The Indian television industry witnessed a degrowth of 1.5% in FY 2022-2023, reaching a total revenue of Rs 70,900 crore as compared to Rs 72,000 crore in FY 2021-2022, according to the annual report of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for the year 2022-23. The report was presented to the Lok Sabha on December 20, 2023, and the Rajya Sabha on February 9, 2024.

According to theTRAIreport, the subscription revenue, which accounts for a major share of the overall industry revenue, has decreased by 3.69% from Rs 40,700 crore in FY 2021-2022 to Rs 39,200 crore in FY 2022-2023. Further,advertisementrevenue has increased 1.6% from Rs 31,300 crore in FY 2021-2022 to Rs 31,800 crore in FY 2022-2023.

TheTVsector encompassed 332 broadcasters providing 903 private satellite TV channels as on March 31, 2023. These television channels include 254 SD Pay TV channels and 104 HD Pay TV channels provided by 43 Pay TV broadcasters. Further, there were 1,748 registered Multi System Operators (MSOs), 1 HITS operator, 4 pay DTH operators and 25 IPTV operators. There were 81,706 cable operators registered with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).

The TRAI report stated that as per industry reports, the TV universe consisted of approximately 64 million cable TV households and 2 million HITS subscribers as on March 2023. In addition, as reported by the pay DTH operators to TRAI, there were 65.25 million pay DTH total active subscribers as on March 31, 2023. The subscriber base reported by the IPTV Operator was 6,47,596 as on March 31, 2023.

TRAI said the year 2022-23 had been another busy and eventful year for the broadcasting and cable services sector. “Even though television remains the largest segment, digital media has seen phenomenal growth with a 27% growth in digital subscriptions in 2022. The potential of the new technologies in the sector can be inferred from the fact that in 2022, animation and VFX was the fastest growing sector with a staggering 29% growth,” said TRAI.

TRAI also mentioned that it was taking various measures to ensure transparency, non-discrimination and equity across the value chain to increase efficiency and trust and reduce disputes amongst stakeholders.

“Our country has made significant progress in economic growth and is emerging as one the fastest growing economies in the world. A business-friendly environment is a pre-requisite for the growth of any sector. An enabling business environment makes the country a favourite business destination. It not only leads to employment generation but also helps in the growth and development of a country. TRAI is committed to creating an enabling ecosystem for the investment and growth of the broadcasting sector,” the report metioned.

During the year, theTariff Orderand Interconnection Regulations of the Television Broadcasting sector were reviewed as per the Consultation Paper issued on 7 May, 2022. After due consultation, TRAI notified the amendments to Regulatory framework 2017 on 22 November, 2022. The amendments inter-alia included: a) Continuance of forbearance on MRP of TV channels; b) Revision of Ceiling on MRP of a TV Channel for inclusion in bouquet; c) Revision of the Ceiling on Discount on sum of the price of a-la-carte channels while forming Bouquet to 45%; d) Additional Incentives of 15% by broadcaster to be permitted on Bouquets also.

The report also stated that there were 388 private FM radio stations operational as on 31 March, 2023, besides the public service broadcaster All India Radio (AIR). As far as the data relating to Community Radio Stations is concerned, out of the 571 licenses issued as on 31 March, 2023 for the setup of such stations, 427 Community Radio Stations were operational.

The reported advertisement revenues by the private FM Radio broadcasters have increased from Rs 1227.15 crore in the year 2021-22 to Rs 1547.13 crore in the year 2022-23, the TRAI report stated.

The report also shared the income and expenditure figures of TRAI. TRAI's total income for the year FY 2022-2023 grew by 4% to Rs 97 crore as compared to Rs 93 crore in FY 2021-22. The total expenditure of TRAI grew by 16.13% to Rs 108 crore in FY23 as compared to Rs 93 crore in FY22. Meanwhile in FY23, TRAI reduced its advertising and publicity expenses by 49.17% to Rs  9,07,109 lakh as compared to Rs 17,84,626 lakh.