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Year Ender 2025| Aryan Khan, Ibrahim Ali Khan's debut to Netflix-WB deal, what made headlines on OTT this year?
As the year draws to a close, here's a dekko of what made buzz on OTT this past year, from Bhool Chuk Maaf release drama to India's Got Latent controversy
The web medium continued its growth in 2025 and the year was filled with major milestones, minor setbacks and a whole lot of drama, on and off the screen. Here’s a dekko
Jio-Hotstar merger
The merger of Disney India’s streaming/TV assets with Reliance Industries (Viacom18), formed JioStar, combining Disney+ Hotstar with JioCinema into the unified JioHotstar platform in early 2025. The move marked one of the biggest mergers in Indian entertainment business.
Ban on ‘obscene’ apps
The Indian government banned Ullu and ALTT (ALTBalaji) in July 2025, along with about 23 other OTT platforms, for allegedly streaming obscene, vulgar, and pornographic content, which violates the IT Act 2021 and content norms. The ban highlighted a big move towards digital content regulation in India.
Netflix acquired WB
One of the biggest business moves of the year came in the form of Netflix acquiring Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming and studios division, after a bidding war with Paramount. The move highlighted the growing power of streaming platforms and raised question about the future of entertainment industry.
Star kids on OTT
Instead of making a big screen debut, star kids like Ibrahim Ali Khan and Aryan Khan chose the web platform to start their cinematic journey. While Ibrahim made his acting debut with Nadaaniyan, following it with another OTT release Sarzameen, Aryan made his directorial debut with the web series The Ba***ds of Bollywood.
The ‘Ba***d’ controversy
Aryan’s satire on Bollywood landed in the eye of the storm when one of the scenes, allegedly a spoof of NCB officer Sameer Wankhede, who arrested Aryan in a drug case, invited lawsuit from the officer. Wankhede claimed that the intention was to defame him while the makers insisted it was a satire and not aimed at anyone. The case is still in the court.
The impact of Adoloescence
The British series Adolescence became a cultural phenomenon, especially for its unique cinematography. The four-episode series was shot in one continuous take for each episode, and became a masterclass of innovation for the film industries across the globe.
YouTube over OTT for Aamir Khan
Actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan decided to skip the digital release of his film Sitaare Zameen Par on any OTT platform, and announced his own YouTube channel where his productions were made available for streaming at ₹100.
Bhool Chuuk Maaf’s theatrical vs OTT release dispute
Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi-starrer Bhool Chuk Maaf was to arrive in theatres on May 9, but due to India-Pakistan conflict following the Pahalgam attack, it was pushed to a direct-to-OTT release on May 16. As a result, PVR INOX filed a lawsuit against Maddock Films for cancelling the theatrical release at the last hour and moving it to a digital platform. The Bombay High Court ruled in favour of the national chain, leading the film to release theatrically first on May 23.
India’s Got Latent controversy
Comedian Samay Raina’s show India’s Got Latent became a rage on its release, however in the beginning of the year it became a topic of controversy when podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia appeared on one of the episodes and asked an ‘obscene’ question to a contestant. The panelists including Raina and Allahbadia were panned with FIRs filed against them. The show was eventually shut down and all previously released episodes deleted from the platform, with both having to release public apologies.
Pakistani content banned in India
Following Operation Sindoor in May, Indian government banned 16 Pakistani news channels on YouTube and issued advisories to the OTT platforms to remove content from the neighbouring country, referencing the IT Rules 2021, to prevent threats to India’s sovereignty and security.
Long-awaited returns
Some critically acclaimed shows from the Indian web space made their long-awaited returns with a new season. While Paatal Lok season 2 released after five years of season 1, The Family Man 3 returned after four years and Delhi Crime 3 came back after three years.
AI Mahabharat
Mahabharat on JioHotstar arrived as India’s first ever completely AI-powered series in India in October. The series received mixed reactions from the industry and audience alike, particularly receiving flak for errors like a modern-day bedside table shown in one of the scenes.
