iWorld
Pocket FM Survey: Audio series becomes mainstream entertainment
Mumbai: Audio OTT platform, Pocket FM has revealed the findings of its entertainment consumption survey Digital Entertainment Insights: The Revival of Audio Entertainment. The survey revealed a remarkable shift in consumer preferences towards audio content. It highlighted that users now spend more time on audio than video, with audio series emerging as the most consumed category, stimulating the binge-listening behaviour in entertainment content.
In today’s digital age, where screen fatigue has become increasingly prevalent, audio entertainment has witnessed an unprecedented upsurge. While initially, audio space encompassed music, audiobooks, and podcasts, the year 2021 witnessed the emergence of audio series as audio entertainment.
Audio series – becoming mainstream entertainment
The survey findings showcased the dominance of audio series as the preferred audio content format, accounting for 41 per cent of overall consumption. Music followed closely with 29 per cent, while audiobooks and podcasts were preferred by 20 per cent and 10 per cent of internet users, respectively.
What sets audio series apart is its ability to captivate listeners with its serialised audio fiction stories, stimulating binge-listening behaviour among the users. On average, users spend 140 minutes daily on audio series, which is higher than music (67 mins), audiobooks (35 mins), and podcasts (50 mins).
According to the survey, 44 per cent of users pay for audio content. Among them, 33 per cent indicated a monthly expenditure of over Rs 300, while 13 per cent allocated between Rs 100 and Rs 300 and 54 per cent spend less than Rs 100 per month.
Not just a commute-medium anymore
Contrary to popular belief that audio content is predominantly consumed during commutes, the survey revealed that people engage with audio across various daily activities. It was found that 23 per cent listen to the audio while cooking and 12 per cent while carrying out household chores. 25 per cent people listen to audio during work hours, 16 per cent while commuting, and 15 per cent during fitness activities. Moreover, 33 per cent of respondents highlighted audio as a means to relax and unwind.
Regarding timing, the survey indicated that work hours dominate audio listening habits. Morning hours (6-9 am) witnessed a 30 per cent engagement rate, followed by a significant 55 per cent during the most productive period of the day – 9 am to 6 pm. This strongly indicates consistent consumption of audio entertainment while people are doing household chores, commuting for work, and, most importantly, while at work. Evening hours accounted for 21 per cent, while leisure hours at night accounted for 32 per cent (9 pm – 6 am).
Over 30 minutes on Video OTTs for content discovery?
Interestingly, the survey revealed that people spend more time on audio than video. While 57 per cent of respondents watch less than 60 minutes of video OTT content per day, 18 per cent dedicate over two hours to video consumption daily. Moreover, 43 per cent spend over 30 minutes on video OTT platforms for content discovery.
Speaking on the findings of its Digital Entertainment Insights, Pocket FM VP – growth Shubh Bansal said, “The survey findings reveal a compelling shift in consumer behaviour, with audio content surpassing video in terms of daily engagement. It is evident that audio series has become the preferred choice, stimulating binge-listening habits among listeners. As the digital world grapples with screen fatigue, the upsurge in audio entertainment is no surprise.”
Bansal further added, “It is also intriguing to note that nearly half of the users are willing to invest in audio content, highlighting the value they place on engaging and premium experiences. These insights emphasise the need to adapt and provide diverse, high-quality content that caters to the changing preferences and demands of the audience. It is an exciting time for the audio industry to evolve and innovate with newer formats that deliver captivating audio experiences and resonate deeply with the users.”
An online survey was conducted between 23 April and 9 May this year among 9616 internet users from India, who are actively consuming entertainment content on video and audio OTTs. 55 per cent of the respondents are male, while 45 per cent are female. About 80 per cent of respondents are from 18-35 years age group, and the rest 20 per cent are older than 35 years.
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
