Tag: TV

The World of TV according to BARC

MUMBAI: Numerous soothsayers have time and again been saying that linear TV worldwide – and in India – is dying.

But shush, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has come out with a report entitled The Changing Face of TV in India that clearly states that the good old idiot box is doing very well – thank you.

Some of the reasons TV is flourishing, JIO juggernaut or not, is because of the improving state of electricity, digitisation, increasing nuclear families, better distribution, growth of free to air (FTA) channels, increasing migration, an increase in the middle class bulge and the continued sustenance of single TV homes.

The BARC report points out that in 2015 there were 162 channels, in 2017 they had risen 74 per cent to 282, while pay channels grew only 14 per cent from 210 to 240 in the same period. This has resulted in pay TV viewership falling from 77 per cent to 69 per cent, while FTA viewing has gone up from 23 per cent to 31 per cent. Channels have been delivering content in various languages that has led to a spurt in viewing. For instance, Gujarati programming viewing has grown 146 per cent in 2017 over 2016; Assamese 123 per cent, Marathi 74 per cent and Bangla 68 per cent.

What has been remarkable, says the BARC report, is that between 2005 and 2018 the number of channels launched skyrocketed from 130 to 800 plus. Most of these were delivered by DTH or cable TV, which saw terrestrial TV – read Doordarshan – viewership getting eroded from 50 per cent to two per cent in the same period while total DTH’s and cable TV’s shares jumped from 50 per cent to 98 per cent.

BARC has estimated that the TV universe size in India is 183 million households (99 million in rural and 84 million in urban) representing 780 million individuals. But the sad – or rather the good – news is that 87 per cent of urban India has been penetrated by TV while the figure for rural is 52 per cent. This number should delight any broadcaster as there are many homes that are yet to be reached by television.

The viewership monitoring firm has revealed that almost 86 per cent of India has the old world fat cathode ray tube TV; flat screen/LED/LCD TVs are there in only 14 per cent of the national population (20 per cent in urban and eight per cent in rural).

Plus there is the fact that the number of multi TV households is 5.1 per cent in urban India and 1.9 per cent in rural India. Almost 97 per cent of Indian homes have just a single TV set. Has the TV revolution really hit India, one may pause and ask, keeping in mind these numbers?

What’s more, only 23 per cent of rich large joint families belonging to NCS A+ have multiple TVs, the majority are happy with their single television. So money is not a criterion for buying a second TV set – big fat Gujarati or Sindhi or Tamil or Punjabi families seem to be happy watching their TV in their living rooms together. The family that watches TV together stays together, it seems.

BARC has stated in its report that altogether there were 560 million tune ins daily leading to an overall national consumption of three hours 44 minutes and 28 seconds of TV daily. What was remarkable is that even though the southern markets have only 191 million tune-ins, it led to a lot more gorging on TV as compared to the tune-ins in Hindi speaking market (HSM) which numbered 375 million. As a whole, southern viewers tuned into TV for four hours nine minutes and 25 seconds; while their Hindi speaking cousins stayed glued for three hours 31 minutes and 36 seconds daily.

Viewers in Maharashtra watched good old TV for four hours one minute and 36 seconds while viewers in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana tuned in for four hours 12 minutes and 56 seconds. BARC says there is a lot of headroom for growth as Punjab/Haryana/Himachal Pradesh and JK watched about three hours and 28 minutes of TV daily as compared to the Portugal TV viewing public whose consumption crossed fours and 36 minutes every day.

TV consumption is changing in India

Even as naysayers have been saying that the youth of India have forsaken their living room TV viewing for personal viewing on portable devices, BARC says that this is all humbug. In fact, it says that viewership in the 15 to 30 age group has increased in just a year and that demographic consumes the most amount of TV daily.

The BARC report has come up with some interesting bite-sized nuggets about TV viewing habits:

• Rising temperatures (read: the onset of summer) led to a fall in viewership in both 2016 and 2017 from week 14 to week 30.

