5 days ago
Streaming platforms cut back—but top OTT stars still command big money
For instance, Akshay Kumar's much-anticipated Amazon Prime Video debut, The End, announced in 2019, has yet to see the light of as India's video streaming platforms slash content budgets and greenlight fewer shows, a select group of homegrown OTT stars—who shot to fame during the platform boom—are holding steady on pay, according to industry executives.
Actors like Jaideep Ahlawat and Pankaj Tripathi—who broke out on the digital medium and became synonymous with OTT hits—continue to command hefty fees, sometimes up to ₹20 crore per season for popular shows like Paatal Lok and Criminal Justice.
In contrast, big-budget web originals featuring top Bollywood stars—heavily promoted during the OTT surge a few years ago—appear to be on the back burner, as platforms now view their fees as cost-prohibitive. One telling example is The End, Akshay Kumar's high-profile Amazon Prime Video debut announced in 2019, which remains unreleased six years later.
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Platforms are tightening purse strings across the board, but data-driven insights into viewer engagement and retention seem to be insulating these digital-first actors—for now.
'At a larger level, there is definitely a reduction in the number of projects that are being greenlit and the overall volume is shrinking," noted Namit Sharma, chief executive officer at Arre Studios, a content-creation company.
"However, platforms aren't really asking us to slash actor costs. Essentially, you need one or in some cases, two or three, popular faces to draw audiences into the show and then there are other names to balance it out," Sharma said.
He added that while overall slates may have fewer shows, the aim is to retain 'poster value'—faces that help drive buzz and marketing.
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This strategy reflects a broader shift: With services backing fewer, bigger bets, marquee OTT actors have become the face of select high-impact shows, while Bollywood A-listers are increasingly seen as cost-prohibitive. Industry executives say global streaming platforms remain wary of footing massive bills for stars who no longer guarantee box office—or viewership—returns.
'Services are closely mapping which titles are working, whom they star and then taking decisions. It is anyway easier to justify a show with big names to top bosses sitting abroad," said a senior executive at a content studio working on a slate of shows, declining to be named.
The dichotomy, the person added, is that even top actors are no longer guaranteeing box office performance, and there's a growing disenchantment with celebrity culture in India—across both cinema and digital content. However, platforms have been slow to adapt to that shift.
To be sure, while platforms once chased big-ticket originals with top Bollywood names, many of those high-profile deals have stalled or quietly faded. In their place, services are leaning more heavily on a smaller crop of OTT-native stars—who offer strong audience pull at relatively lower cost.
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'By and large, actor costs have remained the same. Some of these streaming stars have also moved to theatrical films so they are in a more commanding position. Plus, if they agree to cuts for one show, word spreads," streaming expert Girish Dwibhashyam said.
He added that while platforms are balancing this out with fewer big-ticket shows in general, it would be some time before they let go of the dependence on stars.
