MUMBAI: Beating sluggish economic growth, a weakening rupee and an even weaker consumer demand, the Indian M&E industry registered an overall growth of 12.6 per cent from Rs 728 billion in 2011 to Rs 820 billion in 2012, says the FICCI-KPMG Media & Entertainment 2013 report.

The industry is estimated to grow at 11.8 per cent to touch Rs 917 billion in 2013, driven by the introduction of cable TV digitisation, continued growth of regional media, upcoming elections, continued strength in the film sector and fast increasing new media businesses.

In the long run, the sector is projected to grow at a healthy CAGR of 15.2 per cent to reach Rs 1661 billion by 2017.

Television, the report says, continues to be the dominant segment. However, the report records strong growth posted by new media sectors, animation/ VFX and a comeback in the Films and Music sectors on the back of strong content and the benefits of digitisation.
Radio is anticipated to see a spurt in growth at a CAGR of 16.6 per cent over the period 2012-2017, post the rollout of Phase 3 licensing.

Total advertising spend across media was Rs 327.4 billion in 2012. In light of continued economic slowdown, advertising revenues saw a growth of 9 per cent in 2012 as against 13 per cent in 2011 and 17 per cent in 2010.

Print continues to be the largest beneficiary, accounting for 46 per cent of the advertising pie at Rs 150 billion.

Speaking about the findings of the report, FICCI M&E committee chairman Uday Shankar said, ?2012 has been one of the toughest years in recent times. But it has also been a landmark year for the media and entertainment sector with significant progress in all verticals: the signs are already evident that digitalization will fundamentally change broadcasting, films have scaled-up their ambitions, and radio and print continue to defy global trends. If anything, 2013 promises to be even more disruptive. I am certain that the insights and findings from this report will provide a comprehensive and useful lens for all of us in the industry.?

KPMG India Head of Media and Entertainment Jehil Thakkar said, ?2012 though a challenging year for the M&E industry, was a year in which important foundations for future growth were laid. The advertising environment went through one of the toughest years in the last decade. However, the implementation of digitisation, the stellar performance of the film industry backed by excellent content and digital distribution, the continued growth in regional print, the momentum in new media and the announcement of Phase 3 radio implementation has all finally provided the much needed platform to boost the Indian Media & Entertainment industry.?

Greater sophistication of and segmentation in content

TV digitisation is likely to be a great catalyst for greater diversity and niche television programming. Digitisation is expected to improve broadcast economics significantly which in turn, could drive more investments in production quality, niche and targeted genres of content/packaging in the medium term.

Phase 3 licensing and anticipated provisions for permitting multiple frequencies in a city would encourage investments in differentiated content for the Radio sector. Internet and mobile platforms are a cost effective enabler to reach diverse audience segments with tailored content. The Indian audiences could look forward to more targeted and engaging content in the medium term.

Digitisation of film and TV distribution infrastructure

Digitisation of distribution has brought in the promise of more sustainable and profitable business models across media sectors. It has enabled the films sector to make a comeback this year. The industry has achieved 77 per cent digitisation of screens and expects to be close to 100 per cent digitised in the next 18 months to 2 years. These developments have resulted in increased ability to invest in differentiated content, marketing, and wider releases ? all contributing to greater audience engagement and unprecedented box office success across big and small budget movies alike. Overall, digital technology is expected to drive the M&E sector?s growth in a challenging macro environment, by spurring on end-user spending and transparency.

Growth in new media

The rapid increase in mobile and wireless connections continues to drive the growth of internet penetration in India. With better access through cheaper and smarter devices, audiences (especially the youth) are consuming more content and are getting increasingly engaged.
Key beneficiaries are emerging new media segments, which include internet advertising, online classifieds, and gaming, all of which are on a rapid growth path. Going forward, better uptake of 3G connections and the beginnings of the 4G rollout are expected to spur growth further.

Traditional media still going strong

India remains a growth market for ?traditional? media evidenced by the growth last year in TV audiences, radio listenership, and footfalls in theatres. India is an outlier country where print is still a growth market. There is growing overseas demand for quality Indian animation/VFX work at affordable pricing.

