Video Age International December 2016

4 World December 2016 V I D E O A G E driven by improved audience measurement,increaseddemand for TV content — especially from rural areas — sports programming investments, and the launch of OTT platforms by all the major broadcasters, including Star India, Sony Pictures, Zee Entertainment and Viacom18, making content investments more feasible. In the wake of Netflix’s success, broadcasters are expected to allocate more of their budgets to original programming, curating a library exclusive to their own TV and OTT platforms while countering ever-increasing licensing costs. A more reliable TV audience measurement by the newly appointed Broadcast Audience Research Council has revealed unprecedented potential in rural viewership and regional markets. This is coupled with the nationwide cable TV digitization program that’s scheduled to be completed this month, which is likely to boost TV content consumption. TV programming will, as a result, be created to tap into these opportunities. Sports continue to be popular content for TV viewership. Despite the rising cost of broadcasting rights, ambitious foreign-owned broadcasters will continue to invest in sports programming. Star India (owned by 21st Century Fox) reportedly set aside $2 billion for sports programming from 2014–2019. Sony Pictures has teamed up with ESPN to offer sports content. Also active in the market are U.S. TV groups Walt Disney and Discovery Communications. China-based LeEco has also unveiled plans to build a substantial content library in India. I HS Markit, a consulting and research firm, estimated that Indian TV broadcasting revenues, including advertising, subscription and public funding, totaled U.S.$4 billion in 2015. The study, authored by Kia Ling Teoh, has been recently released by IHS, a company that resulted from the merger of London-based Markit and Denver- based IHS Technology. Revenue is forecasted to grow 17 percent in the next five years, stimulated by increases in TV advertising and growth in pay-TV. Of this revenue, TV networks spent an average 62 percent on TV programming, placing India in the league of countries like Australia and Italy. TV programming spending in India is expected to almost double in five years and to reach $5 billion by 2020, Revenue For India’s TVNetworks ToMatch Those in Italy or Australia: OTT& Sports Are Big Factors (Continued on Page 6) At NATPE Miami VideoAge Invests in Mag Distribution More Than All Other Trades Combined! 2 NEW FILMS BOOTH #J28 WWW.BREATHROUGHENTERTAINMENT.COM @BREAKTHRU_ENT C M Y CM MY CY CMY K