A study commissioned by Meta has found that short-form videos have taken a complete hold in India, with audiences using these for discovery, culture, creator engagement and commerce. The study conducted by IPSOS on behalf of Meta further discovered that digital consumption is not just being driven by metro cities but also tier 2 cities, towns and villages.
The study safely concluded that video is now the default mode of content consumption in India.
“This shift is happening at a remarkable scale: at least 97% of surveyed users in India now watch videos on our platforms daily, reflecting the country’s rapid move toward mobile-first, video-first behaviour. Importantly, this is no longer an urban-only trend. Daily video engagement is now nearly identical across urban India (98%) and rural India (94%), signalling that India’s video-first transformation is being shaped as much by Bharat as it is by metros,” the Meta study said.
The survey had more than 4,000 respondents spread across 23 cities, towns and villages.
“Increasingly, Reels is becoming India’s personal and primary screen – a place where people discover content, creators, communities and brands throughout the day. Among Gen Z audiences, 89% use Reels daily, making it a primary destination for content, culture and self-expression. Daily Reels engagement is similarly strong among women (85%) and NCCS A audiences (88%), reflecting how short-form video, led by Reels, is increasingly and democratically shaping how India discovers trends, creators and brands,” the survey added.
Saugato Bhowmik, Director, CPG & D2C, Automotive, (India) at Meta, said the findings show it’s a ‘always on Content-to-Commerce play’ for brands, with purchase decisions being made on Reels along with discovery and trust building.
According to Meta, 84% of Gen Z consumers are today discovering new products and brands through their platforms, especially Reels. In rural India, this number stands at 73%.
Further, strong engagement was seen around content categories rooted in everyday interests and aspirations, including beauty and makeup (52%), fashion and trends (52%), lifestyle (42%), fitness and wellness (42%), comedy and humour (39%), sports (38%), and travel (37%).
The study also found that content creators are playing a key role in driving this engagement, with their storytelling shaping conversations, trends and brand discovery.