Meta has announced that Instagram Reels has taken the top spot as India’s most preferred short video platform, leaving behind television, YouTube, and other rivals. The announcement comes as Reels marks five years in India. The findings are based on a survey conducted by IPSOS for Meta, which covered more than 3,500 people across 33 Indian cities to understand viewing habits, cultural influence, and the role of Reels in daily life.
The survey highlighted that short videos have become the leading choice for Indians when it comes to daily entertainment. Ninety-seven percent of respondents said they watch short-form videos at least once a day, and among them, 92 percent identified Reels as their go-to destination. The report further noted that the platform is especially dominant among Gen Z users and urban audiences.
Meta also emphasized that Reels has become a powerful tool for businesses. According to the company, four out of five people in India discover new brands through Meta’s platforms, with Reels playing a significant role. It was claimed that advertisements on Reels achieve far greater impact compared to long-form videos, delivering double the top-of-mind recall, four times stronger brand association, and 1.5 times higher effectiveness in brand outcomes than traditional skippable ads.
To maximize impact on the platform, Meta advised marketers to design content tailored specifically for the Reels format. They suggested that creating social-first storytelling and collaborating with influencers can help brands achieve authenticity and cultural relevance, ensuring better engagement.
The company also stressed Reels’ popularity in driving conversations across categories. It reported that engagement on the platform is about one-third higher than on competing apps. Fashion and style content records forty percent higher consumption on Reels, beauty and makeup posts show a twenty percent increase, and music and film-related clips attract sixteen percent more viewers compared with other platforms.