• Viewers in the south tend to watch more TV during festival holidays while those in the Hindi speaking markets don’t make any extra efforts to reach for their remotes. For instance, viewing in the south went up 16 per cent on 30 September 2017, namely Dussera, while it went up one per cent in HSM. This trend was starker in the case of Diwali between 18 and 20 October 2017. Viewing in Tamil Nadu rose 30 per cent; in Kerala 30 per cent; in Andhra Pradesh 19 per cent and in Karnataka 21 per cent. The HSM folks – well they watched just one per cent more TV.

• Public holidays are the time when both the HSM and south market viewers tend to stay glued to their living room TV sets. On Independence Day in 2017 viewership in both HSM and south went up 19 per cent.

• Migration is impacting consumption of language content in different states. Bhojpuri TV, for instance, gets 44 per cent of its viewing share from Bihar/Jaharkand and 15 per cent from Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand. However, 41 per cent of its consumption is coming from other states with Gujarat/Daman & Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli accounting for 6.5 per cent of this; Delhi for 4.9 per cent and Assam, Northeast Sikkim for 4.1 per cent. Tamil is the second most popular language in Bengaluru accounting for 16 per cent viewership while Telugu accounts for seven per cent and Hindi three per cent. Kannada, of course, is the main language at 74 per cent.

• States that are more literate are watching more TV. Maharashtra/Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat/Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana figure among the high TV watching states and they also have literacy rates in the range of 68 per cent to almost 90 per cent.

• Cricket’s viewership is getting chipped away. Where once almost all of India huddled around cricket games on TV, in 2017, the game with the willow accounted for 69 per cent of viewing; kabaddi for 15 per cent; wrestling and soccer for five per cent each while other sports accounted for the remainder viewer. What is noteworthy is the 83 per cent growth in viewership for kabaddi in the year.

• Salman Khan, yes the man India loves, ruled among the top Hindi movies watched since 2015. Four of his films figure in the top 15 list with Bajrangi Bhaijaan at an eye-popping 7.82; Prem Ratan Dhan Payo at 7.66; Sultan at 3.49 and Tubelight at 2.87.

• Women are increasingly watching news; demonetisation week on 8 November 2016 saw overall news viewership rise 56 per cent between the previous four week’s viewership and week 45 of 2016. Women kept glued to TV, showing an increase of 37 per cent in their viewership in that period. In week 1 of 2017 during Rashtra ke Naam Sandesh, 3.6 times more women tuned into the show as compared to the previous four weeks, while the figure for men was 3.5 times.

• Hindi content is being watched by 500 million people weekly (read GEC); with the Hindi movie genre being tuned into by 471 million viewers every week. Most of the genres grew in their weekly reach between 2016 and 2017 with Hindi music, Hindi news, kids, Hindi youth, sports, Bhojpuri GEC, Hindi news regional, Bhojpuri movies, Telugu GECs, and infotainment notching up 319 million, 309 million, 255 million, 176 million, 159 million, 141 million, 139 million, 128 million, 107 million and 107 million respectively. The only three genres which de-grew in the period were: sports at 200 million, Tamil GEC at 106 million and English movies at 82 million in their weekly reach.

• Urban India loves watching reality TV shows/talent searches; drama and soaps; mythologicals and costume dramas, horror serials, game shows, cartoons/animation and feature films in that order.

• The genre wise breakup for rural India is dramas/soaps, mythological dramas, talent searches and reality shows, children’s programme, game shows/quiz, feature films and finally cartoons and animation.

Dramas on TV also see very stark trends according to BARC. For instance, marriage tracks seem to boost ratings 13 per cent as compared to the previous weeks, says BARC. Jail tracks see eyeballs go up 15 per cent as compared to previous weeks. The coming together of casts of different shows helps boost ratings by 20 per cent, it has revealed in its study. Drama rules even in news since July 2016 with consistent developments and events all the time leading to the genre seeing some increases in viewing, ditto with sports – a gripping match with ups and downs, preferable ups for India sends TV audiences into a frenzy.

