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Surprising trends in India’s digital content consumption

4 minutes, 35 seconds read

In a country that ranks second in the world for video consumption, cheap data is often attributed as the primary driver behind it. Although data is cheapest in India (Rs. 18.5/GB in 2018, Rs. 3.4/GB in 2019), regional content curated and consumed by natives contributed a great deal to the adoption of digital in rural India. Digital content consumption is expected to double, with over a billion of the population having a smartphone by the next decade. Let’s see what will change in the coming decade? But before, a quick insight into the existing Indian digital landscape.

India’s Digital Demography

Users: 94% of the urban population in India has an internet subscription; which falls to a considerable low among the rural populace (only 24%), according to TRAI.

There are four categories of internet users – Digital sophisticates (3%): these are tech-savvy, wealthy, and urban and prefer global and original content; Digital enthusiasts (36%): these are mainly smartphone & TV streaming users with preference for Hindi and regional content; Digital mainstream (59%): these are predominantly smartphone users and seek free content available online or bundled TV packages; Fringe users (2%): these are irregular users belonging to remote areas where internet connectivity is poor. (India’s Digital Future, KPMG, 2019)

Temp-infographic

Preferences: Nearly 30% of google search in India is voice-driven (Business Standard, 2019), indicating voice assistance will further progress linguistic democratization.

In India, YouTube accounts for nearly 265 million unique, active users. 95% of these users watch videos in their regional languages (Economic Times, 2018).

Google and Facebook account for nearly 80% of the digital advertisement in India (KPMG India analysis). In 2018, Google reported INR 93 billion in revenues from its operations in India, with 67% accruing from its digital ads platform. Also, video ads contribute to most of ad-spent (53%).

In 2018, there were 340 million smartphone users in India, which is projected to reach 829 million by 2022, according to the CISCO VNI report.

New Trends in Digital Content Consumption

Today, video streaming services have more subscribers (613 million) than traditional cable connection (556 million), according to VentureBeat news.

The media consumption in India has grown at a CAGR 9% during 2012-18 (IBEF, 2019), which is almost nine times that of the US. Print media and television remains the largest platform for advertisement, however the future might witness a shift.

The Indian FMCG sector spends the most on digital advertising. However, considering its overall budget, it’s only 16%. Interestingly, the BFSI sector spends nearly 38% of its marketing budget on digital advertising. (Dentsu Aegis Digital Report, 2019) This indicates that industries have started to realize and invest in digital platforms.

Regional content: According to KPMG in India analysis, consumers spend 35-43% of their time on regional videos on digital platforms. Digital content and media platforms like Zee5, Hotstar, Voot, and Amazon Prime Video are keen on producing original and region-based content. According to Financial Express, the cost to develop regional content is 30-40% lower than that of Hindi and has a larger viewership. 

Original content: The increased digital content consumption also demands originality. Today, content generation is not limited to the media and entertainment industry. For instance, in September 2019, Zomato launched a video streaming service on its app. The primary goal remains the same- customer engagement. Addressing the fact that food is not the only thing people consume these days, businesses are penetrating the minds of youth through quality and original content. 

Hotstar reports 80% of its viewership from dramas and movies and plans to invest INR 120 crores in creating original content.

The Future of Content in India and APAC

The next significant disruption in content consumption will come from 5G technology. Because digital content needs internet and India’s still dangling between 2G and lower cap of the 4G network. Setting up a 5G network will require a $500 billion investment in the next 5-7 years. The government is expecting the initial deployment of the 5G network by 2020 and roll-out by 2022.

5G technology will be able to handle more traffic at a higher speed, satisfying the demand for high data and the growing number of mobile users. HD content will become a thing of the past and consumers will be interacting with augmented reality in their everyday life. It will not only enhance augmented reality and virtual reality experiences but will also support IoT, autonomous vehicles, and automation to name a few. However, India isn’t quite ready for 5G technology yet. The following graph illustrates the countries which are about to enter the 5G era.

