New Nationwide OTT Talent Tracker Highlights Shift in Viewer Behaviour
National, 25 March 2026: India’s rapidly evolving OTT ecosystem is undergoing a fundamental shift—audience trust is emerging as a stronger driver of subscriptions than celebrity fame, according to a new nationwide study by Smytten PulseAI.
The consumer intelligence platform has launched its OTT Talent Tracker, a first-of-its-kind report that evaluates leading film actors across India on three key metrics: Total Awareness, Intent to Watch, and Subscribe to Watch. The findings reveal a striking disconnect between theatrical popularity and streaming success, reshaping how platforms, studios, and advertisers must evaluate talent in the digital age.
Fame vs Subscription: A Growing Disconnect
One of the most significant takeaways from the study is that high visibility does not necessarily translate into paid subscriptions—a metric that directly impacts OTT platform revenues.
In North India, for instance, Salman Khan records the highest top-of-mind awareness at 22.8%, yet his subscription intent stands at 49.3%. In contrast, critically acclaimed actor Manoj Bajpayee, despite a mere 0.7% recall, delivers a remarkable 56.8% “Subscribe to Watch” rate and an industry-leading 96% conversion rate from viewing intent to paid commitment.
This contrast highlights a broader industry trend: viewers are increasingly willing to pay for content they trust, rather than content driven purely by star power.
Rise of Credibility-Driven Performers
The study underscores the growing influence of actors known for consistent, high-quality performances over traditional mass-market celebrities.
Several actors with relatively low awareness scores are outperforming bigger stars in subscription pull:
- Manoj Bajpayee: 56.8% subscription intent, 96% conversion rate
- Ayushmann Khurrana: 55% subscription intent despite near-zero spontaneous recall
- Pankaj Tripathi: 54.5% subscription pull with just 1.9% awareness
These figures suggest that credibility, storytelling strength, and audience trust are becoming decisive factors in driving OTT subscriptions.
Even among top stars, the gap between awareness and subscription intent is narrowing. In North India, leading mass entertainers differ by over 16 percentage points in awareness, but less than 5 points in subscription pull, indicating that fame alone is no longer a differentiator in the streaming economy.
South India Shows a Competitive OTT Landscape
The shift toward trust-driven viewing is equally evident in South India, where the OTT ecosystem appears even more competitive and nuanced.
Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu leads the South’s composite OTT ranking with a score of 69, outperforming major stars like Vijay, Prabhas, Jr NTR, and Mahesh Babu.
What sets her apart is a significantly smaller fame-to-subscription gap of 13 points, compared to 27 points for Vijay and 28 points for Prabhas. This indicates a stronger alignment between her popularity and audience willingness to pay for her content.
Additionally, the top seven actors in the South fall within a narrow 7-point score range, compared to an 18-point spread in the North, making the South Indian OTT market more tightly contested and performance-driven.
Subscription Pull Outweighs Awareness Across Regions
Across both North and South India, the study finds that subscription pull is increasingly decoupled from awareness.
For example:
- In the South, Dulquer Salmaan (71% awareness, 60% subscription) outperforms Vijay (85% awareness, 58% subscription) and Prabhas (83% awareness, 55% subscription).
- In the North, lesser-known but respected actors consistently outperform mainstream stars in converting viewer interest into paid subscriptions.
This trend signals a clear evolution in viewer mindset—audiences are prioritizing content quality and trustworthiness over star-driven appeal.
Female Actors Driving Strong OTT Engagement
The study also highlights a notable gender dynamic: female actors are emerging as powerful drivers of OTT engagement, particularly in South India.
Women account for 40% of the top 10 OTT positions in the South, compared to 20% in the North.
Key performers include:
- Samantha Ruth Prabhu (Top overall rank)
- Sai Pallavi (Score: 64)
- Rashmika Mandanna (Score: 63)
- Nayanthara (Score: 60)
In North India, Alia Bhatt stands out with a 55.4% subscription pull and a 94% conversion rate, among the highest across the dataset.
The findings indicate that female-led narratives and performances are consistently among the strongest subscription drivers, reinforcing their growing importance in OTT content strategies.