March 28, 2018
India dikhayega dance ka naya tevar on &TV’s high fever

MUMBAI: The only validation of a great dancer is the passion with which he or she performs and when two such passionate individuals come together, they create pure magic! With this thought,&TV is all set to present a brand-new, first-of-its-kind dance reality show, High Fever…Dance Ka NayaTevar, that will bring forth exceptional dancing jodis from across the nation who will set the stage on fire! The show will welcome unique jodis, across age groups and geographies, and give them a chance to put their best foot forward as a team testing the dynamics of their relationship. Judging these jodis on various aspects will be an eminent panel of judges that include the crown winner (Miss Universe 2000) and very graceful Lara Dutta, dance maestro and director Ahmed Khan and internationally acclaimed dancer Dana Alexa. Produced by Frames, the show also marks the comeback of television’s sweetheart Priyanshu Jora as the host who will be accompanied by ace comedian Nitesh Shetty. Capturing dance, passion, emotion, love and much more, High Fever…Dance Ka Naya Tevar will go on-air starting March 17th, every Saturday and Sunday at 9:30PM only &TV.

Speaking about the latest offering, &TV Head & Business, Vishnu Shankar said, “High Fever… Dance Ka Naya Tevar is a first of its kind format that will go beyond the norms of dance reality shows in India. The platform will showcase dancers with diverse cultures and dig deep into relationships that are bound by dance. The incredible trio Lara Dutta, Ahmed Khan and Dana Alexa will judge these participants not just on the technicality but also on how well they emote their bond through their performance. The most unexpected and unusual pairs participating in the show will make this journey more endearing.”

Talking about the show Ranjeet Thakur and Hemant Ruprell, Producers – Frames said, “High Fever… Dance Ka Naya Tevar is a platform that will not just explore dance to its maximum potential but also strengthen the bond between the participating jodis, who have come together in the first place because of their shared passion for dance. This is something that hasn’t been showcased on television before and we are certain that a format like this will strike a chord with the audience. The talent on the show has been handpicked from every nook and corner of the country to bring to viewers compelling stories and unmatched performances. We are glad to have found a partner in &TV for a format like High Fever as our synergies and sensibilities are in complete sync with each other.”

Making her television debut as judge on the show, actor Lara Dutta said, “Dance has been an integral part of my life and career and so have the relationships. Real life connections are the key to High Fever, and the contestants will have to express their respective relationships through the unique lens of various dance styles. I will see these two things as a driving force for me to judge the performances. I am extremely excited about my TV debut with such a promising concept and a platform like &TV. I hope the audience will enjoy this unique blend of dance with diverse duos and wholeheartedly support my new stint.”

Adding further, Ahmed Khan said, “There are many rules to follow while dancing in pairs – some said and many unsaid, and High Fever will highlight them beautifully. Most people consider dance to be just about the steps and rhythm, but it is also something that needs to be felt from within. Being a choreographer, while I’ll keep a close eye on the technicalities, I am also looking forward to some amazing chemistry between the jodis. I am certain that the show will be loved by the audience owing to its distinctive concept.”

Talking about her debut in the Indian entertainment industry, Dana Alexa said, “I have travelled the world to pursue my passion towards dancing and I am happy to have had the opportunity to come to India to judge High Fever… Dance Ka NayaTevar. Dance has been a significant part of India’s rich culture where the styles differ across states and that is something I find very intriguing. I am looking forward to seeing such diversity on the show as well. I hope the Indian audience will love me for my talent and my love towards dance. I am looking forward to this new and thrilling journey with &TV.”

With age no bar, High Fever..Dance ka NayaTevar, will give a platform to talent from across the nation, who have their own distinctive and unusual stories to tell. From aBhabhi- Nanad, Jeth-Bahu, Guru-Shishya to a Mother- Daughter, these diverse dancing duos are all set to take the nation by storm.

