Television continues to dominate video content consumption in India, outpacing social media and user-generated content (UGC) platforms. With 190 million screens across the country, television commands an unparalleled scale and reach, according to Kevin Vaz, CEO – Entertainment, JioStar, ETTelecom reported.
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Content Consumption on TV
Vaz reportedly highlighted that total content consumption on TV stood at a staggering 46 trillion minutes, surpassing all digital and user-generated content platforms. "TV delivers a high reach. In South India, its reach is 2.5 times that of UGC platforms. Even in megacities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, TV penetration remains very strong," he said, as per the report.
User Prefer Content in Local Languages
According to the report, a recent FICCI-EY report found that YouTube's reach in India rose to 63 percent of TV's reach in 2024, up from 61 percent in 2023. This increase is attributed to growing internet access in Hindi-speaking states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan, where 95 percent of users prefer content in local languages.
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Television Remains Central to Content
Despite the growth of digital platforms, Vaz reportedly emphasized that television—in its various forms, including pay-TV, free-to-air, and Connected TV (CTV)—remains central to India’s content ecosystem. "The number of TV screens are expected to grow from 190 million in 2024 to 214 million by 2026. That growth is spread across pay, free, and connected TV platforms," he reportely observed.
"As the industry invests more in quality content—sports, blockbuster films, big shows—we're seeing a real difference," Vaz noted, as per the report. He also positioned CTV as a complement, not a competitor, to linear TV.
"We're content creators first and we create for the big screen. So whether it's pay-TV or CTV, it's all about reaching as many people as possible," he reportedly added.
Free-TV as a Gateway
As part of its free-TV strategy, JioStar is leveraging platforms like DD Free Dish to widen its base. Free TV serves a specific purpose—it acts as an on-ramp to pay-TV, Vaz said, highlighting the recent relaunch of Hindi GECs like Star Utsav and Colors Rishtey on DD Free Dish, Prasar Bharati's free DTH service.
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"We will use DD Free Dish to upgrade customers to pay-TV," he said, as per the report, nothing that Pay-TV, which had seen years of decline, is once again seeing growth, due to the shifting media and technological landscape. The sector added 1.3 million households, buoyed by marquee events such as the ICC Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Pay-TV Resurgence
"There's been a jump in pay-TV households. But more importantly, when I look at the ratings—despite all the talk about pay-TV declining—we've seen some of the highest ratings," he noted, as per the report.
Beyond sports, entertainment content is also driving numbers. The television premiere of Stree 2 attracted 41.2 million viewers, making it one of the biggest premieres on Indian television in recent years.
