- Subscriptions continue to be the most lucrative source of revenue for television, followed by advertising and programming in South India.
The Television sector is one of the key pillars of South India’s creative economy. It is still the cheapest form of entertainment and the widest form of entertainment across genres.
Television continues to occupy a major 45% of the South India Media & Entertainment market share. By the end of 2022, the South Indian TV segment of the Media & Entertainment industry market is expected to be worth Rs 33,100 crore, with a 10% compound annual growth rate.
Subscription and advertising revenues are evenly growing and there are visible signs of advertising in recent quarters.
South India is home to 179 (or 29%) of India’s 613 TV channels, accounting for around 35% of the country’s total viewership. Tamil language channels have the most TV channels (65), followed by Telugu language channels (50), Kannada language channels (36), and Malayalam language (28).
The south Indian TV sector had a market size of Rs 36000 crore in 2019, which dropped to Rs 29000 crore in 2020 because of the pandemic but recovered to Rs 30100 crore in 2021. The market is expected to grow even more in the coming years, reaching Rs 33100 crore in 2022 and surpassing 2019 by 2024.
In South India, subscriptions continue to be the most lucrative source of revenue for television, followed by advertising and programming. According to industry estimates, TV stations in South India earned Rs 25200 crore in subscriptions, Rs 9360 crore in advertising, and Rs 1440 crore in programming in 2019. Due to the pandemic’s impact, these figures fell in 2020 to Rs 20300 crore for subscriptions, Rs 7540 crore for advertising, and Rs 1160 crore for content-based revenue.
With a market share of 35%, Tamil Nadu is the largest TV subscription market in South India, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (32%), Karnataka (21%), and Kerala (12%).
When it comes to the percentage of South Indian states in TV ad income, Tamil Nadu once again leads the pack with 35%, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (23%), Karnataka (22%), and Kerala (20%).
According to industry estimates, Tamil Nadu leads the South Indian states in terms of percentage share of the TV Content market, with 36 percent, followed by Andhra & Telangana (25 percent), Kerala (21 percent), and Karnataka (18 percent).
In the Southern market, television remains a family viewing medium, with broadcast movie channels dominating television viewing. Unlike the rest of India, the five southern states have the highest TV penetration (individuals who own a television) with over 95 percent; however, owning a smart TV or a second television set at home is catching up.
While films are increasing their presence outside regions, TV content (serials, dramas) is going local, targeting a certain segment of the audience and, in many cases, a specific dialect group in communities for prime time shows.
