Eid Entertainment Explosion: YouTube and OTT Platforms Dominate Holiday Viewing
The extended nine-day Eid-ul-Fitr holiday concludes on Saturday, during which many people not only celebrate the festival but also traveled to popular tourist destinations such as Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, and Kuakata. While children’s parks in Dhaka remained closed, the Dhaka Zoo attracted large crowds. However, instead of watching TV or visiting cinemas, the majority of viewers seemed captivated by YouTube content and OTT platforms for their Eid entertainment.
This Eid saw the release of over 500 dramas, with the top ten trending videos on YouTube during the holidays including a YouTube film, a magazine show, and two dramas. Among the films released online, "Daagi", starring Shakib Khan, topped the charts. Directed by Shihab Shaheen, this SVF-Alapha AI production premiered on Chorki, where it amassed over 1 million views in nine days.
On YouTube’s Trending Now, the magazine show "Ityadi", written, directed, and hosted by Hanif Sanket, once again secured a top position. Though it was aired on BTV the day after Eid at 8 PM following the Bangla news, its Fagun Audio Vision YouTube release garnered 7.06 million views during the holiday period, ranking second in trending.
The top-trending drama on YouTube was "Tomader Golpo", directed by Muhammad Mostafa Kamal Raj. It premiered on the Cinemawalla YouTube channel at 4 PM on Eid day (March 31) and received over 7.2 million views in its first week. The screenplay, written by Siddiq Ahmed, tells the story of Ratul, a young urban man visiting his village for Eid with his family. The charming on-screen chemistry between Farhan Ahmed Jovan (Ratul) and Tanjim Saiyara Totini (his cousin Tuli) has drawn praise from viewers. The cast also includes Dilara Zaman, Saberi Alam, Monira Akter Mithu, Shilpi Sarkar Apu, Nader Chowdhury, Borda Mithu, MNU Raju, Samu Chowdhury, and child actor Ayat.
The second most viewed drama, "Hridoyer Ek Kone", directed by Mohiuddin Mohim, focuses on themes of love and friendship, and amassed 3.6 million views within two days of release. In third place is "Mon Diwana", directed by Hasib Hossain, which was released under the CMV banner and has surpassed 6.3 million views in five days. This drama features Tausif Mahbub and Tanjim Saiyara Totini, the latter appearing in both the first and third-ranked dramas.
Other trending productions include "Ekanobboorti" and "Telephoney Biye", both directed by Mohi Khan and released on the Niloy Alam Films – Naf Entertainment YouTube channel. As of Saturday night, both titles had collectively garnered over 100,000 views. These dramas star Niloy Alamgir and Jannatul Sumaiya Himi in lead roles.
This Eid's digital content boom marks a clear shift in audience preference, with online platforms continuing to dominate the festive entertainment landscape in Bangladesh.
