Short Film Viewership Rises 28% in Tier-2 Cities, Signalling Shift in India’s Film Consumption

Data shows growing regional audiences, stronger youth participation and widening space for women-led indie cinema

New Delhi, February 7:
Short films are emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments of India’s digital content ecosystem, with viewership in Tier-2 cities rising by an estimated 28% over the past two years, according to industry and platform-level data. The trend, driven by affordable data, smartphone penetration and regional-language storytelling, is reshaping how audiences consume cinema—and how film festivals, platforms and creators respond to this shift.

The growth comes amid a broader recalibration of India’s entertainment economy, where theatrical box office performance is no longer the sole indicator of audience engagement, and Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms have become central to content discovery, especially beyond metropolitan centres.

Box office vs OTT: a widening divergence

Industry trackers estimate that while Hindi theatrical footfalls have remained uneven since the pandemic, OTT consumption grew at a compounded annual rate of over 20% between 2021 and 2024, with non-metro regions accounting for a disproportionate share of new users. Platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar have publicly acknowledged that more than half of their recent user growth is coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

Short films, which require lower time commitment and are often rooted in local contexts, have benefited directly from this behavioural shift. Analysts note that while box office revenues remain concentrated around large-budget releases, short-form digital cinema is experiencing steadier and more distributed growth.

“Short films fit the consumption habits of mobile-first audiences,” said a senior media analyst at a Mumbai-based research firm. “They are accessible, language-flexible and increasingly discoverable through OTT platforms and social video ecosystems.”

Regional audiences drive demand

Data from digital media measurement agencies indicates that regional-language short films now account for nearly 60% of total short film views in India, up from around 45% three years ago. States such as Maharashtra (outside Mumbai), Tamil Nadu (outside Chennai), Telangana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have shown particularly sharp growth.

This rise correlates with increased commissioning of regional content by platforms and a surge in submissions to film festivals and online showcases focused on short-format cinema. Several festival programmers report that entries from smaller cities and towns have increased markedly since 2022.

“The geographic diversity of submissions has expanded,” said a Delhi-based festival curator. “You now see strong storytelling coming from places that were previously absent from the festival circuit.”

Youth and women at the forefront

The data also points to demographic shifts behind the camera. According to estimates compiled from film school enrolments, festival submissions and independent platform data, nearly 65% of short film directors in India are under the age of 35, underscoring the role of youth-led experimentation in the format’s growth.

Equally significant is the rise in women’s participation. Independent cinema collectives report that women now direct approximately 30–32% of Indian short films submitted to major festivals, compared to less than 20% a decade ago. While the gap with mainstream cinema remains wide, industry observers say short films have become a crucial entry point for women filmmakers.

“Short films allow women creators to bypass some of the structural barriers of mainstream production,” said a Mumbai-based filmmaker whose work has screened at international festivals. “The cost and control dynamics are fundamentally different.”

Implications for film festivals and platforms

The surge in short film viewership has implications beyond digital platforms. Film festivals—long seen as gatekeepers of cinematic recognition—are being compelled to reassess programming priorities, jury structures and outreach strategies to remain relevant to these new audiences and creators.

Cultural economists note that data-driven programming decisions are becoming essential. Festivals that fail to reflect audience and creator demographics risk losing relevance in a crowded cultural landscape.

“Data is forcing a rethink,” said an industry consultant who advises cultural institutions. “Festivals can no longer rely on legacy or scale alone; they have to engage with where audiences actually are.”

The road ahead

As India’s entertainment ecosystem becomes increasingly decentralised, short films appear poised to play a larger role in shaping future talent pipelines. Analysts predict that continued growth in Tier-2 cities, combined with platform investment and festival adaptation, will further blur the lines between mainstream and independent cinema.

For filmmakers, the numbers offer cautious optimism. For festivals and platforms, they serve as a reminder that credibility and relevance will increasingly be measured not by glamour or scale, but by how closely institutions align with evolving audience realities.

If current trends hold, short films may no longer be a peripheral format—but a central pillar of India’s cinematic future.