India’s cable television industry is going through a quiet collapse. Over the past seven years, nearly 5.8 lakh people are estimated to have lost their jobs, subscriber numbers have dropped drastically, and revenues are sinking. And it’s not just about entertainment anymore — it’s about livelihoods and an industry that’s struggling to stay relevant.
These figures were laid bare in a report released on June 10 by the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) and EY India, titled State of Cable TV Distribution in India.
Back in 2018, the country had around 151 million pay-TV households. By 2024, that number had fallen to 111 million. Looking ahead, the report suggests it could shrink even further — possibly down to between 71 and 81 million households by 2030.
Multiple reasons. A sharp rise in channel prices has certainly played a part. The convenience and personalisation offered by OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime have clearly pulled younger and urban audiences away. Add to that the free-to-air option — DD Free Dish — which is gaining ground in rural and low-income households.
This has created a vacuum that the traditional cable model isn’t filling anymore.
The financial damage is just as striking. The report finds that combined revenue for India’s four largest DTH players and ten big cable operators dropped from ₹25,700 crore in FY19 to ₹21,500 crore in FY24 — a 16% fall. Meanwhile, their EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) fell 29%, down to ₹3,100 crore.
But it’s the small players — the local cable operators (LCOs) — who are facing the worst of it. Based on input from over 28,000 LCOs across India, the report estimates a 31% reduction in their workforce since 2018. That translates to nearly 38,000 job losses directly among LCOs. Nationally, the overall job loss tied to this industry is pegged between 1.14 lakh and 1.95 lakh for LCOs alone. Combine that with the shutdown of around 900 multi-system operators and 72,000 local cable setups, and you get the full number — a staggering 5.77 lakh jobs lost.
Despite the grim figures, some in the industry are holding out hope. Executives like Uday Shankar (JioStar), Punit Goenka (Zee), and Gaurav Banerjee (Sony) argue that television still has a future in India. Their optimism is based on the fact that around 85–90 million households continue to pay for TV services.
There’s also a vast audience — nearly 100 million homes, as per EY — that hasn’t tapped into cable or satellite TV yet. Many of these are in border regions or interior parts of the country. But affordability remains a major challenge, and without lower-cost plans or affordable set-top boxes, this market might stay unreachable.
Things are no better on the ground. Most of the LCOs surveyed — around 93% — said they had seen a decline in subscribers since 2018. Nearly half said their monthly income had dropped. Over a third claimed to have lost more than 40% of their customer base.
What’s worse, they can’t raise prices even as their input costs rise. Viewers are either switching to OTTs or sticking to free options like DD Free Dish. The quality of TV content has also come under fire, with many saying it’s no longer worth the cost.
Also, the days of having multiple connections in one home seem to be over.
