A new IMDb study covering 2016 to 2026 found that viewer interest in Indian series grew about 17-fold over the decade, while the number of new shows and seasons ordered by streamers dropped for a second straight year. Mirzapur sits at the top of the report with nine yearly appearances, and the study places new commissions at 145 in 2025, down from 202 in 2023.
What the IMDb Report Measured
The study is titled “10 Years of Streaming in India – An IMDb Report 2026.” It draws on page views from the more than 250 million people who visit IMDb worldwide each month. The report ranks each year’s 10 biggest Indian series from 2016 to 2026, producing 110 total slots filled by 64 different shows. It also tracks how viewing habits and production patterns have shifted, including the rise of multi-season franchises.
Interest in Indian series on IMDb grew 17-fold across the decade. Series made up 32% of worldwide IMDb page views for Indian titles in 2025, compared with 42% for US titles, according to the report.
Mirzapur’s Nine-Year Run at the Top
Mirzapur led the pack with nine appearances, having made the list every year since it launched on Prime Video in 2018. The crime drama is set in the lawless heartland of Uttar Pradesh and stars Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, Divyenndu, Rasika Dugal, and Shweta Tripathi.
Scam 1992 was the only other show to chart five times off a single season. Panchayat returned four times, and The Family Man also appeared four times. Paatal Lok, Breathe, and Inside Edge added depth to the early slate.
Crime and thriller titles took 48 of the 110 positions. In the later years, horror, romance, comedy, and drama all made gains. The report notes that Mirzapur has now moved from a streaming success to a theatrical release.
Why New Commissions Are Falling
Commissions of new series and seasons hit 202 in 2023, then slipped to 169 in 2024 and 145 in 2025. The report reads this as a sign of a pickier market as the business consolidates. Hindi-language shows made up 66% of Indian streaming originals in 2025.
The findings describe a widening appetite for Indian series being met with a tightening of slate in the last two years. The report calls this the central tension of streaming’s second decade.
“Building on the success of last year’s report on Indian cinema, we turned our lens to series and used IMDb Data to understand how a decade of streaming has reshaped audience interests.” — Yaminie Patodia, head of IMDb India
The Platforms and Studios That Shaped the Decade
Prime Video and Amazon MX Player combined for 34 positions across 17 series, more than any other service. Netflix logged 21 positions spread over 18 series, the broadest range of distinct titles among the platforms examined.
YouTube emerged as a launchpad. 13 of the 64 charting series started life there, and 11 of those were later picked up by subscription services. The report credited the platform with giving a wide base of creators room to build stories that can travel to bigger audiences.
The Viral Fever (TVF) stood out on the production side. The company was behind nine of the charting series and 17 of the Top 10 slots, close to one in every six entries. That run opened with TVF Pitchers in 2016 and reaches Sapne vs Everyone this year.
The Actors IMDb Named as Streaming MVPs
The report named Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, Jitendra Kumar, Kapil Sharma, and Sunil Grover as “The MVPs of Streaming,” a group linked to recurring franchises and a string of hit series.
Kay Kay Menon, Naveen Kasturia, and Mona Singh ranked as the most versatile performers, each appearing in at least five series in a variety of roles rather than being anchored to one franchise. The study also pointed to multi-hyphenates such as Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha, Barun Sobti, and Karan Tacker as examples of actors carrying an established screen persona into a new format.
Kapil Sharma carried the same comic register from linear television to streaming, with seven appearances across three series and three different homes.
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Where to Watch Mirzapur and Its Movie
Mirzapur streams on Prime Video in markets where the service operates, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and India. The series has run for three seasons since its 2018 debut.
Mirzapur: The Movie released in cinemas on September 4, 2026, and is set to arrive on Prime Video on October 30, 2026. The film brings back Pankaj Tripathi as Kaleen Bhaiya and Ali Fazal as Guddu Pandit, with Gurmmeet Singh directing and Puneet Krishna writing. Viewers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and other markets where Prime Video is available will be able to stream it from that date.
For more streaming data, release dates, and industry reports from India and beyond, keep reading VvipTimes.
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