Gen Z, AI, & Short-form video: Arun Srinivas on India’s media shifts

At FICCI Frames 2025, Arun Srinivas, Managing Director and Country Head, Meta India, outlined the transformative trends defining India’s media and entertainment landscape. “The oldest Gen Z is already 28, and Gen Alpha is close behind at 15-16 years old. These are not futuristic audiences — they are earning, consuming, and shaping markets today,” he said.

According to Srinivas, Gen Z is increasingly consuming content on Meta platforms, primarily Instagram and Facebook, with over 65% of their daily engagement occurring there. On Instagram Reels alone, 43% of consumption in India comes from Gen Z. “Young generations process content three times faster than previous ones,” he said, citing studies showing attention spans dropping from 4.5 seconds to 1.4 seconds. “Frequency is critical — they engage after seeing the same brand multiple times, which signals personalisation.”

He said that short-form video has emerged as the dominant medium, surpassing television. An Ipsos study from April revealed that 97% of Indians watch short-form video daily, compared with 83% for TV, with TV viewership declining steadily. Srinivas noted that even rural households increasingly have multiple devices, creating personalised, individual consumption patterns.

Instagram Reels is India’s leading short-form platform, with over 4.5 billion Reels shared globally each day, doubling from 2 billion a year ago. Consumption growth in towns under 10 lakh population is over 70%, 40% in NCCSBC segments, and 30% among Gen Z. Brands are leveraging Reels for film promotions, awareness campaigns, AR experiences, and end-to-end audience engagement, reaching hundreds of millions in the first days of content launches.

Another emerging trend is micro dramas — episodic content of 1–5 minutes, often adapted from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese shows. With over 50 million downloads in the past year and more than 50% revenue from repeat users, micro dramas cater to mobile-first audiences with shorter attention spans. India is projected to become a $10 billion micro drama market by 2025.

AI is playing a critical role in content creation and advertising. Meta AI is now widely used on Instagram and WhatsApp in India. Globally, over 4 million advertisers used AI last quarter, generating 15 million pieces of content with double-digit higher ROI than human creatives. Meta invested $64 million in AI last year, with hundreds of billions over four years, aiming to make Meta AI the most widely used personal assistant globally.

Srinivas also highlighted India’s largest ecosystem of digital creators, supported by tools for content creation, trend insights, and video editing. Apps like Edits allow creators to publish content quickly, while AI enables faster and more effective ad targeting and engagement.

In conclusion, Srinivas identified four trends reshaping the industry: Gen Z’s selective attention, short-form video overtaking long-form and linear TV, AI-enabled content creation, and the rise of micro dramas. 

“Let’s build the future of connection together,” he said, emphasising the need for innovation across platforms, content formats, and technology to engage India’s rapidly evolving audiences.