Tanushree Basuroy
Research expert covering India
Media ownership in India - statistics & facts
In 2024, India saw one of the largest media deals struck in a joint venture among Reliance Industries, Viacom18, and Disney Star India. The 8.5-billion-dollar mega deal was not only the largest in India but also ranked among the major media merger and acquisition deals globally that year. This was one of many media acquisitions undertaken by the Reliance Group that reflected an increasingly popular trend in India – corporate takeovers of media.
On the surface, India’s media landscape appears to be vibrant and expansive in nature. However, control of these various outlets is vested in the hands of a few groups and individuals. Several of India’s newspapers and news channels are owned by media groups such as Times of India, India Today, and ABP to name a few. This cross-vertical ownership is also seen within non-news media as conglomerates like Zee Enterprises and Sun TV Network account for significant shares of entertainment viewership in the country.
Apart from commercially owned media, India also has a state-owned public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, that was set up as a statutory autonomous body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) in 1997. It operates two divisions across television and radio, namely, Doordarshan and All India Radio. The latter is also the only radio station in the country allowed to broadcast the news. While a fair share of the media sector’s revenue comes from the government, budget allocations have fluctuated over the years.
Tasked with connecting, informing, and entertaining nearly a billion people, the media sector in India is a multi-billion-dollar industry. However, the sector’s heavy reliance on advertising alongside fragmented subscriptions and unsustainable financial models make media organizations especially vulnerable. Finding a solution to the sector’s financial woes and maintaining its independence remains a challenge for industry experts and policymakers.
Why media ownership matters
A country’s socio-cultural fabric is often represented in its media. Media concentration poses a threat to media pluralism by mis- or underrepresenting different political, cultural, and social points of view. Monitoring who owns the media reveals the degree to which a country’s media is free from influence and censorship. India ranks low in terms of media and internet freedom, enjoying only a “partially free” status.On the surface, India’s media landscape appears to be vibrant and expansive in nature. However, control of these various outlets is vested in the hands of a few groups and individuals. Several of India’s newspapers and news channels are owned by media groups such as Times of India, India Today, and ABP to name a few. This cross-vertical ownership is also seen within non-news media as conglomerates like Zee Enterprises and Sun TV Network account for significant shares of entertainment viewership in the country.
Conglomerates’ sweeping cross-media takeover
Over the years, the media industry has been among the many sectors heavily impacted by the M&A activity of conglomerates. Under the Jio banner and through its stakes in companies such as Network18 and TV18, Reliance Industries Limited, for example, has expanded its portfolio across traditional and digital media. The company owns over 70 television channels that reach almost 800 million viewers in India including streaming and digital platforms. The recent joint venture with Disney resulted in the creation of JioStar, set to be India’s largest media company combining the two companies’ streaming services, as well as their TV channel brands.Apart from commercially owned media, India also has a state-owned public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, that was set up as a statutory autonomous body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) in 1997. It operates two divisions across television and radio, namely, Doordarshan and All India Radio. The latter is also the only radio station in the country allowed to broadcast the news. While a fair share of the media sector’s revenue comes from the government, budget allocations have fluctuated over the years.
Tasked with connecting, informing, and entertaining nearly a billion people, the media sector in India is a multi-billion-dollar industry. However, the sector’s heavy reliance on advertising alongside fragmented subscriptions and unsustainable financial models make media organizations especially vulnerable. Finding a solution to the sector’s financial woes and maintaining its independence remains a challenge for industry experts and policymakers.
