31% of TV owners in India are in the 5 southern states: BARC India survey

Broadcast India 2018 survey conducted by joint industry body BARC India reveals that the five southern states - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have 259 million TV owners

Broadcast Audience Research Council of India's (BARC’s) India recently released Broadcast India (BI) 2018 Survey that reveals the number of individuals owning TV in the five south states - Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala, are 259 million, up 8 per cent from 2016. This means that 31 per cent of total TV owning individuals are present in these five states. The TV owning individuals in North is 209 million, West is 221 million and East is 146 million.

BARC India’s BI 2018 Survey was conducted covering 300,000 households, approximately 4300 towns/villages and 68 per cent of the urban market.

“The Survey has thrown some interesting facts about South India’s TV viewing habits. While total TV penetration in India currently stands at 66 per cent, TV penetration in South India is as high as 95 per cent. This can also be attributed to the fact that electrification in South is around 99.9 per cent and one of the first durables which people buy having electricity is TV,” said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India.

With 8 out 10 people sampling TV daily and a high time spent of 4 hours 10 minutes, South India has been witnessing a year on year growth in average time spent (ATS) on TV. The region also generates viewership of around 12 billion impressions on a weekly basis. Additionally, 31 per cent of the TV-owning individuals in South India contribute to 40 per cent of total TV viewership. This adds weight to the broadcasters’ focus on the regional markets, especially the southern states which has seen a lot of activity in terms of acquisitions and launches over the past couple of years.

The various factors that affect TV viewing range from family size, migration, electrification and affluence among others. BI 2018 Survey highlights that growing affluence in South India has played an important role in family structure and durable ownership.

As per BI 2018 Survey, at an all India level, the average family size for TV homes is 4.25 individuals. In South, this is much lower at 3.8 individuals per household implying that families in South are much more nuclear in nature.

The socio-economic profiles of homes in South India have also improved as compared to 2016. While the affluent (New Consumer Classification System or NCCS A) have seen a growth of nine per cent, the upper middle class (NCCS B) TV homes have grown by 15 per cent. TV homes falling under low socio-economic profiles (NCCS D/E) have dropped by seven per cent. Nuclear families, increasing middle class and rising disposable incomes are helping households move across the affluence chain.

The Survey also highlights the fact that close to 30 per cent homes in South have their female members working either full time or part-time. The ratio further improves in rural where 35 per cent of homes have their women working.

As per the survey, amongst the TV homes in South, 9 out of 10 NCCS A homes own a refrigerator and 6 out of 10 NCCS A homes own a washing machine.

Entertainment in South is of prime importance across the value chain. The survey points out that while 85 per cent of NCCS D/E homes have a TV, only 66 per cent of these homes have a gas stove.