Emergence of ‘Silent OTT Power Players’
Another key insight from the study is the rise of what Smytten PulseAI calls “Silent OTT Power Players”—actors who may not dominate mainstream visibility but deliver strong subscription impact.
North India:
- Kay Kay Menon: ~0% awareness, 53.7% subscription pull
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui: ~0% awareness, 52.3% subscription pull
- Ayushmann Khurrana: ~0% awareness, 55% subscription intent
South India:
- Tovino Thomas: 52% awareness, 49% subscription pull
- Fahadh Faasil: Ranked #8 in South composite
- Aishwarya Rajesh: 48% awareness, 46.7% subscription pull
- Ashok Selvan: 45% awareness, 44% subscription pull
- Aparna Balamurali: 41% awareness, 42% subscription pull
These actors represent a new category of high-value talent for OTT platforms, where performance credibility translates directly into revenue potential.
Four Distinct Talent Archetypes Redefining OTT Casting
The study categorizes actors into four distinct archetypes based on awareness and subscription pull, each with unique commercial implications:
- High Awareness, High Subscription: Established stars with strong OTT value
- High Awareness, Low Subscription: Popular but less effective in driving paid engagement
- Low Awareness, High Subscription: Emerging or niche actors with strong credibility
- Low Awareness, Low Subscription: Limited impact on both visibility and revenue
This framework provides OTT platforms with a data-driven approach to casting decisions, helping them align talent investments with measurable business outcomes.
North vs South: Two Distinct OTT Consumption Behaviours
The report also highlights significant regional differences in OTT consumption patterns.
- South India records higher average awareness levels (~76%) compared to the North (~64%)
- However, South audiences convert awareness into subscriptions less efficiently
One major factor is platform fragmentation. South Indian viewers subscribe to an average of four OTT platforms, including:
- Netflix (77%)
- Prime Video (76%)
- Jio Hotstar (70%)
- Zee5 (46%)
- Sun NXT (42%)
- Aha (31%)
In contrast, North Indian audiences typically engage with three platforms, creating a more concentrated ecosystem.
This means that in the South, actors must earn trust across multiple platforms, whereas in the North, credibility-driven performers benefit more directly from a less fragmented market.
Key Implications for OTT Platforms and Advertisers
As India’s OTT industry transitions from rapid growth to maturity, subscriber acquisition and retention are becoming critical success metrics.
The study raises three crucial questions for industry stakeholders:
- Are casting decisions being driven by subscription impact or just visibility and fame?
- Do talent valuation models account for conversion efficiency as a measurable metric?
- Are content strategies tailored to regional audience behaviours and platform ecosystems?
The answers to these questions will likely define the next phase of OTT growth in India.
About the Study
The Smytten PulseAI OTT Talent Tracker is based on two large-scale quantitative surveys conducted across North and South India, with a combined sample size of 5,000 respondents aged 18–55, evenly split by gender.
- North India study covered 14 states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, and Punjab
- South India study included Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh
- A total of 86 actors were evaluated
Each actor was assessed across:
- Total Awareness
- Intent to Watch
- Willingness to Subscribe (highest weightage in ranking)
About Smytten PulseAI
Smytten PulseAI is an advanced AI-powered consumer intelligence and market research platform headquartered in New Delhi.
The platform helps brands:
- Decode real-time consumer sentiment
- Identify behavioural trends
- Test concepts and track brand equity
- Make data-driven growth decisions
With access to insights from millions of high-intent consumers, Smytten PulseAI enables businesses to move beyond what consumers say and understand what they actually do, transforming marketing strategies across industries including FMCG, technology, automotive, and retail.
Conclusion: Trust Is the New Currency of OTT
The Smytten PulseAI study makes one thing clear—India’s OTT economy is no longer driven by star power alone.
As audiences become more discerning, trust, credibility, and content quality are emerging as the true drivers of subscription behaviour. For platforms and creators alike, the message is simple:
In the streaming era, it’s not just about who people know—it’s about who they are willing to pay to watch.
