Video Podcast Statistics India 2026: YouTube, TV Viewing & Growth

If you are searching for video podcast statistics India to decide whether to start with a camera or stay audio-only, here is the honest picture. The big, quotable numbers come from YouTube and are global. The India numbers are survey-based and thinner. For Jaipur and Rajasthan there is no public city-level data at all, and we will not pretend otherwise.

We run Oskillo Studio in Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, and clients often ask us this: “Is video really worth the extra effort?” So we sorted every figure below by scope, global, US or India, so you can see what each one can and cannot prove.

Key takeaways

• YouTube reports 1B+ monthly active podcast viewers worldwide. It is a platform figure, not a number for any single show or for India.
• Over 700 million hours of podcasts were watched on living-room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million a year earlier (YouTube, global).
• A Lumikai survey of 3,000+ Indian smartphone users found 45% preferred podcasts as their audio content, ahead of music streaming at 40%.
• No source gives YouTube podcast viewer counts for Rajasthan or Jaipur. Treat the city as an opportunity, not a measured market.
• Edison Research data from the US suggests video widens a show’s audience rather than replacing audio.

What do video podcast statistics in India actually tell us?

They tell us the direction, not the size of your local audience. Global figures from YouTube show video podcasts growing fast, while Indian survey data shows YouTube leading the platform list for audio content. Neither dataset measures Jaipur, so use them as context for your decision.

The problem with most articles on this topic is that they blur scopes. A global YouTube number gets quoted as if it described Indian viewers. We keep them separate in the table below.

One more rule: do not add the 700 million TV hours and the 800 million Premium hours together. The Premium figure measures a subscriber segment, not a device, so the two should not be combined into one total.

How many people watch podcasts on YouTube? The 1 billion figure explained

YouTube says its podcasts reach more than one billion monthly active viewers worldwide. The company first announced this in February 2025 using January 2025 data and repeated it on 28 May 2026. It measures platform reach across all podcasts, so it is not any one show’s audience. (Source: Podder)

This is the number behind most youtube 1 billion podcast viewers headlines. It proves that podcast viewing on YouTube is a mainstream habit. It does not tell you how many people will watch your episodes, and it says nothing about India alone.

For something closer to audience behaviour, look at US survey data. Edison Research found that 51% of Americans aged 12+ had ever consumed a video podcast, 37% did so monthly and 26% weekly in 2025 (via Podcast Growth Studio). In Edison’s Q4 2025 data, YouTube was also the most-used platform among US weekly podcast consumers at 39%, ahead of Spotify at 20% and Apple Podcasts at 11%. These are US numbers, so we treat them as a pointer, not a promise for India.

Do people watch YouTube podcasts on TV?

Yes, and the volume is large. YouTube reported over 700 million hours of podcasts watched on living-room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million hours a year earlier. Bloomberg described that as nearly double the same month in 2024. This is global data, with no India split published. (Source: Bloomberg)

For anyone tracking podcast watch time on TV, this is the key shift: a podcast is no longer only an earphones-and-commute format. People put an episode on the big screen and watch it like a show. That changes what your video needs to look like. A flat, dim webcam shot looks poor on a 43-inch screen. Clean framing, decent light and clear sound matter far more than they did on a phone.

Secondary data points the same way. Edison figures reported by XtendedView say 61% of weekly video podcast consumers in the US had used a TV for podcasts, against 49% of weekly audio-only consumers (source). It is a secondary source, so read it as a hint. Worldwide, YouTube viewers also watch over a billion hours of YouTube on TVs every day (Pocket-lint), which shows how normal the TV screen has become.

We cannot tell you how much of that TV viewing happens in Indian homes, let alone in Jaipur. Nobody has published it.

What do we know about YouTube podcast viewers in India?

India has no published count of YouTube podcast viewers. What exists is survey evidence of a YouTube-first habit. Lumikai’s survey of 3,000+ smartphone users, run from September 2024 to September 2025, found 45% preferred podcasts as audio content, ahead of music streaming at 40%. YouTube and YouTube Music led the platform list. (Source: Music Ally)

Music Ally notes that many of these are likely video podcasts, since people discover them on YouTube. After YouTube and YouTube Music, the survey’s platform list names Spotify, Amazon Prime Music and KukuFM.

There is a counterpoint. Entrepreneur India’s 2025 review says most audio-first listeners still use Spotify as their main app, while YouTube is growing as the place to find shows and build communities. So the practical reading is simple: video helps people find you, and audio keeps loyal listeners.

On overall size, The Established, citing IBEF, reports that India crossed 100 million active podcast listeners in 2025, with projections towards 200 million (source). We reached that figure through a secondary article, so treat it as a reported estimate.

Video vs audio podcast in India: which should you pick?

Record video and publish both versions. Video helps new people find your show, while audio suits listeners who want to play it in the background. Shooting both in one session adds little extra work, and you do not have to choose one format for good.

US data supports this. A Cumulus/Signal Hill survey found that 53% of weekly podcast consumers actively watch video podcasts, 23% listen with the video minimised and 24% prefer audio only (via Libsyn). Edison figures reported by XtendedView add that 72% of new podcast consumers who found a show through video later went to its audio version (secondary source). Both are US numbers. They suggest video widens the funnel instead of replacing audio.

