Connected TV

The Growth of Connected TV in India: Analysing the Reasons

The technical upgrades in our regular TV have changed our watching pattern. Nowadays, it will be hard to find viewers who stick to traditional cable TV plans. The emergence of connected Television has made an ingress to the primarily mobile-based viewership of India.

The Ground Reality of Connected TV Market:

Due to the penetration of smartphones, a large share of Indian viewers used their mobile devices to consume content. This pattern is changing significantly in the current times. A connected TV provides myriad opportunities to view the same content on a bigger screen. You can also count the contribution provided by the higher adoption of wired broadband connections.

In recent studies, it has been found that the market of connected TVs in India will be 80-100 million in next 3-4 years. Along with viewing movies and series on the device, the viewers will also utilise it for gaming and social media.

Reasons for the Growth of CTV in India:

Thanks to the growth of connected TV, cable operators are changing their regular way of playing the game. Here, we will try to look at the various reasons behind the growth.

  • Popularity of OTT Platforms: When it comes to the Indian market, the preference for OTT platforms has increased manifold in the last few years. As a result, it is facing consistent growth in the local market. In a recent survey, it was found that 65% of the respondents subscribed to more than one platform. By the end of this year, the Indian OTT Market will grow to $5 Billion.
  • Emergence of OTT Aggregators: Roku was the big player who started aggregation of OTT apps and selling as a bundled package. In India also this is gaining popularity and they will be the new Digital MSO’s for every market along with the telcos. We will also witness disruption in India with new offerings and products over the next few quarters.
  • Affordability: The CTV Manufacturers have adopted the approach of gradually reducing the price of their commodity to boost sales. Now, you can buy a connected TV for your use even at a lower price. A number of customers both own a smart TV and an uninterrupted internet connection. Therefore, it has become easier for manufacturers to provide an integrated TV-watching experience to the users.

Now, a debate may come about whether connected TV is the death knell for the cable TV viewing experience. It is a common query that I come across as a media professional. I believe that though cable TV services are currently losing their subscriber base, they will not disappear suddenly. Even at local levels, they try to be relevant among their customers by offering unique packages. You can get access to multiple OTT platforms by upgrading the subscription package. This is a win-win situation for both the customer and the service provider.