DIGITAL & TRENDS

Pay TV in India
 Table of Contents

01 Global outlook 04 Pay TV consumption

Pay TV penetration worldwide 2022-2028 03 Number of satellite TV channels in India 2018-2023 21
Global pay TV revenue 2010-2023 04 Number of pay TV channels India 2023, by genre 22
Number of pay TV subscribers worldwide 2021-2023 05 Leading TV channels in India 2024, by weekly viewership 23
Number of pay TV subscribers APAC 2021-2022, by country 06 Video content consumption India 2022, by vertical 24

02 Indian pay TV market 05 OTT and CTV

TV households in India 2022-2026 08 Video M&E market share India 2016-2025, by segment 26
Value of the TV industry in India 2007-2026 09 Revenue from OTT and video in India 2018-2027 27
Active television subscriptions in India 2019-2023, by type 10 Connected TV penetration India 2022-2025 28
Number of DTH TV subscribers in India 2018-2023 11 Connected TV ad spend India 2021-2027 29
Number of satellite pay TV channels in India 2018-2023, by type 12 Monthly active users of selected video OTT platforms India 2022 30
Monthly time spent on selected video OTT platforms India 2022 31
03 Key players
Number of pay channels owned by major media groups India 2023 14
Leading TV broadcasters India 2023, by channel count 15
Distribution of the direct to home (DTH) market in India 2023, by operator 16
Bharti Airtel's number of digital TV service customers FY 2013-2023 17
Dish TV India operating revenue FY 2017-2023 18
Revenue of Sun TV Network Ltd FY 2011-2023 19

1
CHAPTER 01

Global outlook
 Pay TV penetration rate worldwide from 2022 to 2028
Pay TV penetration worldwide 2022-2028

65

60.09 60.33 60.01

59.58 59.3
60 58.47 58.58 58.49
Subscriptions per 100 households

57.68
56.9

55 53.37
52.26 52.61

50.25
50 49.05
47.79
46.05

45

40
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023* 2024* 2025* 2026* 2027* 2028*

3 Description: As of 2023, the penetration rate of pay TV worldwide peaked at around 60 subscriptions per 100 households. However, the number of pay TV customers is forecast to decline in the coming years as consumers increasingly opt for video streaming options.
Read more
Note(s): Worldwide; 2012 to 2022; * Forecast. Read more
Source(s): Ampere Analysis
 Pay TV revenue worldwide from 2010 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Global pay TV revenue 2010-2023

250

202
200 186
175.1
Revenue in billion U.S. dollars

172.7
161
151
150 142

100

50

0
2010 2016 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023*

4 Description: Global pay TV revenue peaked in 2016 at over 202 billion U.S. dollars. However, the value then began to decrease year on year, and dropped to an estimated 142 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Read more
Note(s): Worldwide; 2010 to 2023; *Estimation. Some figures came from previous publications. Read more
Source(s): Digital TV Research
 Number of pay TV subscribers worldwide from 2021 to 2023 (in millions)
Number of pay TV subscribers worldwide 2021-2023

1,200

1,013 993 985

1,000
Number of subscribers in millions

800

600

400

200

0
2021 2022 2023*

5 Description: The number of pay TV subscribers worldwide declined by nearly 20 million between 2021 and 2023. In 2023, around 985 million people are forecast to subscribe to traditional pay TV platforms such as cable and satellite networks. Read more
Note(s): Worldwide; 2021 to 2023; *Forecast. Read more
Source(s): Digital TV Research
 Number of pay TV subscribers in the Asia-Pacific region in 2021 and 2022,
by country or territory (in millions)
Number of pay TV subscribers APAC 2021-2022, by country

Number of pay TV subscribers in millions

2022 2021

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

China 578.2
445.5
India 120.1
129.2
South Korea 36.9
36.6
Vietnam 13.7
12.6
Japan 13.5
11.7
Philippines 8.9
7.7
Taiwan 6.7
6.9
Indonesia 4.2
6
Thailand 4.1
4.7
Malaysia 3.5
2.9
Hong Kong 2.1
1.9
Australia 2
2.2
Singapore 0.6
0.7
New Zealand 0.6
0.6

