Jitendra Hirawat

The next three years will redefine digital media and podcasting in India. We are already the third-largest podcast listening market in the world. Podcast revenues in India crossed $969M in 2024, and are projected to grow at nearly 30% year-on-year. Digital advertising has overtaken television which is HUGE. But the real question is: where is attention moving, and how do we hold it? The shifts I see shaping the next three years: 1)The Attention Deficit Audiences are impatient. If you don’t hook them in the first 30 seconds, you’ve lost them. But while short-form captures attention, it doesn’t hold it. The real opportunity lies in pairing formats: short-form to spark awareness, long-form to build trust. 2)The Hyperlocal Surge Regional and vernacular voices will define scale. The future of reach in India will not be dictated in English—it will be told in the languages of people’s everyday lives. 3)From IP to Ecosystem Shows will no longer live in isolation. The strongest IPs will extend into products, experiences, and communities. A podcast won’t just be an episode—it will be a cultural node that branches into events, collaborations, and even commerce. 4)AI and the Next Medium AI will rewire the value chain—translation, interactive listening, personalized discovery. But the deeper shift is this: AI will turn passive audiences into active participants. The line between creator and consumer will blur. 5)Trust as Currency In a world of infinite content, trust will be the scarcest resource. Audiences and advertisers will no longer chase scale for its own sake; they will back creators who show consistency, credibility, and transparency. So what do people want to consume? Audiences won’t settle for either/or. They’ll want formats that are snackable in the moment but deep enough to return to. They’ll choose voices that feel familiar, not distant. They’ll expect to participate—through remixes, collabs, or community interactions. They’ll reward authenticity over manufactured virality. And they’ll pay for premium experiences—early access, behind-the-scenes, and spaces that feel exclusive. TLDR: The future won’t reward one-off hits. It will reward IPs that compound over time. Retention will matter more than reach—because attention is the only true currency. To scale, vernacular has to be the default, not the afterthought. Ads won’t be enough—multiple revenue streams will be essential. And the strongest moat will be community, because loyalty isn’t something you buy—it’s something you earn, day after day. The future of digital media in India will not be defined by who shouts the loudest, but by who can hold attention with depth, trust, and consistency. I’ve been reflecting on these shifts closely as we build new IPs and platforms at Humans of Bombay. Because the next decade will belong to creators and companies that see beyond the algorithm and build for connection. Thoughts? How do you see the next few years? #digitalmedia #India

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“Speed doesn’t always mean substance - taste, judgment, and cultural intuition still set great editors apart.” Avnish yadav, Associate Lead Editor, Gozoop Creative, shares with exchange4media on how India’s content creators are only as strong as the teams that power them behind the scenes. Read more on: https://lnkd.in/dQkAkU2F

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