Festive Feeds: How India Scrolled, Streamed, and Celebrated!

As the festive buzz settles, a fascinating look into India’s media habits emerges. InsightCrunch’s in-depth survey of over 4,500 in-person interviews across 16 states sheds light on the ways Indians connected, entertained, and informed themselves during the celebrations. From bustling metro cities to rural villages, here’s what the nation turned to when it came to media during the festival season, revealing the media channels that kept the festive spirit alive.

What Kept India Tuning In: Top Media Choices

Across India, media preferences during the festival season reflect the evolving ways people connect with the world around them. Leading the list were social media platforms, with Facebook and Instagram capturing 53% of engagement. These platforms became the go-to destination for festive updates, celebratory posts, and lively interactions with friends and family, highlighting social media’s integral role during festive periods.

Blogs and websites were popular too, with 29% engagement, showing that readers still find value in longer written content for their updates and information. Print newspapers followed at 27%, providing a trusted source of news even in an increasingly digital world.

Short-form videos thrived as well, with WhatsApp videos and shorts at 26% and YouTube following closely at 25%. Interestingly, streaming on OTT platforms and reels/ shorts captured only small shares, at 5% each, followed by traditional TV at 2%. This preference for quick, accessible content underscores a shift towards mobile-first, bite-sized formats, ideal for the busy pace of the festive season.

Rural, Urban, and Metro: A Closer Look

InsightCrunch’s survey revealed distinct media preferences across India’s rural, urban, and metro areas, providing valuable insights for regional content strategies:

• Rural Areas: In rural regions, WhatsApp videos and shorts were highly favored, engaging 47% of the audience, reflecting a preference for easily shareable, mobile-friendly formats. Facebook and Instagram browsing was next at 37%, followed by YouTube at 34%. These trends point to a mobile-driven media culture in rural areas, where social interaction and content sharing are central to media consumption.
• Urban Centers: Urban audiences showed similar enthusiasm for WhatsApp videos and shorts, with 49% engagement. Facebook and Instagram browsing remained popular at 38%, while print newspapers held steady with 28%, indicating a continued appreciation for traditional media alongside digital options. This blend of social media and print reflects a balanced media diet, where users combine trusted news sources with dynamic, shareable digital content.
• Metro Cities: In metros, audiences leaned even more towards short-form digital content, with WhatsApp videos and shorts leading at 63%. Reels on Instagram and YouTube were also popular at 45%, while Facebook and Instagram browsing remained strong at 43%. This shows a clear preference for fast, visually engaging content in metro areas, where users often prefer high-speed, mobile-accessible formats that align with their busy, on-the-go lifestyles.
  
  

These regional patterns reveal the need for brands and marketers to adapt their strategies according to location, ensuring that content meets the unique preferences and access needs of each area.

Generational Choices: Media by Age Group

Generational differences further highlighted how media consumption during the festival season varied by age:

• Gen Z: This generation gravitated towards fast, visual formats, with 58% engaging with WhatsApp videos and shorts. Facebook and Instagram browsing came next at 50%, and Instagram and YouTube reels followed at 40%. These preferences emphasize Gen Z’s affinity for rapid, visually stimulating content that fits seamlessly into their active, mobile lifestyles.
• Millennials: Millennials maintained a balanced media approach, with WhatsApp videos and shorts at 41%, traditional newspapers at 36%, and TV watching at 35%. This mix of digital and print media illustrates Millennials’ adaptability and openness to diverse content types, combining the convenience of short digital formats with the trustworthiness of print and TV.
• Gen X: Gen X also showed a strong preference for WhatsApp videos and shorts, with 56% engagement, followed by Facebook and Instagram browsing at 38%. YouTube and other long videos attracted 33%, indicating that Gen X audiences are more open to longer, in-depth content than younger generations. This generation values social media but also appreciates more comprehensive content that provides additional context and information.
  
  

These findings underscore the importance of generationally tailored content, showing brands where to focus their media efforts to reach audiences effectively across age groups.

What These Trends Mean for Brands

For brands, the rise of mobile-first, short-form content means there is an opportunity to capture audience attention with engaging, quick-to-consume formats. Social platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram have proven especially impactful for reaching rural and urban audiences alike, while metros have shown an increasing preference for high-speed, short-form visual content.

Conclusion: Connecting with India’s Festive Spirit Year-Round

India’s media habits during the festive season reveal a dynamic landscape, where audiences move fluidly between digital and traditional formats based on convenience, content type, and lifestyle needs. This survey highlights that connecting with today’s audiences requires not just an understanding of digital trends, but also a sensitivity to the specific preferences of each demographic, whether rural, urban, metro, Gen Z, Millennial, or Gen X.

To explore more about these insights and learn how your brand can resonate with India’s diverse audience, reach out to InsightCrunch today. Stay connected to your audience’s evolving media habits and make your message count!