Latest news with #LCOs
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AIDCF Releases Landmark Report Highlighting Job Loss Crisis and Urges for Urgent Reforms in India's Cable TV Sector
NEW DELHI, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- All India Digital Cable Federation today launched a landmark study titled 'State of Cable TV Distribution in India'. Developed in collaboration with EY India, the report offers critical insights into the challenges, evolution, and future of India's cable television ecosystem. It brings together extensive field data and sectoral analysis to present a comprehensive view of the Cable TV distribution landscape. Based on inputs from over 28,000 Local Cable Operators (LCOs) across India, the report highlights a sharp decline in cable TV subscriptions—driven by rising channel costs and competition from unregulated platforms—which, in turn, has led to a significant employment crisis. Key findings of the report include: The workforce of surveyed LCOs declined by 31% since 2018, with a reported loss of 37,835 jobs. When extrapolated nationally, the estimated job loss ranges between 1.14 lakh and 1.95 lakh. Pay TV households declined by 40 million, from 151 million in 2018 to 111 million in 2024. 93% LCOs reported a decline in their subscriber base since 2018; 49% of LCOs reported a drop in their monthly income. 35% reported subscriber loss of over 40%. Key reforms suggested by the report include: Enabling of level-playing field across all content distribution mediums Permitting differential pay TV pricing for different territories based on ability to pay Activating over 20 million inactive STBs in India Restrict or limit the provision of live or slightly delayed transmission of pay TV content for free on other platforms Take a unified stand against piracy Mr. Sanjiv Shankar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs; Former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, shared his remarks: "This report is truly one of its kind—comprehensive, data-driven, and grounded in the realities of the ground-level cable ecosystem. It brings into focus the structural shifts and challenges within the sector, and provides a valuable evidence base for future policy-making." Mr. S.N. Sharma, CEO of DEN Networks Limited and President of AIDCF, expressed his enthusiasm about the report: "This report is perhaps the most comprehensive bottom-up view of the Pay TV distribution sector in recent times." "The report presents not just statistics but stories of lost livelihood impacting families and entrepreneurship, and they need be heard across the broadcasting ecosystem." "While the report presents conservative estimates, the situation is even more grave. When factoring in the closure of approximately 900 MSOs and 72,000 LCOs over the past six years, the total cumulative job loss is estimated to exceed 5.77 lakh." "We urge all stakeholders — including broadcasters, regulators, and our parent ministry — to use the report as a base to bring practical reforms and support the cable TV industry to thrive once again." Mr. Ashish Pherwani, Partner, Media & Entertainment Sector, EY India, remarked that: "This is a first-of-its-kind report that captures the true pulse of the cable TV distribution network in India. Its scale, depth of field data, and insight into last-mile realities make it a valuable resource for both industry and policymakers alike." The report was released during a special event held at Shangri-La Eros, New Delhi, where senior policymakers, industry leaders, and key stakeholders from across the broadcasting and media landscape came together to deliberate on the findings and implications of this industry-first report. The report can be accessed from AIDCF's official website or by clicking on this link. About All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) All India Digital Cable Federation is the apex body for Digital Multi-System Operators (MSOs) in India. AIDCF is the official voice for the Indian digital cable TV industry and works towards the overall growth of the sector. AIDCF has consistently championed the interests of the cable TV distribution industry and remains committed to promoting a fair, competitive, and sustainable broadcasting ecosystem. The members of the federation have a combined market share of > 65%. Members of AIDCF includes Asianet Satellite Communications Limited, DEN Networks Limited, Fastway Transmission Private Limited, GTPL Hathway Private Limited, Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited, Kerala Communicators Cable Limited, NXT Digital, SITI Cable Network Limited and UCN Cable Network Private Limited. Photo: View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Pay TV homes fall by 40 mn, 1.14-1.95 lakh job cut at local cable operators since 2018
New Delhi: The number of paid TV homes fell by 40 million to 111 million in 2024 from 151 million in 2018, leading to an estimated employment reduction of 1.14 lakh to 1.95 lakh by the local cable operators, according to a report. The employment generated by the LCOs has fallen by 31% since 2018, according to findings of a joint report by the industry body All India Digital Cable Federation (AICPDF) and EY India. The decline in pay TV homes is due to growing popularity and adoption of digital means of content consumption, such as OTT platforms, connected TVs and free DTH service, which led to a fall from 151 million in 2018 to 111 million in 2024. "The impact of this decline in pay TV homes has been significant, particularly on the local cable operator (LCO) ecosystem," said the report titled " State of Cable TV Distribution in India". The impact of this decline