The Media and Entertainment Industry in India Explained

The media and entertainment industry in India is the sector that creates and distributes content and information through television, films, digital and OTT platforms, print, radio, music, animation and visual effects (VFX), gaming and live events. It is one of the largest media markets in the world by audience size and by number of films produced, and it has been reshaped over the last decade by cheap mobile data, streaming platforms and digital advertising.

This explainer describes the segments of the sector, the scale and history of Indian cinema, the rise of OTT and digital advertising, the regulators and laws that govern content, and the growth drivers and challenges that define the industry’s outlook. Figures are described qualitatively because industry estimates change from year to year. 15 October 2026

Key Takeaways

• The media and entertainment industry in India covers television, films, digital and OTT, print, radio, music, animation and VFX, gaming and live events.
• India is widely recognised as the world’s largest producer of feature films by number, with films made in more than 20 languages across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi and others.
• The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certifies films for public exhibition in India under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, using categories U, UA, A and S.
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulates tariffs and interconnection for broadcasting and cable services, while digital streaming content falls under the IT Rules, 2021.
• Television has historically been the largest revenue segment of Indian media, but digital media and OTT have grown fastest and have narrowed the gap with it.
• Cheap mobile data, rising smartphone use and regional-language content are the main growth drivers, while piracy, regulatory uncertainty and advertising dependence are key challenges.

What does the media and entertainment industry in India include?

The media and entertainment industry in India includes every business that produces or distributes content for the public, from newspapers and television channels to streaming apps, film studios, radio stations, music labels, game developers and concert organisers. The industry is often grouped into traditional media, such as print, television and radio, and new media, such as digital platforms, OTT, gaming and animation.

The sector earns money in three ways: advertising, which pays for much of television, print, radio and free digital platforms; subscriptions, which pay for pay-TV bundles and streaming services; and box-office and licensing income, which come from cinemas, music rights and content sales. Because advertisers follow audiences, the mix has shifted steadily toward digital over the past decade.

What are the main segments of the media and entertainment industry?

The main segments are television, digital media (including OTT), films, print, radio, music, animation and VFX, gaming and live events, and each follows a different revenue model.

How large is Indian cinema and how did it start?

Indian cinema is the largest film industry in the world by the number of feature films produced each year, and it began with Dadasaheb Phalke’s silent film Raja Harishchandra in 1913. Over the century that followed, the industry grew into a network of regional industries rather than a single one.

The first Indian sound film, Alam Ara, was released in 1931 and set the template of songs and melodrama that shaped popular Hindi cinema. The industry then expanded through the studio era, the post-independence “golden age” of directors such as Satyajit Ray, Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor, and the arrival of colour, multiplexes and satellite television.

Today, Hindi cinema, popularly called Bollywood, is the best-known part, but Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri and other industries produce a substantial share of films. Several southern-language films have found a pan-India and international audience in recent years through dubbing and streaming. India is also one of the world’s biggest markets by cinema admissions, although the number of screens per person is low compared with some other countries.

Who regulates films, broadcasting and digital content in India?

Films, broadcasting and digital content are regulated by several bodies under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and other ministries, with the CBFC overseeing cinema, TRAI overseeing broadcasting tariffs, and the IT Rules covering digital publishers.

• Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC): A statutory body under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, that certifies films for public exhibition. Certificates include U (unrestricted), UA (parental guidance, later sub-divided by age into 7+, 13+ and 16+ following the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023), A (adults only) and S (specialised audiences).
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI): Regulates tariffs, interconnection and quality of service for broadcasting and cable under the TRAI Act, 1997. Its tariff orders introduced the pick-and-pay model for TV channels.
• Prasar Bharati: The statutory public broadcaster that runs Doordarshan and All India Radio.
• Press Council of India: Established under the Press Council Act, 1978, it oversees ethics for the print press.
• Self-regulatory bodies: The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), the News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) handle complaints under industry codes.

The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the Programme and Advertising Codes made under it govern cable and satellite channels. For the print sector, the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 replaced the older 1867 law on registration.

What do the new IT and broadcast rules say about digital content?

The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 require digital news publishers and OTT platforms to follow a code of ethics, classify content by age and set up a three-tier grievance system. These rules extended oversight to streaming services, which were not covered by the older film and television laws.

• Age classification: OTT content is classified as U, UA 7+, UA 13+, UA 16+ or A, with parental locks for mature content.
• Grievance redressal: A complaint goes first to the publisher, then to a self-regulatory body, and finally to an oversight mechanism at the Ministry.
• Intermediary duties: Social media and other intermediaries must appoint compliance officers and act on lawful takedown orders.

A Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill has been proposed in draft form to create a single law for broadcasting, including digital platforms, but its status and content have changed over time, so readers should check the current position. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 also affects media firms, because they handle audience data. In 2025, Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, which restricts real-money online games while promoting esports and social gaming.

