Meta has released findings from a new IPSOS study highlighting the growing role of video consumption across India, with 97% of surveyed users reporting that they watch videos on Meta platforms daily. The study, which surveyed more than 4,000 respondents across 23 cities including metro, Tier 2, Tier 3, and rural markets, suggests that India's video-first transformation is now being driven by both urban and rural audiences.
According to the findings, daily video engagement stands at 98% in urban India and 94% in rural India, indicating that the gap between cities and smaller towns has narrowed significantly. Meta also claims leadership in daily video consumption among Gen Z (97%), women (97%), and NCCS A audiences (98%).
Reels Sees Strong Engagement Across Gen Z, Women, and Bharat Audiences
At the centre of Meta's findings is Reels, which the company says has evolved beyond a short-form video product into a key destination for content discovery, creator engagement, and commerce.
Among Gen Z users, 89% engage with Reels daily, while daily usage stands at 85% among women and 88% among NCCS A audiences. Meta says Reels has become a primary platform for discovering trends, creators, communities, and brands across different audience groups.
Saugato Bhowmik, Director, CPG, D2C, Automotive, India at Meta, said that creators, culture, and commerce are increasingly converging on Reels, making it an important touchpoint for brands looking to connect with consumers throughout the purchase journey.
Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle, and Sports Lead Reels Engagement
The study also highlights the content categories generating the highest engagement on Reels.
Beauty and makeup (52%) and fashion and trends (52%) emerged as the most popular genres, followed by lifestyle (42%), fitness and wellness (42%), comedy and humour (39%), sports (38%), and travel (37%).
Meta claims that Reels delivers nearly 60% higher creator engagement than other surveyed short-form video platforms, reinforcing the growing influence of creator-led content across the platform.
The study further notes that 84% of Gen Z users and 73% of rural users discover new products and brands through Meta platforms, highlighting the role creators increasingly play in product discovery and consumer influence.
Reels Influences Product Discovery, Consideration, and Purchase Decisions
Beyond content consumption, Meta positions Reels as an increasingly important commerce platform.
According to the study, Reels contributes to 81% product discovery, 66% consideration, and 47% purchase influence among surveyed users. The company says the platform plays a significant role across categories such as e-commerce, automotive, and financial services.
In the automotive segment, Meta claims influence across the entire consumer journey, from discovery (82%) and consideration (68%) to purchase decisions (50%). Within financial services, 76% of rural financial-services users reportedly engage with Meta platforms daily, while 54% of women who own financial products engage with creators on Meta every day.
Video Consumption Continues to Reshape India's Digital Landscape
The findings underscore how rapidly video consumption is becoming the default mode of internet usage across India. The near-parity between urban and rural engagement levels suggests that short-form video adoption is no longer concentrated in major cities but is increasingly widespread across the country.
For Meta, the study reinforces Reels' growing position as a platform that combines entertainment, creator engagement, and commerce within a single experience. As brands continue shifting marketing budgets toward creator-led and video-first campaigns, platforms such as Reels are likely to play an increasingly important role in how consumers discover products, engage with communities, and make purchasing decisions online.
As with any platform-sponsored research, the findings should be viewed within the context of a Meta-commissioned study. However, the scale of engagement highlighted by the report reflects the broader industry trend of video becoming central to India's digital economy across both metropolitan and Bharat audiences.
