Over the past few years, there has been a significant transformation in digital entertainment consumption trends in India, as reported in the ‘Internet in India Report 2023’.
Internet In India Report 2023
The report indicates a substantial increase in the number of Internet users in India, reaching a staggering 707 million individuals.
Moreover, these users are actively engaging with over-the-top (OTT) audio and video services.
This report talks about the extensive ICUBE 2023 survey of over 90,000 households across all Indian states, which was prepared in association with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and data analytics firm Kantar.
It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the OTT has witnessed an expeditious growth.
But, the non-traditional streaming devices have also helped in increasing the appetite for digital entertainment.
This smart devices category includes various gadgets such as smart TVs, speakers, streaming sticks and players.
It has shown a remarkable growth of 58% between 2021 and 2023.
There is a significant number of 208 million individuals who now solely use these Internet-connected devices to watch video content.
The numbers have already overtaken the 181 million who still rely on conventional TVs.
Communications and Social Media
Besides OTT, the next spot is taken by the communications and social media as they rank second and third most popular online activities engaged in by Indians.
Here OTT is streaming of either subscribed or user-generated audio/video content,as per the report.
When it comes to communications, it is about the myriad forms of online interaction which includes messaging, email, video conferencing etc.
Further, the report notes that rural India has emerged as the driving force behind these use cases, this way contributing to over 50% of users.
The results also indicate the critical role of our villages in shaping Internet consumption patterns nationwide.
As we know, the country’s Internet user base crossed 820 million in 2023.
Although, the growth rates seems to have slowed post-pandemic, especially in urban areas.
Indeed, the addition of over 50 million new users is a remarkable achievement, especially considering the already massive scale of digital entertainment consumption in India.
They seem to be targeting regional language users, who represent 57% of the total user base, and hold the potential to revive growth.
The report indicates the states which had the lowest Internet penetration, such as Jharkhand and Bihar, are now experiencing above-average expansion rates.
This trend suggests that there is significant potential for continued spread and growth in these regions.
