Television is neither dead nor going to die, it's going to be there, said Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday. 

Speaking during a fireside chat with Harit Nagpal, CEO of Tata Play, at the 24th edition of FICCI Frames, Anil Kumar Lahoti said it is often perceived that people have started watching videos on mobile phones and they would not watch TV now.

"But mobile is a 5-inch screen and TV is a 50-inch screen, you can't have the same entertainment experience on mobile as on TV. So mobile is not replacing TV, it is augmenting TV and expanding the reach of TV. It is also expanding the viewing time. Since TV cannot be carried everywhere, mobile helps people view content on the go, thereby increasing the viewing time. This will rather support the industry."

Citing the FICCI-EY report, released on Tuesday, Lahoti said there are 19 million smart TVs as against 118 million paid TVs and 45 million premium connections. "So, about 163 million TVs against 19 million smart TVs. The figures speak for themselves. All these TV owners are aspiring to get smart TVs. There are also 140 million homes which are yet to get their first TV, hence TV will grow."

He highlighted that broadcasting is a dynamic industry and new technologies keep coming. TV will have to compete with newer technologies. 

"I personally feel it (competition) is good for the TV industry as it will give them the chance to innovate and improve its quality and make itself more affordable. So, I don't think there is any reason to think TV is dead."

There are also certain strengths with TV, Lahoti added. "Unlike OTT, TV has almost 900 channels. A large number of these channels are in traditional languages, and OTT is nowhere near that. For a country like India, regional content is very important,” he mentioned. 

"Another thing is that the cable TV system is operated by almost 1000 MSOs. These MSO operators are present right in the field, they are next-door to the consumer, and so they have the strength of directly accessing the consumer, unlike OTT. TV has to leverage this strength."

Lahoti suggested the industry to fill the gaps between them and the consumers. “The first reason for this gap is affordability. Viewers’ income decides whether they can afford it or not. Second is the availability of infrastructure. Cable networks in rural areas, which are far from urban centers, do not have very good infrasructure."

"As far as affordability is concerned, the industry needs to understand that there are people aspiring to have a TV in their home, and for them, the entry barrier  should be eliminated," he mentioned.