Viewership of non-cricket sports on TV fell by 39 percent in 2023: Report

The FICCI – EY report on the media and entertainment industry highlights shifts in viewership.

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 | March 11, 2024 , 9:09 am
The recent decision was taken under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 in consultation with other Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, and domain experts specializing in media and entertainment, women's rights, and child rights. (Representative Image: Glenn Carstens-Peters via Unsplash)
The recent decision was taken under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 in consultation with other Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, and domain experts specializing in media and entertainment, women's rights, and child rights. (Representative Image: Glenn Carstens-Peters via Unsplash)

Seventy-six percent of all TV viewership was linked to GEC and movies, a ratio which has remained stable for six years, according to the FICCI – EY report on the media and entertainment industry. The report also states Sports viewership grew 26 percent on the back of marquee properties like the Cricket World Cup, though viewership of non-cricket sports fell by 39 percent.

Cricket’s share of TV viewership in 2023 grew to 88 percent, up from 74 percent in 2022. Sports on TV garnered 803 million viewers in 2023, while an estimated 530 million viewers watched sports on digital in 2023.

Cricket viewership soared by an impressive 52 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, due to several IPL and CWC games being aired for free on Television as well as a high intensity performance by India in the CWC. Other sports witnessed a notable decline in viewership of 39 percent as the FIFA world cup had helped increase viewership in 2022, and the Pro Kabaddi season started only at the end of 2023.

Read More: YouTube overtakes TV in terms of reach in Hindi-speaking states: FICCI EY report

Genres like infotainment and music have significantly reduced as consumption has moved to digital media. Over three-fourths of all viewership was related to escapism.

The report also found that TV continued to lose affluent audiences in 2023. In 2023, affluent audiences (NCCS ABC) reduced by 1 percent. Lower socio-economic classes (NCCS CDE) grew by 4 percent vs 2022, contributing to overall growth in viewership.

A 15 percent drop was noted in the 15-to-21-year age group, reflective of this demography moving to online digital platforms.

In terms of languages, Gujarati and Hindi were the only two languages to witness a rise in total minutes of viewing of above 5 percent. English and Bangla were the most impacted languages with a fall of above 5 percent.

Read More: FICCI EY Report: 51 percent of total ad spends in Digital media

By 2026, television revenues are projected to reach Rs 765 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2 percent, approximately half of the expected inflation rate.

Although the number of pay TV subscribers continues to decline, the overall number of TV viewers continues to grow. While advertising has shrunk, the number of TV screens is growing and the overall segment is expected to have a positive outlook in the coming times, states the report.

Viewership of connected TVs would continue to grow and proliferate with the increase in broadband and 5G. Overall, while the coming times would provide many growth opportunities, the segment would also face competition from other avenues, such as social media, gaming and short videos.

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