As many as 50 television channels have surrendered their licences over the past three years, highlighting the growing pressure on India’s linear television business as audiences and advertisers steadily shift towards digital platforms. Rising consumption on connected TVs and mobile devices, coupled with weakening advertising revenues, has made it increasingly difficult for several channels to sustain operations.

According to an Economic Times report, broadcasters including JioStar, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Eenadu Television, TV Today Network, NDTV and ABP Network are among those that have handed back licences, as per data from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB). The report points to a mix of strategic restructuring, financial unviability and changing market dynamics as key reasons behind the exits.

In a related development, Culver Max Entertainment, which operates Sony Pictures Networks India, surrendered 26 downlinking permissions after securing MIB approval to uplink and downlink the same set of channels. Industry executives cited internal rationalisation and operational streamlining as factors behind these decisions.

The trend reflects the sustained stress on India’s pay-TV ecosystem. Affluent households are increasingly migrating to OTT platforms, while more price-sensitive viewers are opting for DD Free Dish. According to a recent Crisil report, the pay DTH subscriber base has fallen from 72 million in FY19 to 62 million in FY24 and is expected to slip below 51 million in the current fiscal year.