Why we are building Qrio

The short answer: we are building Qrio because people already watch their news, but the places they watch it were not built to leave them informed. We wanted short videos on business, startups and the world that make you understand something, and then let you stop.

This is the story behind that choice. It covers the problem we saw, what the research says about it, what we decided to build, and what we are still unsure about.

What problem are we trying to solve?

Two things are true at once. People want to know what is going on. And a lot of them find the experience of getting the news tiring.

The Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2025 surveyed 48 markets. It found that 40% of people say they sometimes or often avoid the news, up from 29% in 2017. The report calls that the joint highest figure it has recorded. Younger people were much more likely to say the news is too hard to follow or understand. They also cited feeling powerless about big issues and news that seems irrelevant to their lives.

That second finding is the one we kept coming back to. It is not that young people do not care. It is that much of the news is written for people who already follow the story.

Where do people actually watch the news now?

Increasingly, in short video. In the same report, social video news use rose from 52% to 65% across markets between 2020 and 2025. Any video news rose from 67% to 75%. Journalism.co.uk's summary adds that countries such as India now prefer watching to reading news.

India's numbers are worth reading with care. The Reuters Institute's India page says its sample is mainly English-speaking online news users and is not nationally representative. Within that group, 55% use YouTube for news and 37% use Instagram.

Source: Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025, India. Not nationally representative.

So the format is settled. People watch. The open question is what they are watching, and whether they come away understanding more.

What is wrong with the feeds people watch it in?

Nothing is wrong with short video as a format. A good two-minute video can explain how a company makes money or why a strait matters. We looked at the research in our post on whether short videos are bad for you, and the honest answer is that most of it is correlational and mixed.

The problem we saw is the container. A general feed mixes news with jokes, ads, dances and arguments. It is built to keep you in it, and it has no bottom. You can open it to check one thing and surface forty minutes later with nothing you could explain to a friend.

We wrote about the habit side in how to stop doomscrolling. Willpower and screen limits help. But we also think the product should do some of the work.

What did we decide to build?

Qrio is a free Android app of short vertical videos on business, startups and the world. We made four choices.

1. Narrow topics. Business, startups and geopolitics. Not everything. If you open the app, you know what you will get.
2. Handpicked creators. Each video comes from a creator we have chosen to feature, rather than from whoever the algorithm can find. We call the first group Founding Creators.
3. Videos that explain. The aim is that after a video you can say what happened and why it matters. A reaction is not enough.
4. A feed that ends. When you have seen the day's videos, the app tells you so and offers to remind you tomorrow. You can leave.

None of this is a new idea. Good newsletters and podcasts already work this way. We wanted that shape for people who would rather watch than read.

Who is Qrio for?

Mainly people like the ones in our own circle: students and young professionals in Indian cities, in tech, finance, startups and consulting. They are curious and busy. They want to hold their own in a conversation about a deal, a policy or a conflict, and they are a little tired of their feeds.

If you prefer long reading, a good newsletter may serve you better. We have said so in our guides on staying informed in five minutes a day and on building a healthy news diet. Qrio is meant to be one dish on that plate, not the whole meal.

What are we still unsure about?

Plenty. We are early, and it is better to say so.

• Depth. A two-minute video cannot carry everything. We think it works as a first pass that gets you curious, and we link out where we can. We do not yet know how often that is enough.
• Habit. We want people to come back because it was useful, not because it nagged. We are watching whether people return the next day, and we will change the product if they do not.
• Accuracy. Fast formats make mistakes easy. Creators are responsible for their videos, and we want a clear way to report errors. Trust has to be earned and is easy to lose.
• Reach. Android only for now. iOS will come later.

How can you help?

Try the app and tell us what is wrong with it. If you make good short videos on business, startups or the world, we are looking for more Founding Creators. And if you read this and think a newsletter is the better answer for you, that is a fair conclusion too.

Disclosure: we make Qrio, a free Android app of short videos on business, startups and the world. This post is about our own product, so read it with that in mind.

Sources

• Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025: Executive summary
• Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025: India
• Journalism.co.uk, Ten talking points from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025