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CMS study says cable losing to DTH
MUMBAI: DTH is gaining ground against cable TV amongst Indian TV viewers. That’s the finding of a rapid assessment study conducted by the Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
Conducted in April 2010 in 22 cities and over 4,435 households, the study has revealed that an increasing number of Indian TV viewers are wary of paying more to local cable operators. Only 25 per cent of survey respondents said they would pay more, as against 90 per cent in the previous survey in 2007.
Respondents said that they did not expect any improvement in the service even after coughing up more. They added that if they had to pay more, they would prefer to do so for a DTH service. But some of them also said that the high initial installation charges for DTH were proving a deterrent.
Overall the survey revealed that average cable TV rates have fallen nationally. Reason: DTH services are offering competition to cable TV, because of which cable TV operators have been forced to cut rates.
The national level average cable TV rates have fallen from Rs 200 in 2007 to Rs 185. In the case of Chennai rates had fallen to Rs 106 (Rs 146 with CAS in 2007), The average cable TV rates for Kolkata had fallen to Rs 161 (Rs 171 in 2007). Other cities which showed a downward trend included: Hyderabad (Rs 153 against Rs 169 in 2007), Chandigarh (Rs 165 vs Rs 212), and Bangalore (Rs 209 vs Rs 211).
Cities which showed an upward trend included Ahmedabad (Rs 259 vs Rs 217 in 2007), Mumbai (Rs 248 against Rs 240 in 2007) and Delhi (Rs 183 vs Rs 156). Shillong cable TV subscribers were paying the higest with a monthly subscription fee of Rs 319.
The quick study also examined how many channels were being watched in Indian homes on average. Most respondents said they watched an average between seven and 15 channels. Tatangar and Kochi topped the list with 15 channels. The figure for Mumbai and Kolkata was 10 channels, while TV viewers in Bengaluru and Delhi watched only eight and those in Chennai said they tuned into nine.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
