India’s media and entertainment (M&E) industry, valued at $19.5 billion in 2015, grows 30% annually.
Television
The television category covers genres ranging from reality to comedy to horror to Bollywood (Indian movies). Walt Disney launched Disney Channel in India, now the top kids channel in the country. It initially aired only adaptations of American shows but now shows original content. Time Warner and Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. jointly launched WB Channel, featuring Warner Bros. television dramas and American movies. In a joint venture with Mumbai-based Network 18, Viacom established Viacom 18 in India. Viacom 18 launched Sonic Nickelodeon, airing children’s action shows, and MTV India, one of the country’s most popular music channels. Sony Entertainment Television is a channel owned by a subsidiary of Sony Pictures. In 2015, New York-based Turner Broadcasting launched Toonami, its third animated channel, in India. The company generated $80 million from advertising through this channel.
India’s Zee Network has the highest number of viewers. Star TV is the second largest television company in the country. It offers monetary incentives to network companies for broadcasting its channels. It also acquired MAA Television Network for an undisclosed amount. Balaji Telefilms, an Indian television and film company, signed a deal with Pakistan’s Indus Media to produce American television series Brown Nation, set to be released in 2016. Balaji also collaborates with Chhayabani Pvt. Ltd. in the distribution of contemporary television serials.
There is a strong viewership base for Video on Demand which is available within hours of telecasting on various platforms including smartphones and tablets. As a result, viewing is no longer limited to live television and piracy rates in India have dropped.
Movies
India’s cinema category produces the most movies in the world annually. Major studios are located in cities of Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. Revenues in this category are growing due to increasing ticket prices, advertising, and screen availability. Bollywood collaborates with Hollywood; many Bollywood actors, such as Irfan Khan and Amrish Puri, become international actors.
Located in Hyderabad, Ramoji Film City is one of the world’s largest film studios with 40 indoor sets, 200 outdoor sets, and 7,500 workers. Reliance MediaWorks, subsidiary of Reliance Group, operates one of the largest cinema chains in India, Big Cinemas, with a screen count of 425. Reliance Group signed a deal with DreamWorks to collaborate on production and distribution in India. Hired and trained by DreamWorks, Indian animators in Bangalore contribute to DreamWorks projects. Fox Star Studios produces and distributes movies in India. It was created through a joint venture between 20th Century Fox and M&E company STAR India. Eros International PLC, a major Indian film company, produced 3 Idiots in collaboration with Vinod Chopra Films.
Many acquisitions and ventures occur between domestic production and distribution companies. Based in southern city of Kochi, Carnival Films Pvt. Ltd. acquired Stargaze Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. in 2014. SRS Cinemas, valued at $800 million, distributes to 48 screens and aims to expand to 100 screens in 2015. Cinepolis India Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in Gurgaon (outside New Delhi), aims for a screen count of 250 by the end of 2015.
Digital Media
India-based Prime Focus Ltd. is a large provider of digital media services. Prime Focus Technologies, a branch of Prime Focus Ltd., developed Media Enterprise Resource Planning which allows for simultaneous remote monitoring of several areas including the studio, the editing room, and the shooting room.
Mobile and Internet
Smartphone usage increased 27% between 2014 and 2015. Internet-enabled phones are expected to total 440 million by 2019. India’s Zipdial Mobile Solutions Inc. improves data usage to make smartphone use cheaper and faster. In 2015, Twitter, Inc. acquired Zipdial, allowing the Indian population to access Twitter on handheld devices using minimal data. Young consumers increasingly view videos via mobile devices; Samsung’s Galaxy and devices by Micromax and Xiaomi are the most popular.
Video Games
Microsoft and Sony expanded into India’s video game category with the introduction of the Xbox One and Playstation 4, respectively. Located in western city of Pune, DSK Supinfogame Rubika is a joint venture between India’s DSK Group and France’s Supinfocom Group. This school trains game designers, programmers, and artists.
Magazines & Newspapers
In 2015, the magazine and newspaper category experienced a 61% growth in foreign direct investment due to the Indian government’s discussions about the M&E sector with other countries. Dainik Jagran, a Hindi daily, is the largest circulating newspaper in the world. Times of India leads in English language circulation. Aaj Tak and the Hindustan Times are also prominent newspapers in India. The most popular movie magazine in India is Filmfare followed by gossip-filled Stardust.
Radio
Turner Broadcasting Radio is widening its influence in India through children’s radio programs, music, and news. Its revenue is projected to grow 15% by the end of 2015. Doordarshan Radio, a quasi-independent unit of India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is popular for its daytime broadcasting of music, news, and lectures. Jagran Prakashan Ltd. expanded its influence into radio by acquiring 91.1 FM from Media Broadcasting Pvt. Ltd.
