TikTok’s loss in India has not fully translated into Indian short-video apps’ gain.
Four months after the Indian government banned the Chinese short-video platform over data security concerns, only 40% of the time Indians were spending on TikTok has shifted to its Indian rivals, according to consultancy firm Redseer.
In June, when TikTok held nearly 90% share of the segment, Indians spent 165 billion minutes on short-video apps. In comparison, Indians spent only 80 billion minutes on short-video apps in October– of which domestic apps accounted for 67%.
The primary reasons why TikTok users are unwilling to shift to other similar apps is a lack of quality content and fewer posts, Redseer said in a report published on December 8.
TikTok’s popularity was built on the back of strong investment in marketing to create awareness about the platform, growth of influencers, and a focus on content creation tools. These strategies were clearly paying off as the monthly active users on the platform had doubled between June 2018 and June.
Josh and TakaTak
While Indian apps haven’t been able to replicate TikTok’s popularity, Dailyhunt’s Josh, Times’ MX TakaTak and InMobi’s Roposo are the most popular short-form video apps in India as of December 2020, according to the survey conducted by Redseer.
The surge in the number of Indian apps in the segment reflects the massive potential for growth.
Short-form videos have emerged as the fastest-growing content category in India with 180 million users in the financial year 2020.
The growth in the user base has been led by the younger age group and tier-2 cities.
This article first appeared on Quartz.