Applications
India top 3 nation in web-connected TV usage: Study
MUMBAI: People in markets such as China, Brazil and India better exploit the opportunities offered by web-connected television, compared to countries such as the UK, US and Germany, according to research carried out across 13 countries by GfK‘s consumer research experts.
The study found that western consumers are stuck in an ‘analogue‘ mindset, whereas viewers in emerging markets are more likely to embrace the digital capabilities of Connected TV.
GfK research shows that a far higher proportion of Chinese, Korean and Indian consumers have used the functionalities of Smart TV in the past months, compared to those in Western markets.
GfK‘s findings show that ‘Social TV‘ has yet to fully take off. Globally, just 28 per cent of viewers said that they found programmes that they can interact with to be more interesting to watch. And just 25 per cent thought that tweeting and commenting on programmes ‘enhances the viewing experience‘.
Viewers in countries such as China, Brazil and India are more motivated by programmes they can interact with than those in markets such as the UK, US and Germany.
Connected TV | usage |
|---|---|
China | 44% |
S. Korea | 18% |
India | 17% |
Brazil | 14% |
Turkey | 13% |
UK | 11% |
USA | 11% |
Mexico | 11% |
Spain | 8% |
Germany | 8% |
Belgium | 6% |
Russia | 5% |
Netherlands | 5% |
Richard Preedy at GfK said: “Our findings suggest that broadcasters need to integrate their social elements far more engagingly into the fabric of the programme, in order to entice the viewer‘s interaction.”
Across all markets, the ability to connect to the internet is less important than price, screen size and display technology, when buying a new TV. But the West is more indifferent than the emerging markets, with only 26 per cent of UK and 29 per cent of US consumers saying they look out for a net enabled set, compared to 61 per cent in India and 64 per cent in China.
Applications
Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
