Indian Digital Users Shift from Passive to Active Participation in Entertainment
Indian consumers are increasingly engaging with digital entertainment through interactive activities like gaming, which now surpasses OTT streaming and short videos in popularity. Social platforms are evolving into transactional spaces, while audio content broadens beyond music. Users are more willing to pay for content via subscriptions and microtransactions, and interest in AI-driven experiences is rising, especially in metro cities.
A recent study highlights a significant shift in how Indian digital users interact with media: consumers are moving beyond passive consumption—such as watching streaming content—toward active participation, particularly in gaming, which has become the leading entertainment activity ahead of OTT platforms and short video apps. This reflects broader global trends but is especially pronounced in India due to rapidly growing internet penetration and a young, tech-savvy population. Social media applications are increasingly being used for transactions and commerce, rather than just communication, signaling a maturation of digital platforms into multi-utility tools. Meanwhile, the audio content landscape—once dominated by music streaming—is expanding to include podcasts, audiobooks, and other spoken-word formats. The willingness to pay for digital content is on the rise, with subscriptions and micro-transactions becoming dominant spending patterns, signaling a robust market for premium digital services. Additionally, there is growing interest in artificial intelligence among digital users, particularly in India’s metro cities, underscoring the rapid adoption of new technologies and the demand for personalized, interactive experiences in the digital entertainment ecosystem.
