One third (33%) of Indians in urban areas are signed up to a music subscription service such as Amazon Prime Music and YouTube, according to a global study.

The favored service amongst this group is YouTube – the company offers both a free and a paid tier – which three-quarters (75%) use to listen to music. Amazon Prime Music is a distant second, though

it is still used by a majority of this group (55%).

The findings are from Britain-based YouGov’s report titled International Media Consumption Report 2021: Is There A New Normal?

The report states that 42 per cent of the Indians surveyed subscribed to Google Play Music and 40 per cent apiece signed up for Gaana and JioSaavn.

There are some key differences between this group of music subscribers and the wider metropolitan population in India.

“Our data shows that music subscribers are more (likely to) spend a lot of money on clothes (56% vs. 39%), likely to take risks with their money (55% vs. 38% urban rep),” the study states.

In terms of their general media habits, more than half (56%) use the radio for companionship compared to four in ten (40%) of the urban population. This group is also much more likely to have watched live TV on a phone, tablet or computer (70% vs. 57% urban rep) or online video content via a service such as YouTube (67% vs. 59% urban rep).

This disparity is not just limited to digital media channels: those who subscribe to a music streaming platform are more likely to watch live TV on a TV set (63% vs. 57% urban rep) and more likely to read a print newspaper (56% vs. 46% urban rep).

When it comes to TV, this group demonstrates a preference for light entertainment. Music subscribers are more likely to be regular viewers of Dance Plus(41% vs. 27% urban rep), Dance Deewane(32% vs. 21% urban rep), and Santoor Sa Re Ga Ma Pa(18% vs. 10% urban rep).

The YouGov study was undertaken to understand the trends during the COVID-19 crisis that had led to major disruption in the global media industry. Many advertisers paused or cut spending as their sales plunged. Meanwhile, some advertising and media agencies have laid off staff in unprecedented numbers.

In the US, the year-on-year decline in traditional media channels such as newspapers and magazines seems to have accelerated. In the UK, cinemas have shut down, reopened, and shut down again following changes to government guidance and the news that major releases would be postponed.

This report explores international media as the sector enters a pivotal time and will serve as a benchmark for comparable reports in years to come. Among other things, it will cover traditional media, digital media, advertising, subscriptions and the impact of COVID-19, with the overall aim of providing a sharp tool for media planners in an uncertain time. The study combines syndicated YouGov Cube data with specific, deep-dive custom research in 17 markets – with a particular focus on the media landscape in the US and Great Britain.

Our data shows that when global consumers are asked about the kinds of traditional media they have used in the past week, live TV still dominates other formats. Across most of the 17 markets, over half of respondents consumed it – with the only exceptions being the UAE, Singapore, and China.

And, while The Buggles, the report states, may have pronounced its death in 1979, in 2020, live radio is now the second most commonly consumed traditional media format.

Print sits in the middle of the international pack and is particularly popular in India – where 46 per cent of nationally urban representative sample read a newspaper in the week prior to being asked the question. It is a similar situation in Sweden, where 44 per cent of people picked up a copy of Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, or a similar publication.