The new homebound work and leisure economy has led to rising demand for new and quality content and for better devices in India, a new study by Dolby Laboratories and Wakefield Research has found.

COVID-19 has driven many Indians to use entertainment as a way of unwinding, including 66% of respondents saying they use it as an opportunity to relax and 60% saying they find it a good social experience of watching with others.

The study found 97% of respondents have increased their monthly spends on content by 48% on average compared to the start of the year, while 88% of respondents in the past six months have already invested in upgrading their streaming services.

Consumers are particularly interested in enhanced picture and sound quality for watching movies and TV shows: 49% of respondents rank movies as one of their top-two forms of entertainment that merit enhanced quality, while 94% of respondents would pay more for a premium subscription to receive enhanced picture and sound quality.

In addition, 96% respondents plan to upgrade their entertainment equipment in the next six months. Equipment upgrades include better mobile devices, with 61% respondents planning to upgrade their mobile device to improve their viewing experience. The smartphone is the primary entertainment device for 29% of respondents, followed by 22% who say television and 20% who say computer.

Other findings from the study include:

  • 92% respondents said the news impacts what they watch.
  • 95% Indian respondents got into new types of content they didn’t watch before.
  • Streaming live music events lead popular new content (50%), followed by comedy (48%), video game streaming (46%) & DIY videos (45%).
  • 92% respondents are using work video applications for social purposes, including 80% who do so often or all the time.
  • 65% respondents of those who engaged in live-chat while watching streaming videos did so for the first time.

The ‘Quality Time is Quality Picture and Sound’ report is based on quantitative research conducted in October, among 5,000 adults aged 18+ in four markets (China, France, India and the US). The India leg of the study conducted across six cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, was aimed at understanding the changing content consumption habits during the pandemic. The study cuts across generational breaks and includes the voice of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X & Boomers.

Sourced from ETBrandEquity, BestMediaInfo, Exchange4Media