‘YouTube vs TV’: Where are Indians watching more news now?

YouTube commands massive attention, with 87% of Indian adults using it daily for over 72 minutes on average to watch news and content. It attracts 467 million active users monthly, making it India’s largest news platform by audience size.

Only 39% of Indians now primarily rely on TV for news, down from previous years. The traditional TV audience is shrinking, especially among younger age groups who prefer digital video platforms for news and interaction.

With over 75 million Indian adults accessing YouTube through Connected TV (smart TVs), the platform is blending traditional TV viewing with digital convenience. YouTube’s shorts format has also attracted 650 million monthly logged-in users in India.

YouTube offers a wide range of news channels representing multiple viewpoints, appealing to a younger and more politically diverse audience. This contrasts with TV’s often narrower, mainstream political narratives.

Gen Z and millennials in urban India predominantly consume news via video platforms like YouTube, with 91% relying on social media and 88% on video. This shift is driven by their preference for personalised and interactive news formats.

Indians watch over 9.6 billion hours of news and current affairs monthly on YouTube - a 156% rise annually. This growth outpaces traditional TV news consumption, making YouTube the dominant platform for news discovery.

Digital-first platforms like YouTube are reshaping how Indians access and engage with news, with video-led, interactive, and regional language content gaining prominence. Traditional TV must innovate to stay relevant in this new era.