Rural India Fuels Growth As Television Ownership And Viewership On The Rise, Shows Report

Broadcast India, a report released by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has revealed that rural demand for televisions (TVs) and content has been driving the growth in TV sales and viewership in the country, The Financial Express has reported. The report says that the total number of households having a television has increased from 183 million in 2016 to 197 million in 2018.

The growth in homes with a TV has increased faster than growth in number of homes according to the report. Number of homes has grown at a rate of 4.2 percent (286 million in 2016 to 298 million in 2018) while the number of homes with a TV has risen by 7.5 percent.

The growth in TV ownership in rural India has also been higher than the national average. Number of homes with a TV rose from 99 million in 2016 to 109 million in 2018. TV viewership in rural India grew by 13 percent whereas the figure was 10 percent for urban India. In addition to this, viewership of HD channels in rural India grew by 37 percent.

“The income level among the poor has increased and with this, TV has reached a position where it becomes a necessity as well as an aspiration because everybody else has it,” Girish Menon, partner at KPMG India has opined. Further, he added that macroeconomic factors were behind the growth of TV ownership in rural India and the penetration could rise to 220-230 million in coming years.