Tanushree Basuroy
Research expert covering India
Television entertainment in India - statistics & facts
Storytelling has been an integral part of India’s vibrant culture and is woven into the fabric of Indian entertainment. Be it narrations of epics, plays, films on the silver screen, or television series, Indians are keen appreciators of the performing arts. Their voracious appetite for visual entertainment has worked to the advantage of the television market. India figures among the largest subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) and pay TV markets in the world.
This is attributed to long-running shows during which viewers develop an affinity for certain characters. One such example is Jetha Lal from the popular Hindi comedy series Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma, with Dilip Joshi who plays the role, featuring among the best-paid Indian TV actors as of 2023. Thus, despite a booming market for connected TV and streaming services, the future of pay television in India remains promising.
After the Hindi-speaking market, the South- Indian market boasts the largest viewership. Game shows and soap operas in Telugu followed by Tamil and Kannada were a huge hit. On the other hand, gone are the days of watching English comedies such as Friends or police procedurals such as CSI on channels such as FOX or Star World. Television entertainment in English has receded from pay TV and shifted completely to streaming platforms such as Netflix.
Pay TV thrives despite streaming services
Prior to the introduction of smart TVs and streaming services, Indian audiences would routinely tune into pay television channels to watch their favorite shows at specific hours of the day. This trend, known as appointment viewing, has been on the decline in recent years owing to the extensive choice of media content available to consumers at the press of a button. Instead, viewers have been observed to limit themselves to a handful of channels across their preferred genres.This is attributed to long-running shows during which viewers develop an affinity for certain characters. One such example is Jetha Lal from the popular Hindi comedy series Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma, with Dilip Joshi who plays the role, featuring among the best-paid Indian TV actors as of 2023. Thus, despite a booming market for connected TV and streaming services, the future of pay television in India remains promising.
Language diversity is key to television consumption
Another aspect that has proven immensely beneficial for the Indian television industry is cultural diversity. The demand for shows in local languages contributes to higher ad volumes and viewership. India’s major television networks such as Disney Star (formerly Star India) and Zee Entertainment offer channels in nearly every major Indian language.After the Hindi-speaking market, the South- Indian market boasts the largest viewership. Game shows and soap operas in Telugu followed by Tamil and Kannada were a huge hit. On the other hand, gone are the days of watching English comedies such as Friends or police procedurals such as CSI on channels such as FOX or Star World. Television entertainment in English has receded from pay TV and shifted completely to streaming platforms such as Netflix.
TV advertisers’ preference for GEC
Apart from Indian viewers, the GEC genre has attracted advertisers across industry verticals in India. Giving stiff competition to leading genres such as news and sports, GEC advertising became the genre with the lion's share of TV ad volumes in 2023. The FMCG industry was the champion of the TV genre with food and beverage and personal care products being the most advertised categories.
