Cricket rules India's streaming viewership in new report
Cricket rules India's streaming viewership more than any other genre, according to Ormax Media's new Ormax StreamView report. The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 drew an estimated 246 million viewers on JioHotstar from January through June 2026—the highest figure tracked in the inaugural measurement framework.
Ormax Media's first India OTT watchlist confirms what platforms have long suspected: live sport, and cricket in particular, still pulls the biggest crowds on Indian streaming services. The findings arrive as advertisers push for independent, comparable OTT ratings in a market with no single industry standard.
Key Takeaways
- The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 reached an estimated 246 million viewers on JioHotstar, topping Ormax StreamView's Jan–Jun 2026 rankings.
- IPL 2026 placed second at 228.4 million viewers, also on JioHotstar, with three more cricket properties in the top five.
- Ormax StreamView launched in January 2026 to track long-form OTT viewing across sports, originals, films, GEC, news and non-fiction.
- Viewership is measured as unduplicated individuals who watched at least 30 minutes, based on weekly research among 3,000-plus respondents.
- Non-cricket hits such as India's Got Latent Season 2 and Dhurandhar still cracked the top four, showing wider OTT appetite.
What Topped India's Streaming Charts?
Cricket properties dominated Ormax Media's new Ormax StreamView report. The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 drew an estimated 246 million viewers on JioHotstar between January and June 2026, more than any other title in the framework.
The Indian Premier League 2026 followed at 228.4 million viewers, also streamed on JioHotstar. India's Got Latent Season 2 and Dhurandhar ranked third and fourth respectively. A cricket series between India and New Zealand rounded out the top five with 30.5 million viewers.
Why Did Ormax Launch StreamView?
Ormax StreamView (OSV) launched in January 2026 to answer a question CEO Shailesh Kapoor says the industry keeps asking: What is India watching on OTT? The tool expands Ormax's earlier focus on Hindi and international originals to cover long-form content across OTT originals, general entertainment channel programming, theatrical films, non-fiction, sports and news.
Ormax said the ambition reflects how streaming consumption has become wider and more complex, with viewers moving across formats, genres, languages and platforms. For more context on how measurement is reshaping the sector, see our Streaming & TV Alerts coverage.
How Does Ormax Measure Streaming Viewership?
Ormax said its estimates come from weekly primary research among more than 3,000 respondents, combining online surveys with a dedicated audience panel. Figures are projected using universe data from the company's 2025 OTT Audience Report.
A view counts as one unduplicated individual who watched a title for at least 30 minutes. Overseas viewership and short-form content such as reels and microdrama are excluded. Variety first reported the inaugural top-50 list, which underscores cricket's grip on India's OTT audience even as other genres gain ground.
What Does This Mean for India's OTT Market?
The report suggests cricket remains the blockbuster draw on Indian streaming platforms, especially when marquee tournaments land on a single service. Yet the presence of comedy and film titles in the top ranks shows audiences are spreading watch time beyond sport.
As platforms lean harder into advertising, third-party trackers like Ormax StreamView could give brands a shared reference point—something India's fragmented disclosure practices have historically lacked.