India’s most-watched originals for 2022 are on Disney+ Hotstar!

The viewing pattern of Indian audiences has shifted significantly in recent years, with more and more people turning to digital platforms for their entertainment needs. With a large variety of original shows and movies that are loved by the audiences, India's largest OTT player Disney+ Hotstar is clearly at the forefront of this change.

 According to the 'Streaming Originals in India - The 2022 Story' report released by Ormax Media, Disney+ Hotstar led the viewership of Hindi language OTT originals in India in 2022. The platform streamed seven out of the top 15-most watched original shows, leaving its rivals far behind in the viewership game. The platform's success can be attributed to its wide variety of content, which includes both Indian and international productions.

Disney+ Hotstar's original shows which made it to the top watchlist were 'Rudra: The Edge of Darkness', 'Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach', 'The Great Indian Murder', 'Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya', 'Human', 'Anupama: Namaste America' and 'Karm Yuddh'. These shows have received unprecedented response from the viewers.

Even for original movies, India seems to be glued to Disney+ Hostar. Akshay Kumar-starrer Cuttputlli topped the charts as the most watched original Hindi film followed by A Thursday and the comedy-thriller film Govinda Naam Mera, both on Disney+ Hotstar. The seventh season of the Hotstar Specials Koffee with Karan was given a special mention and was in the elite list of less than 20 properties (across formats & languages) that crossed the 20 Million views mark in 2022.

 Disney+ Hotstar's strong performance in India is also a testament to the growing popularity of streaming services in the country. With its strong line up of original shows and movies it is clear that Disney+ Hotstar is well-positioned to continue its dominance in the Indian market. Apart from keeping the interest of audiences in mind with entertaining shows, the rising popularity of the platform and the quality of content paved the way for brands to reap the benefits of association with it. Through seamless associations with the platform's most-watched shows, brands can leverage the reach of the platform to unlock unprecedented returns. With a plethora of avenues for collaboration with marquee shows, Disney+ Hotstar offers a fertile ground for brands to achieve their objectives with unrivaled efficacy. Disney+ Hotstar unlocks a world of possibilities for brands seeking to establish a strong presence in the Indian market in the following ways:

In show product placements or product usage by the cast of the show:

With this, brands are able to achieve high levels of impact by seamlessly integrating their products into the show narratives. Through strategic product placements and clever usage by the show's cast, brands can forge deep connections with audiences. A good  illustration of this innovative approach is the show Moving in with Malaika, where Malaika has been featured using an array of iconic brands like Dyson, Lotus Herbals, and Lakme. The result has been a resounding success, with brands able to create an indelible impression in the minds of viewers, even as they remain engrossed in the show.

Sponsor callouts and mentions by the host:

Through sponsor callouts and mentions by the show's dynamic hosts, brands can now gain both visibility and engagement. In the iconic show Koffee with Karan season 7, the host Karan Johar is seen sporting his Lenskart reading glasses before commencing the rapid-fire segment and calls for the Jaquar lights to be turned on for maximum effect lending his star power to promote brands in a natural and effective way. The result is a masterful fusion, enabling  brands to establish a commanding presence in the minds of viewers in a contextual and organic manner. 

 Co-branded vignettes:

The power of co-branded vignettes lies in their ability to forge a deeper and more meaningful connection between brands and the shows they partner with by blending the brand's core message with the essence of the show, creating a compelling narrative that resonates with viewers on multiple levels. With co-branded vignettes, brands can create an emotional bond with their target audience, delivering a powerful message that leverages fandom beyond the show. 

There are two types of vignettes that brands can use to achieve this effect: one in which the show's lead talent becomes the voice of the brand, and the other that uses existing show footage.

Take, for instance, the co-branded vignette created for Naukri.com for the hit Hotstar Special Ghar Waapsi. Disney+ Hotstar leveraged the show's existing footage to showcase the lead protagonist's job hunt journey, thereby highlighting the brand's job search capabilities.

Similarly, for Bingo!, a footage-based vignette was created for Taaza Khabar using just pack shots, cleverly associating the show's characters and their personalities with the flavors of Mad Angles.

Disney+ Hotstar enabled JeevanSathi.com to amplify their brand message by leveraging  lead couples of popular shows in  key markets  where the main storyline revolved around a couple in love. 20 second Vignettes were shot featuring these lead couples relaying JeevanSathi.com’s core brand proposition -  'Find your life partner on JeevanSathi.com' just like they had found each other, to demonstrate the power of finding a life partner on jeevanSathi.com.