in pay TV homes has been significant, particularly on the local cable operator (LCO) ecosystem, said the report, which is based on a survey of 28,181 LCOs between November and December 2024. They collectively reported reducing the number of employed people by 37,835. "The key impact of this decline is that employment generated by the LCOs has fallen by 31% since 2018," the report said adding "Extrapolating this to all-India level, the approximate reduction could be between 1.14 lakh and 1.95 lakh, given that TRAI data suggests there are approximately 85,000 registered LCOs in India and AIDCF 's 12 members claim 1.62 lakh LCOs between them." The study further said 93% of LCOs reported a decline in their subscriber base and 49% reported a drop in their monthly income. Besides, 35% of the LCO reported a subscriber loss of over 40% from 2018. According to the study, the key challenge faced by the LCOs is their inability to increase collections from customers when broadcasting majors has increased their channel rates. Moreover, another factor, which are leading to cord-cutting, are a lack of "quality content on linear TV " which is not on par with the quality of content on OTT platforms. There is also a "decline in second TV set connections" within households, besides "consumers movement from pay TV to OTT platforms, Free Dish and Connected TVs". The study has pot views from the cable industry that could be evaluated, including " a level-playing field across all content distribution mediums -Free TV, OTT platforms, FAST channels and pay TV" and "permitting differential pay TV pricing for different territories based on their ability to pay." Commenting on the report, AIDCF President and CEO of DEN Networks S N Sharma said it provides a comprehensive bottom-up view of the Pay TV distribution sector in recent times. "We urge all stakeholders - including broadcasters, regulators, and our parent ministry - to use the report as a base to bring practical reforms and support the cable TV industry to thrive once again," he said. PTI
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Sharp decline in pay-TV subscriptions leads to 577,000 job losses: Study
Mumbai: India's cable television industry has undergone a significant contraction over the past seven years, with an estimated 577,000 cumulative job losses between 2018 and 2025, driven largely by a sharp decline in pay-TV subscribers, according to a report released on Monday. Pay-TV subscriber base dropped from 151 million in 2018 to 111 million in 2024 and is expected to fall further to between 71-81 million by 2030, said the report, 'State of Cable TV Distribution in India', jointly prepared by the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) and EY India. It attributed the decline to rising channel costs, increased competition from over-the-top (OTT) platforms, and the growing popularity of free, unregulated services such as DD Free revenues of four direct-to-home (DTH) players and ten major cable TV providers, or multi-system operators (MSOs), have declined by more than 16% since 2018, while their margins have reduced by 29%, the report FY19, their combined revenue stood at ₹25,700 crore, which dropped to ₹21,500 crore in FY24. Combined Ebitda fell to ₹3,100 crore in FY24 from ₹4,400 crore in FY19. The study drew inputs from 28,181 local cable operators (LCOs) across 34 states and union LCO workforce has been severely affected, with surveyed operators reporting a 31% drop in employment, representing a loss of 37,835 jobs. When extrapolated to the national level, this translates into job losses ranging from 114,000 to 195,000 across various operational addition, closure of approximately 900 MSOs and 72,000 LCOs since 2018 has contributed to the overall job loss figure of 577,000, the report these challenges, industry leaders remain cautiously vice-chairman Uday Shankar, Zee Entertainment chief executive officer Punit Goenka, and Sony Pictures Networks India CEO Gaurav Banerjee have, in recent times, reiterated their belief in the resilience and growth potential of linear have noted that 85-90 million Indian households still pay for television subscriptions, indicating scope for expansion by converting DD Free Dish viewers into paying customers and reaching media-dark regions.'Despite the challenges, the industry still has room to grow, provided corrective steps are taken by the broadcasters, distributors and policymakers,' said Ashish Pherwani, partner and media & entertainment leader at EY highlighted the opportunity to bring an estimated 100 million cable-dark homes into the fold through affordable subscription plans, as well as lower-cost televisions and set-top boxes (STBs). He also advocated government support in the form of hardware subsidies and free STB distribution, particularly in sensitive and border ensure a level playing field, the report called for regulatory parity across all content distribution platforms, including cable TV, DTH, headend-in-the-sky (HITS), and internet protocol television (IPTV).It also recommended allowing differential pricing for pay-TV services based on regional affordability and called for reactivation of more than 20 million inactive STBs — referring to subscribers who have not renewed their report also recommended restricting the free or delayed broadcast of pay-TV content on other platforms and emphasised the need for a unified industry response to tackle is estimated to cost the media and entertainment sector over ₹20,000 crore the grassroots level, the findings present a concerning picture. Since 2018, 93% of LCOs — that serve as the key link between MSOs and end customers — have reported a decline in their subscriber half said their monthly income has fallen, while more than one-third have experienced subscriber losses exceeding 40%.Operators cited their inability to raise customer tariffs in line with rising channel costs as a significant challenge. Other issues include migration of viewers to DD Free Dish, OTT platforms, and connected TVs; a perceived decline in content quality on linear television compared to OTT offerings; and a reduction in second television set connections within households.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Sharp decline in pay-TV subscriptions leads to 577,000 job losses: Study
