Written by Sneha Nair
Designed by Yash Saxena
The generation* that grew up with the internet - and KNOW how to use it!
*Generation Z refers to those born in 1997–2012 and ranging in age from 9 to 25 in 2022
Whether it’s making a purchase or choosing a show to binge,
Gen-Zers do tons of research before making a decision.
According to Think with Google:
Of Gen Zers search for
information online.
74%
Of these people search
specifically to verify details.
47%
Across APAC, almost a 3rd of Gen Zers spend 6 hours or longer a day on their phones, and engage better with socially conscious content.
But why is all this relevant?
Well...
eneration z is redefining expectations from content
G
This generation displays strikingly different entertainment preferences than older age groups. They appreciate content that is both impactful and authentic, but in these challenging times, they prefer consuming something that puts a hopeful spin on a stressful situation. Entering the workforce at such a challenging time has added to their mental health issues.
Having entered
the workforce
at a stressful time,
Gen Z represents 23% of the population in Asia Pacific (APAC)
57%
[Source: Deloitte’s 2021 Digital Media Trends]
say their
mental health
has worsened.
In India, Gen Z prefer binge watching & multilingual content
70%
youth have turned towards OTT platforms in their spare time
Not surprisingly, Comedy, Thriller, and Action-based entertainment were the top 3 preferences of GenZ audiences (source: Dentsu survey). Along with existing subscribers, new OTT subscription purchases during lockdown spiked across India.
comedy
thriller
crime
16.5%
action
13%
12.5%
12.1%
On the content side, comedy remained the most popular genre followed by thriller, crime and action.
In a quest for the new and curious, people signed on to 3 new OTT platforms on average during the lockdown.
[Source: Dentsu Marketing Cloud Insights ]
The M&E sector in India is expected to exceed $34 billion by 2022. The content broadcast over these OTT platforms offers a wider range of content that goes beyond the traditional gatekeeping of Indian Cinema.
[Source: FICCI & EY]
A curious new audience means new growth. OTT platforms are seeing intense localization activity and expansion across both rural and urban India
Around 65% of video consumption comes from the rural parts of India that have only 40% online connectivity.
[Source: Broadband India Forum]
With more than 1 in 3 individuals accessing the Internet in India, penetration in urban areas is twice that in rural areas. To make young people from Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns see stories set in their own world, streaming platforms are not only giving them content in their regional language but also uncensored slang that they use in their day-to-day lives.
[Source: FICCI & EY]
Gen Zers want nuances in a world of bite-sized information.
So, how do you grab their attention?
With a shorter attention span and out-of-the-box media preferences, Gen Z view significantly more video media on platforms like YouTube and Tik-Tok.
70% of Gen Zers
say they learned about new brands & films via video-based social media at least once a month.
[Surveyed by Mckinsey Asia]
The Primary news sources for Gen Z in APAC are
Facebook (37%)
Google (33%)
YouTube (31%)
[According to Think with Google]
But there's competition for content.
During the pandemic, along with baking banana bread, a new trend started to make the rounds in the country -
GAMING
BIG increase in casual gaming for the Indian youth (almost 50%)
5 bn gaming applications are downloaded annually in India. OTT based gaming has gained significant popularity during the lockdown.
Across South East Asia, the gaming gender gap is closing rapidly. In 2019, 100M female gamers made up 40% of the region’s gaming community.
[Source: EY (2018) & Think with Google]
With gaming becoming more democratized in terms of engagement. Gen Z gaming is removing any class hierarchy in tier 1 and tier 2 cities in India and Indonesia.