Rippl Activation - Brand showcase via interactivity:

Disney+ Hotstar Ads has set a new benchmark for viewer engagement leveraging content associations of brands. The engagement opportunity called “Rippl” was delivered for the first time on KWK 7 for MyGlamm, the leading beauty and cosmetics brand. Through this initiative, viewers were able to interact with the brand in a first-of-its-kind gamified and fun carousel units. During the ad breaks, as the mid-rolls of MyGlamm play out on the screen, mobile viewers could play fun games and quizzes to unlock discount coupons for MyGlamm, thus driving action and completing the full funnel for the brand from awareness to action by unlocking an unprecedented level of engagement and interaction. Through this activation, Disney+ Hotstar also provided viewers with a new and interactive viewing experience, while empowering brands to unlock a world of limitless possibilities and establish themselves as beacons of innovation and excellence in their respective industries.

Social chats: 

Disney+ Hotstar’s social chat feature is another meaningful opportunity for brands to be a part of fan conversations and build lasting connections. On the show Moving in with Malaika,  viewers for a  unique opportunity to interact with the star. Viewers could pose questions to Malaika, participate in fun polls posed by the actor and more in real-time while watching the show. Brands could also engage with the viewers in a fun and social setting via branded emojis.

With such deep and rewarding association, brands are upbeat about their growth with Disney+ Hotstar. Mr Aishwarya Pratap Singh, Head of Marketing, Snacks, Noodles & Pasta – ITC Foods said, “We are really excited about Bingo! Mad Angles association as the snacking partner for Bhuvan Bam’s debut series, Taaza Khabar streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. We have always made unique and interesting campaigns for Bingo! Mad Angles that engage with the GenZs and millennials while tickling their funny bones," said Singh, he added that Bhuvan Bam, has a huge fan following among the youngsters and theirs being a youth centric brands it’s like a match made in heaven. "Disney+ Hotstar's CreativeWorks team helped create a co-branded vignette with an interesting take on how our different Bingo! Mad Angles' flavors match the personalities of the show's characters" added Singh.

Talking about how Disney+ Hotstar helped brands build a stronger connection with the audience by leveraging content-based integrations, Sumeet Singh, CMO, Info Edge said, "The objective was to launch a key message in a relatable manner where communication and media planning would enable instant reach and recall. That’s where we partnered with Disney+ Hotstar, who not only helped us identify the top shows watched in some of our key markets, but also helped build a stronger connect with the audiences of these shows by leveraging content-based integrations. The campaign has been a success in getting the message registered and talked about and has driven desired growth. These content vignettes have helped in elevating our brand consideration across markets.”

Sukhleen Aneja, CEO, Good Glamm Brands spoke about the successful campaign with Koffee with Karan season 7. The social media mentions of MyGlamm went up by a whopping 232% when the show went on air. “MyGlamm is a brand that has a vision for Personalizing Glamour for women thus enabling them to express their unique style. Being India’s largest D2C beauty brand, at MyGlamm, we couldn’t think of a better partner than Koffee with Karan season 7 on Disney+ Hotstar for integrating MyGlamm into pop culture conversations. We recently launched our latest brand campaign, #GlammUpLikeAStar for creating beauty looks that are influenced by celebrities. When it comes to beauty look inspiration, what better than Bollywood which has always been inspiring women to create their own glamour with some iconic characters and looks. Koffee with Karan is the epitome of Bollywood glamor, with an illustrious guest list every season, which made it the perfect launch pad for our #GlammUpLikeAStar campaign. The deep content integration with MyGlamm zone, product mentions in opening credits and social mentions for MyGlamm went up by a whopping 232.86% when the show went on-air.’’

As viewing patterns change, brands too are re-aligning their strategies to effectively reach their target audience and what better than to partner with the leader. This is where Disney+ Hotstar CreativeWorks comes into play. It helps brands hit the sweet spot between content and advertising. With their unique blend of social listening, strategy, storytelling, and content innovations, they craft relatable and scalable campaigns that take your brand straight to the consumer. Marketers looking to make most of their advertising spends have the choicest pick from the Disney+ Hotstar’s best-in-class stories, storytellers, fan favorite characters and innovative ad formats and branding opportunities at scale. The platform also offers sharp targeting options that reach highly engaged, involved and affluent audiences. With premium, blockbuster, sought after shows like The Night Manager, Aarya Season 3, Popkaun, Love, Shaadi, Drama which is Hansika Motwani’s wedding reality show, along with organic brand first custom content Disney+ Hotstar will facilitate brands to make the most of the platform in unique and effective ways.

(This is advertorial content curated by partner team.)