Sri Adhikari Brothers sets eyes on more CTV channels

TV Vision, a Sri Adhikari Brothers' company, is now focussing on developing more channels for CTVs. Currently, all its channels, including Mastiii, Maiboli and Dabangg, are available on all CTV platforms. It is also available as direct linear feeds on various OTT platforms. 

Speaking from the sidelines of Goafest, Kailash Adhikari, business head, TV Vision, said that the benefits of being on CTVs, will be yielded over the next year or two. He sees a lot of potential in CTVs in the coming times, but believes that Internet bandwidth needs to be provided at a lower cost for it to truly grow.

"For the Tier-II/III towns and even the rural pockets within the urban areas, to switch to CTVs, one needs to be provided the bandwidth at a low cost."  

All the network's channels are free-to-air, but Adhikari said that its CTV channels help to reach out to the pay audience. 

"Our focus isn't just the free audience. Although the pay audience may not be paying us, they're equally important. So, in those homes, when there is a migration from cable or DTH to CTV, we're there for them."

However, it's yet to establish a presence in the advertisers' minds. 

"It has just started. Once there are a significant number of CTVs with a sizeable audience and a significant audience profile, the advertisers will start showing interest. It will take sometime for it to reach its crescendo."

According to the EY-FICCI report 2023, TV subscription revenue declined for the third year in a row, experiencing a 4% de-growth. This is attributed to a reduction of five million pay TV homes. Meanwhile, 8-10 million smart TVs connected to the Internet each day, up from around 5 million in 2021.

Speaking about the challenge for pay TV, Adhikari said that TV content is still being watched, only the medium has changed.

"Not all the people who head to the broadcaster-led OTT platforms, watch originals. Many also try to catch-up on their missed television content. So, the TV audience is there, only their preferred (viewing) medium, is changing. In the future, the TV set will just be a monitor."

Beyond the broadcast business, Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network is also investing in producing content for the digital medium. Last year, it produced 'Karm Yuddh' for Disney+ Hotstar. It's now in the process of adapting two books for two different platforms. 

"Currently, broadcasting is more than 80% of our business. But content is growing side by side, and we are also investing a lot into digital properties."

It has also created a range of channels on YouTube, where apart from its legacy content, it is also putting out original content. 

Although it's difficult to monetise this content in the beginning, Adhikari believes that if the content is 'sticky' and manages to grab eyeballs, then over a period of time, it will be able to recover the investment.