New Delhi : In the apocketsensitive country, ‘free’ acts as a game changer. By entering Free Dish, television broadcasters can acquire greater penetration, mainly focusing on the rural parts of India. According to a survey by Chrome Data Analytics and Media, there isless than 40% of TV penetration in 54 million Hindi Speaking Market (HSM), out of which 23 million HSM i.e. 42% market share is captured by Free Dish.
Among other findings, Chrome DM states that Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir are the top states in terms of Free Dish Penetration. These states are also the key viewership markets in HSM.
Since advertising revenue of FTA channels is growing at a much faster pace,broadcasters are gradually turning their paid channels to FTA, leveraging the opportunity. All leading players like Star, Sony, Zee, Viacom, and others have started focusing towards Rural HSM with existence on free dish.
The below table depicts the growth of FTA channels in Rural HSM:
| Year | Total FTA channels |
| 2015 | 74 |
| 2016 | 114 |
| 2017 | 142 |
Identifying the potential of Rural market, Pankaj Krishna, CEO & Founder, Chrome DM says“Nearly 70 per cent of the country’s population lives in rural areas. Within the Rural TV Owning Universe, the inclusion of free dish can lead to a significant increase in Subscriber Base for Broadcasters.”
