Tanushree Basuroy
Research expert covering India
Media and entertainment in India - statistics & facts
With over 30 prominent languages used across the country, India is home to a diverse media and entertainment industry. Indian media productions for screens, big and small, as well as its music have entertained audiences at home and across the world for generations. The flourishing vertical has come a long way, exhibiting immense growth on both the traditional and the digital fronts. Moreover, the digitalization of traditional media has also created an overlap between the two segments, turning the media and entertainment industry into a multitrillion rupee sector.
Moving on to the silver screen, the film industry had yet another successful run relying on box-office hits churned out by Bollywood as well as the southern film markets. The localized print industry was dealt a severe blow by rising production costs and news consumers choosing to access news digitally.
Meanwhile, over-the-top (OTT) media applications have shown promising growth over the last few years while continuing to attract foreign investment and mergers into this market. Consumers choose to watch their favorite shows as well as movies on an array of domestic and global platforms. A similar trend was also noted among audio streaming users.
As Indians welcome digitalization into almost every aspect of their daily lives, other media segments must adapt to stay relevant. Indian advertising has been quick to adopt the latest technologies and strategies to develop a thriving digital advertising and marketing sector. Moreover, the launch of AI platforms and tools has changed the global mediascape. While the use of AI in the Indian media sector is in its nascent stages, most industrialists are enthusiastic about deploying various methods to enhance their sectors’ offerings and revolutionizing how Indians interact with media.
Conventional pillars of the industry
The television is among the preferred choice of media consumed in the country. The main flag bearers of the industry are media houses like Zee Entertainment Enterprises, STAR network and Sun TV network. Despite the emergence and establishment of a new contender, namely video streaming, the Indian pay TV sector remained resilient with expert assessments deeming it a viable market. Market leaders such as Tata Sky and Airtel continue to be the popular choice among subscribers. Additionally, government initiatives also favor more capital inflow from foreign investors with the FDI limit being increased from 74 to 100 percent in cable and DTH satellite platforms.Moving on to the silver screen, the film industry had yet another successful run relying on box-office hits churned out by Bollywood as well as the southern film markets. The localized print industry was dealt a severe blow by rising production costs and news consumers choosing to access news digitally.
Digitization and the evolution of media
The Indian demographic has witnessed a rapidly growing young population with access to high speed internet and portable devices to harness its potential, especially with the launch of the 5G network. On account of this unprecedented technological advancement, online gaming emerged as the fastest growing new media segment in 2023.Meanwhile, over-the-top (OTT) media applications have shown promising growth over the last few years while continuing to attract foreign investment and mergers into this market. Consumers choose to watch their favorite shows as well as movies on an array of domestic and global platforms. A similar trend was also noted among audio streaming users.
As Indians welcome digitalization into almost every aspect of their daily lives, other media segments must adapt to stay relevant. Indian advertising has been quick to adopt the latest technologies and strategies to develop a thriving digital advertising and marketing sector. Moreover, the launch of AI platforms and tools has changed the global mediascape. While the use of AI in the Indian media sector is in its nascent stages, most industrialists are enthusiastic about deploying various methods to enhance their sectors’ offerings and revolutionizing how Indians interact with media.
