TV in India

Background

Entering India with unknown needs

Objectives: understand TV viewing behavior, needs and pain points, and gather user feedback on the new UI to localize the experience before launch.

Classic UI · old

Classic Android TV home screen: rows of app shortcuts grouped under Video, Music and Apps over a mountain wallpaper

App launcher

A grid of app shortcuts. To decide what to watch, a viewer opens each app one at a time.

Smart UI · new

New smart TV home screen: For you tab with a featured show and a Top picks for you row, with tabs for Live, Movies, Shows, Apps and Library

Cross-platform aggregator

“All-in-one”: Content aggregated from multiple streaming services and organized into tabs like For You.

Methods

Uncover needs, then prioritize them

To solve an ambiguous 0-to-1 problem, Phase 1 uncovered contextual behaviors, needs and UI reactions qualitatively; Phase 2 prioritized user needs quantitatively to guide resource allocation.

Phase 1 · QualUncover needs

N=24

Diary study

A diary captures in-the-moment behaviors and changing user needs over time.

N=12

In-depth interviews

90-minute sessions to follow up on diary entries and evaluate UI concepts.

4 cities

MumbaiWest · Tier 1 · Marathi

KolkataEast · Tier 1 · Bengali

LucknowNorth · Tier 2 · Hindi

CoimbatoreSouth · Tier 2 · Tamil

Each city: 6 diary participants, 3 of whom were interviewed.

Phase 2 · QuantPrioritize needs

n=1,000

Needs-prioritization survey

Axis 1

How important

Use MaxDiff to rank 23 needs collected in Qual.

High importanceLow

Axis 2

How well met?

Measure satisfaction with current solutions.

Well metUnmet

Key findings

What viewers need and where current solutions fall short

The Qualitative phase surfaced four themes; the survey ranked 23 needs and measured how well they’re met.

01 · Diary

Privacy and control are important.

TV is a shared family device in India.

02 · Diary

Language filters are helpful.

Cable groups channels by language, making navigation easier.

03 · Interview

"All-in-one" addressed pain points.

Cross-app curation eliminates the app-by-app hunt.

04 · Interview

Content categories need to be localized.

For you, Movies and Shows need local genres and languages.

Importance × well met

Survey · n=1,000

Not well met Well met

Hover or tap a need to see its MaxDiff score. Scroll the chart sideways for the well-met half.

Y-axis: MaxDiff importance score (100 = average, ≥120 = top tier). X-axis: Needs are grouped as “well-met” vs. “unmet”; horizontal spacing is jittered for readability. Switch to ranked view to see all 23 needs.

Zooming into the Top 5 Needs

#1 · 151

Browse clearly labeled family-friendly content

Well met: yes

#2 · 145

Access all my content in one place

Well met: no

#3 · 142

Switch quickly between devices connected to the TV

Well met: yes

#4 · 139

Continue watching across streaming services

Well met: yes

#5 · 122

Consolidate subscriptions into one discounted payment

Well met: no

Ranking alone would put family-friendly content first. Adding the well-met lens reframes the order: all-in-one access and bundled subscriptions are both highly important and poorly served, which makes them the top differentiators.

Impact

From findings to shipped changes

Five threads, each tied back to where it sits on the prioritization map. Select a chip to see that need on the chart.

Top differentiator

Deepen "all-in-one" with continue watching across services

All-in-one access (#2, not met) is the UI’s primary hook, while continue watching (#4) is already well-met within individual apps. Unify and strengthen the all-in-one value proposition by integrating cross-service “continue watching.”

Shipped

Smart TV Shows tab with a Continue watching row combining titles from several streaming services

A continue-watching row that pulls progress from every connected service, so viewers decide without opening each app.

Top differentiator

Bundle subscriptions into one payment

The most unmet need in the study: 26% said "I can't do this". It was about more than saving money. Viewers wanted the convenience of a single payment.

"If everything gets accommodated in a single package with a discount, that's great."
Survey respondent, on how the need could be improved

Tata Sky Binge+ Android TV set-top box offer bundling several streaming apps and Amazon Prime Video for one price — The research shaped a bundled service offered through Tata Sky Binge+ on Android TV.

Privacy & control

Localize profiles for a shared family TV

Shared TVs (averaging 4.5 users) created intense anxiety around adult content during family co-viewing, restricting personal profiles to solo or couple viewing.

"If some adult scene comes up during family watching, it is so embarrassing."
P19, M32, Traditionalist, Coimbatore

Diary photo of a family watching TV together in their living room, faces obscured — Family viewing time with a child, from P19's diary.

Recommendation

Add a lock to personal profiles on the TV, and make the family profile the default.

Shipped

Profile Lock

PIN required for personal profile login

Default to Family Profile

Instead of “last active” profile

Shipped

Sat night

Personal profile for solo viewing or co-viewing with a partner. AI-generated illustration.

