Farzi is most-watched Hindi OTT series of 2023 so far: Ormax report

Ormax Media has released the latest edition of ‘Streaming Originals in India’, a look at the top original shows and films released in the first half of 2023, in Hindi and international languages, on three parameters – Viewership, Marketing Buzz and Content Strength.

With a viewership of 37.1 million, Prime Video’s ‘Farzi’ takes the top spot, not just as the most-watched Hindi series of 2023 so far, but also as the most-watched Hindi SVOD series of all time. Led by ‘The Night Manager’, shows from Disney+ Hotstar take 5 out of the top 10 positions.

JioCinema’s ‘Bloody Daddy’, also starring Shahid Kapoor like ‘Farzi’, is the most-watched direct-to-OTT Hindi film from the first half of 2023. The movie garnered viewership of 16.6 million, closely followed by ‘Gulmohar’ (16.3 million), and ‘Gaslight’ (12.5 million). The top 10 list is split across five platforms, with Netflix leading with three entries.

With a viewership of 17.5 million, ‘Citadel’, aided by Priyanka Chopra’s presence, is the most-watched International original in the first half of 2023, being ahead of the rest of the pack by more than 50%. ‘The Mandolarian Season 3’ comes a distant No. 2 with 11.3 million viewership.

As far as marketing buzz is concerned, ‘Farzi’ almost dominated on Buzz, followed by ‘Asur 2’, which were the only two shows that crossed a peak Buzz of 25% in a cluttered category. ‘Bloody Daddy’ is the only direct-to-OTT film in the first half of 2023 with 20%+ peak Buzz. Netflix takes the next three positions, and has a total of four entries in the top 10.

Among International shows/ films, ‘Citadel’ scored well on Buzz, being more than 50% higher than ‘Extraction 2’. Only four International properties managed the 10% mark on Buzz.

Ormax Media ranks content strength in terms of ‘Ormax Power Rating (OPR), wherein a score on a 0-100 scale represents how much a show or a film is liked by its viewers.

‘Asur S2’ becomes the most-liked Hindi series of 2023 so far, with an OPR that’s 1-point higher than ‘Farzi’. No other Hindi series crossed the 70-mark. ‘Mission Majnu’, closely followed by ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’, is the most-liked direct-to-OTT Hindi film of the first half of 2023.

Chris Hemsworth-starrer ‘Extraction 2’ has enjoyed exceptional likeability among its audience base, with a breakout OPR of 75, more than 10 points higher than any International property launched in Jan-Jun 2023.