The Digitisation Bonanza

TV, to a great extent, governs the choices we make in life, be it the next dandruff-free shampoo, the healthiest butter or the most effective anti-ageing cream. Television’s unmatched reach, mass popularity and strong visual impact makes it one of the most popular medium ever for advertising and brand engagement. Even as a single channel Doordarshan defined consumer preferences in the ‘80s. Later, the cable TV of the ‘90s with its 100-plus channels offered multiple choices to the viewers for the first time in the history of Indian TV. And today, as our choice of products and brands multiplies manifold times, the humble cable-powered television too is graduating to an entertainment medium that provides an enhanced viewing pleasure offering better picture clarity and much wider content.

According to some estimates, by end of 2013, half the world’s TV sets (approximately 636 million households) will receive digital TV signals, and India is expected to emerge as the largest direct-to-home (DTH) market in the world touching 100 million subscribers by 2018. Digitisation has, indeed, provided the much-needed impetus to the cable and satellite industry, and provided customers a wider choice of channels, enhanced viewing pleasure, and an interactive experience all integrated in a single screen. As the industry rolls out the digitisation agenda, it has spun a revolution that transcends the third screen to an infotainment platform from a pure entertainment one, and opens avenues for marketers

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