The Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026 is set to return on 27 February in Mumbai, bringing together streaming creators, stars and platforms under one roof. Now in its fourth edition, the ceremony recognises work made for OTT viewers across India. The event reflects how online entertainment has moved from a side business to the centre of the country’s screen habits.
Indian viewing habits have shifted sharply in the past decade, moving from shared TV sets to personal devices. Cable channels and appointment viewing once shaped prime time. Now, audiences open apps on smartphones, connected TVs and laptops, log in with passwords and browse through vast libraries. These catalogues cover many languages and genres, reaching several hundred million people each month across the country.
Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026 and India’s OTT market
ITSA 2026 arrives as India’s OTT industry moves beyond early promise into a mature, contested market. Global services operate beside Indian players, each trying to secure subscribers and attention. Fees are low by international standards, but competition is fierce. The country is now counted among the world’s busiest streaming territories, where fresh originals and film premieres appear almost every week.
The award categories at the Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026 cover the full chain of streaming creation, from scripts to campaigns. Performance sections include Best Actor in OTT Original Films and Best Actor in OTT Original Series. Creative recognition extends to Best Director and Best Writer. Business, marketing and platform work receive distinct honours, while Fan Favourite and Editorial Choice sections note differences between audience taste and critical judgement.
Regional storytelling at Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026
Regional language segments at the Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026 highlight a major shift in strategy for platforms. Dedicated awards honour storytelling in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Odia and Gujarati. These sections stress that streaming growth is not focused only on Hindi shows based in Mumbai. A smaller-budget Malayalam thriller or Bengali crime story can now match, or even top, a star-led Hindi original during a weekend.
Many platforms have learned this regional lesson through both successes and costly misses. Investments that overlooked local tastes sometimes struggled to find viewers, while well-targeted stories in non-Hindi languages surprised executives. By formalising these regional awards, ITSA 2026 records this new reality. The categories signal that future commissions, budgets and talent hunts will likely dig deeper into India’s linguistic map.
Who Will Attend Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026?
The Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026 ceremony will be hosted by actors Nakuul Mehta and Mukti Mohan. The guest list features performers closely linked with the rise of streaming in India. Manoj Bajpayee is expected, alongside Huma Qureshi, Ali Fazal, Rasika Dugal, Ishaan Khatter, Abhishek Banerjee, Vineet Kumar Singh, Boman Irani and Soha Ali Khan. Munawar Faruqui, Kanika Dhillon, directors, producers and platform leaders are also slated to attend.
Senior leaders from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, SonyLIV, JioHotstar and ZEE5 are expected to be present at the Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026. Their attendance comes as platforms still examine costs for original content, high customer acquisition spending and persistent subscriber churn. For many services, profits remain difficult. Industry watchers view the presence of top executives as a signal about long-term commitment to India.
| Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026 Stakeholders | Type |
|---|---|
| Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, SonyLIV, JioHotstar, ZEE5 | Streaming platforms |
| Abundantia Entertainment, Applause Entertainment, Balaji Telefilms, Hoichoi, Pocket Aces | Production houses |
| Pritish Nandy Communications, Shemaroo Entertainment, Z5 | Studios and media companies |
Support for the Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026 comes from a broad mix of companies that helped shape the OTT boom. Abundantia Entertainment, Applause Entertainment, Balaji Telefilms, Hoichoi, Pocket Aces, Pritish Nandy Communications, Shemaroo Entertainment and Z5 are all associated with the event. Their backgrounds range from long-running film banners to digital-first outfits and regional specialists, underlining how many traditions now coexist in streaming.
As the Indian Telly Streaming Awards ITSA 2026 prepares to spotlight work from dozens of languages and genres, the event also marks how quickly the country’s viewing culture has changed. From family sofas and cable boxes to personal logins and competitive platforms, the path has been swift. This year’s gathering in Mumbai captures that shift and hints at where India’s streaming story might head next.
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