another factor is the rise of Connected TV viewing, which is bringing streaming content into shared family spaces. Ormax said female-led stories may be benefiting from their ability to appeal across demographic groups, creating broader opportunities for co-viewing, recommendations and discussion.

In addition, a female protagonist can serve as a distinctive positioning tool in a crowded release calendar, especially when played by actors with strong audience equity such as Madhuri Dixit in ‘Mrs. Deshpande’, Shabana Azmi in ‘Dabba Cartel’ and Konkona Sen Sharma in ‘Search: The Naina Murder Case’.

While cautioning that platforms should not commission women-led stories solely because they are women-led, Ormax said the findings highlight a clear advantage in generating launch-stage recall and conversation. (Both image and chart courtesy Ormax Media)