Tanushree Basuroy
Research expert covering India
Online video market in India - statistics & facts
Entertainment technologies have undergone a series of groundbreaking changes ever since their inception. As successful as traditional media entertainment is, consumers around the world have long started to shift to more convenient, scalable, and personalized digital streaming services. Similar trends have been seen in India. Only the availability of a cheap, fast, and reliable source of mobile data has resulted in an explosion of mammoth proportions in streaming services and digital content consumption throughout the country.
From global giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to local platforms such as JioTV and Disney+Hotstar, video streaming services have flooded the Indian market with tons of international and local entertainment. Indian users visit a combination of several platforms to access Indian shows and movies, international content, and sporting events.
The short form video market in India has exhibited great potential in terms of active users and usage. Since Chinese apps and brands were banned by the Indian government as a result of the conflict between the two countries, alternatives to the short-form video platform TikTok, such as Josh and Moj, quickly flooded the market. Three years on, the performance of these SFV platforms has been comparable to global players within the Indian market, especially due to the availability of local language content.
Digital media consumption trends
With the largest young population in the world and improving data services, India is only behind China in terms of internet penetration. In a country where people spent over six hours daily on average on the Internet alone, digital media houses continue to attract customers with alluring offers. However, identifying the most feasible business model is challenging. In 2022, the digital media market in India was valued at over 500 billion Indian rupees and was estimated to almost double by 2024.From global giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to local platforms such as JioTV and Disney+Hotstar, video streaming services have flooded the Indian market with tons of international and local entertainment. Indian users visit a combination of several platforms to access Indian shows and movies, international content, and sporting events.
The era of YouTube and short form videos
YouTube contributes significantly to streaming activities in the country with music videos accounting for the largest share of viewership. In fact, T-Series is among the most viewed channels worldwide. The era of social media has taken video entertainment a step further. Global platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have developed and included a short-form video (SFV) feature where users can upload content that is no more than 15 seconds to a minute long.The short form video market in India has exhibited great potential in terms of active users and usage. Since Chinese apps and brands were banned by the Indian government as a result of the conflict between the two countries, alternatives to the short-form video platform TikTok, such as Josh and Moj, quickly flooded the market. Three years on, the performance of these SFV platforms has been comparable to global players within the Indian market, especially due to the availability of local language content.
