Netflix Lock Upp views hit 50 million hours as India eyes new formats
Netflix India content chief Monika Shergill says Lock Upp has topped 50 million viewing hours while more global format adaptations are coming.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Netflix Lock Upp views have reached 50 million hours since the Indian reality series launched on June 27, Netflix India content chief Monika Shergill told Deadline, as the streamer looks to bring more of its global unscripted formats to the country.
Shergill, Netflix India’s vice president of content, said in the Deadline interview that the company is developing “a couple” of major Netflix formats for local Indian versions. She did not name the titles, saying an announcement would come soon.
The comment invites an obvious guessing game around Netflix’s international reality stable, though Deadline noted that Netflix does not own the underlying rights to shows such as Love is Blind or Too Hot to Handle. The streamer has international production arrangements for both, while Love is Blind comes from Kinetic Content and Too Hot to Handle from Fremantle.
What is Lock Upp on Netflix?
Lock Upp is a jail-themed celebrity reality competition in which contestants live as “inmates,” complete tasks and face eliminations. The Netflix version is produced by Balaji Telefilms and hosted by Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh.
The series first appeared in 2022 on ALTBalaji, the Balaji Telefilms streaming service that has since shut down, and on MX Player, which has since been folded into Prime Video India. Netflix revived the format with a cast that includes Dheeraj Dhoopar, Shivangi Joshi, Harshad Chopda and Shilpa Shinde, according to Deadline.
Shergill told Deadline that Lock Upp’s 50 million hours amount to about 5,700 years of viewing. She also said the show generated 2.5 billion social media interactions within three weeks of launch.
The series has spent two weeks on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list for non-English series, Deadline reported. Shergill said Netflix increased the weekly rollout from five episodes to six after audience demand grew, with episodes continuing through the August 5 finale.
Creator Ekta Kapoor told Deadline the show’s appeal comes from celebrities arriving with public labels and judgments, then discussing the experiences and secrets behind them. Kapoor said she rejected two other offers before choosing Netflix for the revival, crediting Shergill and the platform for backing the idea.
Deadline reported that Shergill and Kapoor would not confirm whether Lock Upp will get a second Netflix season or be adapted outside India. Shergill said the format is drawing internal interest and, because of its performance, she believes it has “a long life.”
Netflix India is also chasing comedy
Shergill told Deadline that comedy is another priority for Netflix India. The streamer has worked with Samay Raina, who appeared on The Great Indian Kapil Show, and struck a co-exclusive deal for Season 2 of his YouTube show India’s Got Latent.
The Great Indian Kapil Show is heading for a fifth season, Deadline reported, while stand-up specials from Indian comedians including Zakir Khan have performed strongly on the service.
Netflix is competing in a crowded Indian streaming market that includes JioHotstar, Sony LIV and Prime Video. Deadline cited Ormax Media research from September 2025 showing that only about a quarter of India’s 601 million streaming consumers pay for services.
Shergill also pointed to Operation Safed Sagar as Netflix India’s next major scripted swing. The military drama, made by Matchbox Shots and Feel Good Films with the Indian Air Force, focuses on the Air Force’s 1999 aerial campaign during the Kargil War against Pakistan.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.