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How Urban India Spends Its Free Time · Prepared for en2 Foresight (demonstration scan) · 15 October 2026

Sources

Where each fact in the report comes from, in the order it appears. Links open the original.

Guess first

  1. Of all the streaming Indians did in 2025, what share was in regional languages? 56%. Up from 27% in 2020.

  2. In a 2026 survey of Indian subscribers, how many in 100 said the option to cancel a subscription was hidden or not offered? 60 in 100. In the same survey, 22% said it happened very frequently.

  3. Airbnb asked Indian Gen Z about 2026. How many in 100 said they plan to travel for a concert or music festival? 62 in 100. An EY-Parthenon and BookMyShow case study says 86% of the 222,000+ people at Coldplay's two Ahmedabad shows came from outside the city.

The market: Streaming, short video and live sport

  1. 216 million paid video subscriptions across 143 million households, as premium sport and films moved behind paywalls (FICCI-EY) (2025, India).

  2. ₹16,300 crore digital subscription revenue, up 60% on the year (FICCI-EY) (2025, India).

  3. 601 million OTT viewers, Ormax Media estimates, with growth under 10% on the year (2025, India).

  4. $2.2bn OTT market, which PwC projects will reach $3.6bn by 2030 (2025, India).

  5. $300m vertical micro-drama market, a Streaming Lens estimate, growing 40-50% a year (2025, India).

  6. 97% vs 83% of people surveyed watch short video daily, against TV, in a Meta-commissioned Ipsos survey (2025, India).

  7. 87.4% of urban people aged 15-29 used mass media on a given day, against 73.4% of rural peers (2024, Urban India).

  8. 56% of streaming consumption is in regional languages, up from 27% in 2020 (2025, India).

  9. 6.12 crore peak concurrent viewers for the Champions Trophy final, JioHotstar says (2025, India).

  10. 60 million+ digital viewers for the first 13 matches of the Women's Cricket World Cup, five times 2022, ICC and JioHotstar say (2025, India).

  11. JioHotstar bills monthly on all three tiers, from ₹79 for one phone with ads to ₹299 with no ads outside live sport and events (2026, India).

  12. HBO Max sells as an add-on inside JioHotstar, from ₹49 a month (2026, India).

  13. YouTube calls itself India's new TV and says it reaches more than 75 million connected-TV viewers aged 18+ (2026, India).

  14. Zupee Studio makes one- to three-minute episodes designed for habitual viewing, after Zupee left real-money games (2025, India).

  15. Live IPL streaming moved mostly behind JioHotstar's paywall in 2025.

  16. JioHotstar launched free, ad-supported micro-dramas timed with IPL 2026 and committed ₹4,000 crore to South Indian content, Streaming Radar reports.

  17. In 2025, connected TV reached about 40 million weekly active homes in India, while pay TV lost 11 million households (FICCI-EY).

  18. Ormax puts India's 2025 OTT audience growth under 10%. Some users share and seek unofficial IPL streams, despite malware warnings (2026). PwC says India's OTT revenue per subscription was among the world's lowest in 2023 and forecasts growth of only 1% a year to 2028.

  19. “Me finally going to bed after watching Reels till 4AM knowing I have office at 8AM.” (A post on X, 2026)

    • A public X post13 Oct 2026
    • A public X post13 Oct 2026
    • A public X post12 Oct 2026
    • A public X post10 Oct 2026

The market: Gaming after the 2025 ban

  1. $1.1bn mobile games market excluding real-money games, forecast to reach $2.4bn by 2029 (MIXI Global Investments) (2025, India).

  2. $1.5bn video games and e-sports revenue, projected to reach $2.6bn by 2030 (2025, India).

  3. 600 million active players, a MIXI Global Investments report says (2026, India).

  4. 17% fall in video games revenue after the money-gaming ban, while in-app purchases rose 15% (FICCI-EY) (2025, India).

  5. Nearly 85% of gaming industry revenue came from real-money games, by Treelife's estimate (2024, India).

  6. 25% of India's 148 million gamers are paying users, Lumikai says (2025, India).

  7. Over 30% of real-money gamers had already tried offshore apps, a BCG-Sequoia report found (2024, India).

  8. Dream11 shifted to creator-led watch rooms and free-to-play predictions after the ban (2025, India).

  9. Free Fire Max and Battlegrounds Mobile India together hold close to half of India's player base and 94% of shooter revenue, MIXI says (2026, India).