Traditional media is also increasingly offered on new media platforms. The need of the hour, of course, is the development of models for broader reach and monetisation of audiences for traditional media content on these new media platforms.

Regional markets remain key centers of growth
Advertisers continue to see higher growth in consumption from key regional markets. Hence regional media continues on a strong growth trajectory especially in the print and television sectors. Key media players are focusing on cherry picking acquisitions and expanding their presence in regional markets based on higher rates of advertising revenue growth, and better insulation from the slowdown than in metros, which may be close to saturation in many cases.

Examples in print include the launch of Ei Shomoy ? a Bengali paper by Bennett Coleman and the acquisition of Nai Duniya by the Jagran Group.

Many film studios are building a regional film pipeline. Reliance Big Pictures, Disney UTV Motion Pictures and Eros International are increasingly investing in the regional space. Hollywood films are expanding revenue potential by dubbing across regional languages such as Tamil and Telugu.

Coming LIVE to you?

With changing lifestyles, there is an increase in media consumed out of home. Brands are also increasingly keen to connect with consumers via ?experiences? to ensure greater recall and amplification of brand values. Activations/events are now increasingly a key facet of Radio and Print media solutions.

Live music events/festivals have been successful in attracting widespread audiences and engaging youth across key cities. Increased consumption of music/radio/video on-the-go via mobile and in cars provides opportunity for real time mobile geo-location advertising. The Out of Home (OOH) advertising sector has also seen higher rates of growth in transit advertising.

There is hence an increased need to provide 360 degree solutions to advertisers and provide multiple platforms to reach out to consumers, wherever they are.

Revenue models still advertising dependent ? But subscription grows for TV

M&E is still an advertising dependent industry in India. Hence, it remains sensitive to the impact of the economic slowdown.

While the print sector saw some increases in circulation revenues, and increases in cover price in some areas, cover prices are still significantly lower than global counterparts In the TV sector, digitisation has potential to increase ARPUs and improve the share of subscription revenues to the broadcasters. Increasing subscription revenues is key to the long term stability of the broadcasting sector.

Regulatory and policy support

Regulatory interventions have been a key enabler of growth for the sector. Anticipated events in 2013 such as continued cable DAS rollout, Phase 3 licensing for Radio and 4G rollout will spur growth from the medium term.

There is a need for measures to aid curtailment of piracy and encourage investments to support further growth. Co-production treaties, rationalisation of entertainment tax, government support to encourage formal skill development and training and incentives for animation/VFX and gaming are important areas of policy and regulation that need attention.

Gaps in availability of skilled media and entertainment professionals

The media and entertainment sector could be a noteworthy employer across creative, technical and business areas. With potential mushrooming of TV and Radio broadcast channels and growth in skill intensive sectors of film, animation, gaming, VFX, this is only set to escalate. In the talent driven media sector, companies could potentially differentiate based on ability to attract and retain the right people.

The vision set out for the sector of engaging communities entails reaching out and understanding multiple segments, creating greater connect, and leveraging this connect to influence for the greater social good. At the same time, it remains sensitive to the economic situation and a lot will depend on its ability to manage the risks of continued shortage of skilled manpower and the ability to spur end-user pricing across segments. It is a time for introspection and a time for innovation to see how companies can harness the powers of new technologies and convergence to realise its vision, the report says.

MUMBAI: India?s Entertainment & Media sector is expected to exceed Rs 1.75 trillion growing at a CAGR of 17 per cent over the next five years as per CII-PwC?s latest report titled ?India Entertainment & Media Outlook 2012?, which has been released today at the "India-Big Picture" CII-Media and Entertainment Summit.

Advertising segment in India is dominated by the television and print sectors with combined contribution of over 80 per cent in the total revenue pie. Both these segments are expected to continue to be dominant in the next five years.

The potential game changers in this area are going to be the advertising spend, consumer spend, infrastructure and policy support, the report said.

