YouTube to test Rs 59 hybrid pay model with Pankaj Tripathi’s Perfect Family

New Delhi: YouTube is set to test a structured pay model for long-format scripted content in India with the launch of Perfect Family, a new dramedy produced by Pankaj Tripathi.

The eight-episode series will stream on the JAR SERIES YouTube channel from November 27, 2025, under a hybrid model: the first two episodes will be free to watch, while the remaining six can be unlocked with a one-time payment of Rs 59.

For a platform largely built on free, ad-supported viewing, this is another of YouTube’s experiments in paid, premium storytelling on the platform in India.

Earlier this year, Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par skipped OTT platforms entirely and went straight to a YouTube pay-per-view release, where viewers could rent the film for around Rs 100 (with a limited Rs 50 offer later), hinting that audiences are now willing to pay directly on YouTube instead of only via traditional OTT subscriptions.

Perfect Family series consists of 35–40 minute episodes that resemble OTT shows more than typical YouTube content.

Tripathi, who makes his debut as a producer with the show, has backed Perfect Family along with Ajay Rai of JAR Pictures and Mohit Chhabra.

Directed by Sachin Pathak and created by Palak Bhambri, the series follows a middle-class Indian family pushed into therapy after a disturbing incident involving the youngest daughter. Through humour and drama, it attempts to open up conversations around mental health and family dynamics.

The cast is led by Gulshan Devaiah and Neha Dhupia, with Manoj Pahwa, Seema Pahwa, Girija Oak and others in key roles.

By putting a price gate after two free episodes, the model aims to use YouTube’s massive reach for sampling while testing whether Indian viewers will pay directly on the platform for longer, premium shows.

For creators and producers, it offers a potential middle path between ad-only YouTube economics and full-scale OTT deals.

Tripathi has called the distribution choice a deliberate break from “traditional formats,” while Rai has described the YouTube pay model as opening a “new frontier” for Indian storytellers who want to retain control and still monetise at scale.

The launch comes as YouTube in India steadily leans into creator-led premium content and memberships, and as more production houses explore direct-to-audience monetisation without going through large subscription platforms.

If Perfect Family manages to convert free viewers into paying ones at scale, it could set an important benchmark for future long-format, paywalled series on YouTube.