5G-Adoption-across-the-world

An overview of digital behavior in Japan, Korea, and Singapore which are among the top 10 countries to deploy 5G.

 JapanRepublic of KoreaSingapore
Internet penetration93%99.5%84.0%
Mobile penetration89.9%95.8%147.3%
Preferred device to go onlineSmartphone (59.7%)Smartphone (94.3%)
Online activityEmail (80.2%), weather report (65.8%), transport (63.4%)Communication (95.2%), information search (94.0%)

Source: SourceSource: India’s Digital Future, KPMG

5G will also make technologies like Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, cloud-based gaming, IoT and OTT services commercially available.

Apart from this, AI (Artificial Intelligence) will continue to retain customer engagement through predictive analytics, machine learning, and natural language processing capabilities.

For example, Hotstar uses machine learning algorithms for personalized movie recommendations. It predicts user preferences by calculating total watch time per user per month. The company is leveraging AI technology for translations, audio to text conversions, video compression, object detection, and scene classification.

Also read – Your Shopping Cart just got a whole lot Smarter, this festive season.

We’re an AI-first products and solutions firm with extensive experience in insurance and consumer internet domains. Feel free to reach us out at hello@mantralabsglobal.com for an intelligent digital solution to your business requirements.

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What’s Next in Cloud Optimization? Can We Optimize Costs Without Sacrificing Performance?

Not too long ago, storing data meant dedicating an entire room to massive CPUs. Then came the era of personal computers, followed by external hard drives and USB sticks. Now, storage has become practically invisible, floating somewhere between data centers and, well, the clouds—probably the ones in the sky. Cloud computing continues to evolve, As cloud computing evolves, optimizing costs without sacrificing performance has become a real concern.  How can organizations truly future-proof their cloud strategy while reducing costs? Let’s explore new-age cloud optimization strategies in 2025 designed for maximum performance and cost efficiency.

Smarter Cloud Strategies: Cutting Costs While Boosting Performance

1. AI-Driven Cost Prediction and Auto-Optimization

When AI is doing everything else, why not let it take charge of cloud cost optimization too? Predictive analytics powered by AI can analyze usage trends and automatically scale resources before traffic spikes, preventing unnecessary over-provisioning. Cloud optimization tools like AWS Compute Optimizer and Google’s Active Assist are early versions of this trend.

  • How it Works: AI tools analyze real-time workload data and predict future cloud resource needs, automating provisioning and scaling decisions to minimize waste while maintaining performance.
  • Use case: Netflix optimizes cloud costs by using AI-driven auto-scaling to dynamically allocate resources based on streaming demand, reducing unnecessary expenditure while ensuring a smooth user experience.

2. Serverless and Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) Evolution

That seamless experience where everything just works the moment you need it—serverless computing is making cloud management feel exactly like that. Serverless computing eliminates idle resources, cutting down costs while boosting cloud performance. You only pay for the execution time of functions, making it a cost-effective cloud optimization technique.

  • How it works: Serverless computing platforms like AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, and Azure Functions execute event-driven workloads, ensuring efficient cloud resource utilization while eliminating the need for constant infrastructure management.
  • Use case: Coca-Cola leveraged AWS Lambda for its vending machines, reducing backend infrastructure costs and improving operational efficiency by scaling automatically with demand. 

3. Decentralized Cloud Computing: Edge Computing for Cost Reduction

Why send all your data to the cloud when it can be processed right where it’s generated? Edge computing reduces data transfer costs and latency by handling workloads closer to the source. By distributing computing power across multiple edge nodes, companies can avoid expensive, centralized cloud processing and minimize data egress fees.

  • How it works: Companies deploy micro data centers and AI-powered edge devices to analyze data closer to the source, reducing dependency on cloud bandwidth and lowering operational costs.
  • Use case: Retail giant Walmart leverages edge computing to process in-store data locally, reducing latency in inventory management and enhancing customer experience while cutting cloud expenses.

