For decades, entertainment in Pakistan largely followed a fixed schedule. Television channels decided when dramas, talk shows and other programmes would air, while cinemas remained the primary option for watching films on the big screen. The growth of streaming platforms has changed that model by giving audiences more control over what they watch, when they watch it and which device they use.
The change has been supported by Pakistan’s expanding internet and smartphone usage. YouTube has become one of the country’s largest digital video platforms. According to DataReportal, Google’s advertising resources indicated that YouTube had an estimated 54.3 million users in Pakistan in late 2025. The figure represents advertising reach rather than confirmed monthly active users, but it demonstrates the scale of YouTube’s presence in the country’s digital environment.
International streaming services such as Netflix have also introduced Pakistani viewers to a much larger library of films, television series and documentaries from different countries. Netflix maintains a dedicated category for Pakistani films and television programmes, showing that Pakistani productions form part of its international content catalogue.
One of the biggest changes has been the move from scheduled viewing to on-demand entertainment. Instead of waiting for a particular programme to air at a specific time, viewers can select content according to their own schedules. A 2026 study published in the Pakistan Journal of Social Science Review examined streaming habits among 300 Pakistani respondents aged 18 to 30. The study found that convenience, content variety and greater control over viewing were significant factors associated with OTT adoption. It also reported a positive relationship between OTT use and binge-watching behaviour.
Streaming has also changed the way Pakistani television content reaches audiences. Television networks increasingly distribute their programmes through digital platforms alongside traditional broadcasting. HUM TV, for example, maintains an extensive digital presence and makes its dramas and other programmes available online. Its website currently lists both current and archived dramas, while the network also operates official YouTube channels.
The scale of this digital distribution can be seen in HUM TV’s own reporting. In 2024, the network stated that its official YouTube channel had more than 36 million subscribers and that its drama Ishq Murshid had accumulated more than one billion views. These figures illustrate how Pakistani television productions can generate audiences through digital platforms beyond their original television broadcasts.
Streaming has also helped Pakistani content reach audiences outside the country. In 2023, HUM TV launched HUM Arabia, an Arabic-language YouTube channel featuring Arabic-dubbed Pakistani dramas. The network described it as its effort to make Pakistani television content accessible to Arabic-speaking audiences.
Local streaming services have added another dimension to the market. Tamasha, an OTT platform operated by Beyond Digital, provides live television, video-on-demand content, films, dramas, news and live sports through mobile devices. Its platform offers both live channels and on-demand entertainment, combining several forms of traditional broadcasting within a digital service.
The shift has therefore affected more than just where Pakistanis watch entertainment. It has changed the relationship between audiences and content. Viewers can watch programmes on phones, tablets, computers and connected televisions, while producers can distribute content through multiple digital channels and reach audiences in different countries.
Streaming has not eliminated television or cinema in Pakistan. Traditional broadcasters continue to produce and air dramas, while cinemas remain part of the country’s entertainment industry. Instead, streaming has added another major route through which people discover, consume and share entertainment.
Pakistan’s entertainment landscape is now increasingly a combination of television, cinema, social video and on-demand streaming. As internet access and digital platforms continue to develop, streaming is becoming an important part of how Pakistani audiences experience entertainment, while giving local producers new ways to distribute their work beyond conventional broadcasting.
