As per The Ormax OTT Audience Report: 2025 (details here), India’s OTT universe reached 601.2 million in 2025, marking a 9.9% increase over the previous year. While the overall growth trajectory of the category has stabilised, two sub-categories stand out for the scale and speed of their expansion. Connected TV (CTV) usage has surged to 129.2 million in 2025, recording a staggering 85% increase in just one year, up from 69.7 Mn in 2024). In parallel, a new content format, Micro Dramas, has rapidly established a meaningful footprint, amassing 73.2 million viewers in less than a year of existence in the Indian market. Both these numbers (129.2 and 73.2 million) are as of July 2025, and would have increased significantly since then, closer to 150 and 100 million, respectively. Read about India’s CTV growth story in numbers here.

These two sub-categories occupy opposite ends of the OTT consumption spectrum. CTV is driven by a large-screen, co-viewing environment, and characterized by longer, more immersive sessions, typically anchored in premium long-form content. Micro Dramas, in contrast, are built for mobile-first, vertical viewing, and optimised for short, high-frequency, individual consumption moments.

Importantly, the growth in these categories is driven by two largely non-overlapping audience sets. Data from The Ormax OTT Audience Report: 2025 sheds light on the contrasting audience profiles of CTV and Micro Drama audiences. The overlap between the two categories is less than 15 million audiences, though this number will increase with time, as both CTV and Micro Drama audience bases increase with each passing month.

The chart above highlights the way these formats sit in different value environments. CTV draws 46% of its audience from SVOD users (i.e., those who have access to content that requires a paid subscription), notably higher than the 28% seen in the overall OTT universe. Yet it is not a premium-only format. AVOD still accounts for 54% of its base, signalling that device upgrades have penetrated far beyond paid subscribers. Micro Dramas lean heavily on the free-video economy, with 75% of their viewers coming from AVOD segments, closely mirroring the profile of the overall OTT universe. The contrast is clear, even as both formats continue to expand simultaneously.

Population-strata cuts reveal divergence too. CTV skews strongly urban, with metros and 10L+ towns contributing 45% of its audience. This reflects the familiar trend of device upgrades, broadband maturity, and shared living-room routines. Micro Dramas display the opposite profile, again aligned with the broader OTT universe: rural India contributes 55% of their viewers, compared to just 25% for CTV. These trends illustrate two distinct pathways within the same market: CTV rising on the back of affluence and device advancement, and Micro Dramas scaling through mobile-only access and low-barrier entry.

The table below captures some qualitative differences between the two categories.

The underlying forces become clearer when viewed through India’s broader digital arc. CTV growth reflects the country’s upward movement: households upgrading screens, improving broadband, and prioritising premium viewing experiences. The 129.2 million CTV audience is concentrated in metros and large urban centres, where quality of experience is a key driver of retention. Micro Dramas, meanwhile, are expanding through India’s outward movement. With 75% of their base in AVOD and 55% in rural markets, Micro Dramas represent a content format shaped fundamentally by mobile-only consumption behaviours.

Together, these trends explain why both ends of the spectrum are rising in parallel. They are not competing for the same contexts, usage occasions, or audience profiles. Each format reflects a different facet of how India watches, and each is expanding due to forces unique to its environment.

As India moves toward a two-device future, with the living room and the mobile phone serving distinct parts of the viewing journey, the OTT market is becoming more segmented and nuanced. For platforms and creators, the opportunity lies in understanding these divergences with precision. Strategies that acknowledge the dual structure of the market will be better positioned to succeed, compared to those built around a single dominant mode of viewing.