  10. Esports sits outside the ban, was formally recognised and is drawing brand interest (2025, India).

  11. The PROG Act bans real-money games, their advertising and the bank payments behind them; its rules took effect on 1 May 2026.

  12. Gaming firms are now judged on daily active users and time spent (2026).

  13. Draft rules require providers to report any revenue-model change that could make a game an online money game (2025).

  14. Ad fatigue is the top reason Indian gamers stop playing, Lumikai finds (2025). The gaming authority could treat subscription fan products as money games. Unresolved GST demands still freeze capital in Indian gaming (2026).

The market: Live events and concerts

  1. $1.55bn organised live events, up 44%; the figure includes weddings, government and religious events (FICCI-EY) (2025, India).

  2. ₹12,000 crore+ live entertainment, forecast to grow 19% a year over three years, an EY-Parthenon and BookMyShow report says (2024, India).

  3. $85-100m from ticket sales for events between September and December (2024, India).

  4. 562,032 fans travelled to another city for concerts, up from 477,393 in 2024, BookMyShow says (2025, India).

  5. ₹585 spent on travel, stay and shopping for every ₹100 of tickets at Coldplay's shows, BookMyShow says (2025, Ahmedabad).

  6. 409% growth in live-entertainment consumption in Visakhapatnam, BookMyShow's fastest-growing Tier-II city (2025, Visakhapatnam).

  7. 11% growth in events listed on BookMyShow, down from 16% in 2024 (2025, India).

  8. 70% of live-event attendees are under 35, an EY-Parthenon partner says (2026, India).

  9. BookMyShow says footfall for premium experiences such as VIP pits, viewing decks and hospitality zones doubled (2025, India).

  10. Eva Live organised Enrique Iglesias's two sold-out Mumbai concerts and says more than half the audience came from other states (2025, Mumbai).

  11. Assam offers concert organisers gap funding and a free state venue under its concert tourism policy (2026, Assam).

  12. The Live Event Development Cell runs a single-window permit portal, and five states including Maharashtra have adopted its model order (2026, India).

  13. Premium live-event tickets, such as VIP and hospitality packages, grew over 100% in India in 2024-25.

  14. BookMyShow says 2025 footfall rose 213% in Shillong, 188% in Guwahati and 94% in Nashik.

  15. Fans resell concert and cricket tickets informally on Reddit and Instagram (2026), and ticket resale in India sits in a legal grey zone (2025).

  16. India has fewer than 10 venues for crowds above 10,000 (2026), and promoters fear local entertainment tax could return. Promoters say margins are thin and they own no audience data (2026). Some fans say top prices for international shows are too high and skip them (2025-26).

  17. “Glad I skipped the Enrique Iglesias concert people need to be real about it” (A Reddit user in Mumbai, 2025)

    • A public Reddit post in r/RCB2 Apr 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/ConcertsIndia_18 Feb 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/IndianMetalheads16 Nov 2025
    • A public Reddit post in r/mumbai31 Oct 2025

The market: Going out and social formats

  1. ₹1,200 crore padel ecosystem, including equipment and court rentals, estimated by ISST, a sports-training school (2026, India).

  2. About 750 active padel courts across Tier 1 cities, most in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, ISST says (2026, India).

  3. 169 vs 141 minutes a day men and women spent on culture, leisure, mass media and sports; men's time rose 23 minutes since 2019, women's held (2024, India).

  4. 4,000+ active members at RallyGully, a padel and pickleball community with seven outposts, it reports (2026, Delhi NCR).

  5. CoPlay runs about 30 locations around Delhi for padel, pickleball, football and badminton (2026, Delhi).

  6. Claygrounds has 25 sports venues across Delhi NCR, with football at its core (2026, Delhi NCR).

  7. Pick It Up draws day-job workers to evening rooftop pickleball in Kirti Nagar, at ₹100 a community session (2026, Delhi).

  8. PadelPark sold about 25 courts in 2024 and is building nine of its own (2024, India).

  9. Creators frame outings around fixed budgets, such as under ₹500 lists for Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru (2026).

    • A public Instagram post16 Jun 2026
    • A public Instagram post10 Apr 2026
    • A public Instagram post4 Apr 2026
    • A public YouTube video8 Feb 2026

  10. Some Delhi NCR clubs run daily pickup games that pair strangers after work, and one venue stays open until 3am (2026).

  11. People in Solapur and Pondicherry ask for cafés to watch the IPL final together on a big screen (2026).

    • A public Reddit post in r/pondicherry31 May 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/solapur29 May 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/navimumbai4 Apr 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/Bangalorestartups26 Mar 2026

  12. Individuals in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune post plans for small in-person meetups, such as talking events and a cafe session with a food crawl (2026).

