Entertainment industry experts point out that the additional content around some of these shows is attracting attention on OTT platforms, in addition to the fact that loyal fans can watch episodes before they air on TV and without commercial breaks.

Along with the general growth of connected TVs, devices that can connect to the Internet and stream content that help facilitate the streaming of linear content, this is also a way for broadcast networks to grow their paid subscriber base. their OTT platforms. . That said, television remains core to the business and is unlikely to see advertiser interest wane significantly.

According to the Ficci-EY media and entertainment 2024 report, while the linear audience in 2023 grew by 2% in India over 2022, about 19-20 million smart TVs connected to the Internet every week, compared to about 10 million in 2021 .

“There is a significant audience for popular shows on digital and a lot of that has to do with additional viral content that may not be on TV. That basically means two avatars of the same show, fueling a loyal audience base that might prefer to watch it on any platform,” said Nina Elavia Jaipuria, media expert and former head of Hindi and Kids Television Network at Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd

For the network, it’s a way to get subscribers to pay for content on its OTT platform, especially as these shows increasingly air ad-free and before TV. “Also, India continues to be a single-TV household, so instead of having passive viewers in front of a TV, viewers can watch them individually,” explained Jaipuria.

OTT platforms like ZEE5, SonyLIV, Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema did not respond to queries regarding audience share for TV shows.

In terms of shows available on both TV and digital platforms, digital is consistently gaining a higher share of the total audience, said Namrata Soni, director, media planning and buying, Dentsu Creative India.

“In fact, almost 53% of the audience for these shows now comes from OTT. This shift is largely driven by evolving consumer habits such as demand for on-demand content, widespread 5G connectivity on personal devices, increased cord-cutting among Indian households (switching off cable TV for streaming services ) and a demographic shift towards a younger audience (18-35 years old),” said Soni. Network providers find themselves competing in their own industry, she added.

While digital platforms offer significant new opportunities, declining linear TV TRPs and unsold ad space – affecting even some of the most popular shows – has led networks to sell TV inventory at lower prices. Long-running TV shows, once dominant in various markets, now face challenges in capturing viewership and TRPs on linear television.

However, experts like Jaipuria believe that while cord-cutting has taken place, it is not as if linear TV has fallen off the map. In fact, OTT complements the audience of these shows by attracting viewers to another device and thus creating an “and” market, not an “or”. Moreover, in rural markets, the catch-up phenomenon has not gained as much ground as in urban centers.

“On streaming platforms, the audience for OTT originals is bigger. Also, digital advertising is still difficult to monetize, and companies have yet to begin selling inventory in a digital manner. It’s always bundled with television and that mindset hasn’t changed,” said Partho Dasgupta, managing partner, Thoth Advisors and ex-CEO, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India.

The good news is that the same content works on both linear and connected TV, said Shekhar Banerjee, client director and bureau head – West, North and East at media agency Wavemaker India. “If we keep aside the specialized OTTs behind paywalls, you will notice that the top shows on OTT are very similar to TV channels. With close to 50 million CTV (connected TV) households, we are also seeing ad money moving to CTV, which includes the wealthiest households,” added Banerjee.