Indians Spend Less Than 50 Mins On OTT & Online Gaming Daily

SUMMARY

Among digital entertainment avenues, time spent by Indians on social media remains the highest at 194 minutes a day, states a report by tech and policy think-tank Esya Centre

A median user spends less than INR 100 a month on online gaming and INR 200-400 on OTT platforms

Per the report, a 30% increase in participation fee for online games may lead to a 71% dip in engagement, indicating high price sensitivity among Indian users

Indian users spend 194 minutes on social media, 44 minutes on OTT, and 46 minutes online gaming daily, according to a report — “New-Age Digital Consumption: A Survey of Social Media, OTT Content and Online Gaming”.

In its study, tech and policy think-tank Esya Centre has highlighted that a median user spends less than INR 100 a month on online gaming and INR 200-400 on OTT.

Further, as per the survey report, most users say that a 30% increase in participation fee for online games may lead to a 71% dip in engagement, indicating high price sensitivity among them.

The survey was conducted across 10 major cities, which involved 2,000 respondents and was further supported by in-app data from over 20.6 Lakh users, spanning 143 mobile applications.

While all users are active on social media at least once a month, the corresponding number for OTT and online gaming stands at 60% and 40%, respectively, the report added. As many as 89% of users are active on social media daily while only 22% and 12% are active on OTT and online gaming, respectively, the report noted.

The survey further observed that user safety, grievance redressal and cumbersome KYC requirements are the three key points of concern for users across social media and online gaming.

“There is a lack of research examining both policy and user adoption trends in key digital markets. We believe that the findings of the report are very relevant, especially at a time when the government is in the process of formulating user-centric policies for the digital industries. We hope that the insights from the report will help inform a forward-looking policy stance that focuses on user protection over paternalistic interventions and blanket bans,” Amjad Ali Khan, director at the Esya Centre, said.

Last month, the GST Council decided to levy 28% GST on online real-money gaming on full face value. The GST Council’s decision to levy 28% GST on real-money gaming will be implemented from October 1 and will be reviewed six months after it comes into effect. The Lok Sabha last week approved the amendments to the Central and Integrated GST laws to levy 28% GST.