    • A public X post13 Oct 2026
    • A public X post12 Oct 2026
    • A public Instagram post22 Sep 2026
    • A public Instagram post10 Apr 2026

  13. Women's leisure time in India stayed flat from 2019 to 2024 while men's rose. Women in Delhi and Mumbai ask for late-night places that are not bars or clubs (2026). A PE investor says padel's price per hour must fall to about ₹400 to broaden access (2024).

  14. “Safe & chill night out places in Delhi for girls? (No clubs/pub scene)” (A Reddit user in Delhi, 2026)

    • A public Instagram post22 Sep 2026
    • A public Instagram post29 Aug 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/delhi18 Jul 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/delhi8 May 2026

The market: Data, bundles and paying for access

  1. $345m consumer spending on mobile apps in one quarter, up 35% on a year, Sensor Tower estimates (Q2 2026, India).

  2. $200m+ in-app purchase revenue from non-gaming apps in one quarter, up 44% on a year, Sensor Tower says (Q1 2026, India).

  3. 31 GB+ average mobile data use per user a month, Nokia's index says, with 5G carrying nearly 47% of all traffic (2025, India).

  4. 58% of mobile data traffic carried on 5G, Nokia's index says (2025, India's metro cities).

  5. $0.03 app revenue per download, against more than $0.20 in Southeast Asia and Latin America (Sensor Tower) (2026, India).

  6. ₹22,000 crore e-commerce and point-of-sale advertising, up 50% (FICCI-EY) (2025, India).

  7. Jio sold a ₹195 cricket data pack with 15GB and 90 days of ad-supported Hotstar, and a ₹949 plan with Hotstar included (2025, India).

  8. Third Bridge estimates that most Indian streaming users come through bundles (2026).

  9. Non-gaming categories made up 68% of India's app revenue in H1 2026, up from 58% three years earlier.

  10. In 2025, e-commerce and point-of-sale ads in India grew 50%, against 26% for digital advertising overall (FICCI-EY).

  11. In LocalCircles surveys in India, 40% to 65% of respondents report hidden cancellation, billing after cancelling or surprise fees at checkout (2026). On bundled plans, some users report missing channels and devices logging out (2026).

  12. “One recharge, multiple OTT apps, is it worth it?” (A Reddit user, 2026)

    • A public Reddit post in r/VodafoneIdeaIndia13 Oct 2026
    • A public YouTube video12 Jun 2026
    • A public YouTube video11 Jun 2026
    • A public YouTube video30 May 2026

Your questions

  1. Payment models in India are breaking access into pieces: data-bundled cricket, monthly tiers split by device and ads, and a global streamer sold as an add-on.

  2. Paid video subscriptions grew in 2025 as premium sport and films moved behind paywalls.

  3. In live leisure, premium ticket tiers and travel to other cities for concerts grew in 2024-25.

  4. New formats are emerging: micro-dramas, padel as social fitness in Tier 1 cities, and outings that creators frame around fixed budgets such as under ₹500.

  5. In a 2025 Meta-commissioned Ipsos survey in India, 97% watched short video daily against 83% for TV.

  6. Regional languages rose to 56% of India's streaming consumption in 2025, and live IPL streaming moved mostly behind a paywall.

  7. Real-money games, nearly 85% of India's 2024 gaming revenue by Treelife's estimate, were banned in 2025.

  8. Premium live-event footfall doubled in 2025, BookMyShow says, while some fans skip shows over ticket prices.

Six shifts

  1. Events listed on BookMyShow grew 11% in 2025, down from 16% in 2024, while premium-tier footfall doubled.

  2. ₹585 on travel, stay and shopping per ₹100 of tickets at Coldplay Ahmedabad, BookMyShow says (2025)

  3. 562,032 fans travelled to another city for concerts in 2025, BookMyShow says

  4. Over half of Enrique Iglesias's Mumbai audience came from other states, the organiser says (2025)

  5. JioStar says one 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final set an OTT single-day sign-up record.

  6. IPL 2025 streaming moved largely from free to paid on JioHotstar

  7. 6.12 crore peak concurrent viewers for the 2025 Champions Trophy final, JioHotstar says

  8. Hotstar lost over 23 million subscribers in a year despite free World Cup streaming on mobile (2023)

  9. Ad fatigue is the top reason Indian gamers stop playing, Lumikai finds.

  10. Jio's ₹195 cricket data pack with 90 days of Hotstar (2025)

  11. HBO Max as a ₹49 add-on inside JioHotstar (2026)

  12. Monthly billing on every JioHotstar tier (2026)

  13. India's 2025 law switched off the largest paid category in digital play. Firms are rebuilding around free play, ads, brand deals and fan features.

