‘Luther’ Remake ‘Rudra’ Is Most-Watched Hindi Web Series Of 2022 As Disney+ Hotstar Dominates

Disney+ Hotstar is leading the pack in Hindi-speaking India.

The streamer had seven out of the top 15 most watched Hindi web series in 2022, according to a report from Mumbai-based Ormax Media, with Luther remake Rudra: The Edge Of Darkness, produced by BBC Studios India and Applause Entertainment, taking the top spot with viewership of 35.2 million.

Other Disney+ Hotstar shows in the top 15 included the third season of BBC Studios and Applause Entertainment’s Criminal Justice remake, Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach; The Great Indian Murder, an adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s bestselling novel Six Suspects, produced by ADF & RLE Media; and Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya, a supernatural horror series produced by Banijay Asia (see viewership figures below).

Amazon Prime Video and MX Player both had four series each in Ormax Media’s ranking of the top 15 most watched Hindi shows. MX Player had the second most watched show with the third season of Aashram, about an unscrupulous guru and his dealings with local politicians, produced by Prakash Jha Productions. Amazon Prime had the third biggest show with the second season of village-set comedy drama Panchayat, produced by The Viral Fever.

Ormax Media said it used proprietary research to count the number of individual audience members who watched at least one full episode of each show within India, and did not duplicate audience, so even if an audience member watched episodes spread over multiple weeks, they are still counted only once.

Netflix didn’t have any shows in the top 15, reflecting the relative size of its Indian audience compared to its rivals. However, Netflix scored better in Ormax Media’s rankings of shows generating the most buzz, with the second season of Delhi Crime and Aashram S3 tying in third position, with 21% of the audience being able to recall the show unaided. Panchayat S2 generated the most buzz with 34% recall, followed by Rudra: The Edge Of Darkness with 27%.

The report showed that Netflix also did slightly better in terms of international shows, with two series in the top ten – Stranger Things ranked sixth with viewership of 13.2 million and 1899 came in tenth with 7.8 million.

Disney+ Hotstar also lead the chart for international shows – with House Of The Dragon coming in top with viewership of 28.2 million (Disney+ Hotstar streams HBO content in India), followed by Marvel Studios series Moon Night with 23.4 million.

Ormax Media also tracked the most watched Hindi films premiering on OTT platforms, with Disney+ Hotstar’s Cuttputlli topping the chart with viewership of 26.9 million, followed by A Thursday (Disney+ Hotstar) with 25.5 million, Govinda Naam Mera (Disney+ Hotstar) with 24.4 million, Gehraiyaan (Amazon Prime) with 22.3 million and Freddy (Disney+ Hotstar) with 20.9 million.

Leading TV show Rudra is one of several Luther remakes internationally, with Russian, Korean and French versions airing over recent years. A U.S. attempt for Fox failed to make it to pilot after experiencing difficulties in development. Netflix is reviving the original British series as a feature film, Luther: The Fallen Sun, with Idris Elba returning to his lead role. It will launch in theaters on February 24, before joining Netflix on March 10. Andy Serkis, Jess Liaudin and Cynthia Erivo are among the new cast.

MOST WATCHED HINDI SHOWS 2022

1. Rudra: The Edge Of Darkness (Disney+ Hotstar) 35.2 million

2. Aashram S3 (MX Player) 34.3 million

3. Panchayat S2 (Amazon Prime) 29.6 million

4. Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach (Disney+ Hotstar) 23 million

5. The Great Indian Murder (Disney+ Hotstar) 23 million

6. Breathe Into The Shadows S2 (Amazon Prime) 22.3 million

7. Lock Upp (ALTBalaji/MX Player) 21.2 million

8. Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya (Disney+ Hotstar) 21.1 million

9. Hostel Daze S3 (Amazon Prime) 20.1 million

10. Human (Disney+ Hotstar) 19.6 million

11. Four More Shots Please! S3 (Amazon Prime) 18.8 million