TV set to touch 1 bn audience base by 2029: IIM Ahmedabad report

The country’s economic development, rising disposable income and literacy rate are aiding content consumption and the television landscape across the country, suggests a report by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) Professors Viswanath Pingali, Economics Area, and Ankur Sinha, Operations & Decision Sciences Area.

The report - the ‘Future of TV in India’ Report - supported by the Brij Disa Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CDSA) at IIMA has projected a sustained phase of growth that will propel India’s television audience to 1 billion by 2029.

The report says that India’s television audience will continue to grow at a steady pace of approximately 2.37% annually, expanding to nearly 1.03 billion viewers by 2029. Significant growth and expansion are expected from rural and lower-income states by 2029 as their income levels move closer to the current levels of higher income states.

It also mentions that the number of internet subscribers is a key driver of TV audience growth across the country. Commenting on the research conducted, Prof. Viswanath Pingali, a faculty member in the Economics Area, IIMA, said, “The objective of our research was to examine and establish concrete data-led indicators around the growth trajectory of television as a mature consumption medium and its pertinent role in India’s socio-economic development. Systematic evaluation methodologies coupled with empirical analysis enabled us to map the evolving factors in television consumption and predict how television audiences within a state change in co-relation with several other demographic and economic factors. There is a clear indication of rising incomes and improving literacy rates, particularly in rural and lower-income regions, creating a multiplier effect that strengthens TV adoption and consumption.”

Prof. Ankur Sinha, a faculty member in the Operations & Decision Sciences Area, IIMA, added, “The report quantifies the drivers of television audience growth by using models that account for multiple variables simultaneously. The key pattern that emerged consistently was the role of internet penetration in boosting television audiences. It was interesting to note how internet access, demographic composition, and income growth interact in powerful ways, particularly in rural and low-income regions that are also traditionally considered under-penetrated television markets. The state-wise projections presented in the report underscore that the next phase of growth for television will be led by regions undergoing rapid socio-economic transition.”

The report also indicates a strong co-relation between literacy rates and dependency ratios with television adoption.