India's Cable TV Crisis: Nearly 2 Lakh Jobs At Risk, Says AIDCF-EY Report

India’s cable television sector is facing a deep structural shift, putting up to 1.95 lakh jobs at risk, according to a new report by the All India Digital Cable Federation and EY, as the linear TV distribution model is under strain due to rising digital content consumption, changing viewer preferences, and lack of regulatory updates.

The report warns that cable operators across the country are losing subscribers and income, while employment in the sector has fallen sharply. India has more than 19 crore TV households, but the way content reaches these homes has shifted. Pay TV subscriptions, which stood at 15.1 crore in 2018, have fallen to 11.1 crore in 2024, the report said, adding that this number is expected to decline further to between 7.1 crore to 8.1 crore—by 2030. Meanwhile, connected TV sets have increased to 3 crore, and DD Free Dish has grown to 4.9 crore connections.

This shift is affecting the viability of local cable operators, many of whom have reported a steep fall in business. Based on a nationwide survey of more than 28,000 LCOs across 34 states and union territories, the report found that 93% of operators reported a drop in their monthly income. About 49% said their subscriber base had declined, while 35% noted they had lost over 40% of their customers. Overall employment in the cable TV sector has dropped by 31% since 2018. The estimated job losses range from 1.14 lakh to 1.95 lakh across the country.

LCOs cited several challenges. Many are unable to increase rates in line with rising channel costs. Viewers are shifting towards over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms, DD Free Dish, and connected TVs. The number of households with multiple TV sets has also declined. Additionally, operators said the quality of content on streaming platforms is perceived to be higher than what is offered through traditional cable networks.

To address the decline, the report recommends a series of policy and market interventions. These include allowing differential pricing based on territory to improve affordability and creating regulatory parity between OTT, Free TV, and pay TV services.

The report also suggests activating 2 crore dormant set-top boxes to boost subscriber numbers, enforcing anti-piracy laws more strictly, and introducing subsidies to bring TV access to 10 crore households that currently do not own a TV. It also proposes content windowing norms to ensure pay TV content is not made freely available on other platforms.