Challenges faced by TV Industry in India

Currently, the Indian television industry is undergoing a seismic shift, operational challenges and planning for the next. The industry like television has a large customer base. The pace of technological change is accelerating so quickly that finding the right balance between addressing today’s daily operational challenges and planning for the next big thing can be a struggle. To innovate prosper and survive has become the motto of the Industry.

Some key trends noted include; change in the lifestyle and spending patterns of the Indian masses on entertainment is further a boost to the Industry. Technological innovations like online distribution channels, web-stores, and multi and megaplexes are complementing the on-going revolution and the growth of the sector. The low value of production and high revenues guarantee an honest come back on investment for Indian Television Industry. The growing middle class with higher disposable income has become the strength of the Media and Entertainment industry.

In terms of challenges – From a consumers perspective it’s the greed for fresh content; viewers no longer solely want a passive experience with a TV programme in their front room. They want to watch catch-up with the TV on a laptop, download a phone app on the move engage with content on a tablet or talk about their experiences on social media. They want completely different experiences on every platform, different flavours of content, and they want it all on their personal schedules. The appetite of the viewers is increasing and nowadays people don’t seem happy with conventional broadcasting solely. Broadcasters need to provide their content on all doable carriageways. New media including IPTV, mobile TV, YouTube, and the like, would complement traditional broadcasting.

The foremost challenges on the technology front are the digitisation of infrastructure and migration to HDTV. Broadcasters need to define how they traverse on the digitisation path and put in serious efforts to decide what services they have to deliver to viewers. Systematic phasing out of the analogue system in broadcasting is a prominent task to meet the analogue switch-off deadlines. Digital TV is not restricted to traditional home devices alone but is also available on personal devices. Next to being technological changes; technology never remains static for long and often moves in unexpected ways. Technology is getting better and better these days are becoming a threat to the TV industry with the introduction of Netflix.

new apps, mobile phones and laptops. The viewers these days want everything at their fingertips which nowadays has become more convenient with the latest apps and technologies available. Consumers today are also very tech savvy and smart when it comes to purchasing electronics. Pushing boundaries further for consumers is the e-commerce market which changes the market dynamics when it comes to pricing.

From the manufacturers perspective though the TV market has grown with the online forums there have been other challenges to cater to, which brings further worry. A growing number of manufacturers have incurred heavy losses in the market. Additionally, LEDs still facing tremendous pressure to any lower costs. Even though manufacturers in the LED industry are being pressured to lower prices in the short term, in the long run, there will be limited room for further LED price cuts. This can be explained by the growing number of manufacturers withdrawing from the market in the near future, as LED prices are close to manufacturing costs and reduce companies’ profitability.

Due to currency fluctuations, end market demands in different countries have been much lower than expected.

Another major perspective affecting the LED Industry currently would be GST – a game changer of every Industry. Some key highlights from consumer durables industry include - uniformity in tax rates which shall ease the pressure faced by this industry. Consumer durables will be placed under the 28% tax slab. Though it is the highest tax slab, a majority of goods are currently taxed at 26-31 per cent rate, depending on their nature and usage. However, one thing that companies may have to watch out for is whether excise duty exemption zones continue to get that benefit.

To summarise, it’s stiff competition with new brands entering the consumer electronics segment, though each brand can participate actively by showcasing its individuality with the technology, the service and the price point offered.

The absorption and consumption of consumer electronics increasing rapidly create a wide scope for each brand to excel, thus leading to a healthy competition in the market.

The biggest opportunity is extended by the consumers who are adaptable to new technology and versatility offered by each brand. The lifestyle of a consumer has undergone changes with time, it’s the willingness towards exploring a new technology or feature and living with the latest luxury contemporary in the society.­­

-- Mr Saurabh Kabra, Director - Business Operations 

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