Digital
Hybrid media & digital surge redefine rural India: Rural Barometer report 2024
Mumbai: WPP’s media investment group, GroupM, and Kantar, a global marketing data and analytics company, have released the fifth edition of the Rural Barometer report. This report provides insights into rural India’s current sentiments, consumption patterns, and economic behaviors, along with the growing adoption of digital technologies and their impact on various sectors, offering a detailed view of the rural landscape.
The 2024 Rural Barometer highlights a 60 per cent increase in the average FMCG basket size among rural consumers, rising from 5.8 in 2022 to 9.3 in 2024, driven by a preference for convenience products. This growth reflects lifestyle changes and rising purchasing power in rural areas. States like Jammu & Kashmir (39 per cent), Maharashtra (41 per cent), and Odisha (26 per cent) show moderate FMCG basket growth despite fewer financial concerns. This trend is supported by rising rural incomes and diversified income sources, including salaried income.
The report also reveals a divide: 19 per cent of rural individuals rely solely on agricultural income, with 82 per cent of them facing financial concerns, while the remaining 81 per cent with diverse income sources report less stress and larger basket sizes.
In media consumption, rural India increasingly adopts a hybrid approach of traditional and digital media, with 47 per cent following this trend, especially in areas with better digital infrastructure. States like Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, however, remain less digitally connected, requiring targeted media strategies.
GroupM OOH solutions in India MD Ajay Mehta added, “The rural landscape is no longer just a geographical space; it’s a digital frontier ripe with opportunities. As rural consumers embrace online platforms, brands must adapt their strategies to meet them where they are. By investing in digital initiatives that resonate with rural India’s aspirations, brands can contribute to the nation’s development and tap into a burgeoning market that promises substantial growth.”
“2024 Rural Barometer report shows that rural consumers are experiencing rising purchasing power and evolving lifestyles, as seen in increased basket sizes and a preference for convenience products, despite ongoing financial concerns. Regional differences in financial resilience are linked to diverse employment opportunities. We are also seeing rural media consumption shifting toward a hybrid of traditional and digital formats, though digital access remains uneven across states,” said Kantar director – specialist businesses, insights division – Puneet Avasthi.
As rural India evolves, digital platforms are becoming crucial for engaging consumers. From payments and e-commerce to gaming and lifestyle content, the digital landscape is expanding. While traditional media remains important, a hybrid approach combining online and offline channels is key to reaching rural audiences. By understanding rural consumers’ needs and preferences, brands can tap into this growing market.
Rural consumers are increasingly interested in lifestyle content, such as fashion, health, and travel, reflecting their desire for topics that align with their daily lives and aspirations.
The report also highlights a shift towards digital payments, now used by 42 per cent of active internet users, and e-commerce, used by 23 per cent. This indicates growing financial and digital inclusion in rural India.
Highlights:
1. Rural India has seen a marked increase in the average basket size from 5.88 in 2022 to 9.3 in 2024, driven by higher consumption in convenience categories like RTE, beverages, etc.
2. States where rural consumers have less concerns on the current financial situation, largely have shown higher growth in basket size.
3. Rural consumers with diversified income streams display the least financial concerns and have larger monthly category basket size.
4. Rural India’s media consumption is increasingly hybrid, with nearly one in two of rural consumers exposed to both online and offline media.
5. Telecom and digital can be effective in providing incremental reach in Hindi-speaking markets.
6. Digital platforms for payments, e-commerce, and gaming platforms are gaining traction, while genres like fashion, travel and fitness are popular among rural online users reflecting a growing interest in lifestyle-oriented topics.
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.
