• Source:JND
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Instagram Reels has officially marked five years in India, and Meta is celebrating with a bold claim — Reels has become the country’s leading short-form video platform, beating out YouTube, TV, and other rivals. The insight comes from an IPSOS study commissioned by Meta, which surveyed more than 3,500 people across 33 cities in India to understand how audiences consume short videos.

Short-Form Video Becomes India’s Go-To Entertainment

The report highlights how deeply short-form video has embedded itself into India’s daily routine. According to the study, 97% of people watch short videos on some platform at least once a day. Of those, an overwhelming 92% said they prefer Instagram Reels over other options. Meta also points out that Reels is now the most-watched platform among Gen Z and urban audiences in NCCS A and B categories.

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A Hub for Brands and Creators

Beyond entertainment, Meta claims Reels is reshaping how Indians discover brands and connect with creators. “We are now the top platform for brand discovery, with 80% of Indians saying they discover new brands on our platforms,” the company noted. It also added, “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.”

Meta says that to make the most of Reels, marketers should design social-first creatives that fit the platform and collaborate with creators for authentic, culturally relevant content. According to the company, creator-led engagement on Reels is about 33% higher than on other surveyed platforms.

Driving Culture Through Content

Reels is not just about numbers — Meta says it’s shaping cultural conversations across India. “Reels drive cultural conversations, leading consumption across genres, with users watching more content on fashion/trends and styles (+40% vs other platforms), beauty and makeup (+20% vs other platforms), and music/movies (+16% vs other platforms”,” Meta said.

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With five years behind it, Instagram Reels has transformed from a TikTok alternative into India’s most influential short-video platform, blending entertainment, culture, and brand engagement into one ecosystem.