MAM
Streamers 50% of online population; 60% content streaming on mobile devices: GroupM
NEW DELHI: Globally online streaming is getting mainline. Or so it seems. Streamers make up almost 50 per cent of the online population, while over 60 per cent of content streaming, led by music, is now done over mobile devices and much of it can be linked to “moods and moments”, according to a study done by GroupM and Spotify.
The report, put out by GroupM on its website early 2017, says the TV and movie streaming landscape is currently dominated by paid subscriptions, which promise users a high-quality, ad-free viewing experience. The TV and movie streamers make up about 40 per cent of the streaming realm.
According to the study, if the entry price point for TV and movie streaming is typically a monthly subscription fee, the entry price point for music streaming is even better: free. Because while most music streaming services do offer a paid subscription plan—much like the top video services— some, such as Pandora, Spotify, YouTube, and SoundCloud, also offer a completely free listening experience, supported by ads.
The study, undertaken in seven markets, including the US and parts of Europe, further observes that approximately 20 per cent of mobile music steamers report listening to music while out running errands and 30 per cent say they listen to music while showering.
Streaming audio and video content now play a constant role in people’s daily lives—and this drives a whole new set of consumer behaviours that the analysts like to call the streaming mindset. GroupM feels as people clamour for more content that they can get anytime, anyplace, their consumption habits span a wider range of media types and drive higher engagement across their day. The result is a greater value on access to content over ownership.
As streaming becomes standard, it’s now an expectation for consumers to have access to all media, all the time. In the process, the concept of “ownership” has become outdated. The study found that streamers are 23 per cent more likely than non-streamers to report valuing access to content over ownership, not only for music but for TV and movie content as well. “Controlling for demographic variables, this sentiment runs true across generations. Similarly, streamers in more mature markets (for example, the US) are more likely to endorse an access mindset, suggesting that the sentiment indeed grows over time,” the study observes.
“Today, streamers make up almost 50 per cent of the online population, according to our survey. So it’s time to see streaming as the norm rather than the niche— as an integral piece of your media plan rather than an afterthought,” observes Rob Norman, Chief Digital Officer, GroupM, adding that for brands and marketers, these on-demand, on-the-go streaming services have the potential to provide unprecedented levels of consumer under¬standing.
This ‘moods’ and ‘moments’ approach has the potential to open up about $220 million in new ad revenue in the seven markets surveyed, AdAge comments.
For this study, GroupM paired Spotify’s streaming data for its +100 million users alongside GroupM’s LIVE PANEL, a 30-market consumer resource panel built from a Lightspeed database of 5.5M consumers. To add some context to the product and LIVE PANEL data, GroupM also surveyed 20,000 people around the globe to uncover the streaming state of mind.
“Our results reveal rising trends, key metrics, and important truths that can ultimately help make sure your media plan is future-proof, built around high-quality content and made for the consumers of tomorrow,” Norman explains.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
