87% Indians Prefer YouTube Over Traditional TV, Watch 72+ Minutes of It Daily: Survey

YouTube’s Brandcast 2025 event in Mumbai highlighted the platform’s significant reach in India. According to Google Internal Data, YouTube Shorts had over 650 million monthly logged-in viewers as of June, while Connected TV reached over 75 million people aged 18+ in April. Indians aged 18 and older spend an average of 72 minutes daily on YouTube, based on April data.

An MTM survey revealed that 87 percent of Indian viewers use YouTube daily, compared to 69 percent for other online platforms and 28 percent for traditional TV or video-on-demand.

Several brands are leveraging YouTube’s platform to achieve business outcomes. Acko adopted a full-stack strategy across Connected TV, Shorts, and Demand Gen, resulting in 40 percemt year-on-year business growth and an 82 percent reduction in media costs.

Myntra’s Shorts First strategy during the last Big Fashion Festival reached 19 million users with a 60 percent better cost-per-reach. Sebamed’s omnichannel approach, including creator partnerships and Partnership Ads, led to a 2x sales uplift and a 33 percent year-on-year increase in brand searches. Instamart utilized AI-driven campaigns with Veo 3 for festive seasons, achieving a 6 percent more efficient cost per acquisition for its Raksha Bandhan campaign compared to traditional video assets.

At Brandcast 2025, YouTube introduced new tools to enhance brand engagement. These include the Immersive Masthead on Connected TV for full-screen homepage ads, a targeting solution for urban and rural audiences, and a Creator Partnerships Hub to streamline collaborations with creators via Google Ads. Peak Points, powered by Gemini and set to launch next year, will identify high-engagement moments for ad placements.