How did OTT and digital advertising boom in India?

OTT and digital advertising boomed in India because cheap mobile data, rising smartphone ownership and global and domestic streaming platforms made video available on demand at low cost. The turning point came after 2016, when a low-priced 4G network pushed mobile data prices down sharply, and global services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video entered at about the same time as domestic platforms.

Streaming services compete on regional-language content, live sports and original series. Many use a mix of free ad-supported tiers and paid subscriptions to fit price-sensitive viewers. Short-video apps, social platforms and creator-led channels on video-sharing sites have added a large “creator economy” in which individuals earn through advertising and brand deals.

Advertising money has followed the audience. By several industry estimates, digital advertising has overtaken television in India’s ad spending in recent years, while print has stayed important for local and regional advertisers. Television still reaches a vast number of homes through cable, direct-to-home (DTH) and the free DD Free Dish service, so the two media coexist, with connected TVs blurring the line between them.

How do television, print and radio fit into the picture?

Television, print and radio remain large segments that reach audiences who are not yet fully online, although their growth is slower than digital media. Each has been reshaped by regulation and technology.

Television

Doordarshan began broadcasting in 1959, and satellite television arrived in the early 1990s. Cable and later DTH expanded choice, and the Digital Addressable System (DAS) mandated by the government in phases from 2012 moved cable viewers to digital set-top boxes. The New Tariff Order introduced by TRAI lets subscribers choose channels and pay for them individually.

Print

India has a very large newspaper readership, particularly in Hindi and other Indian languages, and a long tradition of the press. Print faces falling advertising share and rising newsprint costs, but it remains trusted for local news.

Radio

All India Radio, which dates back to the 1930s, reaches most of the country, and private FM radio stations were opened up through licensing phases beginning in 1999. Private FM stations cannot broadcast their own news bulletins, though they may carry All India Radio news feeds, which is a regulatory limit that the industry has long asked to be relaxed.

What are animation, VFX, gaming and live events?

Animation, VFX, gaming and live events are the fast-growing, creative and technology-driven segments of Indian media, often grouped with comics and extended reality as AVGC-XR. Animation and VFX studios in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai deliver work for Hollywood films and Indian productions alike, supported by a large skilled workforce.

The gaming sector is mostly on mobile phones and includes casual, esports and, until recent legal changes, real-money games. India has a very large base of gamers, and domestic game developers are seeking to build intellectual property aimed at global markets.

Live events include concerts, festivals, theatre, stand-up comedy, sports leagues and large weddings. Franchise cricket leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) create significant demand for broadcast and streaming rights, linking sport to the media economy.

What are the growth drivers and challenges of the industry?

The industry’s growth is driven by connectivity, a young population, rising incomes and demand for regional-language content, while its challenges include piracy, regulatory uncertainty and heavy dependence on advertising.

The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 introduced penalties for unauthorised recording and copying of films, a response to piracy. Industry bodies and the government have also promoted the Audio-Visual, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sectors through task forces and training initiatives.

Bottom Line

The media and entertainment industry in India is a large, multilingual and fast-changing sector, anchored by the world’s biggest film industry and increasingly driven by mobile-first digital content. Its future depends on managing regulation, curbing piracy and turning vast audiences into sustainable revenue. This article is general information and not investment advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the media and entertainment industry in India include?

The media and entertainment industry in India includes television, films, digital media and OTT platforms, print, radio, music, animation and VFX, gaming and live events. It earns revenue from advertising, subscriptions and box-office or licensing income. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is the main nodal ministry.

Is India the largest film producer in the world?

Yes, India is widely recognised as the world’s largest producer of feature films by number, with films made in more than 20 languages. Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi are among the leading film languages. The industry began with Raja Harishchandra in 1913.

What does the CBFC do?

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certifies films for public exhibition in India under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. It assigns categories such as U, UA, A and S, and the UA category was sub-divided by age into 7+, 13+ and 16+ after the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023. It does not certify content streamed on OTT platforms.

Who regulates OTT platforms in India?

OTT platforms in India are regulated mainly under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, overseen by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The rules require a code of ethics, age-based content classification and a three-tier grievance system. A separate broadcasting law has been proposed in draft form but its status has changed over time.

What is TRAI’s role in broadcasting?

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulates tariffs, interconnection and quality of service for broadcasting and cable services, under the TRAI Act, 1997. Its tariff framework allows subscribers to choose and pay for individual TV channels. TRAI is an independent regulator and does not decide the content of programmes.

Has digital media overtaken television in India?

By several industry estimates, digital advertising has overtaken television advertising in India in recent years, but television still reaches a vast number of households. Digital media and OTT have been the fastest-growing segments because of cheap mobile data and smartphones. Exact rankings vary by report and by how revenue is measured.

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