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At a time when the world is rapidly embracing digital consumption and mobile-first media habits, television continues to hold its ground as a dominant force in India’s media ecosystem.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and EY’s recent report titled ‘A Studio Called India’, released at the WAVES Summit, television retains a staggering reach of over 800 million viewers—a number that few media formats can claim today.
The report underscores a simple yet powerful truth: even in a digital-first world, television remains one of the most cost-effective and trusted mediums to reach the Indian consumer, especially across Tier 2, Tier 3, and rural Bharat.
As digital platforms grow in personalisation and on-demand access, TV continues to thrive as a shared, family-first, appointment-driven medium that creates cultural conversations and unmatched impact.
To understand better the paradox—why TV remains indispensable despite the digital deluge—exchange4media spoke to several leading voices in media, marketing, and broadcasting.
Cultural centrality, credibility & collective viewing
According to JioStar, apart from TV, no other medium matches its ability to connect emotionally across India’s vast and diverse geographies.
“At JioStar, we’ve consistently witnessed how television remains the most powerful medium to engage mass audiences at scale. Television creates shared cultural moments within Indian households. This collective viewing builds emotional resonance, making it an unparalleled platform for high-quality professionally generated storytelling. More importantly, TV delivers unmatched scale. No other medium matches its ability to connect emotionally across India’s vast and diverse geographies. For mass-market brands, television continues to be where meaningful narratives translate into measurable impact,” said a JioStar spokesperson.
Yasin Hamidani, Director, Media Care Brand Solutions, highlights television’s passive yet powerful influence.
“Television delivers unmatched passive reach—penetrating 800M+ viewers in a shared, distraction-free environment. It builds cultural moments, fuels collective viewing, and creates emotional stickiness that digital scrolls often lack. For mass-market brands, it guarantees both scale and credibility, especially in rural and older demographics, where digital is still catching up,” Hamidani said.
Experts also said that in a country as diverse as India, TV's strength lies not just in its reach but in its familiarity and simplicity. It’s a part of daily life, often forming the backdrop of family time, mealtimes, and festivals.
Ambika Sharma, Founder and Chief Strategist, Pulp Strategy, echoes this sentiment.
“I believe the value of television lies in its cultural centrality. For mass-market brands, TV delivers what digital still struggles to offer at scale — passive, high-trust attention in a shared environment. The living room screen continues to drive family-first, appointment viewing in Tier 2 and 3 cities, where digital adoption may be rising, but digital behaviour still isn’t as immersive. For a brand looking to create a moment, not just a metric, television remains unmatched,” she said.
The economics of scale: Cost-efficiency and impact
While digital platforms boast hyper-targeting and interactivity, when it comes to cost per thousand impressions (CPM), television often emerges as the more economical choice—especially for brands chasing scale and awareness.
Hamidani explains, “TV offers unbeatable CPM when it comes to broad reach, especially in Tier 2–3 markets. Unlike fragmented digital impressions, TV delivers consistent frequency and message retention in a premium, brand-safe environment. The lean-back experience of TV leads to stronger top-of-funnel brand recall, all at a fraction of high-intent digital CPCs.”
Sharma elaborates on how television complements digital, rather than competes with it.
“Television wins when the objective is cost-effective reach with cultural imprint. When you’re measuring cost per impact, not just impressions, TV still delivers better value in certain markets and categories. Its ability to amplify recall, particularly when paired with digital, creates a compounding effect that digital alone may not replicate. The CPM argument holds up especially well for mass consumer categories like FMCG and auto, where trust and familiarity move the needle faster than clicks,” she said.
According to Vikas Sachdeva, EVP & Head – India International Business at ZEEL, “In terms of CPM (cost per thousand impressions), especially in India, TV continues to be more economical when targeting large & diverse audiences. Unlike digital, where CPMs can spike for premium inventory or hyper-targeting, TV delivers high volumes of impressions at effective costs.”
Why TV still commands a seat at the table
According to Sharma, the question shouldn’t be about choosing between TV and digital. Instead, it’s about strategic integration.
“In my view, TV remains indispensable not because digital lacks performance, but because strategy needs balance. A good media plan isn’t about picking sides, it’s about knowing what to use when.
