What Broadcast India 2018 tells us

The survey results bring out more than TV-related stats and points to an India on the move — on some key social and economic indices

One commonly heard phrase in any market is “we are evolving, every single day”. When it comes to India, it is more than a mere statement. In the broadcast sector particularly, the pace of change and evolution is dizzying. Content, delivery format, the number of TV channels etc are all evolving along with technology and changing tastes. At India’s television viewership measurement company, we deep- dived into this ‘ changing India’ in the recently released Broadcast India (BI) 2018 survey. The survey brings out the underlying changes in consumer/viewer profiles in our towns, cities and villages.

What are the big takeaways of the survey?

First, television is not going away or “dying” — as some doomsayers have been proclaiming for a few years now. Yes digital viewing is growing rapidly. But TV continues to grow and will do so in the foreseeable future. Our BI2018 survey has revealed a 7.5 per cent growth in TV owning homes since 2016 — from 183 to 197 million. The corresponding growth in TV viewing individuals is 7.2 per cent — from 780 to 836 million. I remain optimistic about the future of TV because even now 100 million Indian homes don’t have access to TV.

The survey results bring out more than TV related stats and it points to an India on the move — on some key social and economic indices. The Indian government has devoted a huge amount of its attention and resources on making India clean through its Swachh Bharat campaign. Between 2016-18, the Central government aired 480,000 ad spots on TV to educate citizens on cleanliness and the use of toilets. BI-2018 shows that those efforts are paying huge dividends. About 71 per cent of Indian homes today have access to toilets, up from 58 per cent in 2016. Rural homes with toilets have grown from a low of 45 per cent to a respectable 63 per cent; while 86 per cent of urban homes currently have toilets, up from 83 per cent.

Let’s look at another area that has been a key focus for the government: Electrification. As per BI-2018, 99 per cent of urban and 91 per cent of rural homes have access to electricity. What we have also observed is that one of the first things that a family buys once they have access to electricity is a TV set. Refrigerator, electric mixer are lower in the shopping list.

BI-2018 data also validates the efforts under the government’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. On the ground, LPG/PNG penetration in India has gone up from 58 per cent to 72 per cent of homes. While 91 per cent of urban homes use clean cooking gas, in rural, it stands at 62 per cent. The country is making headway on the education front. People with education above SSC/HSC has gone up by 5 per cent to 379 million, while the country currently boasts of 93 million graduates. Yes, the dream of seeing an India that is 100 per cent educated, is still far. But this growth gives hope of making this a reality.

You know a country is on the right growth path, when more and more woman attain ‘working’ status. BI2018 points out that since 2016, 25 per cent more women have moved from being a housewife to a working woman. The working married woman category currently stands at 101 million, as against 81 million in 2016. One statistic that would give each Indian a reason to feel proud.

The BI survey highlights a shift in the country’s socio- economic composition. Thanks to the improving disposable income, NCCS D/E or the lower income group have moved up the ladder, leading to a rise of the middle class (NCCS B & C) that now comprise 47 per cent of the total homes. For advertisers, this is the segment to watch out for.

The author is CEO, Broadcast Audience Research Council, India