March 12, 2018
Broadcasters see positive future for TV in India

MUMBAI: The threat of OTT and integrated platform ecosystems like Android TV is at the peak. Its increasing penetration across all age groups may be a threat to the broadcasters in the coming time. But, it isn’t the case yet in India with 64 per cent TV home penetration and much room for growth. Data also shows that 86 per cent of Indian homes still watch TV on CRT sets and only 3 per cent are multi-TV homes. TV viewing in India has grown from 3 hr 14 min (2015) to 3 hr 36 min (2017) but it is still lower than US, which boasts of an ATS of 3 hr 54 min. This gives a clear indication that there is immense scope for TV and it will further rise.

The FICCI Frames 2018 saw a session on ‘The future of TV in India’ with panellists Novi Digital CEO Ajit Mohan, Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak, Times Network MD & CEO MK Anand, Indiacast CEO Anuj Gandhi, EY Partner Ashish Pherwani, BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta and industry veteran Amit Khanna. The panel was moderated by Provocateur Advisory principal Paritosh Joshi.

Gandhi highlighted that we have the pulse of what audience wants which today is reality. Whether it’s a long form or short form content, people watch it, regardless of screen size or type. He said that people will consume TV content anywhere they can.

Nayak believes that the future of TV is bright. He said that if distribution is king, content is queen. “The myth has been broken that the youth don’t watch TV and people watch short formats. Even in the US, people above 90 years of age watch TV content,” he said. He further added that linear watching on Jio TV is exploding with 3 crore viewers per month.

According to Khanna, the average time spent on digital has grown with an hour and twenty minutes on phone especially in urban cities. When it comes to television, more that 70 per cent of viewership comes from movies and general entertainment. Pherwani said that 40 per cent of the time spent is on the mobile phone.

Anand said that better technology, bandwidth and campaigning had eased the worry of broadcasters. He added that it was much easier to start a video stream but monetisation had not been easy.

Broadcasters seem optimistic about the future of television, despite the onslaught posed by digital media. At least in India, the television will reign houses and minds of people for some time to come.

Also Read:

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New initiatives at FICCI Frames 2018

March 6, 2018
TV ownership increased by 14% in 2017: IRS

MUMBAI: After a gap of four years, the Indian Readership Survey (IRS), which documents the growth of the media industry, has been released for 2017. The survey methodology was criticised in 2014 and, therefore, was halted for an upgrade. This time, the sample size has been increased by 34 per cent to 3.2 lakh households. The entire process was audited by E&Y.

The study found that there has been an overall 14 per cent increase in TV ownership in Indian households. TV ownership, according to the 2011 census, stood at 47 per cent but the IRS study found it to be 61 per cent in 2017. Tamil Nadu had the highest TV penetration with 93 per cent followed by Kerala at 90 per cent. Punjab and the National Capital Region of Delhi tied at third position with 88 per cent. The census numbers for these states were 87 per cent, 77 per cent, 83 per cent and 88 per cent, respectively. The lowest reach, as per the IRS, was of Bihar with 22 per cent and 15 per cent as per census. TV ownership was lowest in Tamil Nadu with less than 10 per cent. The number of no TV homes was highest in Bihar with more than 75 per cent.

The percentage reach for TV in the last one month in the age group of 12 + (L1M) was 75 per cent, 10 per cent higher than IRS’ 2014 study. In this, urban reach was 88 per cent, 3 per cent higher than 2014 and rural reach was 68 per cent, 14 per cent higher.

The DTH or digital TV market was up from 26 per cent to 45 per cent. Punjab leads with close to 55 per cent homes with DTH followed by Himachal Pradesh with 50 per cent.

Colour TV ownership stood at 61 per cent in 2017 up from 55 per cent in 2014.

Also Read:

BARC sets a deadline for IRS

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January 19, 2018
TiVo’s next-gen solution to help cable operators retain customers

MUMBAI: TiVo Corporation has launched Next-Gen Platform, a range of cloud-based products with a unified backend to help operators stay ahead of the game. The platform can be deployed for QAM, hybrid and IPTV to anticipate and quickly address customer needs.

