The quiet shift behind Bangladesh’s changing tv habits

In Bangladesh of the 1990s, television was more than a device; it was a cultural event. Families gathered around small screens, children waited eagerly for Friday afternoon cartoons and magazine shows, and many households without a television would visit neighbours, turning shared viewing into a community ritual.

That era also produced memorable advertising moments, including the now-iconic Konka television commercial built around the line, 'When a window closed, a TV opened a world of joy.' For many, it captured a moment of transition – from black and white to colour, from scarcity to imagination – when television became a gateway to connection and entertainment. Over the decades, TV has moved from CRT to LCD, from LED to digital and now into the era of connected television.

Today, that evolution is accelerating faster than ever.

Public discourse often frames linear television as a dying medium. The reality is more nuanced. What is fading is not the appetite for live, curated content, but the infrastructure that once delivered it.

Cable, DTH and traditional set-top-box models are steadily losing relevance. Linear television, however, remains central to viewing habits in living rooms, restaurants, sports venues, airports and public spaces. As noted by Sandeep Singh, chief executive officer, Neo TV, in a recent industry discussion, audiences continue to prefer linear formats for news, sports and live events. What has changed is the route through which that content reaches viewers.

Globally, more than 90 per cent of new televisions sold today are Smart TVs, making IP-based viewing the default mode of consumption. Over 80 per cent of television households worldwide now use connected TV applications, either alongside or in place of cable and DTH services. Streaming accounted for roughly 45 per cent of all TV viewing by 2025, reflecting a profound shift in behaviour.

Bangladesh is following this trajectory.

Local adoption of Smart TVs is rising rapidly, driven by affordability, improved broadband access and smoother user experiences. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, traditional television ownership declined from 53 per cent in 2021 to 49 per cent in 2023. Industry stakeholders estimate that the Smart TV market in Bangladesh will grow at an annual rate of around 12.5–13 per cent between 2025 and 2031.

Consumers increasingly want simplicity: one screen, one remote, no cables and minimal friction.

Bangladesh's digital entertainment landscape is expanding quickly. High smartphone penetration, widespread mobile internet access and a young, interactive audience are driving rapid OTT adoption. International platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hoichoi, SonyLIV, Tapmad and Lionsgate Play are strengthening their local presence. At the same time, local platforms including Chorki, Bongo, Deepto Play and iScreen are expanding aggressively, investing in originals, films and live programming.

Telecom-backed platforms are accelerating the shift. Toffee, operated by Banglalink, combines live TV and premium content while introducing the country's first user-generated content monetisation model. Bioscope+, backed by Grameenphone, focuses on live TV and entertainment, while Robi's Binge follows an aggregator-based OTT approach. These platforms thrive because they offer what legacy television could not: personalisation, interactivity and flexibility.

The decline of traditional distribution is driven by two simple consumer realities. People already pay for broadband, and they no longer want to pay again for hardware, installation and monthly rentals. IP-based delivery offers clear advantages, including real-time audience measurement, user-level targeting, recommendation-driven discovery, flexible monetisation and instant scalability during major events.

Even global streaming giants recognise the enduring appeal of linear formats. Netflix now carries live sports, live events and scheduled programming. Linear television has not disappeared; it has migrated.

Bangladesh's OTT expansion, however, faces structural challenges. Regulatory clarity remains limited on simulcasting linear TV via OTT platforms. Piracy continues to divert revenue from legitimate creators. Willingness to pay remains low, constraining subscription models, while fragmented monetisation reduces income stability for content owners. Addressing these issues will require coordinated policy support, stronger anti-piracy enforcement and sustained consumer education.

While a nationwide 5G rollout will take time, its eventual arrival will further reshape viewing habits through multi-camera sports coverage, real-time fan engagement, live commerce and immersive formats. Until then, optimised 4G delivery remains critical for mass audiences.

Bangladesh's future entertainment model is hybrid rather than competitive. Broadcasters will retain their strengths in production and credibility while embracing connected TV distribution, FAST channels, interactive simulcasts, data-driven personalisation and commerce-enabled live streams. In this new landscape, distribution determines reach and reach determines monetisation.

Television still occupies the centre of the living room. What is changing is the pipeline behind it. As broadband capacity improves and Smart TV adoption accelerates, IP-based linear television is set to become the default standard.

Bangladesh stands at the threshold of a significant transformation — one that blends strong local storytelling with the flexibility of OTT and the scale of connected TV. Linear television remains powerful. It is simply being delivered over IP now.