Instagram Reels Viewership Surpasses TV in India, Meta Report Claims

Meta, on Thursday, claimed that Reels on Instagram is the leading short-video viewing platform in India. The Menlo Park-based social media giant's claims were based on the responses to a survey it conducted in India. The survey was done to mark the occasion of Reels completing five years of its launch in the country. In addition to claiming that users in India prefer Reels over other surveyed competitors, the company also claimed that the consumption frequency of short-format videos has overtaken that of TV and OTT platforms.

Instagram Reels Said to Be the Preferred Short Video Viewing Platform in India

In a report shared with Gadgets 360, the social media giant made several big claims about its Reels platform. The findings were said to be based on a Meta-commissioned survey in collaboration with market research and public opinion firm Ipsos. The survey was conducted to mark five years since Instagram launched a separate Reels tab on the platform.

The company claims that it surveyed more than 3,500 people from 33 different centres across India. It found that 92 percent of the surveyed participants said they prefer watching short-form videos on Reels over any other surveyed competitor. The company did not name the rivals listed in the survey.

Additionally, 97 percent of the respondents admitted to watching short-form videos at least once a day, Meta claimed. In comparison, 83 percent said they watch TV at least once a day. The numbers get more interesting. The report also cited an April 2025 ‘Online video consumption of digital India' study, which stated that 82 percent of individuals consume social media daily. The percentage falls to 78 and 43 percent, respectively, for TV and OTT platforms.

Focusing on creators, Meta claimed that Instagram Reels drives 33 percent higher engagement than any other short-video platform. Some of the topics with higher viewership than other platforms include “fashion/trends and styles” with a 40 percent higher consumption, “beauty and makeup” with a 20 percent higher consumption, and “music/movies” with a 16 percent higher consumption compared to other surveyed platforms.

Meta also claimed that Reels play a key role in brand discovery. As many as 80 percent of the surveyed individuals said that they discover new brands on Meta platforms, the company claimed.

“Reels ads also deliver 2x stronger top-of-mind recall and 4x stronger message association compared to long-form video ads, while being 1.5x more effective in driving brand metrics as compared to long-form skippable video ads,” the report added.