“Consumers face a fragmented, ever-changing media landscape as new services, content sources and devices continue to proliferate,” said TiVo senior vice president and general manager for user experience Michael Hawkey. “Media companies are compelled to evolve. TiVo’s Next-Gen Platform is specifically designed to meet the consumer’s insatiable desire for entertainment while enabling operators to maintain market share and remain relevant amid growing competition.”

Customers can be assured of services like hyper-personalisation, recommendations, voice control, seamless integration of content across linear, OTT, on-demand and DVR platforms for multiscreen purposes. Content can be driven wherever it is watched such as managed set top boxes such as Linux and Android TV, unmanaged devices like Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, mobile and web.

Service providers will be able to reduce churn, boost customer engagement, capture and retain market segments, stay ahead of competition and own customer experience.

“User experience defines the operator’s video services for consumers,” said Parks Associates senior director of research Brett Sappington. “Every pay-TV service and streaming video service is working to capture and maintain consumer attention in order to drive ongoing use and monetisation. As a result, operators need a flexible platform that allows them to innovate rapidly and meet or surpass connected experiences offered elsewhere.”

The solution also helps operators in their transition to IPTV considering capital expenditure, networking and rights constraints of the operator while maintaining support for QAM

Also Read :

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January 5, 2018
Average time spent on TV skyrockets

MUMBAI: The idiot box is still alive! Despite all the talk of television taking a back seat to online streaming platforms, the average time spent (ATS) per viewer was at an all-time high in the penultimate week of the year. According to week 51 of Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC) viewership report, people are spending more time watching TV. This phenomenon is driven by the holiday season with schools and offices being closed on account of the Christmas vacation.

During the week, Hindi speaking markets (HSM) registered a record high ATS of 3 hours 38 minutes, four per cent more than the previous 13-week average ATS, which stood at 3 hours 29 minutes. The ATS in the urban HSM market stood at 3 hours 54 minutes, five per cent more than the 13-week average ATS of 3 hours 43 minutes.

Earlier this year, on its TV premiere, Baahubali 2 received a mind-numbing 26054 Impressions (000s) sum in week 41 of BARC data even though the movie was available on several digital platforms prior to the TV release.

The top-5 HSM markets that grew the most were:

There were several reasons for growth in ATS in the HSM market. The jump in the viewership of sports, news and kids genre was the trigger for this exponential rise in TV watching.

The two T20 matches and the One-Day International (ODI) played between India and Sri Lanka during the week contributed to the spike in the viewership of sports. Both T20 matches started at 7:30pm whereas the ODI match was a day-night game that led to the prime time ATS growth. Furthermore, PV Sindhu’s Dubai International Masters matches helped enhance the ATS.

Another factor that was responsible for the increase in TV time was news with the Gujarat and Himachal Election results boosting viewership in the Hindi news genre. Morning and mid-day coverage of the results did wonders to hold viewers’ interest. Moreover, thanks to the holiday season, kids’ channels grabbed a significant number of eyeballs.

Top-5 genres that registered maximum growth in ATS in HSM:

In spite of the burgeoning content consumption on streaming services and OTT platforms, TV is far from dead. While Indian viewers are consuming more online content, the appeal of linear TV has not dulled for the average viewer. BARC’s numbers suggest that TV reigns supreme when it comes to sports, news and kids’ content.

Also Read:

Marathi GECs see a surge in viewership

BARC ratings: DD Sports in top 5 after 37 weeks

Guest Column: How 2018 could become a landmark year for OTT entertainment in India

December 29, 2017
TRAI seeks better accessibility for persons with disabilities

MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has turned the spotlight on one of India’s ignored sections of the society–persons with disabilities (PwD). The regulator is prodding companies to make information and communication technology more accessible to differently abled people. It notes that such people are unable to use the services either because they lack the necessary accessibility features or are incompatible for usage by them.