“For large-scale brand building, election seasons, festivals, or national moments, television creates shared emotional context that digital can amplify but not anchor. It’s not either-or anymore. CMOs need to start with the audience and the objective, and then layer the mediums. TV still deserves a front-row seat in that conversation, but possibly not the only seat,” she said.
AIDCF Secretary General Manoj Chhangani said that television continues to offer unique advantages that digital platforms struggle to match, particularly for mass-market brands targeting broad and diverse audiences.
“Its unparalleled reach across both urban and rural India—especially in tier-2 and tier-3 markets—ensures consistent visibility, even where digital access is limited. Moreover, TV commands a high level of trust and credibility; consumers tend to view televised advertisements as more reliable, a stark contrast to the fragmented and often unregulated nature of digital content,” he said.
The rural pull
Rajiv Khattar, broadcast expert, points out the inherent structural advantages of television in India—especially in rural regions.
“Digital still remains a personal viewing experience, while TV is primarily a family viewing medium. Connected TV is mostly limited to metros or top cities, and it also costs more in terms of monthly bandwidth. On the other hand, with services like DD Free Dish, there is no monthly cost—it’s free to air,” he said.
He added, “In India, families usually sit together around the TV during dinner and engage in family conversations. It’s a social phenomenon. TV will continue to be a primary source of information and entertainment. It’s simple to operate, even for the elderly or housewives who may not be comfortable with smartphones.”
That simplicity, coupled with a one-time hardware investment, makes TV one of the most accessible mediums for India’s hinterlands—no apps, no subscriptions, just content.
“With a one-time investment in a DD Free Dish kit, one can access channels and even some sporting events for free. In contrast, connected TV or mobile viewing requires a continuous internet connection and incurs ongoing costs based on viewing time — commonly referred to as data packs,” he explained.
TV's strategic role in the media mix
Sachdeva, reinforces the strategic importance of television for marketers and outlined key strengths of TV- massive & unified reach; cost efficiency at scale; brand safety & trust; high attention & recall; and cultural impact & appointment viewing.
“TV delivers instant and simultaneous reach to hundreds of millions- a feature digital struggles with due to fragmentation across platforms, devices and audience cohorts. For mass-market brands aiming for scale (example FMCG, auto, retail) TV remains the most efficient way to ‘educate/aware the market’ with messaging,” he said.
He asserted that major shows, sports, non-fictions and events on TV still drive national conversations.
These “appointment moments” are hard to recreate digitally. For advertisers, being part of these moments is invaluable, he said.
“Digital is powerful and growing exponentially, but for mass-market impact with efficiency, memorability and trust, TV remains indispensable. The smartest brands are not choosing between TV and digital—they’re integrating both strategically,” Sachdeva concluded.
Similarly, Chhangani said, “Equally important is the structured regulatory environment that governs TV content in India, offering advertisers a safer and more controlled platform. This stands in contrast to the brand safety concerns posed by user-generated digital spaces.
“Despite the rise of digital-first strategies, television remains indispensable for its ability to combine scale, emotional impact, and cultural relevance. For mass-market advertisers, TV is not merely complementary—it continues to be a cornerstone of impactful and trustworthy brand communication.”
Proven outcomes at lower costs
From the agency lens, Anil Solanki, Senior Director, DentsuX, puts it simply, that “Television’s cost-effectiveness lies not just in its CPM, but in its cumulative impact. In India, TV reaches a vast and diverse audience—with GEC channels viewed across almost every state. For mass-market brands, the scale TV provides, combined with high recall, has scored full marks in business outcomes like awareness, trust, consideration, and purchase.”
Sharing a similar view, Sachdeva said, “TV is a lean-back medium with high attention rates, especially during primetime. Studies show that brand recall and emotional impact are stronger on TV compared to digital where users are often multitasking or skipping ads or just swiping.”
According to Hamidani, TV remains the only medium that can unite a nation in real time—whether through IPL, news, or primetime drama. It creates scale, trust, and memorability in ways digital ecosystems, plagued by noise and skip buttons, still struggle to match. For mass impact with credibility, TV is still the bedrock.
In conclusion, the idiot box is far from obsolete. It is, in fact, an economic, emotional, and strategic force that continues to shape narratives, influence buying decisions, and bring families together in a way digital hasn’t quite replicated—yet.
For marketers, the smartest play isn’t to pit digital against TV—but to let them play to their strengths. And for India, television will likely remain a permanent fixture in that winning strategy.
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