Television sets: India
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Ownership
As in 2020
April 16, 2021: The Times of India
A new study conducted by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India which was released on Thursday said ownership of TV sets in rural India overtook growth in urban pockets, with rural TV penetration growing at 9% in comparison to a 4% growth in the urban parts.
BARC India’s ‘TV Universe Estimates 2020’ (TV UEs), says 210 million Indian households now own a TV set, which accounts for a 6.9% increase from 197 million in 2018. Simultaneously, the report said the number of people who watch TV also swelled by 6.7%, reaching 892 million from 836 million in 2018, an increase of 56 million individuals in 2020.
Women TV owners surged by 7%, beating the male population by one per cent, while the highest growth in numbers was in the “kids” category between the ages of 2 and 14, where TV viewership grew at 9%.
In a statement issued on Thursday, BARC India said the TV UEs 2020 were developed by computing the linear growth of TV households and individuals from Broadcast India (BI) studies conducted in 2016 and 2018 at geographic and demographic levels. BARC India also said it is updating the TV Universe Estimates and, viewership data reported from April 14, will be based on the revised estimates.
Among individual markets, the Hindi-speaking markets grew by 8%, the highest in the country. TV viewership in southern states, in comparison, grew by 5%. Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, and Odisha saw double digit growth in TV households.
“We have been able to ascertain that television continues to be the screen of choice for Indians,” said Sunil Lulla, BARC India CEO, in a statement.
The report also suggested that the socio-economic profile of the TV viewers improved over the years with households in the highest socio-economic strata — A and B — increasing to 27% and 31% respectively, while those in the lower strata contracting to 9% of TV households in India.
The report said the number of people who watch TV also swelled by 6.7%, reaching 892 million from 836 million in 2018, an increase of 56 million individuals in 2020
Sales
2004-13
See graphic:
Sales of Television sets in India, 2004-13
2016-18
Pankaj Doval, Indians tune into large-screen TVs, May 25, 2018: The Times of India
Sales of 55 inch- plus TV sets, 2016-18
From: Pankaj Doval, Indians tune into large-screen TVs, May 25, 2018: The Times of India
When it comes to televisions, it is the big screen that Indians are going for. Increased content consumption on platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and Hotstar — buoyed by a crash in data prices — has fuelled the demand for 55-inch and larger category of ‘smart’ internet TVs, outpacing the growth witnessed by smaller screens.
The trend has gathered pace over the past two years or so, prompting companies to launch more and more TVs with larger screens compared to the massive focus they earlier had on screens such as 24- and 32-inch. These include Ultra HD (high-definition) TVs, OLEDs and new-age 4K screens.
Top officials from companies such as Sony, LG, Panasonic and even homegrown Vu TV say the trend is only going to get stronger as prices of panels come down and popularity of larger screens picks pace.
“People are upgrading TV screen sizes in India, and 55-inch is proving to be the sweet spot when it comes to buyers,” says Manish Sharma, president & CEO of Panasonic’s India business. Apart from the large library of content that is available online, affordability has been a major factor behind pushing the trend. “Just three years back, a good 55-inch smart TV used to cost upwards of Rs 2 lakh. The same now costs around Rs 80,000.”
Sony, one of the key players in the segment, is banking on the trend as it brings many of the company’s premium products in this category. “While the total market for TVs is growing around 10%, demand for larger categories such as 55-inch and above is growing by over 50%,” Sachin Rai, head of Sony India’s TV range, said.
“While last year, around 2 lakh units were sold in the large-screen size, we expect this number to be higher by as much as 50% this year,” Rai said. This number, however, is still small when compared to the total number of TVs that will be sold in the country this year — forecasts peg the cumulative volume at 120 lakh units.
Rahul Tayal, director (strategic business and marketing) at LG India, said ‘smart’ devices account for 40% of the company’s TV sales. Xiaomi is also trying to cash in on the trend as it launched its 55-inch screen for Rs 40,000 recently. Devita Saraf, founder and CEO of Vu Technologies, said her company derives nearly 30-35% of revenues from larger screen TVs.
See also
Television sets: India