The TRAI has released a consultation paper seeking the broadcast sector’s views on identifying and eradicating areas that are pain points for them and where policies are required to be frame so that PwDs don’t feel discriminated. Aids and assistive devices have been made for them but a similar change in services and content is yet to take place. The TRAI states that the law must also consider the various segments within PwDs.

From 2.13 per cent of the population in 2001, the number of PwDs in India grew to 2.21 per cent, which is 2.68 crore of the total. The consultation paper points out that though set-top boxes (STBs) have been made accessible to them, there is a lack of content that can justify its usage. Certain additions need to be made for the visually impaired such that they can access STBs via audio. The functions they need to access without vision include channel/programme selection, display of programme information, setup options, closed captioning control and display options, video description control, current configuration information, playback controls, and input source selection.

Similarly, people with visual impairment cannot see screens and find it difficult to navigate the keypad and menu of a TV remote. Buttons on a remote are also not designed while keeping in mind people who are unable to use their limbs or flex their fingers. Special measures, such as giving captions for those who can’t hear and audio descriptions for the blind, need to be taken.

One section of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act 2016 states that government and local authorities must work to ensure that those with hearing impairment can enjoy TV content via subtitles or sign language. The Accessible India campaign aims to ensure that at least 25 per cent of TV shows on government channels are suited for PwDs.

The TRAI suggests actions such as creating well-designed remote controls with legible buttons, a wireless connection between a television and the viewer’s hearing aid as ways to help them.

India’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) laws have a provision to help PwDs. Broadcast companies that are required to undertake CSR have a fine way to spend the minimum requirement of at least 2 per cent of the average net profits in the immediate three preceding financial years. This can include developing applications, devices and services for their benefit.

The US FCC mandates that devices used for watching TV must be accessible to PwDs and a similar case is for the UK as well.

Also read:

Trai paper seeks to streamline uplinking, downlinking norms

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December 23, 2017
Trai paper seeks to streamline uplinking, downlinking norms

MUMBAI: Following a prod from the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) additional secretary Jayashree Mukherjee, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 19 December issued an industry consultation paper which seeks to update guidelines related to uplinking, downlinking, of TV channels and the setting up of teleports.

Mukherjee had sought the TRAI’s recommendations on these issues keeping in mind changes in technology, market scenarios and lessons learnt over the past six years since the guidelines were passed.

In its paper, Trai has asked stakeholders, such as broadcasters, if there was any need to redefine news and current affairs TV channels and non-news and current affairs TV channels more specifically.

Pointing at a possible hike in the net-worth requirement of Rs 5 crore for obtaining a licence for uplinking or downlinking of TV channels, and an increase in process fees for applicants, the paper states that non-serious players were able to obtain licenses, which were either traded or leased to a different entity.

“To ensure that only serious players, who are interested in the business of satellite TV channels, apply for obtaining license for uplinking or downlinking of TV channels, one way could be to increase the entry barriers. The other way could be to eliminate the incentives, which encourage trading and/or sub-leasing of licenses. Further, sub-leasing or trading of channels can also be controlled by putting in place certain checks, which discourage such practices,” the release stated.

The paper argues that an increase in entry barriers for uplinking of TV channels from India may encourage diversion of such business opportunities to outside India. Moreover, Trai has raised the question of auctioning satellite TV channels as a complete package similar to FM radio channels. Or if industry thinks that it is possible to auction individual legs of satellite TV broadcasting – uplinking space spectrum, transponder capacity?

And it has opened up an issue which has been a sore point for the industry: if it is advisable to restrict the use of foreign satellites for satellite TV broadcasting or uplinking of satellite TV channels to be downlinked in India from foreign soil? And also whether it is possible to auction channels without restricting the use of foreign satellites and uplinking of signals of TV channels from foreign soils. The paper appeals to stakeholders if there could be a better way to grant a licence for a TV satellite channel then what is presently followed in order to simply the procedure.

