"Taare Zameen Par" on Youtube and the debate on Pay Per View Vs Subscription VoD

Aamir Khan Productions’ iconic film "Taare Zameen Par" is now available on YouTube Pay-Per-View (TVoD) in India. This special release allows audiences to watch the timeless story of Ishaan and his journey of self-discovery for just ₹100, without any subscription. By bringing the movie to YouTube’s transactional platform, the makers are making quality cinema more accessible and giving viewers the freedom to enjoy it anytime, anywhere.

There are dominant 5 Subscription based OTT Platforms in India(even after Jio Hotstar merger). Below data shows their market share in terms of no of subscription:

Subscription Base (India, 2025)

Platform Subscribers (approx.)

JioHotstar 280 M (includes free + paid; huge IPL spike)

Amazon Prime Video 20 M paid

Netflix 10 M paid

ZEE5 ~7.5 M paid

Sony LIV ~12 M paid

MX Player Hundreds of millions (free AVOD users)

Here is the data based on Revenue market share combining both Advertisement-supported VoD and SVOD

Based on the latest COTT Annual OTT Market Report and Reuters/EY industry data:

Rank	Platform / Category	Revenue (₹ Cr)	Market Share	Notes
1	YouTube	~14,300	37.70%	Dominates with ad-supported model; covers almost all online video formats.
2	JioHotstar (JioCinema + Disney+ Hotstar merged)	~8,835	23.30%	Strong sports (IPL, cricket), Hindi & regional content; rapid subscriber growth to ~280 M during IPL 2025.
3	Amazon Prime Video	~5,000*	13%	Bundled with Prime membership; strong originals and licensed films; ~20 M Indian subscribers.
4	Netflix	~2,900	7.60%	Premium SVOD; ~10 M subscribers in India; heavy on originals and global hits.
5	MX Player (Amazon-owned)	~1,200	3.20%	Free AVOD model with regional focus.
6	Sony LIV	~1,129	3.00%	Popular for sports rights (UEFA, cricket) and Sony TV content.
7	ZEE5	~1,037	2.70%	Strong regional and original productions.
—	Others (Aha, Stage, etc.)	~5,500 total	~14% total	Niche and regional OTT players

*Amazon Prime Video’s revenue figure is estimated from market share and SVOD segment size.

Market Share Based on Revenue

Key Trends:

1. Ad-Supported Video Rules – YouTube and free AVOD platforms like MX Player still command the lion’s share of time spent.

2. Consolidation Shaping the Market – The JioCinema–Disney+ Hotstar merger created a formidable challenger to YouTube.

3. Amazon’s Quiet Strength – Prime Video’s bundling strategy keeps it entrenched as the #2 SVOD player despite lower marketing blitz.

4. Sports Driving Spikes – IPL streaming continues to dictate subscriber peaks, especially for JioHotstar.

5. Regional Content Growth – ZEE5, Aha, and Sony LIV investing heavily in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and Marathi original

Challenges faced by User with current SVoD OTT platforms:

As there are multiple dominant players, user need to subscribe to each one of them to find the content they are looking for. Even though there are Indian OTT aggregators like OTTPlay, Netflix and Prime are not part of it yet.

Aamir Khan’s latest decision to release his new film on YouTube Pay-Per-View offers viewers the flexibility to simply purchase and watch the movie—no subscription required. This approach not only benefits audiences by making premium content more accessible, but also helps filmmakers reach a much wider audience. More such releases could be a win-win for both movie lovers and the industry.