Indian TV Biz Drops By 1.5% In FY22: TRAI

In FY 2022–2023, the Indian television business saw a degrowth of 1.5 per cent, reaching a total income of Rs 70,900 crore as opposed to Rs 72,000 crore in FY 2021–2022, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) annual report for the year 2022–2023. The report was brought before the Rajya Sabha on February 9, 2024, and the Lok Sabha on December 20, 2023.

The report also states that the subscription revenue, which makes up a significant portion of the industry revenue overall, dropped from Rs 40,700 crore in FY 2021–2022 to Rs 39,200 crore in FY 2022–2023, a loss of 3.69 per cent. Additionally, from Rs 31,300 crore in FY 2021–2022 to Rs 31,800 crore in FY 2022–2023—a 1.6 per cent increase in advertisement revenue has been seen.

As of March 31, 2023, the TV industry consisted of 332 broadcasters offering 903 private satellite TV channels. Among the television channels offered by 43 Pay TV broadcasters are 254 SD Pay TV channels and 104 HD Pay TV channels. In addition, 1,748 Multi System Operators (MSOs) with registration, 1 HITS operator, 4 pay DTH operators, and 25 IPTV operators were present. There were 81,706 cable operators registered with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).  

According to industry projections, the TV universe has 2 million HITS users and about 64 million cable TV households as of March 2023, according to the TRAI study. Furthermore, as of March 31, 65.25 million pay DTH users were active worldwide, according to data provided to TRAI by pay DTH operators.

TRAI said the year 2022-23 had been another busy and eventful year for the broadcasting and cable services sector. “Even though television remains the largest segment, digital media has seen phenomenal growth with a 27 per cent growth in digital subscriptions in 2022. The potential of the new technologies in the sector can be inferred from the fact that in 2022, animation and VFX was the fastest growing sector with a staggering 29 per cent growth,” it added. 

TRAI also mentioned that it was taking various measures to ensure transparency, non-discrimination and equity across the value chain to increase efficiency and trust and reduce disputes amongst stakeholders. 

“Our country has made significant progress in economic growth and is emerging as one the fastest growing economies in the world. A business-friendly environment is a prerequisite for the growth of any sector. An enabling business environment makes the country a favourite business destination. It not only leads to employment generation but also helps in the growth and development of a country. TRAI is committed to creating an enabling ecosystem for the investment and growth of the broadcasting sector,” the report mentioned.

During the year, the Tariff Order and Interconnection Regulations of the Television Broadcasting sector were reviewed as per the Consultation Paper issued on 7 May 2022. After due consultation, TRAI notified the amendments to Regulatory Framework 2017 on 22 November 2022. The amendments inter-alia included: a) Continuance of forbearance on MRP of TV channels; b) Revision of Ceiling on MRP of a TV Channel for inclusion in bouquet; c) Revision of the Ceiling on Discount on sum of the price of a-la-carte channels while forming Bouquet to 45 per cent; d) Additional Incentives of 15 per cent by broadcaster to be permitted on Bouquets also. 

The report also stated that there were 388 private FM radio stations operational as of 31 March 2023, besides the public service broadcaster All India Radio (AIR). As far as the data relating to Community Radio Stations is concerned, out of the 571 licenses issued as of 31 March 2023 for the setup of such stations, 427 Community Radio Stations were operational.

The reported advertisement revenues by the private FM Radio broadcasters have increased from Rs 1227.15 crore in the year 2021-22 to Rs 1547.13 crore in the year 2022-23, the TRAI report stated.

The report also shared the income and expenditure figures of TRAI. TRAI's total income for the year FY 2022-2023 grew by 4 per cent to Rs 97 crore as compared to Rs 93 crore in FY 2021-22. The total expenditure of TRAI grew by 16.13 per cent to Rs 108 crore in FY23 as compared to Rs 93 crore in FY22. Meanwhile, in FY23, TRAI reduced its advertising and publicity expenses by 49.17 per cent to Rs  9,07,109 lakh as compared to Rs 17,84,626 lakh.