The Great Indian Kapil Show Faces Sharp 47% Viewership Decline Since Launch
Netflix's latest data indicates a troubling trend for The Great Indian Kapil Show, with viewership plummeting by 47 percent since its opening season. The current fourth season is emerging as the least viewed installment, failing to maintain a consistent presence in Netflix's global top 10 non-English shows rankings.
From Television Stardom to Streaming Struggles
When Kapil Sharma transitioned from television to streaming platforms, expectations were high for an expanded audience reach. After a decade-long television career marked by channel shifts but consistent content, Sharma ventured into streaming with a Netflix stand-up special. This move was soon followed by the launch of The Great Indian Kapil Show on the OTT platform, reuniting him with former collaborator Sunil Grover after their 2017 fallout.
Season-by-Season Viewership Analysis
The show debuted in March 2024 with significant promise, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, and Riddhima Kapoor in its premiere. According to Netflix metrics, the first season garnered 2.5 million views and 2.4 million hours viewed initially, maintaining a global top 10 position for five weeks. Netflix calculates views by dividing total hours viewed by runtime, meaning viewership figures represent engagement rather than unique viewer counts.
Subsequent seasons witnessed a steady decline:
- Season Two opened weaker with Alia Bhatt and the Jigra team, securing 1.2 million views and staying in global rankings for four weeks.
- Season Three performed even poorer, featuring Salman Khan but remaining in the top 10 for only three weeks.
- Season Four has so far appeared in the global list just once after its second episode, which highlighted the Indian women's cricket team, ranking eighth with 1.7 million views.
Current Season's Alarming Performance
The fourth season's four episodes have struggled severely, with only one appearance in Netflix's global rankings—a stark contrast to previous seasons where the initial episodes consistently featured. This represents a 47 percent drop in viewership compared to the debut season, raising questions about the show's future viability on the streaming platform.
Netflix's "hours viewed" metric, which accumulates as more episodes release, showed increases across seasons but failed to offset the declining view counts. The show now faces the challenge of resuscitating its appeal throughout the remaining episodes to re-enter the list of most-watched Netflix shows worldwide.
