Ekta Kapoor will lead the creative vision as Balaji Telefilms and YouTube bring five premium shows, spanning 200 episodes, to digital-first audiences worldwide.
Balaji Telefilms and YouTube have entered a strategic partnership to launch five original shows spanning 200 episodes, marking a major push into long-form digital entertainment for audiences in India and abroad.
The shows will be produced in 4K and developed specifically for digital-first viewing, with multiple titles scheduled to roll out during the upcoming festive season.
Under the partnership, Ekta Kapoor, Joint Managing Director of Balaji Telefilms, will lead the creative vision and retain ownership of the intellectual property. YouTube will handle global distribution and monetisation through advertising and brand partnerships.
Five Shows to Launch on YouTube
The slate includes both returning titles and new projects.
It will feature Haq Se Season 2 and Kehne Ko Humsafar Hai Season 4, while Phir Pyar Ki Yeh Kahani Suno is among the new shows being developed under the partnership.
The remaining projects are currently in development, with further details expected as the shows move closer to release.
The 200-episode slate allows Balaji Telefilms to bring established storytelling formats and new concepts directly to YouTube’s global audience.
Ekta Kapoor to Lead Creative Direction
Kapoor will oversee the creative direction of the slate while Balaji Telefilms retains ownership of the intellectual property.
The arrangement allows the production company to maintain creative control while using YouTube’s global distribution network to reach audiences beyond traditional television and streaming platforms.
“As more viewers turn to YouTube to discover and engage with content, it presents an exciting opportunity to connect with audiences in the most innovative ways,” Kapoor said.
The partnership reflects the growing importance of digital video platforms in how audiences discover and consume long-form entertainment.
YouTube Brings Global Distribution
For YouTube, the partnership adds a slate of professionally produced, premium long-form shows to its content ecosystem.
YouTube will provide distribution and monetisation through advertising and brand deals, giving the shows access to the platform’s established digital advertising infrastructure.
Gunjan Soni, Managing Director of YouTube India, said the partnership combines Kapoor’s understanding of human emotion and storytelling with the reach of YouTube.
“With Ekta Kapoor and her extraordinary instinct for human emotion and creative storytelling, we’re making that future possible today on YouTube,” Soni said.
YouTube’s Growing Reach on Connected TVs
The partnership comes as YouTube continues to expand its presence beyond mobile and desktop screens.
According to Comscore data cited in the announcement, YouTube reached more than 75 million people aged 18 and above in India through connected TV in April 2025.
It also held the highest reach among media platforms across connected-TV screens in India as of May 2025, according to the same data.
That growing television-screen presence creates another opportunity for YouTube to compete for audiences traditionally reached through linear television and streaming services.
For Balaji Telefilms, it provides a route to distribute premium episodic content through a platform already being used extensively by Indian households.
A Shift Towards Digital-First Entertainment
The partnership reflects a broader change in the entertainment business, where audiences increasingly move between television, streaming platforms, social video, and connected-TV services.
Rather than treating YouTube simply as a short-form video platform, the collaboration positions it as a distribution channel for large-scale scripted entertainment.
For Balaji Telefilms, the model combines the company’s established production capabilities with a digital distribution platform capable of reaching viewers across markets.
The 4K production format also points to the partnership’s ambition to create content designed for large-screen viewing rather than limiting the shows to mobile consumption.
Shows Set to Roll Out During Festive Season
Multiple originals from the partnership are expected to begin rolling out during the festive season, allowing Balaji Telefilms and YouTube to test the response to the new digital-first format.
The combination of established franchises such as Haq Se and Kehne Ko Humsafar Hai with new programming could help the partnership appeal to both existing fans and viewers discovering the shows for the first time.
The larger significance lies in the model itself.
Balaji Telefilms retains creative ownership while YouTube brings distribution, advertising and brand monetisation. Together, the companies are creating a structure built specifically around the way audiences now discover, watch and engage with entertainment online.
With five shows and 200 episodes planned, the partnership gives both companies a substantial slate with which to build that digital-first strategy.
