Over 80% of Indians consume more than 1GB of mobile data, with over two-thirds of traffic emerging from non-metro regions, according to Lumikai’s ‘Swipe Before Type - How Indians Watch. Listen. Play. Pay.’. The annual consumer intelligence report decodes behaviour shifts across video, gaming, social, live streaming, AI-based platforms and emerging content formats.
Based on primary research from nearly 3,000 mobile users, Lumikai found that at least 40% maintain three or more active subscriptions and 52% download a new app weekly.
Another interesting finding was the regional skew of audiences as India’s entertainment universe has expanded. The South leads in gaming consumption, the North favours passive social (Facebook, Instagram), the West enjoys gaming and active social platforms (ShareChat, Eloelo, Astrotalk, Bumble), and the East gravitates toward AVOD (YouTube).
Where attention goes, monetisation follows
For years, astrology, Bollywood and cricket (A-B-C) was the holy trinity of what drove entertainment consumption. However, Lumikai said, in just five years, that bouquet has expanded from A-B-C to A-B-C-D-E-F-G. Today, Indians are also willing to pay for Dating or Devotion apps, Education (including AI tutors), Fandom (live streaming and creator economy), and Gaming.
Games command a 70% share of wallet for ticket sizes above Rs 1,000, signalling that propensity to pay amongst gamers is significantly higher than that across other forms of entertainment.
Video and social dominated share of wallet in the INR 200–500 ticket size with a 30% share each, while audio commanded the highest share of ticket sizes under INR 200 (30%). The report also found that 35% of users were paying for premium podcast and audio book content on a monthly basis.
“Success today requires understanding not just where attention goes, but how cultural rhythms, regional preferences, and emerging formats like anime, gaming, and AI are creating entirely new monetisation frontiers,” said Salone Sehgal, founder and managing partner, Lumikai.
Anime and microdramas are two surprisingly high-affinity examples of this. Platforms like StoryTV and ReelShorts are gaining traction with snackable storytelling that fits mobile-first consumption patterns.
Lumikai also found that roughly 30% of metro video users watch anime regularly, with Netflix (51%) and Crunchyroll (24%) dominating consumption. One Piece, Naruto, Death Note, Demon Slayer, and Attack on Titan lead viewership, showing Indian tastes align with global trends.
When it comes to interactive social platforms, 43% of users now pay for enhanced experiences through subscriptions, virtual gifting, IAPs, and social shopping.
RMG’s loss is casual and mid-core’s gain
Gaming was one of the most interesting monetisation channels. 33% of gamers make in-game payments, primarily for cosmetic upgrades, power-ups, and ad removal, with UPI driving over 80% of transactions. Notably, 54% of paying users monetise within a week of install, and 22% pay at least once weekly.
45% of gamers were women and 60% came from non-metros. This tracks with Lumikai’s ‘2023 State of Indian Gaming report’ that found that women made up over 40% of Indian gamers and outplayed men, clocking in an average of 11.2 hours a week compared to 10.2 hours for men.
Interestingly, casual and mid-core mobile games saw an uptick in both consumption and monetisation as RMG and fantasy gaming declined. Ludo King, Candy Crush, Free Fire, and BGMI topped the charts for gameplay, while Free Fire, BGMI, Clash of Clans, and Coin Master led monetisation.
