GUEST ARTICLE: The future of content consumption in India: 2023 trends

Mumbai: Earlier, the patterns of content consumption were not very diverse due to a restricted range of content. With the advent of social media and digital platforms, audiences are now able to engage with both regional & universal content. From watching funny reels on Instagram to binge watching your favourite shows on OTT, content providing mediums have diversified.

As over a billion people will already be having a smartphone by next decade, popular brands all over the world are using visual storytelling as a way of communication. Therefore, it is safe to say that in today’s era of easy internet accessibility and content availability, short-format content shall continue to thrive in 2023.

Rise of video centric storytelling

India has one of the largest audiences for video consumption in the world. Considering it’s important for audiences to get a real life picture of a product and messaging, video is perhaps the most effective tool. Today, over 50 per cent brands have been actively engaging in communication involving the use of visual storytelling as no other medium can subtly engage human senses the same way a video does. Therefore, it is safe to believe that video as a marketing tool won't leave the digital domain any time soon.

Within the video ecosystem, the audience has parallely consumed content, both shorter and longer in duration. The idea that content shorter in duration is more convenient and comforting seemed correct with the advent of short-form video features, such as Instagram reels.

Evolution of short format content

Due to the launch of digital platforms and content providing applications in the past few years, the content available was huge in amount. This indeed decreased the attention span of the audience, thereby influencing them to engage with short format content for comfort and convenience. With over 50 million users already engaging with short format content, it is for content makers to weave new trends with the use of existing formats preferred by the audience. Considering the dynamic nature of our audiences, it won't be a surprise if the audience demands the merge of both formats, i.e. long and short format content in 2023, perhaps a series of mobile content.

From a long term perspective, building an intellectual property rather than a standalone short content seems beneficial for both the entities, the content maker as well as the audience. With seven out of yen smartphones having some short video app, it is clear that mobile content is one of the most upcoming trends to look forward to.

The author of this article is Natak Pictures founder Rahul Bhatnagar.