Sun morning

Family profile instead of last active account, is the default upon turning on TV. AI-generated illustration.

Voice control

Localize Google Assistant

Despite heavy phone usage, voice search stalled on TVs due to poor accent recognition and inaccurate results—creating fear of surfacing inappropriate content during shared family co-viewing.

Diary

How did you control your TV as you were watching?

TV remote189

Set-top box remote92

Mobile app36

Other25

TV buttons5

Voice command3

Viewing sessions logged across all diaries.

Interview
Inaccurate search results during family co-viewing created embarrassment.

"I feel voice (assistant) cannot understand us."
P04, M32, Content Mogul, Kolkata

Survey · n=1,000

Needs prioritization by subgroup

Quantitative results showed that couples highly valued voice search.

Need	Total India	Traditionalists	Content Moguls	Couples	Parents
Clearly labeled family content	High importance	High importance	High importance	High importance	High importance
All content in one place	High importance	High importance	High importance	High importance	High importance
Switch quickly between devices	High importance	Moderate importance	High importance	High importance	High importance
Continue watching across services	High importance	High importance	High importance	High importance	High importance
Bundle subscriptions	High importance	Moderate importance	High importance	High importance	High importance
Create a watchlist across services	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Search across services	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Access live sports	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Access live news	Moderate importance	High importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Use voice to search	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	High importance	Moderate importance
Secure personal profiles	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Content organized by language	Moderate importance	High importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Use a mobile app to find content	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Get personalized recommendations	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Content organized by theme	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Relatively lower importance
Catch-up shows I missed after live	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Content organized by genre	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance
Set kid profiles	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Moderate importance	Relatively lower importance	Kids
See what's on cable	Relatively lower importance	Moderate importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance
Controls to limit my kids' TV watching	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Moderate importance	Relatively lower importance	Kids
Set reminders for live content	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance
Do more with your TV	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance
Rent the newest movies	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance	Relatively lower importance

High importanceModerateRelatively lower

Recommendation

Prompt “Try Google Assistant” within personal profiles, where a wrong result will not embarrass anyone.

+23%

increase in Google Assistant adoption after the personal-profile prompt shipped.

Shipped

Language & genre

Localize content categories

Local-language content was heavily consumed, and users found familiar cable-style language filters helpful.

Diary

Strong Engagement with Local-Language Content

What language was the program in?

Hindi78

English42

Tamil35

Bangla24

Other6

Marathi3

Viewing sessions logged across all diaries.

A local cable home screen with tiles for channel groups such as Bangla, Hindi, English, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Kids and Regional — Local cable home screen grouped by language and genre. P04, M28, Content Mogul, Mumbai.

Diary

Content Type + Language helpful

Top interest categories

Talent search (Indian Idol, Dance India Dance)19

Web series18

Bollywood movies, Hindi17

Children's programs16

Reality shows15

Family programs15

English movies15

Music & music videos, Hindi14

Movies, regional language13

Comedy13

Drama / serials, Hindi10

Viewing sessions logged across all diaries: dark blue bars represent local language + genre.

Survey · n=1,000

Importance of 23 needs (MaxDiff)

Since language-only organization scored below average, it was nested under content types rather than prioritized on the home screen.

Average (100)
1Clearly labeled family content151
2All content in one place145
3Switch quickly between devices142
4Continue watching across services139
5Bundle subscriptions122
6Create a watchlist across services114
7Search across services110
8Access live sports110
9Access live news109
10Use voice to search108
11Secure personal profiles104
Above average ↑Below average ↓
12Content organized by language94
13Use a mobile app to find content94
14Get personalized recommendations92
15Content organized by theme83
16Catch-up shows I missed after live82
17Content organized by genre82
18Set a kid profile80
19See what's on cable76
20Controls to limit my kids' TV watching72
21Set reminders for live content71
22Do more with your TV63
23Rent the newest movies59

MaxDiff score: 100 = average need (dashed line); 120 or more = top tier.

Recommendation

Add local language filters in “Shows” and “Movies”.

Option considered: a Programs in Hindi row on the home page — **Considered:** language rows on the home page.

Shipped: a Shows in Hindi row inside the Shows tab — **Shipped:** language rows within tabs, such as Shows in Hindi.

Timeline

6 Weeks, 3 Methods

Diary · N=24

2 weeks

Design & Fielding1 week

Synthesis & Reporting1 week

Interviews · N=12

2 weeks

Design & Fielding1 week

Synthesis & Reporting1 week

Survey · n=1,000

2 weeks

Design & Programming3 days

Fielding2 days

Synthesis & Reporting1 week

Running it again today

Interviews only · N=8 · 3–4 days

Step 1 · Design + Fielding

1 day

Study Design

AI Moderation

Step 2 · Synthesis

1 day

Human Grounding

AI Extraction

Guardrail Pattern Mining

Step 3 · Reporting

1–2 days

Deck

Queryable Study Notebooks

Revised UI Mockup