Shorts and reels make Netflix to Amazon Prime sweat

New Delhi: Streaming services from Netflix to Amazon Prime and long-form storytellers face a stiff challenge from short-video apps as attention spans dwindle and users feast on snacky content.

A consumer on an average spent 37 minutes watching shorter user-generated content and newsy snippets on film, fashion, food and global events in 2023, according to a report by Ficci-EY. That’s higher than 33 minutes in 2022, and more than 70% of such videos were less than 30 seconds long.

OTT executives and content creators say keeping audiences engaged for long periods is tough when such snackable content is often available for free and the habit of paying for subscriptions hasn’t developed among Indians.

“Today, the focus is on bite-sized, engaging content that captures attention in a fast-paced world. Short videos are increasingly becoming the go-to entertainment format, offering an immersive and interactive experience for creators and viewers alike,” said Gaurav Jain, chief business officer, ShareChat & Moj. “They are not only easily accessible, but can also be shared and consumed quickly, making them ideal for a generation on the move.”

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About 60% of ShareChat’s audience comprises Gen Z and millennials; 40% of the users hail from tier-1 cities and the rest come from tier-2 and 3 centres, Jain said.

OTT is trying to replicate the TV behaviour but the biggest impediment is that as soon as an ad appears, users go back to their mobile screens, preventing effective brand building, according to Jain. “While long-format content is here to stay, shorter attention spans have led to creators pivoting to the other format that helps them intrigue their audience and also leads to better views and monetization.”

A senior executive at a streaming platform agreed that short-form content posed a threat. "Also, OTT is not seen as an entirely young medium anymore with so much focus on family themes or even dark mature content and so on," the person said on the condition of anonymity.

The two categories of content serve different objectives and audiences. Long-form videos typically attract loyal viewers and allow brands to deliver consistent messaging. In contrast, shorter content is ideal for quick and concise outreach such as promoting sales or cashback offers, rather than building brand identity and entertainment, industry experts said.

While in-depth storytelling requires more viewer commitment to stay ahead in the game, long-form creators can use shorter clips as engaging teasers and blend formats to reach diverse audiences, said Shruti Deora, senior vice-president at digital agency White Rivers Media.

Short-format videos require less time, fit more easily into busy schedules and offer quick, entertaining content that can be consumed anytime, without needing to follow a continuous storyline, experts said.

“There also exists a psychological satisfaction with immediate enjoyment and its wide variety of content, catering to the desire for instant gratification,” said Chandrashekar Mantha, partner, media and entertainment leader at Deloitte India.

“With an increasing Gen Z population that prefers quick, stress-free content, short-form video is poised for further growth,” Mantha said. "This shift reflects changes in consumer behaviour and media consumption patterns, driven by the increasing popularity of platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.”

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With the paid subscription model yet to fully take off in India, industry expert say advertising, whether it’s led by performance, brand or impact, follows engagement, regardless of short- or long-form content.

In 2023, 43 million Indian households paid for 97 million video OTT subscriptions.

Short content shared on social media offers deep engagement and opportunities to interact, said Niyati Merchant, co-founder and chief operating officer of short-audio app Arre. Content investment is also much lower, especially for audio at a fraction of video, making it a lucrative option in the digital advertising ecosystem, she said.

“Premium content is in a way finding a new definition because it's not so much defined by production quality but how relevant it is to me and when it finds me during the day,” Merchant said. “Putting creation tools in the hands of ordinary users has inspired so much creativity to open up a new category of content in the form of Reels, memes or voicepods on Arré Voice.”

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