Vaz highlighted that content consumption on TV stood at a staggering 46 trillion minutes, surpassing all user-generated and social platforms. “TV delivers a high reach. In South India, its reach is 2.5 times that of UGC platforms. Even in megacities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, TV penetration remains very strong,” he said.
A recent FICCI-EY report noted that YouTube’s reach in India rose to 63% of TV’s reach in 2024, up from 61% in 2023. This growth was largely driven by rising internet access in Hindi-speaking states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan—where 95% of users consume content in local languages, it added.
However, Vaz emphasised that television, in all its forms—pay-TV, free TV, or Connected TV (CTV)—remains central to content consumption. “The number of TV screens are expected to grow from 190 million in 2024 to 214 million by 2026. That growth is spread across pay, free, and connected TV platforms,” he observed.
With increasing investments in premium entertainment content, viewership is expected to grow further. “As the industry invests more in quality content—sports, blockbuster films, big shows—we’re seeing a real difference,” Vaz added.
He also stressed that CTV should not be seen as a rival to traditional TV. “CTV is complementary to linear TV rather than competition,” he said, underscoring JioStar’s identity as a multi-platform content creator.“We’re content creators first and we create for the big screen. So whether it’s pay-TV or CTV, it’s all about reaching as many people as possible,” he added.Speaking about the company’s strategy for free TV—especially in the context of the relaunch of free-to-air Hindi GECs like Star Utsav and Colors Rishtey on DD Free Dish, Prasar Bharati’s free DTH platform—Vaz explained that free TV serves a specific purpose.
“We will use DD Free Dish to upgrade customers to pay-TV,” he said.
Vaz noted that pay-TV has once again started expanding after years of decline due to the shifting media and technological landscape. The pay-TV industry has added 1.3 million homes on the back of the ICC Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“There’s been a jump in pay-TV households. But more importantly, when I look at the ratings—despite all the talk about pay-TV declining—we’ve seen some of the highest ratings,,” he noted.
It’s not just sports that’s drawing viewership; entertainment content is also performing well. Stree 2 TV premiere was watched by 41.2 million viewers, making it one of the biggest TV premieres.
