<\/p>\n
\n\tWith \u201cDhurandhar<\/a>\u201d shattering records and 37 films crossing the INR1 billion ($10.7 million) box office threshold, India\u2019s filmed entertainment segment posted its best-ever year in 2025, reaching INR205 billion ($2.18 billion) \u2013 part of a broader surge that lifted the country\u2019s total media and entertainment sector 9% year-on-year to INR2.78 trillion ($29.63 billion), according to the FICCI<\/a>-EY report \u201cStories, Scale and Impact: Unlocking India\u2019s Media and Entertainment Economy,\u201d released Tuesday in Mumbai at the FICCI Frames conference. <\/p>\n \n\tThe sector\u2019s growth outpaced India\u2019s per-capita GDP expansion of 7.7%, with digital media, advertising and live experiences the primary engines, even as select segments faced regulatory and cost pressures.<\/p>\n \n\tDigital media emerged as the single largest segment of the industry, crossing $10.66 billion for the first time. India\u2019s streaming market crossed $2.9 billion in 2025, with regional languages\u2019 share of consumption rising from 27% in 2020 to 56% in 2025. Regional cinema now contributes over 65% of all films produced in the country. Total advertising revenues grew 13.5% to $15.98 billion, equivalent to 0.41% of India\u2019s GDP. The sector is projected to reach $35.17 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual rate of over 7%, with new media expected to constitute 53% of total revenues by that point.<\/p>\n \n\tThe M&E sector contributes around 0.8% of India\u2019s GDP and provides direct employment to approximately 2.75 million people, with indirect employment extending to over 10 million. India produced almost 200,000 hours of content in 2025, a majority of it in regional languages other than Hindi, with 96% produced for television excluding news bulletins, 2% for films, 1% for streaming and 1% for short video and microdramas.<\/p>\n \n\tDigital advertising rose 26% to $10.09 billion, accounting for 63% of total advertising revenues as brands continued to shift spending toward performance-led, measurable and commerce-linked formats. E-commerce and point-of-sale advertising surged 50% to $2.34 billion, a figure equivalent to 85% of linear television advertising revenues. Digital advertising also encompasses $3.87 billion from more than one million small and medium enterprises and long-tail advertisers. Advertising on Connected TVs rose from $735.3 million in 2024 to $1.06 billion in 2025 as Connected TV subscriptions grew 35% and delivered affluent audiences to marketers.<\/p>\n \n\tDigital subscription revenues climbed 60% to $1.74 billion. Paid video subscriptions reached 216 million, spanning 143 million households, driven by premium sports and films placed behind paywalls. Paid music subscriptions grew 37% to 14.4 million. News subscriptions remain limited to 4 million, primarily owing to the abundance of free alternatives.<\/p>\n \n\tKevin Vaz, chair of the FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee, said the digital milestone was \u201ca highly encouraging signal, underscoring the sector\u2019s strong growth momentum,\u201d and described Connected TV as complementing linear television by enhancing large-screen experiences. He added that \u201cmeasured regulatory forbearance, coupled with innovation, will be critical in sustaining long-term growth.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe organized live events segment surged 44% to $1.55 billion, fuelled by ticketed concerts, personal functions such as weddings, government events and religious gatherings including the Maha Kumbh Mela.<\/p>\n \n\tThe film segment reached a record $2.18 billion. More than 1,900 films were released in 2025, with theatrical revenues rising 14%, mainly from higher ticket prices. Thirty-seven films earned $10.7 million or more at the box office, with \u201cDhurandhar\u201d cited in the report as a record-setter for the year. Digital and satellite rights values declined 8% and 10% respectively, as buyers rationalized slates and adjusted values based on theatrical performance.<\/p>\n \n\tTelevision continues to be the predominant medium in India, reaching approximately 745 million individuals weekly. Linear TV advertising revenue declined 10.3%, reflecting reduced advertising volumes as sectors shifted spend to digital and a 3% reduction in the number of advertisers using the platform. Subscription revenues decreased 8%, attributed to a loss of 11 million Pay TV households, though Free TV and Connected TV subscribers grew. Connected TV reach increased to approximately 40 million weekly active homes from 30 million in 2024. Combined linear and Connected TV advertising revenues were stable at $3.86 billion.<\/p>\n \n\tOut-of-home media grew 13%, with premium properties and locations leading the expansion. Digital OOH contributed 18% of total segment revenues, up from 7% in 2023. The music sector saw revenues increase 10%, with digital licensing expanding just 2% \u2013 attributed by the report to declining returns from YouTube \u2013 while revenues from other streaming platforms and social media channels demonstrated growth. Music labels\u2019 other income rose 26%, supported by expansion into events, talent management and branded content.<\/p>\n \n\tAnimation and VFX grew only 2%, as international studios struggling with profitability focused on fewer films and series in the wake of the Hollywood writers\u2019 strike\u2019s impact on global supply chains, while domestic demand increased as more mid-budget films incorporated VFX. Print advertising revenues rose 2%, with subscription earnings dropping 1% due to reduced circulation among younger audiences. Radio segment revenues declined 7% to $245.1 million, primarily due to reduced ad rates, with the report noting that certain mobile devices and automobiles are no longer equipped with FM receivers. Non-advertising revenues now comprise 25% of segment revenues.