India’s digital entertainment audience is moving from passive viewing to active participation across gaming, social, video and audio platforms, according to Lumikai’s Swipe Before Type 2025 consumer insights report.
The study, conducted with Ipsos across 3,000 mobile phone users in metro and non-metro locations, highlights that India’s digital population is young, experimental and increasingly willing to pay. More than 80% of users consume over 1 GB of data daily, two-thirds are from non-metro areas and women account for over 46% of interactive media users. UPI is the dominant mode of payment, used by 80% of respondents.
“The ABC of entertainment used to be astrology, Bollywood and cricket,” said Salone Sehgal, Managing Partner at Lumikai. “With widespread mobile internet and digital payments, consumers are now spending across an expanded digital alphabet that includes gaming, dating, devotion apps, online education, fandom platforms and more.”
Gaming takes the lead
Gaming has emerged as the top digital activity in India, ahead of OTT streaming, short video and music. Nearly twice as many users prefer gaming compared with watching OTT or short video content. Women account for 45% of gamers and 60% of the gamer base is from non-metro locations.
“Forty-nine per cent of attention share goes towards gaming,” Sehgal said.
Users typically play two to three games and spend more than eight hours a week gaming. About one-third of gamers make in-app purchases, mainly for cosmetic upgrades and power-ups, with UPI powering 80% of those transactions.
“Monetisation now extends beyond ads. We see subscriptions, virtual gifting and recurring micro-transactions becoming common,” she added.
Short video consumption grows; microdramas scale
Users spend around six hours a week watching video content, dominated by short-form platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Microdramas, a growing format, offer short episodic content that fits into small time windows.
“Micro dramas are the hyper-casual version of watching OTT. If you have five minutes, you are probably not going to start a full show,” Sehgal said.
More than 54% of video consumers now pay for content, favouring monthly subscription plans. Anime viewership is rising, with 30% of metro users watching it regularly.
“India is the second largest overseas market for Crunchyroll outside of the US. India will remain an importer because they hold the IPs,” she said.
Social apps become transactional
Users spend around 10 hours a week on social and community platforms. Apps such as Snapchat, Eloelo and creator-interaction platforms are gaining traction, and one-third of respondents use astrology and spiritual-tech apps.
“We do not go on the app store to search for apps. You will use what your friend or family member is using or what you have seen online,” Sehgal said.
Around 43% of users spend money on social platforms through virtual gifting, tipping and creator subscriptions.
Audio expands beyond music
Audio consumption is diversifying into podcasts and audiobooks. Nearly 57% of audio users pay for content, with listening peaking during commuting, work and chores.
AI interest grows but caution remains
About 41% of users are positive towards AI-generated content, while 42% prefer talking to a human rather than a chatbot. AI adoption is almost three times higher in metro cities.
“AI tutors, AI astrology advisers and AI audio companions will become mainstream. For adoption to scale, the product must provide real utility,” Sehgal said.
Subscriptions and micro-transactions dominate spending
User spending is consolidating around subscriptions and gaming.
“Seventy percent of monthly digital wallet share goes towards games and 83% of users have premium monthly subscriptions. Over Forty per cent of users have more than three subscriptions a month,” Sehgal said.
Lumikai expects healthier growth in casual and mid-core gaming as real-money gaming faces regulatory headwinds.
“The financial reward did not match the social risk. Now that users and talent are migrating away from RMG, founders are building products that create long-term value,” she said.
The study, conducted with Ipsos across 3,000 mobile phone users in metro and non-metro locations, highlights that India’s digital population is young, experimental and increasingly willing to pay. More than 80% of users consume over 1 GB of data daily, two-thirds are from non-metro areas and women account for over 46% of interactive media users. UPI is the dominant mode of payment, used by 80% of respondents.
“The ABC of entertainment used to be astrology, Bollywood and cricket,” said Salone Sehgal, Managing Partner at Lumikai. “With widespread mobile internet and digital payments, consumers are now spending across an expanded digital alphabet that includes gaming, dating, devotion apps, online education, fandom platforms and more.”
Gaming takes the lead
Gaming has emerged as the top digital activity in India, ahead of OTT streaming, short video and music. Nearly twice as many users prefer gaming compared with watching OTT or short video content. Women account for 45% of gamers and 60% of the gamer base is from non-metro locations.
“Forty-nine per cent of attention share goes towards gaming,” Sehgal said.
Users typically play two to three games and spend more than eight hours a week gaming. About one-third of gamers make in-app purchases, mainly for cosmetic upgrades and power-ups, with UPI powering 80% of those transactions.
“Monetisation now extends beyond ads. We see subscriptions, virtual gifting and recurring micro-transactions becoming common,” she added.
Short video consumption grows; microdramas scale
Users spend around six hours a week watching video content, dominated by short-form platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Microdramas, a growing format, offer short episodic content that fits into small time windows.
“Micro dramas are the hyper-casual version of watching OTT. If you have five minutes, you are probably not going to start a full show,” Sehgal said.
More than 54% of video consumers now pay for content, favouring monthly subscription plans. Anime viewership is rising, with 30% of metro users watching it regularly.
“India is the second largest overseas market for Crunchyroll outside of the US. India will remain an importer because they hold the IPs,” she said.
Social apps become transactional
Users spend around 10 hours a week on social and community platforms. Apps such as Snapchat, Eloelo and creator-interaction platforms are gaining traction, and one-third of respondents use astrology and spiritual-tech apps.
“We do not go on the app store to search for apps. You will use what your friend or family member is using or what you have seen online,” Sehgal said.
Around 43% of users spend money on social platforms through virtual gifting, tipping and creator subscriptions.
Audio expands beyond music
Audio consumption is diversifying into podcasts and audiobooks. Nearly 57% of audio users pay for content, with listening peaking during commuting, work and chores.
AI interest grows but caution remains
About 41% of users are positive towards AI-generated content, while 42% prefer talking to a human rather than a chatbot. AI adoption is almost three times higher in metro cities.
“AI tutors, AI astrology advisers and AI audio companions will become mainstream. For adoption to scale, the product must provide real utility,” Sehgal said.
Subscriptions and micro-transactions dominate spending
User spending is consolidating around subscriptions and gaming.
“Seventy percent of monthly digital wallet share goes towards games and 83% of users have premium monthly subscriptions. Over Forty per cent of users have more than three subscriptions a month,” Sehgal said.
Lumikai expects healthier growth in casual and mid-core gaming as real-money gaming faces regulatory headwinds.
“The financial reward did not match the social risk. Now that users and talent are migrating away from RMG, founders are building products that create long-term value,” she said.
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