How India’s children consume content | WARC | The Feed

How India’s children consume content

A third of India’s kids use both linear TV and OTT channels for their entertainment, but a majority (57%) prefer TV, according to a new report, with just 10% choosing only streaming options. 

Searchlight 2022, from children’s entertainment channel Sony YAY! and based on a survey of 982 kids and 316 parents across eight cities, also finds that younger kids prefer TV, while older kids lean towards over-the-top (OTT) platforms. 

Why it matters

India is a fast-changing market and ongoing shifts to digital have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. But the picture is nuanced: last month, Leena Lele Dutta, EVP and business head of Sony Yay!, told e4m that while children’s “digital consumption has increased significantly … it is not eroding the TV viewership”. Overall TV reach for the kids category is down on five years ago but time spent is up 30%, she reported. 

Key findings 

• Eighty-one percent of children in southern India prefer OTT, compared to just 56% in eastern India.
• Preferred OTT content is cartoons and anime (81%), but music (47%), educational/informational shows (42%), movies (38%) and standup comedy shows (31%) are also popular.
• Half of the children surveyed enjoy gaming on their phone, with free games being core to their consumption; 53% prefer to play solo while 44% like multiplayer games with friends.
• Two thirds (63%) would like to continue with online lessons rather than go back to classrooms.

Sourced from Afaqs!, e4m [Image: Getty]