TRAI report signals stress in broadcast sector as pay DTH users dip, FM ad revenue slips

India's traditional broadcasting ecosystem continued to face headwinds in the January-March 2026 quarter, with the country's pay direct-to-home (DTH) subscriber base shrinking further and private FM radio advertising revenue declining, even as television channel offerings remained largely stable, according to the latest performance report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

The regulator's quarterly performance indicators paint a mixed picture for the broadcast industry, highlighting persistent subscriber erosion in pay television alongside muted advertising growth in radio, even as broadcasters continue expanding their footprint through new television and FM channels.

Pay DTH loses nearly two million subscribers in a quarter

The sharpest decline was witnessed in the pay DTH segment, where the active subscriber base fell to 49.05 million as of March 31, 2026, from 50.99 million in the previous quarter, a sequential decline of nearly 1.94 million subscribers, according to TRAI. The country currently has four private pay DTH operators, excluding public broadcaster Prasar Bharati's free-to-air DD Free Dish platform.

The continued contraction underscores the structural challenges confronting India's pay television distribution business, which has been grappling with increasing competition from over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms, changing consumer viewing habits and the growing popularity of free television services.

Industry executives have repeatedly flagged subscriber losses in the pay TV ecosystem over the past few years as consumers increasingly migrate toward internet-based video consumption or opt for free television offerings.

TV channel universe remains robust

Despite pressure on the distribution side, India's television broadcasting ecosystem continues to remain expansive.

According to the report, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had permitted 917 private satellite television channels for uplinking, downlinking or both as of March 31, 2026.

Of the 908 satellite channels available for downlinking in India, broadcasters reported 342 pay television channels to TRAI under the regulator's tariff framework.

Among these, 238 are standard-definition (SD) pay channels, while 104 are high-definition (HD) channels. The remaining 566 channels are categorised as free-to-air (FTA) television channels.

The data reflects the continued dominance of free television channels in India's broadcasting landscape even as premium content remains concentrated within the pay TV segment.

FM radio network expands despite weaker advertising market
The private FM radio industry witnessed expansion in terms of geographical reach during the quarter, although advertising revenues softened.

TRAI said there were 390 operational private FM radio channels across 120 cities, operated by 31 private FM radio broadcasters as of March 31, 2026. This compares with 385 operational channels across 113 cities in the previous quarter.

The increase was primarily driven by D B Corp Ltd, which commenced operations of seven new FM stations in Alwar, Bhuj, Daman, Gandhidham, Ganganagar, Pali and Ratlam during the quarter.

However, the expansion was partly offset by JCL Infra Ltd surrendering licences for its two FM radio stations in Leh and Kargil in the Union Territory of Ladakh, leaving three operational FM channels in the region.

Radio advertising revenue slips

While broadcasters added more stations, the industry's advertising income declined sequentially.

Private FM operators reported combined advertising revenue of Rs 414.03 crore during the January-March quarter, down from Rs 419.29 crore in the October-December 2025 quarter. The latest revenue was generated from 390 operational FM channels, compared with 385 channels in the preceding quarter.

The moderation suggests that advertising demand remained subdued despite network expansion, reflecting cautious marketing spends across sectors.

Community radio footprint continues to grow

The community radio segment continued its gradual expansion, with 564 community radio stations operational across the country as of March 31, 2026, according to TRAI.

Community radio stations play an important role in disseminating local information, educational programming and public service content, particularly in rural and underserved regions.

Broadcast sector navigates structural transition

The latest TRAI data underscores the divergent trends across India's broadcasting industry.

While television broadcasters continue to maintain a large portfolio of satellite channels and private FM operators are expanding into newer cities, the underlying economics of traditional broadcasting remain under pressure.

The continuing decline in pay DTH subscribers points to the ongoing shift in content consumption toward internet-based platforms and free television services. At the same time, softer FM advertising revenues indicate that radio broadcasters continue to face a challenging advertising environment despite widening their coverage.

The broadcasting indicators were released as part of TRAI's Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report for the January-March 2026 quarter, which tracks trends across telecom, internet, cable television, DTH and radio broadcasting services.