Here is how we help clients decide:

1. Check where your audience already is. If your customers watch YouTube and Instagram, start with video.
2. Set a clear budget. Audio-only is usually simpler and cheaper to produce, but video gives you clips for Reels and Shorts.
3. Plan the clips before you record. Pick two or three questions that can stand alone as 30-60 second reels.
4. Export audio from the same file. Put it on Spotify and other apps without a second shoot.

Is video podcast growth in 2026 real for Jaipur and Rajasthan?

Growth is real at platform level, but nobody has measured it for Jaipur or Rajasthan. Jaipur appeared among 10 cities in “The Podcast Pulse” research, which surveyed 2,170 people, but the sample is small and dated, so we use it only to show the city has been studied (Podnews).

On language, The Established, citing IBEF, expects up to 85% of podcast content to be in regional languages, with Hindi at 45% and English at 12%. The article calls these predictions, so read them as direction, not fact. One proof point: Grynow lists the Hindi show Bharti TV at 4.11M subscribers (source). That is the audience of a single channel, not a Rajasthan figure.

Industry blogs also describe Reels and Shorts clips as the main way Indian shows get discovered. That is a claim, not measured data (FoxTalkX). Our own reading is that a gap like this is an opening. Jewellery, textile, real estate, coaching and tourism businesses in Rajasthan can talk to customers in Hindi or Marwari-flavoured Hindi, and video is a natural way to start.

At Oskillo: what a video podcast setup looks like in Jaipur

Oskillo Studio in Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, offers video podcast recording from Rs 4,000 per hour in the Economy Advance pack, which includes 2 Sony 4K cameras, a Shure mic, a pro audio recorder, lights and a technician. Business Class Advance is Rs 8,000 per hour. You can see the full podcast studio pricing in Jaipur on our pricing page.

Business Class uses a Shure SM7B mic with a RODECaster Pro II console. Economy Class uses a Shure MV7+ with a Zoom PodTrak P8 recorder. If you want to learn the gear, here are the Shure SM7B mic and the RODECaster Pro II console. On the show we film with Sony A7 IV and A7C bodies.

The rooms are soundproof, and you can pick from themed sets such as the Blue Theme, classic wooden library, green wall, grey vintage, office and RGB gaming sets. A founder is present at every shoot to guide you, which helps beginners a lot. For clips, a reel edit (up to 1 minute plus cover) is Rs 1,500, and our Complete Podcast Edit at Rs 10,000 covers the main edit, a highlight, 3 reels with covers and 2 thumbnails. If you live outside Jaipur, we also edit remotely. Details of the studio rental are on its own page.

What do these numbers mean for your setup?

They mean video is worth doing, but not because any statistic guarantees views. YouTube’s global reach and the Indian survey show where attention is moving. Your results will depend on clear sound, steady framing, good light and clips that people can share.

Our practical advice: invest first in audio, then in light, then in a second camera. Make your episodes look good on a TV as well as a phone, since living-room viewing is growing worldwide. Cut a few short clips from every recording, and publish the audio as well.

If you want to plan a session, check the pricing page, or message us on WhatsApp and we will help you pick a pack. We are open 10 AM to 8 PM every day, and booking in advance is recommended.

Some product links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, YTMahendra Podcast earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Frequently asked questions

How many people watch podcasts on YouTube?

YouTube says podcasts have over 1 billion monthly active viewers worldwide. It first announced this in February 2025 and repeated it in May 2026. It is a platform-wide figure, not the audience of one show, and it does not give a separate number for India.

How many podcast viewers does YouTube have in India?

No public source gives a YouTube podcast viewer count for India, Rajasthan or Jaipur. What exists is survey data: a Lumikai study of 3,000+ Indian smartphone users found 45% preferred podcasts as audio content, with YouTube and YouTube Music leading the platform list.

Do people watch YouTube podcasts on TV?

Yes. YouTube reported over 700 million hours of podcasts watched on living-room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million hours a year earlier. This is global company data. India has no published TV split, so we cannot say how much of it comes from Indian homes.

Are video podcasts better than audio podcasts?

Neither is simply better. Edison Research data from the US suggests video expands a show’s audience rather than replacing audio. A practical approach is to record video and publish the audio version from the same session, so one recording serves both YouTube viewers and Spotify listeners.

Do I need video to start a podcast in India?

No, you can start audio-only. But YouTube is the most-used discovery route in Indian surveys, and clips for Reels and Shorts are widely used to find new shows. Recording video from day one keeps that option open without a second recording session.

Kya video podcast ke liye professional studio zaroori hai?

Zaroori nahi, but it helps a lot. Video podcasts are now watched on TV screens, where poor light and echo show up quickly. A studio gives you soundproofing, multi-camera framing and ready sets, so your first episodes look and sound consistent without you buying gear.

Are Hindi podcasts growing in India?

Reports point that way. The Established, citing IBEF, expects up to 85% of podcast content to be in regional languages by projection, with Hindi at 45% and English at 12%. These are predictions, not measured results, so use them as direction rather than fact.