Entertainment industry witnesses spike in jobs as OTTs' 'Originals' boom

The Over-the-top (OTT) platforms have emerged as a significant contributor to employment generation in the country. In 2023 alone, the online video industry generated 174,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to 'Beyond Screens: Streaming VOD's Impact on India's Creative Economy' by Media Partners Asia (MPA).

Online video services have witnessed an exponential rise in the past decade. There has been a five-fold increase in online video platforms since 2015. Currently, India boasts close to 60 premium online video services, according to the report.

The growth and expansion of the OTT platforms have led to an uptick in investments in original content production, which has helped provide an economic boost to the creative economy as well as ancillary industries.

More than 1,500 original content titles were released across all OTT video platforms in the country between 2016 and 2023, comprising over 500 direct-to-streaming movies and 1,000 original series. The surge in content has resulted in substantial employment opportunities for professionals within the domestic creative economy.

'Jobs in producing local movies'

The average total number of jobs per project in producing a local movie is in the range of 365-415, including both direct and indirect employment. The predominant direct job roles in producing local movies are- Cast and Creative, Production, Sound and Camera, Electric and Lightning, Art and Design, and Hair & Makeup. The indirect job roles comprise- transportation, Catering, Hospitality, marketing & Publicity, Music, Dubbing & Sound, Streaming & Distribution, Post-production, VFX, Legal, Finance & Insurance, etc.

'Jobs in producing local web series'

As per the MPA analysis, around 345-400 people are hired (on direct and indirect employment) for a web series project locally. The majority of the direct jobs are in the cast and creative field, followed by Art & Design, Electric & Lighting, Sound & Camera, and Production. Notably, each project has resulted in creation of the one additional indirect job for every direct job generated.

According to MPA, the OTT industry is expected to generate around 280,000 job openings (direct and indirect) by 2028. Moreover, with the growing demand in allied sectors such as VFX, animation, subtitling, and dubbing, the hiring may scale up to 330,000 by 2028, the report projected.

'Jobs for women in OTT'

Historically, there was under-representation of women in the entertainment industry, such as insufficient screen time and limited substantive roles. However, with the advent of the OTT platforms, women's talent is getting due share. OTT platforms have recognized the role of women writers and launched a concerted effort to create a comprehensive database of female professionals, including editors, cinematographers, production designers, etc.

There has been a rise in women directors between 2017-2023. The number of titles with women directors has increased from 2 (2017) to 22 (2023) across the six streaming platforms- Disney+Hotsar, Netflix, Prime Video, Zee5, Voot/Jio Cinema, and SonyLiv as per the MPA analysis.