6 Description: In 2022, China had the highest number of pay TV subscribers in the Asia-Pacific region with over 578 million subscribers, followed by India with 120 million subscribers. While China's number of pay TV subscribers marked a significant increase compared to
2021, India's pay TV audience had decreased by around nine million. Read more
Note(s): Asia, APAC; 2021 and 2022
Source(s): Asia Video Industry Association; Media Partners Asia
CHAPTER 02

Indian pay TV market

 Number of TV households in India in 2022, with estimates until 2026 (in
millions)
TV households in India 2022-2026

Without cord-cutting With cord cutting

300
262
252 248
243 239 244
250 235
Number of TV households in millions

226 226 232

200

150

100

50

0
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

8 Description: Technological advancements like DTH and IPTV combined with the ever-changing content of the Indian television have had a positive impact on the television industry in the nation. The number of television households in the south Asian country stood at
226 million in 2022. Factoring in a possible rise in cord-cutting trends in the country over the years to come, TV households were expected to grow to 248 million by 2026. Read more
Note(s): India; 2022
Source(s): KPMG India
 Value of the TV industry in India from 2007 to 2023, with estimates until
2026 (in billion Indian rupees)
Value of the TV industry in India 2007-2026

900

787 796
800 766
740
720 709 718
685 696
700 660
Value in billion Indian rupees

594
600
542.2

500 474.9
417.2
400 370.1
329
297
300 257
241
211
200

100

0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

9 Description: In 2023, India's television industry was worth approximately 696 billion Indian rupees. It was estimated to reach 766 billion Indian rupees by 2026, indicating a compound annual growth rate of around 3.2 percent. The value of this sector of the media and
entertainment industry had to be readjusted in accordance with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Note(s): India; 2007 to 2023
Source(s): EY; FICCI
 Breakdown of television subscriptions in India from 2019 to 2023, by type
(in millions)
Active television subscriptions in India 2019-2023, by type

Cable* DTH* HITS* Free TV

80 75
72
70 68
64
62
Television subscriptions in millions

60 56 56 55 54 53
50 45 45
43
40
40 38

30

20

10
2 2 2 2 2
0
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

10 Description: The year 2023 saw the continued decline of pay television subscriptions in India. Among the three television segments categorized under pay TV, cable television reduced to 62 million active subscriptions. Meanwhile, direct-to-home saw a slight decline
while HITS subscription remained consistent. The decline in pay TV subscriptions can be attributed to users switching to free TV and/or digital streaming, as well as connected TVs. Read more
Note(s): India; 2019 to 2023; *Net of temporarily suspended subscribers. Read more
Source(s): EY; FICCI; TRAI
 Number of active direct-to-home (DTH) TV subscribers in India from
December 2018 to June 2023 (in millions)
Number of DTH TV subscribers in India 2018-2023

80

70
Number of subscribers in millions

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
9

2
8

2
19

19

20

20

21

21

22

22

23

23
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02

02

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01

01

02

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20

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11 Description: India reportedly had over 65 million active subscribers of direct-to-home or DTH pay television as of June 2023. This was a decrease compared to June of the previous year. Of the four DTH operators in the country, Tata Sky, Dish TV, and Airtel were key
players during the same time period. Read more
Note(s): India; December 2018 to June 2023
Source(s): TRAI
 Number of satellite pay TV channels across India from December 2018 to
June 2023, by type
Number of satellite pay TV channels in India 2018-2023, by type

HD SD
400

350

300
Number of channels

250
252 253 249 254 254 254 256
231 229 233 232 234 235 235 231 252 248
200 233 235

150

100

50 99 99 98 98 98 98 97 96 93 92 94 96 97 97 98 99 103 104 104

0
9

2
8

2
19

19

20

20

21

21

22

22

23

23
01

02

02

02
01

01

02

02

02
20

20

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12 Description: Of 360 pay TV channels on satellite television in India, 256 were SD channels as of June 2023. Satellite television in the country was provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation, commonly known as ISRO. Meanwhile, The number of HD channels
also figured over 100 that year. Read more
Note(s): India; December 2018 to June 2023
Source(s): TRAI
CHAPTER 03