  14. Dream11's creator-led watch rooms and free-to-play predictions (2025)

  15. In-app purchases up 15% in 2025 while video gaming fell 17% (FICCI-EY)

  16. Formal recognition of esports (2025)

  17. Free, ad-funded supply and app revenue of about $0.03 per download in India make pay-per-episode unproven.

  18. JioHotstar's free, ad-supported micro-dramas (2026)

  19. Zupee Studio's one- to three-minute episodes (2025)

  20. YouTube videos showing viewers how to watch micro-drama apps free (2026)

    • A public YouTube video21 Aug 2026
    • A public YouTube video19 Aug 2026
    • A public YouTube video27 Jun 2026
    • A public LinkedIn post19 Mar 2026

  21. Women's leisure time in India stayed flat from 2019 to 2024 while men's rose.

  22. About 750 active padel courts in Tier 1 cities, ISST says (2026)

  23. Pickup games that pair strangers after work in Delhi NCR (2026)

  24. Planned talking events in Mumbai (2026)

    • A public X post12 Oct 2026
    • A public X post12 Oct 2026
    • A public Instagram post4 Apr 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/chennaicity18 Mar 2026

Where the evidence pulls both ways

  1. PwC puts India's OTT revenue per subscription among the world's lowest (2023), and app revenue per download in India is about $0.03.

  2. Ormax puts 2025 OTT audience growth under 10%, and Lumikai says a quarter of gamers pay.

  3. Some users share and seek unofficial IPL streams, and even going out is framed as a capped budget.

    • A public YouTube video30 May 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/delhicapitals1 Apr 2026
    • A public LinkedIn post19 Mar 2026
    • A public YouTube video9 Mar 2026
    • A public Instagram post16 Jun 2026
    • A public Instagram post10 Apr 2026
    • A public Instagram post4 Apr 2026
    • A public YouTube video8 Feb 2026

  4. Paid video subscriptions in India reached 216 million in 2025 as premium sport and films moved behind paywalls.

  5. Sensor Tower estimates India's app spending rose 35% year on year to $345 million in Q2 2026.

  6. Premium live-event tickets grew over 100% in 2024-25, and 2025 theatrical revenue rose 14%, largely on higher ticket prices.

  7. BookMyShow says premium live-event footfall doubled in 2025 and fans travelling to another city for concerts rose 18%.

  8. An Airbnb survey found 62% of Indian Gen Z plan to travel for concerts or music festivals in 2026.

  9. Some young Lollapalooza India attendees pay for it by saving, living with parents and cutting costs (2026).

  10. Some fans on Reddit say top prices for international shows are too high and skip them.

    • A public Reddit post in r/RCB2 Apr 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/ConcertsIndia_18 Feb 2026
    • A public Reddit post in r/IndianMetalheads16 Nov 2025
    • A public Reddit post in r/mumbai31 Oct 2025

  11. A Mumbai fan bought a ₹25,000 ticket for a show in Bangkok and skipped other concerts to balance the budget.

  12. ICC and JioHotstar say the first 13 matches of the 2025 Women's World Cup reached five times 2022's digital viewers.

  13. In-app purchases in India rose 15% in 2025. Firms are rebuilding around free play, creator watch rooms and esports.

  14. India's video games revenue fell 17% in 2025 after the ban.

  15. Over 30% of real-money gamers had already tried offshore apps by 2024, a BCG-Sequoia report found.

  16. A sports lawyer said fantasy apps might shift to subscriptions, though revenues would likely fall.

What to watch for next

  1. Live sport sold as passes in the recharge: Jio sells live cricket as a data add-on with ad-supported Hotstar, and JioHotstar bills monthly on every tier.

  2. The event weekend becomes the product: BookMyShow says premium live-event footfall doubled in 2025, and footfall rose 94% to 213% in Nashik, Guwahati and Shillong.

  3. Free, short, ad-funded video fills the day: JioHotstar offers free, ad-supported micro-dramas, and YouTube pitches itself as India's new TV.

  4. Fan memberships replace fantasy stakes: After the 2025 ban on real-money games, Dream11 shifted to creator-led watch rooms and free-to-play predictions.