India’s Gen Z and young Millennials prioritise digital: Study

With nearly one in four (23 per cent) Indians now consuming only digital content, there has been a pivotal shift in how the country’s consumers engage with media. This has been revealed in the latest report titled, ‘Media Compass 2025’, released by Kantar India. The report captures the trends in content consumption across TV, print, and digital platforms by studying the trends observed in an annual sample of 87,000 consumers along with quarterly updates.

Although 58% of Indian consumers continue to watch linear TV every month even today, connected TV (CTV) has added 3.50 crore incremental viewers, pointing to its rising importance as a high-value channel for advertisers. The 23% of digital-only users, who do not watch linear TV, also reveals the rising gap in consumption habits. In both categories, digital-only as well as CTV, there is a tilt towards males. Nearly 57% in both are male and remaining 43% female audiences in both. This underlines the need for content creators to implement inclusive content strategies.

Age also determines platform preference. Among 15–34-year-olds i.e. the Gen Z (13 to 28 years) and young Millennials (29 to 34 years), 55% favour digital and OTT services and 57% use social media. However, audiences aged 45 and above watch more linear TV (44%) than they use the internet, highlighting the need for age-based media planning for brands and agencies.

Similarly, contrary to conventional assumptions, digital-only users account for 74% of rural consumers and 75% linear TV viewers, with their CTV viewership matching the urban levels. The socio-economic trends show that the digital-only users are over-indexed in lower NCCS groups, while incremental CTV viewers concentrate in NCCS A. This trend underscores CTV’s premium positioning.

Puneet Avasthi, director, specialist businesses, insights division – South Asia at Kantar, said, “In today’s fragmented and fast-evolving media landscape, brands are under pressure to make every media rupee count. Yet, most decisions are still being made using outdated or incomplete data, leading to suboptimal media planning and missed connections with consumers. Media Compass 2025 aims to correct this and equip advertisers with timely, in-depth insights across platforms.”