TV on Phones Without Mobile Data: India Could Unlock D2M’s Global Push

Watching television on a phone without a mobile data plan or SIM card could become a compelling proposition for Indian consumers. For broadcasters pushing Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technology, India offers something equally important: the scale to get compatible devices built.

At the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2026 in Amsterdam, executives from Brazil’s Globo and US broadcaster Sinclair argued that India’s consumer base, semiconductor ambitions and electronics-manufacturing capabilities could help move D2M towards wider commercial adoption.

Their message was that the technology needs a coordinated market behind it, bringing together device makers, chipset companies, broadcasters, telecom operators and policymakers.

Why does India matter to D2M?

Raymundo Barros, Globo’s chief technology officer and chairman of the Brazilian Digital Television Forum, said compatible broadcast technologies across India, the US, South Korea and Brazil could create a market large enough to make the ecosystem commercially viable.

“If we collaborate, we can make the ecosystem happen in such a way that devices, telcos, government and broadcasters can work together to provide consumers free access to our content on their mobile phones,” he said.

India’s size could give global manufacturers a stronger reason to incorporate D2M reception into their products. That would address a central obstacle: getting compatible hardware into consumers’ hands.

Mark Aitken, president/SVP of ONE Media/Sinclair, said opening up a “1.4-billion-person marketplace” would draw manufacturers and other businesses into the sector.

“The marketplace is missing that one little element, the catalyst, which is commitment,” he said. “Markets need certainty.”

What would D2M offer consumers?

D2M allows compatible devices to receive broadcast content without consuming mobile data. Aitken highlighted the appeal of free-to-air television that requires neither a data plan nor a SIM card.

The opportunity extends across several categories of consumer electronics.

“This technology isn’t just about television sets. It’s about tablets. It’s about notebooks. It’s about feature phones,” he said.

For India, where affordability remains an important consideration in digital access, that could create an additional way to reach audiences without adding to their mobile-data use. Broadcasters, in turn, would gain another distribution channel.

The service would depend on suitable devices and broadcast deployment. The proposition does not mean every existing handset can receive D2M signals.

What can India learn from Brazil?

Barros pointed to Brazil’s next-generation television system as an example of how standards and industry coordination can support adoption.

Brazil began planning the evolution of its broadcast ecosystem in 2020, recognising the continued importance of free-to-air television. It selected ATSC 3.0 as the foundation for its new system, adding innovations in codecs and MIMO transmission.

Deployment of Brazil’s DTV+ service has begun, with further expansion planned over the coming years. Barros said the platform had demonstrated potential for both fixed and mobile reception.

He suggested that the principles used to establish standards for television manufacturing could also apply to India’s mobile-device market.

“If in India, if that’s such a huge market, you can have those global manufacturers engage on the D2M programme in India. I really think the ecosystem problem is going to be solved,” he said.

Policy certainty and compatible devices are the next test

Aitken said his organisation had spent years working in India on chipsets and devices for mobile television. He identified semiconductor and electronics-manufacturing policies as potential drivers of the next phase.

A clear commitment, he argued, could give component suppliers and device manufacturers the confidence to invest in D2M-compatible products.

He also presented terrestrial broadcasting as an issue of technological sovereignty, arguing that it gives countries an alternative distribution infrastructure outside commercial mobile networks.

But moving from demonstrations to widespread use will require coordinated decisions across the industry.

“The technology is solved. The business proposition is largely solved,” Aitken said. For India, the task is to translate its market size into compatible devices and dependable deployment. That is what could turn D2M’s promise of data-free viewing into an everyday service.

(With inputs from ANI)