Key players
 Media groups with the most pay channels in India from April to June 2023
Number of pay channels owned by major media groups India 2023

Number of channels
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Disney Star Group 77

TV 18 Group 59

ZEE Group 50

Culver Max Entertainment Group 26

Discovery Group 18

Zee Media Corporation Group 17

Times Network Group 13

Sidharth TV Network Group 4

NDTV Group 4

CMPL group 4

14 Description: The Indian media conglomerate Disney Star, formerly known as Star India, owned the most number of pay channels in India, amounting to 77 in 2023. The TV18 Group of broadcasters followed with the second-highest number of channels during the same
period. Read more
Note(s): India; April to June 2023
Source(s): TRAI
 Major TV broadcasters in India as of 2023, by channel count
Leading TV broadcasters India 2023, by channel count

Number of channels
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Star India Private Limited 64

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited 48

Viacom 18 Media Private Limited 37

SUN TV Network Limited 31

Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited 22

TV 18 Broadcast Limited 19

Eenadu Television Private Limited 18

Zee Media Corporation Limited 16

Discovery Communications India 14

Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited 12

15 Description: As of 2023, over 60 of the 360 pay TV channels operating in India were owned by the country's leading television broadcaster, Star India Private Limited. The broadcaster belongs to the Star Group and offers channels in almost all of India's major
vernacular languages. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited was the other major broadcaster with the second-highest number of pay channels. Read more
Note(s): India; 2023
Source(s): TRAI
 Leading direct-to-home (DTH) operators in India as of June 2023, by
subscription market share
Distribution of the direct to home (DTH) market in India 2023, by operator

35%
32.73%

30%
26.85%

25%
21.34%
Market share

20% 19.09%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Sun Direct TV Dish TV Bharti Telemedia Tata Play

16 Description: Tata Play, a company within the Tata Group, recorded the highest share in the DTH market in India over the first half of 2023, with roughly 33 percent. The operator was ahead of the Bharti Telemedia-owned operator, Airtel Digital TV, during the measured
time period. Contrary to the declining trend of pay DTH subscriptions in the previous years, DTH operators secured 250 thousand new subscribers in 2023. Read more
Note(s): India; as of 30 September 2022
Source(s): TRAI
 Number of digital TV service customers of Bharti Airtel Limited from
financial year 2013 to 2023 (in millions)
Bharti Airtel's number of digital TV service customers FY 2013-2023

18
16.61
16.2 16 15.9
16 15.39
14.17
14
Number of customers in millions

12.82
11.73
12
10.07
10 9.01
8.1
8

0
FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023

17 Description: In fiscal year 2023, the customer base of Bharti Airtel Limited's digital TV services was approximately 15.9 million, up from about eight million in fiscal year 2013. Bharti Airtel offers its customers tele-media and digital TV services along with its widely
popular mobile services. Read more
Note(s): India; FY 2013 to FY 2023
Source(s): Bharti Airtel
 Revenue of Dish TV India from financial year 2017 to 2023 (in billion Indian
rupees)
Dish TV India operating revenue FY 2017-2023

70

61.66
60
Revenue in billion Indian rupees

50 46.34

40
35.56
32.49
30.14
30 28.03

22.62

20

10

0
FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023

18 Description: Dish TV India reported an operating revenue of over 22 billion Indian rupees in the financial year 2023. It was yet another decrease in revenue compared to the previous year. While a key player in the Indian pay TV market, the company's operating
revenue has been on the decline after having peaked in fiscal year 2019. Read more
Note(s): India; FY 2017 to FY 2023
Source(s): Website (dishtv.in)
 Revenue of Sun TV Network Limited from financial year 2011 to 2023 (in
billion Indian rupees)
Revenue of Sun TV Network Ltd FY 2011-2023

