How Trell is driving plurality in the demand cycle for online content in rural India amidst COVID-19

 Mumbai- 29^th May 2020- Recent years have seen a boom in the demand for online content, particularly in the form of videos. As of 2019, India had over 574 million active internet users and this is expected to reach over 639 million by the end of 2020. Despite this, lots of people still can’t access meaningful content in their own language.

This is because currently a minute segment (4%) of Indian key opinion leaders (KOLs) are engaged in satisfying the consumption needs of a vast portion of vernacular consumers (about 80%). This disparity stems from a lack of awareness as well as resources for vernacular creators to create and share their content.

But now, in the words of noted singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changing.

Disruption in the rural content consumption cycle

Amidst the pandemic-led lockdowns, online content consumption has grown leaps and bounds, especially in rural parts of India. For the most part, this development has been spurred by the emergence of new-age visual content generation and sharing platforms. One such example is Trell – a leading community-based platform that enables lifestyle discovery through user-generated original content in regional Indian languages.

Since its inception, the platform has been committed to catering to the entertainment needs of vernacular consumers across the country. Let’s look at how Trell has been able to capture the imagination of video content consumers and creators in the rural context.

Easy access

A report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India showed that there were 227 million active internet users in rural areas as compared to the 205 active users in urban cities last year. Hence, the conditions were ripe for Trell to step into the picture and drive the much-needed disruption. Consequently, the Trell platform now boasts of over 78% of its consumers from tier-2, tier-3, and tier-4 cities.

A shift in the array of content

Besides communication, people in rural areas mainly use the internet for entertainment purposes. Therefore, the demand for quality rural content has skyrocketed. This means that content creators and brands dealing in online content would need to enhance their offerings to cater to varied tastes and preferences. And Trell is bridging precisely this need-gap.

The video blogging platform gives freedom of expression for every aspirational Indian, irrespective of their linguistic background, to share relatable content with a community of like-minded individuals, and emerge as “Key Opinion Leaders” in their own rights. With a mobile phone their tool of choice for watching as well as creating engaging video content in regional languages, this user base has embraced Trell as their preferred storytelling platform.

The internet penetration currently stands at 40% in India with a major demand and supply cycle in rural content. Hence, the online content industry in the country has immense scope for progress. And Trell, on the back of its innovative value proposition, is committed to unlocking this development.