The advertising spend contributes approximately 35 per cent of revenues in the E&M industry. However, compared to other countries, the advertising spends as a percentage of GDP is very low at 0.3 per cent.

"We expect that with entertainment content being accessed through different mediums and innovation in digital content will drive the advertising spend," the report added.

In 2011, the overall entertainment and media industry is estimated to be Rs 800 billion, an increase of 17.5 per cent over the previous year. The television and print segments continue to be the largest contributors to the industry, accounting for 66 per cent of the total revenue.

Internet access also contributed a significant 14 per cent (up from 11 per cent in 2010), driven by the increasing adoption of mobile internet in the country. However, the contribution from the print and film segments have reduced marginally, as year-on-year growth rates have been lower than the industry average.

Internet access and gaming segments have been the fastest growing, with annual growth rates of 57 per cent and 33 per cent respectively. The gaming segment, though a small contributor to the overall industry, has been growing due to the rising popularity of mobile and online and social media gaming. Television, being the largest segment, has been the highest contributor (in terms of revenue addition) to the industry, with an annual growth rate of 16 per cent.

The Indian E&M industry is among the top 15 markets in the world and the fastest growing one, followed by China, Russia and Brazil. This growth is largely coming from the burgeoning internet segment which has the potential to outshine the print sector by 2014.

The key consumer spend segments include television subscription, film admissions and print circulation. The average annual spend per capita is at a low of $7 as compared to $22 in China and $65 in Brazil. Rising disposable incomes in India in combined with macro-economic stability will drive rapid growth in consumer spend on E&M.

Achieving the vision of E&M industry worth $100 billion will require a consolidated and focussed approach towards developing and deploying relevant infrastructure, supported by a strong policy framework. High broadband penetration, improved audience measurement mechanisms and regulatory support will provide the necessary impetus to future growth.

"Working to attain the target of US$100bn in the coming years will not only benefit industry but also create large scale employment, and help achieve India?s goal of being a knowledge driven economy through effective media," said COO Director General Chandrajit Banerjee.

"Increased advertising and consumer spend will take the industry to desired heights. This will be fuelled by technological innovation leading to better quality of media content being consumed. Internet access will be a key enabler in driving growth," PwC India Leader ? Entertainment & Media Practice Smita Jha.

MUMBAI: The media and entertainment industry in southern India is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 14 per cent over the next four years to reach a size of Rs 360 billion by 2016 owing to an evolving ecosystem and demand, according to a report released by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India.

The size of the South Indian media & entertainment industry is currently pegged at Rs 211.9 billion.

Television constitutes the largest component of the South Indian media and entertainment industry. Its size currently is pegged at Rs 122.2 billion accounting for a 58 per cent share of the market.

As per Deloitte estimates, television is expected to reach a size of Rs 225.4 billion by 2016, growing at a CAGR of 17 per cent.

The nascent radio market is expected to grow the fastest at a CAGR of 22 per cent. Radio will continue to be at the bottom of the ladder with a market of Rs 8.05 billion by 2016. The radio market is currently pegged at Rs 3.65 billion, which is a 2 per cent share of the overall market.

Behind television, print media is poised to be the second largest contributor to the South Indian media and entertainment industry with a market of Rs 91 billion thereby growing at a CAGR of 10 per cent. The print market currently stands at Rs 62.65 billion and has the second largest share of 29 per cent.

Buoyed by an ardent film following, the film market in south India stands at Rs 23.4 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11 per cent to reach a size of Rs 35.5 billion. Films have an 11 per cent share of the South Indian media and entertainment market.

Within the South market, Tamil Nadu is the biggest market at Rs 76.2 billion followed by Andhra Pradesh at Rs 64.8 billion. Karnataka and Kerala are estimated to be in the region of Rs 39.85 billion and Rs 31.05 billion, respectively.

According to the Deloitte report, Andhra Pradesh?s media and entertainment market is projected to grow at a rate of 14 per cent to become a Rs 112 billion market. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are projected to grow at a rate of 14 per cent to reach a market size of Rs 129.95 billion and Rs 67.15 billion respectively.