It isn’t specifically a new format as shows like Out Of Love season 2 in 2021 and Tamannaah Bhatia starrer Aakhri Sach (2023) also used the weekly drop format. R Madhavan’s Breathe merged the binge and episodic way by dropping half the season in one go, and the rest in a weekly way. At the same time, shows like Baarish and Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain have used a daily drop format like TV.

Making a habit of OTT

While binge watching can make the audience arrive at a platform, the episodic format makes them stay. With new episodes coming each week, the audience’s commitment to the platform becomes longer lasting, and Saugata Mukherjee, Content Head, Sony LIV, agrees with the analysis. “In India, daily TV viewing is a norm, and a lot of chord cutters of TV miss that. I think episodic formats are filling in that gap and help in forming the habit of OTT viewing experience. But at the same time, the audience have the flexibility to watch it at leisure, unlike in TV. There’s a clear growth in engagement and we are also being able to add new audience sets daily.”

While the format has been used before, the platforms as well as the makers are using it more now to test the changing taste of the audience. Gaurav Banerjee, Content Head of Disney+ Hotstar says, “These are still the early days of streaming, and this allows us to experiment with different approaches, learn and adapt quickly. A new episode every week helps maintain repeated viewer engagement as the story and the characters develop. This approach not only elevates the user experience but also caters to their constant desire for fresh content that brings excitement and immersion.”

More creative freedom

From the makers’ perspective, Lootere director Jai Mehta insists that while the format is not exactly new to the Indian television scene, it is still new to the Indian OTT landscape and has transformative capability. “I feel it can transform solitary bingeing into a shared journey and foster real-time engagement. If the marketing can sustain the weekly drop model, I see platforms doing this for flagship shows and films,” he says.

Adrishyam director Anshuman Kishore Singh has helmed one of the longest running shows on TV, Crime Patrol. But there is a certain sense of freedom that OTT gives, which he enjoys more, at the same time, giving the audience a new experience. “This episodic format is keeping the audience hooked and offers freedom to us creators, as with no constraints, creativity flows. I feel its demand is rising as it is working. Episodics are like a bridge for the TV audience coming to OTT,” he says, adding that the set of audience, which is joining the platform now, is actually more susceptible to accepting the format.

Noel Smith, director of Raisinghani Vs Raisinghani, has been a part of both TV and OTT episodics as well, and he feels that with this format coming on the web, the audience feels there is something new to offer. “They wait for it, and it gets popular especially with the youth. I don’t think the format alters the viewership much as both episodics and binge-watch shows have different audiences, but they are willing to experiment,” he insists.

Making OTT appointment viewing

As an actor, Jennifer Winget is all for this episodic format. She says, “Raisinghani vs Raisinghani was among the first of its kinds to venture into this trend of dropping three episodes a week on a streaming platform. It is kind of a good appointment viewing.” Aamir Ali says that the new format doesn’t change the shoot experience in any way but is different from a TV shoot as the creative satisfaction is more on the web. Yet, as a viewer he has been transformed. “I am a binge-watcher; thus, I wasn’t sure about this episodic format. But a lot of my friends have come up to me to say they are waiting for the next episode. Since Lootere’s release, we have been in the Top 5 OTT shows across various lists. So, maybe, this format works,” he admits.