OTT platforms broadcast popular documentaries among urban audiences

Documentaries and docuseries, a genre often overlooked for their slow pace and dense plot, seem to have found their moment in the sun, thanks to streaming platforms.

With services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video backing titles like The Romantics, Angry Young Men, The Elephant Whisperers and Wedding.con, the genre is being used to tell real-life stories based on crime, fashion, health and biographies. These shows are relatively easier to put together as the production cost is low and the profits are decent. However, as an entertainment category, its appeal is limited to urban and niche audiences, experts said.

“Historically, conventional mediums of television and film did not offer enough reach to Indian documentary makers, resulting in limited opportunities. However, streaming has changed the rules for this genre, just as it did for scripted shows and films. Streaming offers documentary makers the opportunity to innovate and combine different styles, such as reality or immersive storytelling. This not only widens the exposure of the genre but also encourages more experimentation,” said Nikhil Madhok, Head of Originals, Prime Video, India.

Documentary series based on sport

The platform’s slate of original unscripted content includes sports-based docuseries like Sons of the Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers, First Act, which chronicles the journey of child actors and their parents in the Hindi film and television industry, and AP Dhillon: First of a Kind, a docu-follow that gives fans a glimpse into the life of the Canadian rapper.

“Audience interest in the unscripted format has also led us to further expand our programming on Prime Video with complementary subscriptions to other streaming services like discovery+, Curiosity Stream, iwonder, DocuBay and more, offering a wide range of unscripted and documentary content,” Madhok added.

The fact that platforms that focus on all genres are foraying into documentaries and releasing titles at a regular frequency is proof that they have found traction and acceptance among Indian OTT audiences, said Girish Dwibhashyam, COO of DocuBay, a documentary streaming service. “The production cost is less than a mid-budget Bollywood film or a high-end web show and the engagement is high, so they make business sense as well,” Dwibhashyam said, adding that while true crime is definitely the most-watched subgenre within the documentary space, the company is exploring themes like technology, lifestyle, relationships and occult practices in the coming months.

Filmmaker Tanuja Chandra, who directed Wedding.con about marriage fraud in India for Prime Video, said the documentary is an elevated form of storytelling across the world. “Only in India has it received the attention it has always deserved after OTT platforms have started producing documentary series and feature films. For too long, documentaries have been made with great difficulty, extremely low budgets and an uncertain future of exhibition and distribution. OTT has made it a format that audiences enjoy and look forward to seeing because the best, most evocative and surprising stories come from real life,” said Chandra.

Taking to the documentaries

Undoubtedly, an increasing number of Indian viewers, mainly urban and educated viewers, are turning to documentaries and docuseries. The Romantics, a Netflix docuseries celebrating the life and legacy of Bollywood filmmaker Yash Chopra, was trending in the India Top 10 (TV) for two weeks since its release in February 2023 and on the TV Top 10 in nine countries including Bangladesh, Bahrain, Sri Lanka and Qatar. The Hunt for Veerappan, which chronicles the rise and fall of India’s dreaded ivory and sandalwood smuggler, was trending in the India Top 10 for six weeks, where it was at the number one spot for two weeks. The platform has Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous, a documentary that delves into the musician’s journey to stardom, Greatest Rivalry (India vs Pakistan), a docuseries that traces the cricket rivalry between the two arch-rivals, and the upcoming Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale, about the South Indian actress.

“We have seen a tremendous increase in audience engagement for documentaries on streaming platforms in India, particularly as these platforms experiment with various genres. The rise in consumption is evident, and much of it is driven by the ability of SVoD (subscription video on demand) digital platforms to cater to individual viewing preferences. Indian audiences have always had a strong curiosity and desire for knowledge, and now, with the accessibility of diverse content, they are exploring beyond traditional genres such as drama and comedy,” said Stanley Fernandes, Vice President, Distribution, BBC Studios South Asia. “At BBC Studios, we have observed that Planet Earth and Joanna Lumley’s travel documentaries resonate deeply with Indian viewers. Our most-watched factual entertainment documentary, The Grand Indian Hotel on BBC Player via Amazon Prime Video Channels, is a testament to this growing interest. The local angle helps attract viewers, but it is not essential – the quality of the content seems to be the overriding factor,” emphasised Fernandes.