Other issues the TRAI is seeking industry’s input on is whether encryption of all satellite TV signals – whether free to air or pay TV and what timeline should be given to licensed broadcasters to launch their channels from the date of issue of a licence and the penalties that should be levied on them in case they fail to restore their disrupted channels within a specified period. The consultation paper also approaches sensitive issues such as terms of the tradeability of licences by a licencee.

On the teleport side, the TRAI is seeking to get industry’s understanding of what a teleport should be defined as in a new digital era, the licensing norms, fee structures for processing a licence, if there is a need to restrict the number of teleports in India, and their location like say in a park.

The industry watchdog has requested that industry sends in its inputs by 18 January 2018.

Also Read: TRAI sees merit in using satcom for broadband delivery

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MSOs move Madras HC seeking relief on inter-connect pacts

December 19, 2017
OTT leads over TV on brand discussions among viewers: Study

MUMBAI: A study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), a US-based not-for-profit research company, has found that 56 per cent of people who co-view OTT talk about the brands they see while viewing content on TV screens. Co-viewing is the act of watching with others. On TV it is 50 per cent. The survey was conducted on viewers aged 13-64 in the US.

According to the study titled The OTT Co-Viewing Experience: 2017, 93 per cent of people co-view on TV through platforms such as OTT, linear TV, VOD, and DVR. This if followed by computer at 55 per cent, smartphones at 49 per cent and tablet at 39 per cent.

OTT has a higher impact than TV when it comes to brand-related awareness. Whether its discussion about brands they see, changing their own or someone else’s mind about a brand, discuss it on social media, make a note to purchase it later, search information online or actually buy it, OTT leads over TV.

Moreover, 64 per cent feel it is fun to watch with others while 69 per cent engage in talks about the video with their partners. 36 per cent of OTT videos are live programmes and the platform also gets people to watch longer format content (more than 30 minutes).

Co-viewing on OTT has younger demographics aged 18-34 years compared to TV co-viewing of 13 to 64. These are the two top mediums for co-viewing in the US. Co-viewing content for OTT is picked collaboratively and the motive is to unwind themselves. It is also most prevalent among spouses (59 per cent on OTT) followed by children (41 per cent on OTT).

Furthermore, 92 per cent of co-viewers pay moderate to full attention to the content while 69 per cent are focused on the ads. The study also found that OTT viewers tend to watch double the amount of ad-supported content than subscription services without ads.

IAB research and impact senior VP Chris Kuist said, “Watching TV has always had an important social component and this has absolutely continued as OTT platforms become ever-more important parts of people’s viewing rituals. This social aspect of biggest screen in the house is powerful and is being amplified on OTT platforms in ways that can greatly benefit marketers.”

November 16, 2017
Arasu can’t operate outside Tamil Nadu despite DAS compliance

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu government-owned multi system operator (MSO) Arasu TV Corp has been told by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) that it cannot operate outside of Tamil Nadu despite having a provisional MSO licence.

The MSO was granted the provisional licence in April this year and was given several extensions to prove that it had become fully digital addressable system (DAS) compliant. Arasu claimed to have gone entirely digital by 1 September 2017.

Godfather Communication is another MSO that can only operate in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. Godfather’s registration is dependent on a court verdict in which it had challenged the MIB’s cancellation of its provisional registration for in Amritsar.

There are just 1471 MSOs even after seven months of DAS in the country. Apart from Arasu and Godfather, the remaining 1469 provisional licence holders have been permitted to operate anywhere in the country, according to the list of MSOs as on 31 October 2017 placed on the MIB website.

Early this year, the government had said all provisional MSOs will be deemed as having regular licences. They were also free to operate in any part of the country.

The MIB had earlier this year told indiantelevision.com that it had been made clear to Arasu that the provisional licence was subject to the centre taking a final decision on the recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that no government-owned body should be permitted in the field of running or distributing television channels. TRAI had in 2008, 2012 and 2014 held that state governments and political parties should not be permitted to own TV channels or distribution channels.

Also read :

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November 7, 2017