MUMBAI: If 2015 was a good year for media and entertainment industry with a growth rate of 12.8 per cent taking it to Rs 1157 billion,(RS 1,15,700 crore) with advertising revenues touching Rs 475 billion (Rs 47,500 crore), 2016 promises to be even better. Estimates show that the industry is to touch Rs 1315 billion by this year end, with television alone commanding Rs 617 billion (Rs 61,700 crore). And the industry stalwarts project even rosier tidings for 2020.
As per KPMG- FICCI Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2016 that was released on 30 March at FICCI Frames 2016, the sector is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.3 percent to be valued at Rs 2260 billion (Rs 2,26,000 crore) by 2020, with advertising revenue touching a whooping Rs 994 billion (Rs 99400 crore) at a CAGR growth of 15.9 per cent.
Television continues to thrive:
While 2015 saw the growing stress on the need to transport from traditional media to digital options, the current report reassures the continued importance and relevance of television as a medium, which is projected to grow at a rate of 15.1 CAGR between 2015- 2020, and touch Rs 1,09,760 crore by 2020, out of which Rs 364.5 billion (Rs 36,450 crore) will be contributed by advertising revenue. TV ad revenue is expected to touch Rs 210.3 billion (Rs 21,030 crore) by the end of 2016. On the other hand, subscription revenue for broadcasters is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15 per cent between 2015- 2020, to Rs 733 billion (Rs 73,300 crore). Subscription revenues for TV is estimated to have grown at 13 per cent to reach Rs 361 billion (Rs 36,100 crore). While the figures show a positive growth in advertising revenues, a delayed digitisation process would slow down the subscription growth.
Digital, the fastest growing medium:
Digital Advertising will continue to grow at a high CAGR of 33.5 per cent, the highest growing medium of all. The evident shift would be towards mobile and video advertising backed by the opening up of bandwidth in the country by 2020. The report estimates that by 2020 digital advertising will touch Rs 255.2 billion (Rs 25,520 crore) and contribute 25.7 percent of the total advertising revenue.
Impact of BARC India ratings on Television:
There are no two opinions about the fact that roll out of BARC ratings was a major event that changed the face of the industry, and perhaps its rules as well. The implementation of BARC was a major theme in 2015. While inclusion of rural markets and increase in sample size led to a reshuffle of rankings in the ratings of TV channels, particularly highlighting the viewership of FTA channels, there was no immediate impact on ad budget allocations among channels or genres. Going forward, sustained trends in ratings could lead to advertisers re-thinking their ad spend mix and broadcasters their content strategy.
Paid C&S penetration of TV:
The number of TV households in India has increased to 175 million (17.5 crore), at 62 percent growth rate. The figures are estimated to touch 200 million (20 crore) by 2020, with paid cable and satellite subscriber base growing to 174 million (17.5 crore) and command a lion share of 87 per cent of total TV households. However, when considering distribution, challenges in improving addressability, increasing monetisation continues to plague the industry, the report foretells. Meanwhile, competition in the TV distribution space is expected to intensify with Reliance Jio coming in the cable TV business.
ARPU continues to back DTH growth:
As per industry observations shared in the report, DTH has seen an ARPU growth of 10 per cent in 2015, driven by price hikes, and increased HD feed penetration which constitutes 15 percent of the total subscriber base in the sector. This trend is expected to rule the sector in the upcoming years as well, with average ARPU of HD subscriber estimated to grow to 1.5 to 2 times that of a non HD subscriber. The report also hints at a growth in demand and adoption of 4K STBs, though lack of enough 4K content could be a disadvantage to this growth.
