Sector Snapshot · Entertainment

India's Media & Entertainment Sector Goes Digital-First

A fast-read primer on India's media and entertainment sector — the backdrop against which we benchmark every company's cost structure in this category.

Rs 2,78,500 cr
India's M&E sector size, 2025 (+9.1% YoY)
Rs 3,30,000 cr
Projected M&E sector size by 2028
US$13.13 bn
Digital media market size, 2025
2-2.5 mn
Active digital creators in India
#5
India's global rank in M&E market size

Digital Is Driving the Next Leg of Growth

The overall M&E sector keeps expanding, with online video leading the shift to digital consumption.

M&E Sector Size (US$ billion)

2022 → 2025 → 2028 forecast

$24.16bn
2022
$30.08bn
2025
$35.65bn
2028F

Online Video Industry (US$ billion)

2024 → 2030 forecast

$4.31bn
2024
$9.17bn
2030F

What's Pushing the Sector Forward

Digital adoption, a fast-growing gaming segment, and policy support are reshaping the sector.

Digital Growth
  • Digital media market reached US$13.13bn in 2025
  • Online video industry to grow from US$4.31bn (2024) to US$9.17bn by 2030
Gaming & Content
  • Online gaming grew 22% to become the 4th-largest M&E segment
  • Projected to reach Rs317bn by 2027
Policy Support
  • FDI limit raised from 74% to 100%
  • Union Budget FY27 proposes AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges

Recent Developments

A sample of the industry-wide and policy moves shaping the sector through early 2026.

Companies We Benchmark in This Sector

Listed Indian Entertainment companies in tDoBe's cost-benchmarking coverage.

Prime Focus
Sun TV Network
Nazara Technologies
PVR Inox
Zee Entertainment
Saregama India
Tips Music
Network18 Media
Hathway Cable
Media Matrix
Den Networks
Panorama Studios
Balaji Telefilms
NDTV
TV Today Network
GTPL Hathway
Asylum Nexus

The Cost Benchmark — What We Actually FoundtDoBe Think Report

The market facts above are public background. What follows is tDoBe's own work: every "Other Expenses" line from these companies' own financial records, read by hand and sorted into one clear set of categories — not a keyword search, not each company's own way of reporting it.

45.3%
tDoBe Average — Other Expenses as % of net revenue
5.2×
Gap between the highest and lowest company
12
Cost categories, sorted by meaning
10.9%
Biggest single category — Miscellaneous & Others
FY24/25
Latest available financial records

Where Companies Land — Total Other Expenses

Each mark is one company's total Other Expenses as % of net revenue. No company is named here.

45.3%
0%20%40%60%80%100%120%140%

tDoBe Average by Cost Category

Ranked from biggest to smallest.

Miscellaneous & Others
10.9%
Advertising & Sales Promotion
8.3%
Royalty & Brand/Technical Fees
3.0%
Legal & Professional Fees
2.1%
Repairs & Maintenance
0.9%
Total Other Expenses
45.3%
Where the Cost Really Sits

General overheads and marketing together make up most of the typical cost here, with brand and technical fees also a meaningful line — typical of a sector built on content and audience reach.

Why the Range Is So Wide

This sector spans music, film and visual-effects production, television, and digital platforms — very different content businesses sharing one sector code — which is the main driver of the spread.

Why the Comparison Is Fair

We use each company's own standalone financial records — not group numbers, not each company's own labels. Every cost line is read by hand and placed into one common set of categories, so every company is compared the same way.

See Where Your Own Company Stands

This is the free, sector-wide view. It tells you where Entertainment stands as a whole — not where your own company stands against it, category by category, in rupees.

Report
$999
Your company, named, benchmarked against the sector. Every category broken out and explained. Delivered in about a week.
Consulting
$4,999
7 working days. We work straight from your own records, on the categories you want answered first.

A below-average number is a reason to call too — the benchmark keeps improving as we go.

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Compiled from public government and industry sources, February 2026 update · Figures rounded · tDoBe sector snapshot, for informational purposes · Cost Benchmark findings compiled from companies' own financial records, FY2024/25.