MAM
GUEST ARTICLE: How is the growth of podcasts changing the media landscape and consumption?
Mumbai: Amidst a video-obsessed world where ‘shorter is nicer,’ a quiet revolution has been brewing—of audio content that is immersive, habit-forming, and poised for greater growth.
Long stories are here to stay
The pandemic changed a lot in terms of our consumption habits. This also extended to our content preferences. With theatres shut, shopping going online, and content being on tap-OTT took over. And this has extended to audio content as well.
What’s changed?
Over the last two years, consuming entertainment and information through audio has become a viable option. What has been driving this growth?
“Better content” is the simple, most important factor. Equally important is the availability of local content, which has attracted more listeners. But what is the impact of this growth on the media landscape and how content is being consumed?
Before we answer this, it’s important to understand who’s listening to this content. A large chunk of podcast content is being heard by a younger audience—typically 18–30 years old. This audience is based in urban and semi-urban areas. The content they truly love to listen to includes self-help, motivational, fiction (crime and love do well together!) and a whole lot of content created by the people they like, look up to, or want to know more about—in short, influencers.
The impact
For most digital content, we are now attuned to thinking that ‘shorter is better’. Thanks to TikTok and other short-form video content platforms, short content rules the roost. But in podcasts, length is not a deterrent. A typical interview-format podcast can range from 20 minutes to 5 hours! Yes, five hours! And it has a large audience too.
Why are so many youngsters listening to long-form podcasts? A quick survey revealed that this mode allows them to go into depth about the topics they really care about. Plus, the fact that it is coming from a place of credibility and a source they trust makes it more compelling.
Another major reason for the increase is the ability to consume podcasts and audio content passively. Press play, stow away the mobile, and you’re good for a while. For price-sensitive consumers, data consumption is also less than video.
Should we all talk for hours?
Of course not! Especially if you aren’t an authority on your subject of choice! Long form audio will do well for knowledge-based content—whether it is a monologue or a dialogue. For fiction podcasts, keeping it short (in the podcast context) to about 20–30 minutes per episode is a sweet spot. Let the listener pace their listening… like with a good TV series, develop the story and put in hooks to keep the listener coming back for more.
This also begs the question of whether there is any place for short-form content (like with video) in the audio space. The answer is a resounding yes! But choose topics carefully. We are still in the early stages of discovering what works and what doesn’t. So expect a lot more experimentation in formats, lengths, genres, and topics.
In the last few years, a lot of news outlets have also taken to podcasts actively. The ease of reaching a large audience (about 95 million) that is engaged is a strong pull. The audio-led feature story will soon start to be an important part of content strategies. Whereas creating video documentaries can be cumbersome, expensive and time-limiting, audio will be able to offer a strong alternative.
And the money?
The short answer is that there is money for creators. Over the next few months, audio-first influencers will emerge. As the audience grows, brands have started exploring the medium.
Many have already made investments and had their first taste of the medium. Branded content, brand integrations, pureplay sponsorships, and advertising have all started the cycle of monetisation for creators and publishers.
To sum up, the biggest change that podcasts are bringing to the media landscape and how we consume content is they are putting the limelight back on in-depth storytelling and immersive experiences for audiences.
The author is Ideabrew Studios co-founder & CEO Aditya Kuber.
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.
