63% Indians want to watch ads in exchange for free content: Report

YouGov's global media report titled ‘International Media Consumption Report 2021- Is there a new normal?’ stated that a plurality of consumers in 17 markets including India, Mexico, Spain and Poland favoured the idea of watching ads in exchange for free content.

On the other hand, this concept was less welcome in countries like France, Sweden and Denmark. 

The study highlights that during the pandemic, film and TV subscriptions such as Netflix, AppleTV+ and HBO Max became most popular across the globe, whereas music streaming services such as Spotify and digital, cable, or satellite TV subscriptions alternated between second and third place, depending upon the market. 

55% of urban Indians signed up for a film or TV subscription, followed by 44% onto Digital/satellite TV services, securing the second highest place in the world, after Mexico. Music subscriptions ranked as the third most popular, with 33% subscribing to a paid version of a music streaming platform.

Data from the study showed that globally, in the past week, live TV was the most consumed traditional media across the 17 markets barring the UAE, Singapore, and China. 

In India, among urban Indians, print's popularity stood at 46%, whereas consumption of online video content stood at 59% followed by social media at 55%. 32% consumed news online or on an app and only 21% read a digital magazine. On the other hand, consumption of radio, podcast and audiobooks was much lower. 

57% of urban Indians watched live TV on their phone, tablet or computer in the past week, which was a common trend across age-groups, except for consumers over 55 years-of-age who consumed lesser at 47%.

Julian Newby, sector head of media, YouGov, said, "Covid-19 has had a dramatic impact on consumer behaviour globally, and in turn, on media consumption habits. With a pandemic keeping more people indoors than ever before, digital media assumed greater importance as a means of keeping the public informed and entertained. Even then, certain traditional media formats remained popular among the masses. Our data shows that there are huge challenges for brands and advertisers looking to achieve ROI and effectively reach consumers in the right channels, at the right time and with the right message. Reliable, up-to-date insight can provide an early window into behaviour change to inform effective media planning and campaign development." 

For international comparisons, the study is nationally representative and online or urban representative, depending upon the market.