40
36.63 36.61
35.05
35 34.04
31.17
28.62
Revenue in billion Indian rupees

30
25.58
25 23.95
22.43
20.96
19.23
20 18.17
17.57

15

10

0
FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023

19 Description: Sun TV Network Limited reported a revenue of over 36 billion Indian rupees in the financial year 2023. This was an increase compared to the previous year reflecting a return to pre-pandemic levels. Headquartered in the southern city of Chennai, it is one
of Asia's largest TV networks. Read more
Note(s): India; FY 2011 to FY 2023
Source(s): Website (suntv.in)
CHAPTER 04

Pay TV consumption
 Number of satellite TV channels across India from December 2018 to
March 2023
Number of satellite TV channels in India 2018-2023

1,000 926
902 908 910 918 909 900 907 901 915 906 909 898 903 903
880 892 885
900

800

700
Number of channels

600

500

400

300

200

100

0
9

2
8

2
19

19

20

20

21

21

22

22

23
01

02

02

02
01

01

02

02

02
20

20

20

20

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20
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21 Description: As of March 2023, 903 channels were available on satellite television across India. This marked a increase from the same period in the previous year. Satellite television in the country is provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation, commonly
known as ISRO. Read more
Note(s): India; December 2018 to March 2023
Source(s): TRAI
 Number of pay television channels in India from April to June 2023, by
genre
Number of pay TV channels India 2023, by genre

Number of channels
0 20 40 60 80 100 120

General entertainment 114

Movies 71

News and current affairs 62

Sports 32

Kids 28

Infotainment 26

Music 22

Devotional 3

Miscellaneous 2

22 Description: As of 2023, the most number of pay channels in India belonged to the general entertainment genre, tallying over 100. Movie and news channels were the other two leading pay TV genres in this regard. That year, 360 pay channels were in operation in
India. Read more
Note(s): India; April to June 2023
Source(s): TRAI
 Leading television channels across India in week 14 of 2024, by weekly
viewership (in 1,000s)
Leading TV channels in India 2024, by weekly viewership

TV viewership in thousands
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

STAR Sports 1 Hindi 2,600.17

Dangal 2,464.31

STAR Maa 2,310.37

STAR Plus 2,219.94

Sun TV 2,092.11

SONY SAB 1,867.59

STAR Pravah 1,701.37

Zee Telugu 1,646.08

Goldmines 1,467.22

Colors 1,451.55

23 Description: In the week spanning March 30 to April 5, 2024, STAR Sports 1 Hindi remained the leading television channel in India, with a weekly viewership of over 2.6 million average minute audience. The following two positions were occupied by general
entertainment channels in Hindi and Telugu, namely Dangal and STAR Maa, with over two million viewers each. STAR Sports 1 Hindi was the sole sports channel to feature among the top television channels in India during that week. Read more
Note(s): India; March 30 to April 5, 2024; 2 years and older; across urban and rural areas.
Source(s): BARC
 Distribution of video-based media consumption in India as of October
2022, by vertical
Video content consumption India 2022, by vertical

50%

45% 43%

40% 38%

35%
Share of respondents

30%

25%

20%

15%
11%
10% 8%

5%

0%
Linear TV, OTT, and movie studios Linear TV OTT Movie studios

24 Description: As revealed by a survey on video consumption habits in India conducted in October 2022, a majority of respondents amounting to 43 percent, consumed content across verticals that included linear TV, OTT, and movie studios. Linear television alone was
the next most popular vertical among Indian consumers for video consumption during the survey period. Read more
Note(s): India; October 2022; 2,615 respondents
Source(s): BCG; Meta Platforms
CHAPTER 05

OTT and CTV

 Breakdown of video-based media and entertainment market in India in
2016 and 2019, with projections until 2025, by segment
Video M&E market share India 2016-2025, by segment

Linear TV Digital Video (OTT, SFV) Movie studios

120%

100%
13% 15%
20% 19%

80% 3% 8% 20%
Market share

33%
60%

40% 77% 73%

67%
52%
20%

0%
2016 2019 2022* 2025**

26 Description: Linear television accounted for the largest video-based media and entertainment sector share at approximately 67 percent in 2022. A declining trend in television's market share emerged in 2019 as digital video's market share saw a steady rise.
Projections for 2025 predicted that digital video market share would grow at a CAGR of 34 percent while linear TV's share would further decline. The slow recovery made by movie studios from the pandemic would result in their market share being [...] Read more
Note(s): India; 2016 and 2019; *Estimate.**Forecast. Read more
Source(s): BCG; Meta Platforms
 Revenue from OTT and video across India from 2018 to 2022, with
estimates until 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Revenue from OTT and video in India 2018-2027

