India is most likely to become the world’s fastest-growing OTT (over-the-top) market in the next five years. According to the latest PwC report, OTT market in India is expected to double by 2028, reaching Rs35,062 crore, fuelled by a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9 per cent and mainly driven by the country’s large millennial and Gen Z population of over 910 million. PwC report states that OTT market growth’s key enablers in India include 800 million broadband subscriptions, 550 million smartphone users, 780 million internet users, rising per capita income and the world’s cheapest data costs. India will lead the world in growth in the OTT segment until 2028. And, the country is also one of the fastest-growing traditional television (TV) markets.
It is clear that OTT services have transformed the television landscape. On-demand entertainment content, personalised viewing experiences and multi-device accessibility continue to attract the OTT viewership in India. OTT has thus transformed the landscape of Indian television industry and such a paradigm shift in the viewership pattern of Indian audience has sparked a genuine concern amongst the experts about a possible threat to the popularity ratings of fiction and non-fiction shows aired on Indian television channels every day.
However, many stalwarts of the Indian entertainment industry feel that TV watching continues to remain a communal activity of the audience with families and friends gathering to watch popular television shows together on a regular basis.
“I personally believe that television rating points (TRPs) of Indian television shows necessarily do not depend on the type and kind and amount of entertainment content watched by the Indian audience on YouTube or OTT on a regular basis,” says Nivedita Basu, vice-president, fiction, Dangal TV. “TV has got its own religious audience in our country and it’s certainly going to stay for a while”. Dangal TV is India’s leading free-to-air channel that occupies the topmost space amongst general entertainment television channels operating in Indian states that are dominated by Hindi language-speaking citizens.
Basu, a veteran creative personality of the Indian entertainment sector, affirms that the producers of Indian television shows generally do not deviate from a standard storyline or time-tested scripting that has been widely accepted by the country’s mass-audience. The family-oriented and simple narratives of Indian television shows continue to resonate with dedicated television viewers despite the rising popularity of OTT amongst Indians. The demarcations of OTT and television shows content are clear in the entertainment world today, she feels. However, today Indian television shows generally do not enjoy a long shelf-life, barring exceptions.
“OTT business, however, has got a bright future as we are rolling out 5G mobile connectivity across the length and breadth of the country,” adds Basu. “The smart TV market in India is also growing rapidly, which will invariably bolster the growth of the OTT sector, going forward. And, the biggest plus point of OTT is that it offers convenience of watching the content to the audience”. Basu has played a pivotal role in establishing three popular OTT platforms in India.
Regional dominance
Echoing a similar sentiment, Himanshoo Pathak, a well-known producer-director and promoter of Elixir Production, contends that television shows aired across various general entertainment channels in the country will continue to retain the regional dominance, although OTT remains a favourite choice of urban and tech-savvy Indian viewers, due to the personalised content. However, national television brings inclusiveness. “With India being the country with dominance of the younger audience, OTT is bound to break boundaries with its buffet of content for every age and strata,” argues Pathak.
Experts believe that TRP ratings of Indian television shows still hold significance, though their dominance is steadily waning. “Television remains an essential medium, particularly for audiences, who are less digitally savvy, such as homemakers in semi-urban and rural areas,” informs Anshuman Kishore Singh, a renowned director of the Indian entertainment industry. “However, the advent of OTT platforms and YouTube has significantly disrupted traditional viewership. The family-oriented, simple narratives continue to resonate with a dedicated audience, but the younger demographic is rapidly migrating to OTT platforms due to its diverse and on-demand content”. Indian television shows’ producers often stick to safe and family-centric themes, with little room for bold or innovative ideas in the scripts, he adds. General entertainment channels in India tend to end the telecast of television shows mid-way and abruptly if TRPs falter.
However, advertising rates of non-fiction television shows aired on prime time slots across Hindi general entertainment channels of India have witnessed a steady growth in the current year, which reflects the significance and popularity of television shows in India, despite the spiralling growth of the OTT sector in the country.