India’s digital TV penetration to rise to 50 percent by 2016

India will remain the key pay-TV market in Asia as the penetration rate of digital TV grows to encompass half the population by 2016 and 61 percent by 2020, says a new report from Media Partners Asia (MPA).

According to rapidtvnews, just 20 percent of India’s homes had digital television in 2011, but the mandatory drive to digitise the cable TV network, as well as the six commercial direct to home (DTH) pay TV platforms, in addition to DD Direct, the DTH platform operated by the state broadcaster Doordarshan, will attract more and more subscribers in the coming four years.

“India’s digitalisation timetable implies a three-year transition to full digital TV (DTV) conversion. This is ambitious, though we believe DTV transition will occur but over a longer time frame,” said Vivek Couto, executive director, MPA.