Mumbai: India's cable television industry has undergone a significant contraction over the past seven years, with an estimated 577,000 cumulative job losses between 2018 and 2025, driven largely by a sharp decline in pay-TV subscribers, according to a report released on Monday. Pay-TV subscriber base dropped from 151 million in 2018 to 111 million in 2024 and is expected to fall further to between 71-81 million by 2030, said the report, 'State of Cable TV Distribution in India', jointly prepared by the All India Digital Cable Federation ( AIDCF ) and EY India. It attributed the decline to rising channel costs, increased competition from OTT platforms and growing popularity of free, unregulated services such as DD Free Dish. Cumulative revenues of four DTH players and 10 major cable TV providers, or multi-system operators (MSOs), have declined by more than 16% since 2018 while their margins have reduced by 29%, the report said. In FY19, their combined revenue stood at ₹25,700 crore, which dropped to ₹21,500 crore in FY24. Combined Ebitda fell to ₹3,100 crore in FY24 from ₹4,400 crore in FY19. The study drew inputs from 28,181 local cable operators (LCOs) across 34 states and union territories. The LCO workforce has been severely affected, with surveyed operators reporting a 31% drop in employment, representing a loss of 37,835 jobs. When extrapolated to the national level, this translates into job losses ranging from 114,000 to 195,000 across various operational tiers. In addition, closure of approximately 900 MSOs and 72,000 LCOs since 2018 has contributed to the overall job loss figure of 577,000, the report said. Despite these challenges, industry leaders remain cautiously optimistic. JioStar vice chairman Uday Shankar, Zee Entertainment chief executive officer Punit Goenka, and Sony Pictures Networks India CEO Gaurav Banerjee have, in recent times, reiterated their belief in the resilience and growth potential of linear television.
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Pay TV homes fall by 40 mn, 1.14-1.95 lakh job cut at local cable operators since 2018
New Delhi, June 9 (PTI) The number of paid TV homes fell by 40 million to 111 million in 2024 from 151 million in 2018, leading to an estimated employment reduction of 1.14 lakh to 1.95 lakh by the local cable operators, according to a report. The employment generated by the LCOs has fallen by 31 per cent since 2018, according to findings of a joint report by the industry body All India Digital Cable Federation (AICPDF) and EY India. The decline in pay TV homes is due to growing popularity and adoption of digital means of content consumption, such as OTT platforms, connected TVs and free DTH service, which led to a fall from 151 million in 2018 to 111 million in 2024. "The impact of this decline in pay TV homes has been significant, particularly on the local cable operator (LCO) ecosystem," said the report titled "State of Cable TV Distribution in India". The impact of this decline in pay TV homes has been significant, particularly on the local cable operator (LCO) ecosystem, said the report, which is based on a survey of 28,181 LCOs between November and December 2024. They collectively reported reducing the number of employed people by 37,835. "The key impact of this decline is that employment generated by the LCOs has fallen by 31 per cent since 2018," the report said adding "Extrapolating this to all-India level, the approximate reduction could be between 1.14 lakh and 1.95 lakh, given that TRAI data suggests there are approximately 85,000 registered LCOs in India and AIDCF's 12 members claim 1.62 lakh LCOs between them." The study further said 93 per cent of LCOs reported a decline in their subscriber base and 49 per cent reported a drop in their monthly income. Besides, 35 per cent of the LCO reported a subscriber loss of over 40 per cent from 2018. According to the study, the key challenge faced by the LCOs is their inability to increase collections from customers when broadcasting majors has increased their channel rates. Moreover, another factor, which are leading to cord-cutting, are a lack of "quality content on linear TV" which is not on par with the quality of content on OTT platforms. There is also a "decline in second TV set connections" within households, besides "consumers movement from pay TV to OTT platforms, Free Dish and Connected TVs". The study has pot views from the cable industry that could be evaluated, including " a level-playing field across all content distribution mediums —Free TV, OTT platforms, FAST channels and pay TV" and "permitting differential pay TV pricing for different territories based on their ability to pay." Commenting on the report, AIDCF President and CEO of DEN Networks S N Sharma said it provides a comprehensive bottom-up view of the Pay TV distribution sector in recent times. "We urge all stakeholders — including broadcasters, regulators, and our parent ministry — to use the report as a base to bring practical reforms and support the cable TV industry to thrive once again,' he said.