4. Cloud Optimization with FinOps Culture

FinOps (Cloud Financial Operations) is a cloud cost management practice that enables organizations to optimize cloud costs while maintaining operational efficiency. By fostering collaboration between finance, operations, and engineering teams, FinOps ensures cloud investments align with business goals, improving ROI and reducing unnecessary expenses.

  • How it works: Companies implement FinOps platforms like Apptio Cloudability and CloudHealth to gain real-time insights, automate cost optimization, and enforce financial accountability across cloud operations.
  • Use case: Early adopters of FinOps were Adobe, which leveraged it to analyze cloud spending patterns and dynamically allocate resources, leading to significant cost savings while maintaining application performance. 

5. Storage Tiering with Intelligent Data Lifecycle Management

Not all data needs a VIP seat in high-performance storage. Intelligent data lifecycle management ensures frequently accessed data stays hot, while infrequently used data moves to cost-effective storage. Cloud-adjacent storage, where data is stored closer to compute resources but outside the primary cloud, is gaining traction as a cost-efficient alternative. By reducing egress fees and optimizing storage tiers, businesses can significantly cut expenses while maintaining performance.

  • How it’s being done: Companies use intelligent storage optimization tools like AWS S3 Intelligent-Tiering, Google Cloud Storage’s Autoclass, and cloud-adjacent storage solutions from providers like Equinix and Wasabi to reduce storage and data transfer costs.
  • Use case: Dropbox optimizes cloud storage costs by using multi-tiered storage systems, moving less-accessed files to cost-efficient storage while keeping frequently accessed data on high-speed servers. 

6. Quantum Cloud Computing: The Future-Proof Cost Gamechanger

Quantum computing sounds like sci-fi, but cloud providers like AWS Braket and Google Quantum AI are already offering early-stage access. While still evolving, quantum cloud computing has the potential to process vast datasets at lightning speed, dramatically cutting costs for complex computations. By solving problems that traditional computers take days or weeks to process, quantum computing reduces the need for excessive computing resources, slashing operational costs.

  • How it works: Cloud providers integrate quantum computing services with existing cloud infrastructure, allowing businesses to test and run quantum algorithms for complex problem-solving without massive upfront investments.
  • Use case: Daimler AG leverages quantum computing to optimize battery materials research, reducing R&D costs and accelerating EV development.

7. Sustainable Cloud Optimization: Green Computing Meets Cost Efficiency

Running workloads when renewable energy is at its peak isn’t just good for the planet—it’s good for your budget too. Sustainable cloud computing aligns operations with renewable energy cycles, reducing reliance on non-renewable sources and lowering overall operational costs.

  • How it works: Companies use carbon-aware cloud scheduling tools like Microsoft’s Emissions Impact Dashboard to track energy consumption and optimize workload placement based on sustainability goals.
  • Use case: Google Cloud shifts workloads to data centers powered by renewable energy during peak production hours, reducing carbon footprint and lowering energy expenses. 

The Next Frontier: Where Cloud Optimization is Headed

Cloud optimization in 2025 isn’t just about playing by the old rules. It’s about reimagining the game entirely. With AI-driven automation, serverless computing, edge computing, FinOps, quantum advancements, and sustainable cloud practices, businesses can achieve cost savings and high cloud performance like never before.

Organizations that embrace these innovations will not only optimize their cloud spend but also gain a competitive edge through improved efficiency, agility, and sustainability. The future of cloud computing in 2025 isn’t just about cost-cutting—it’s about making smarter, more strategic cloud investments.

At Mantra Labs, we specialize in AI-driven cloud solutions, helping businesses optimize cloud costs, improve performance, and stay ahead in an ever-evolving digital landscape. Let’s build a smarter, more cost-efficient cloud strategy together. Get in touch with us today!

Are you ready to make your cloud strategy smarter, cost-efficient, and future-ready with AI-driven, serverless, and sustainable innovations?

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