Black & white classics to the ’90s faves: Indian viewers love to watch and rewatch nostalgic content on OTT

Several OTT platforms are adding cult classics and evergreen blockbusters to their libraries, as viewers can’t stop watching, and rewatching, them


From series such as Mad Men, Friends, and The Office to rom-coms of the 90s and 2000s – streaming platforms have been offering a treasure trove of nostalgia to viewers. Streaming platforms’ heads say that they have been continuously expanding their library of old shows and films, keeping in mind the high engagement for this category of content. While in pre-streaming years, reruns on TV were quite common, today streaming platforms are rushing to create a library because the classics have a dedicated fan following.

On MUBI, there has been engagement on films by iconic directors like Krzysztof Kieślowski, Satyajit Ray and Agnes Varda. A spokesperson from the platform says, “The reason nostalgia brings audiences together is that there is a sense of comfort and familiarity and we have an extensive library of renowned classics and movies by legendary filmmakers.” French films top the popularity list on the platform, followed by English and Hindi. The platform has classics like Awara, Mirch Masala, and Salaam Bombay!

Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India, says that nostalgic content always had its audience, but its availability and accessibility were limited before streaming platforms. He adds that they have witnessed that the audience is interested in older content. “The growth of in-home entertainment technologies and the popularity of family watch-time have lured back audiences to binge-watch titles from ’90s and 2000s, which, therefore, generate a sizable amount of engagement,” he adds. Hindi TV serials of ’90s and 2000s like Hum Paanch and Hip Hip Hurray are popular on the platform.

Mansi Shrivastav, Senior Vice President - Content Acquisitions, Alliances & Distribution, MX Player says, “People prefer watching evergreen blockbuster movies that score high on recall and familiarity. Besides, cult classics serve as a breather and become an easy solution to ‘what to watch?’ On MX, library movies from the ’90s and 2000s from both Hollywood and Bollywood are among high-performing content categories.” Bollywood titles such as Andaaz, Raja Hindustani, Soldier, and Baazigar; and Hollywood movies such as Anaconda, Karate Kid, Stuart Little and Street Fighter are popular on the platform.

A Netflix spokesperson adds, “Fans in India love the ability to watch and rewatch their favourite films and shows. We have been building a selection of licensed films and series from across the world - from evergreens such as Dil Chahta Hai to international hits like Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Popular nostalgic content on the platform include Friends, The Twilight Saga and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.