4.0

3.52
3.5 3.27

3.0 2.91
Revenue in billion U.S. dollars

2.52
2.5
2.1
2.0 1.8

1.44
1.5

1.0 0.9

0.49
0.5 0.3

0.0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023* 2024* 2025* 2026* 2027*

27 Description: India recorded over 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from over-the-top (OTT) and video services in 2022. This figure was estimated to increase by 2027, to nearly 3.52 billion. Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video were some of the key players
of the video subscription market, while YouTube continued to dominate online video streaming. Read more
Note(s): India; 2018 to 2022; *Estimated figures. Values have been rounded. Read more
Source(s): PwC India
 Number of connected TV households in India from 2022 to 2023, with a
projection for 2025 (in millions)
Connected TV penetration India 2022-2025

50
45
45

40
Number of households in millions

35
32

30
25
25

20

15

10

0
2022 2023 2025

28 Description: As of 2023, the number of households in India that owned connected TV sets amounted to 32 million. An increase from the previous year, the trend was projected to continue until 2025. Connected TV or CTV refers to a television or device directly
connected to the internet and can stream content, such as smart TVs, streaming media player devices, gaming consoles, and internet-enabled set-top-boxes. Read more
Note(s): India; 2022 to 2023
Source(s): afaqs!; Website (finecast.com)
 Advertising spending on connected TV in India from 2021 to 2022, with a
forecast until 2027 (in million U.S. dollars)
Connected TV ad spend India 2021-2027

450

395
400

350
Ad spend in million U.S. dollars

300 286

250
200
200

150 133

100 86
57
50 29

0
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027

29 Description: As of 2022 ad expenditure on connected TV or CTV in India amounted to more than 50 million U.S. dollars. The trend was projected to follow an upwards trajectory over the next five years, with CTV ad spends almost touching 400 million U.S. dollars by
2027. Read more
Note(s): India; 2021 to 2022
Source(s): Finecast; GroupM
 Average monthly active users of selected video over-the-top platforms in
India in 2022 (in millions)
Monthly active users of selected video OTT platforms India 2022

Average monthly active users in millions

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

MX Player 176

Hotstar 133

Prime Video 57.4

Netflix 50.3

Zee5 37.4

Sonyliv 25.8

JioCinema 15.6

ALTBalaji 2.62

30 Description: In 2022, the Indian video streaming platform MX Player had the highest number of monthly active users (MAUs), amounting to 176 million on average. It was a slight increase from the previous year. It was followed by Disney+ Hotstar also with over 100
million MAUs, having witnessed the most growth among the surveyed platforms in its user base since 2021. Read more
Note(s): India; 2022
Source(s): Data.ai; exchange4media
 Average monthly time spent on selected video over-the-top platforms in
India in 2022 (in hours and minutes)
Monthly time spent on selected video OTT platforms India 2022

Average active time in hours and minutes

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

MX Player 6

Hotstar 5.57

Netflix 4.55

Prime Video 2.24

Sonyliv 2.14

Zee5 2

JioCinema 1.38

ALTBalaji 0.38

31 Description: As of 2022, the indigenous platform MX Player was the leading video streaming app in India in terms of time spent with users spending up to six hours a month on average. It was closely followed by India's other major streaming platform, Disney+ Hotstar.
Netflix was the only global brand to make it to the top three ranks. Read more
Note(s): India; 2022
Source(s): Data.ai; exchange4media
 Sources

afaqs!
Ampere Analysis
Asia Video Industry Association
BARC
BCG
Bharti Airtel
Data.ai
Digital TV Research
exchange4media
EY
FICCI
Finecast
GroupM
KPMG India
Media Partners Asia
Meta Platforms
PwC India
TRAI
Website (dishtv.in)
Website (finecast.com)
Website (suntv.in)

32