India’s pay-TV sector is making a strong comeback, gaining around 1.3 million new subscribers in recent weeks. This surge is mainly due to the buzz around major sporting events like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the ICC Champions Trophy. After facing tough competition from free DTH platforms like DD Free Dish and premium streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, pay-TV players are finally seeing a turnaround. Industry leaders say marquee cricket events have pulled viewers back to traditional TV screens.
In the past, sports especially cricket has always helped increase pay-TV subscriptions. But over the last two years, the industry struggled because big tournaments were available for free on streaming services like Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema. That changed when JioHotstar, formed after the merger of Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema, decided to put cricket behind a paywall. This move reduced the pressure on traditional pay-TV and gave it some breathing room. As a result, companies like JioStar, Zee, Sony, Airtel Digital TV, and Tata Play are seeing an uptick in subscribers again.
Kevin Vaz, CEO – Entertainment at JioStar and President of the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation, said, “There has been talk about the decline of pay-TV, but what we have seen recently is that the consumers are not just gravitating back towards pay TV but also actively consuming content on the big screen.” He added, “TV distribution platforms are complementing the efforts put in by broadcasters by working actively on the ground to onboard subscribers through curated offerings.”
Kevin Vaz also pointed out that people are still watching a lot of content on traditional TV across both entertainment and sports genres. He added that distribution platforms are doing their part by helping bring new viewers on board through curated content bundles and on-ground marketing.
According to a FICCI-EY report, the TV industry’s subscription revenue dropped over 3% in 2024 to ₹83,850 crore due to a fall in pay-TV users from 117 million to 111 million. This number includes both pirated and under-reported subscribers. The average revenue per user (ARPU) for linear TV was ₹281 (gross of taxes). Despite this, the recent revival in pay-TV subscriptions shows that the demand for quality live content, especially cricket, still has the power to bring viewers back.