ShareChat, Chingari, Instagram Reels have most of their audiences in small towns

livemint.com:

NEW DELHI : Short-video platforms such as ShareChat, Chingari and Instagram Reels are immensely popular in India's small towns and non-metro cities, where users spend more than half an hour a day watching content on travel, food, and festivals. A recent Ficci EY report has captured these trends on content consumption, geographical concentration of the audiences, and their demographic profile.

It reveals that nearly 7 in 10 consumers, or 68% to be precise, of short-video platforms are based in tier-two cities like Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kota and Patna, where the popularity of the format is twice as high as tier-one cities. Further, a user spent on average 37 minutes everyday watching these videos in 2023, up from 33 minutes in 2022.

For the youth, travel and entertainment are the most preferred content categories, while more than 70% of videos consumed is less than 30-second long. Also Read: Content studios, OTT services tap short-video platforms for marketing campaigns “We have observed a surge in demand for relatable, culturally-diverse content that resonates with users from non-metro areas.

Creators are tapping into regional languages, local traditions, and every-day life experiences to create content that speaks directly to these audiences," Sumit Ghosh, CEO and co-founder, Chingari, said. "From showcasing local cuisines, traditions, and festivals to addressing social issues prevalent in small towns, content creators are actively engaging with this demographic," Ghosh added.