Offline Media Dying or Evolving

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OFFLINE MEDIA DYING OR EVOLVING?
A comparison between online and offline marketing.
Over the last decade, the Indian digital
landscape has seen an immense change in the way
Indians perceive and consume information across
platforms. With the increase in social media
interactions, video consumptions and various
Digital India movements by the government and
private companies, it is evident that the
Indian population has really got the hang of
digital media, and to be precise online
media. However, this rapid growth has
overshadowed the fact that in a country that has
an estimated headcount of approximately 1.38
billion, only one third of the population
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lives in the urban sector. And are we saying
every urban individual has access to online
media and content? Theres no denying that the
online media is gripping fast but are we really
losing offline media to it? Here are some fun
facts GROWTH IN TV PENETRATION There has been
a 24 increase (100 million) in TV viewership in
the last 13 years (as recorded in
2017). INDIANS STILL PREFER TV FOR NEWS In
2017, 56 people preferred watching news programs
on TV while 32 preferred online platforms for
UGC (User-Generated Content) and another
32 preferred online media to consume comedy
clips. LOVE FOR PRINT WITNESSED GROWTH The IRS
data of 2019 reveals that the overall readership
of newspapers has increased 4.4 and reached 425
million readers. (As per a report by MRUC). BUT
ON THE OTHER HAND WE ARE 2nd IN INTERNET
USERS Internet users exceeded 566 million people
in India, driven by rural internet growth and
usage. It is now estimated that there are 251
million internet users in rural India, and this
is expected to reach 290 million by the end of
2019. MOBILE INTERNET WILL BE A HIT
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Indian users are expected to spend an average of
79 minutes per day on mobile internet by the
year 2021. ON-DEMAND CONTENT RISES Thanks to
digital media players such as Netflix, Amazon,
and Hotstar, etc., the traditionally maintained
supremacy of the television as the
main entertainment hub has been
challenged. Now, the numbers can be a little
confusing, but this is just a transition phase
that will help shape a better, brighter,
connected future. While its difficult to say
that traditional mediums are dying, the
challenges from the online media are
bringing them back on their toes. Besides, as the
rural sector is trying its hand on
latest technologies, the not-so-tech-savvy urban
population is also reaching out to
digital platforms. All these changes are
leading us to a new India where consumers
continue to use traditional media, even as they
embrace new digital channels. The time spent
with digital and traditional channels will
continue to increase in tandem - proving
that mediums like TV and print are still healthy
contenders. Sources BARC Report, The Changing
Face of TV in India, FICCI Frames, 2018 IEBF
Media and Entertainment Report, July 2018
ULTRAXART, India Media Ecosystems - The Walls
Fall Down - KPMG in India's ME Report 2018