<\/p>\n \n\tThe online and video games segment saw a 17% decrease following the ban on money gaming that took effect at the end of August 2025, with money gaming revenues dropping 26% compared to 2024. In-app purchases in video games rose 15% as the industry pivoted to that format. Esports revenues declined 8%, largely as a result of global sponsorship challenges and the segment\u2019s reliance on money gaming brands for sponsorships.<\/p>\n \n\tDeal activity in the sector remained robust, with 105 transactions recorded in 2025, an 8% increase in volume compared to 2024. Excluding the mega Jio-Star transaction, deal value reflected a 27% increase over the adjusted 2024 base. Some 73% of deals pertained to new media, with digital media and sports the most active segments.<\/p>\n \n\tLooking ahead, the report projects the sector will grow 2.8% in 2026 to reach $30.48 billion; excluding online gaming, growth is expected at 8% before accelerating to a CAGR of over 7% through 2028. The sector is expected to reach $31.97 billion by 2027, adding $5.5 billion in absolute terms between 2025 and 2028.<\/p>\n \n\tBy segment, digital media is projected to be the fastest-growing, with a 14% CAGR to reach $17.48 billion by 2028. The report projects digital advertising to lead with $4.75 billion in incremental revenues, driven by SME advertising growing at 16% to reach $6 billion by 2028 and e-commerce and point-of-sale advertising growing at 22% to $4.31 billion. The share of programmatic advertising is expected to surpass 75% of all non-premium and impact inventory, representing $10.12 billion in digital ad spend managed through self-serve algorithms by 2028.<\/p>\n \n\tDigital subscription revenues are projected to grow by $905.8 million, with video streaming subscriptions expanding from 143 million to approximately 191 million households. Transactional video-on-demand revenues are expected to rise from $53.3 million to $78.9 million, while audio streaming subscriptions are set to double, reaching between 28 million and 30 million paid subscribers.<\/p>\n \n\tLive events are expected to expand beyond the current top eight metro cities to more than 20 cities with populations exceeding 2 million, with concert days hosting audiences of 10,000 or more projected to rise from 130 in 2025 to over 200 by 2028, driving the segment to $2.09 billion. Filmed entertainment is projected to grow to $2.7 billion on the back of increased screens, a greater number of high-concept films and a rebound in digital rights values. Animation and VFX is forecast to grow at a 10% CAGR to $1.47 billion, aided by stabilizing global content pipelines and increased offshoring by major studios to India.<\/p>\n \n\tTelevision is projected to continue losing audiences to Connected TV, with total Linear Pay TV subscriptions declining at a rate of 3.1% to 83 million by 2028. However, total linear and Connected TV advertising revenues are expected to grow to $4.02 billion by 2028 as ad-targeting capabilities improve and SMEs increase Connected TV investment. Video games are projected to grow at 13% to reach $980.4 million by 2028, though the report notes the segment may not be able to fully recover the $2.02 billion gap caused by the ban on money gaming.<\/p>\n \n\tSpeaking at the report\u2019s launch, Ashish Shelar, Minister of Information Technology and Cultural Affairs for the Government of Maharashtra, described the sector\u2019s expansion as reflecting \u201cnot just scale, but the sector\u2019s growing strategic importance to the nation\u2019s economy.\u201d He said Mumbai \u201ccontinues to be the creative capital of India and the epicenter of our media and entertainment ecosystem,\u201d adding that the government is \u201ccommitted to building a future-ready ecosystem that seamlessly integrates creativity with cutting-edge technology, ensuring sustainable and globally competitive growth.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tShelar further described the global opportunity as unprecedented, noting that \u201cthe world is increasingly recognising India not just as a large market, but as a creative powerhouse and a trusted partner in content creation.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnant Goenka, president of FICCI and vice chair of RPG Group, said the industry\u2019s evolution is \u201cincreasingly defined by the interplay of stories, scale and impact,\u201d and that \u201cunlocking this potential will depend on how effectively the industry aligns storytelling, distribution and sustainable monetization across the ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAshish Pherwani, partner and leader of EY India\u2019s Media and Entertainment sector, described 2025 as a year in which the sector \u201ccrossed a critical inflection point,\u201d and said the next phase of growth would \u201cbe defined by sustainable monetization models, disciplined investment and the ability of stakeholders to adapt to shifting consumer behavior and regulatory realities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With \u201cDhurandhar\u201d shattering records and 37 films crossing the INR1 billion ($10.7 million) box office threshold, India\u2019s filmed entertainment segment posted its best-ever year in 2025, reaching INR205 billion ($2.18 billion) \u2013 part of a broader surge that lifted the country\u2019s total media and entertainment sector 9% year-on-year to INR2.78 trillion ($29.63 billion), according to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2343418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[415465,454401],"class_list":["post-2343417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-dhurandhar","tag-ficci"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Dhurandhar-Powers-Indias-Record-218-Billion-2025.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2343417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2343419,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343417\/revisions\/2343419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2343418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2343417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2343417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2343417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}