Mirzapur, Sacred Games, Four More Shots Please, Among Most Searched Netflix And Amazon Series Globally
A study by SEMrush ranked the most searched TV series in India, which gave a glimpse into the preferences of Indian audiences. Among the top 10 most sought TV series in India, four are on Amazon Prime and four on Netflix. This is followed by the remaining two on Hotstar and ZEE5. SEMrush found the most searched for web series was Mirzapur, followed by Sacred Games, Four More Shots Please, Made in Heaven, Criminal Justice, Little Things, Lust Stories, Delhi Crime, Inside Edge, and Rangbaaz. Of these ten series, each respectively was searched an average 4.82, 3.39, 2.57, 2.15, 2.1, 1.74, 1.53, 1.22, 1.21, and 1.09 lakh times in 2020.
Of these ten series, Mirzapur, Four More Shots Please, Made in Heaven, and Inside Edge stream on Amazon while Sacred Games, Little Things, Lust Stories, and Delhi Crime stream on Netflix. Criminal Justice and Rangbaaz stream on Hotstar and ZEE5, respectively.
The SEMrush study shines a light on the preferences of a dynamic and sophisticated audience. This audience identifies with the real-life stories of larger than life characters. Of the two most searched series in India, both offer a glimpse into the countries criminal underbelly which secretly fascinates so many viewers. For the first time, Indian audiences see the underworld in its full starkness. On the small screen, the real and supernatural merge making the underworld a place where there is a complex interplay between action and fate. The SEMrush study suggests that sophisticated Indian audiences are less interested in cinema that lets them escape reality and more interested in embracing reality by examining how characters on-screen lives parallel their own.
Each series in the top ten is edgy. In Four More Shots Please, four young women push the boundary of what is acceptable behaviour for women in society. Indian audiences knew such women existed, seeing them on the screen lets them learn more about what makes such women tick. Realism, which was absent in cinema, is flourishing on Indian devices.
Similarly, the show Little Things sheds light on the interplay of an attractive young couple that is living together despite not being married. Once again, live-in relationships which had been spoken of in hushed tone, are laid bare on the screen where society can have a meaningful discourse about them. SEMrush has found that every show among the top ten has bold, realistic characters. Audience members can see shades of their personalities in these characters.
Speaking about the results of the study Mr. Fernando Angulo, Head of Communications, SEMrush said “Bollywood should take note. The preferences of some Indian audiences have evolved beyond what has been standard fare for years. The tried and tested scripts fail to excite sophisticated viewers. While over the top antics and slapstick comedy may still ring the cash register at the box office when it comes to getting the attention of more mature and astute audiences- realism -and characters facing real problems attract eyeballs. Almost certainly many who watch these series are those who prefer to watch Hollywood movies over those produced by Bollywood. This is true because some shows in the top ten are in English and Amazon Prime and Netflix are premium subscriptions that only the affluent can afford. Hence our study sheds light on the size of the English speaking audience in India that is accustomed to watching Hollywood movies. Knowing the size of this audience, Bollywood can produce movies with the kind of realism this English speaking audience has come to expect.”
