From this fascinating article from February 1982:
Television has spread slowly in India. Thirteen years lapsed between the opening of the first station in Delhi in 1959 and the second in Bombay, India’s commercial capital. Ten cities now have their own television stations, and others are linked by microwave relays. But less than 20 per cent of India’s 684 million people — and only six percent of its land mass — are within television range.
One factor limiting television’s spread is the high cost of locally made sets — about $300 for black and white. The inexpensive sets available overseas are not an option, as Indians who bring them into the country face customs duties of more than 300 percent. Indian television manufacturers, eager to leap into the color TV void, say they can offer 20-inch screen color sets for $990, a sum which includes heavy government duties on imported parts and excise taxes.
For the high purchase price, Indian TV viewers get only a few hours’ reception a day. Delhi viewers can watch television for 61/2 hours, including two hours of children’s programming in the morning. Bangalore, India’s fifth largest and fastest growing city, gets 141/2 hours of TV a week by relay from Bombay and Madras.
Nearly everything about this has changed in the last nearly forty years. Technology has moved from terrestrial broadcasting to satellite broadcasting, which was introduced in 1992 (with six channels from overseas). The population has doubled from 684 million to over 1.3 billion people (but the growth rate has fallen sharply and continues to). Import duties of 300% on TVs have reduced to 36%, but the point itself is moot given the widespread manufacture and assembly of TV sets in the country. Even more importantly, the Internet, mobile phones and streaming services – none of which existed in any meaningful way in 1982 – coupled with the lowest data rates in the world – has changed what television means.