By PTI

MUMBAI: The media and entertainment sector, which was badly hit due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is expected to rebound to touch a revenue of Rs 1,86,600 crore in 2021-22, due to acceleration of digital adoption among users across geographies, according to a report.

The sector should recover and post a 33 per cent growth in 2021-22, following a contraction of 20 per cent in 2020-21, which still implies a loss of around two years of growth, said KPMG in India Partner and Head (Media and Entertainment) Girish Menon.

He was quoting the KPMG Media and Entertainment (M&E) report, ‘A year off script: Time for resilience’, which examines the performance of the M&E sector during a particularly challenging period.

He said that the two areas that offer encouragement are the continued economic growth of India and the universal acceleration of digital adoption among users across geographies. “As per our revised estimates, India could be home to a billion digital users by 2028 rather than the earlier projected 2030 timeline,” he added.

Menon added that there have been several structural changes to digital behaviour on account of the experience of the lockdown resulting in a new homogeneity among users. “It is our belief that many of these changes will translate into a more democratic and sophisticated digital citizen within the country,” he said.

According to the report, the overall revenue of the sector during 2019-20 stood at Rs 1,75,100 crore that is expected to contract to Rs 1,40,200 crore during the current financial year and recover to Rs 1,86,600 crore in 2021-22.

There will be a deeper integration of digital technology across the M&E value chain – from content production to distribution.

Technology adoption could, however, face some challenges in terms of skill development and the shift to a digital-first mindset but will result in operational cost savings and potentially lower lead times over the longer term, Menon said.

India was already experiencing a slowdown in economic activity even prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 in March, and the onset of the global pandemic and ensuing lockdown dealt a severe blow to the Indian economy, the report said.

The M&E sector has been affected but to varying degrees like the outdoor entertainment formats (films and events), and traditional media (print and TV to some extent) have been badly impacted as people stayed indoors and advertising spends dried up, it said.

Digital advertising, over-the-top (OTT) and gaming fared much better, with massive spikes in digital consumption during the lockdown across geographies and socio-economic classes, it said.

The digital advertising spends are now set to overtake those on TV by 2020-21, which is an important milestone and turning point in the evolution of media and entertainment in India, the report said.

“The distinction among segments of M&E has become more pronounced with the lockdown. Marketing spend has moved perceptibly towards digital media and away from traditional segments like print, radio and to some extent TV,” KPMG in India Partner and Head (Technology, Media and Telecom) Satya Easwaran added.

Easwaran added that a greater reliance on subscription and other paid options as well as the development of a credible digital business model are going to be inevitable for these traditional media segments.