India’s “Always-On” Creator Shows Continued Growth: Sandisk–CMR Study

Access to the right tools is closely related to creative output; without storage constraints, 64% would make longer videos, 58% would try out new formats, and 45% would keep RAW data¹

 New Delhi, India – 1 July 2026 – Sandisk today unveiled insights from its latest national study, “The Content Rush: Inside India’s New Always-On Creator Economy,” commissioned by Sandisk and conducted by CyberMedia Research (CMR). The study highlights the emotional appeal of content creation. For a majority of early-stage creators, the excitement comes from self-expression, with over 80% reporting feeling increased confidence when their content connected with viewers. In addition, 81% find meaning in turning everyday moments into stories¹.

The Indian content creation landscape is becoming less concentrated in a handful of established hubs¹; however, regional influences remain visible on creators’ style, tone, and behaviours. For example, the study indicates regional variations in creator behaviour, including trends such as: North India reflects an evolving creator base moving towards professionalisation, while South India seems to stand out on consistency and content intensity, potentially reflecting a mature creator mindset. East India displays operational discipline and early signs of formal creator structures, whereas West India blends scale with youth-led, community-oriented creation¹.

Approximately 75% of Indian creators publish content weekly, emphasizing the consistency and cadence that now define India’s digital expression landscape. Creators across amateur, semi-professional, and professional levels report regularly working with full HD video and high-resolution images, and a sizable portion are currently producing 5–10GB of content per day¹.

“India’s creator economy is at an inflection point, with participation expanding across geographies. In the process, creators are bringing the country’s rich culture, history, and untold stories to wider audiences in interesting ways. At Sandisk, we understand each creator creates differently, and we are committed to help them unleash their creativity by providing high performance flash storage solutions to meet their evolving lifestyles and needs,” said, Tareq Husseini, Senior Director, Sales, IMEA, Sandisk.

With the increase in production intensity and publishing frequency, workflow expectations are also changing. Sixty percent of growing creators report daily or weekly storage constraints¹. Key challenges include slow file transfer (55%), insufficient storage capacity (52%), and running out of space mid-shoot (41%) are the most frequently mentioned friction points¹. The study suggests that constraints evolve from time management and idea development to operational infrastructure as innovators mature¹.

The study reveals that if storage limitations were removed, 64% would make longer videos, 58% would try new formats, and 45% would store RAW files¹. Nearly half of the respondents also said they would feel more confident creatively¹. The findings suggest that current output may reflect technology limits as much as creative intent or ambitions¹.

As India’s creator ecosystem scales across devices, formats and geographies, workflow reliability is emerging as a critical enabler of participation and growth. Sandisk’s range of microSD^TM cards, pen drives, and portable SSD are designed to help support creators throughout the content workflow, from capture to publishing content.

Over 6,000 creators between the ages of 18 and 35 from amateur, semi-professional, professional, and full-time influencer groups were surveyed at a reported 95% confidence level across 13 cities across urban and aspirational India.