India has been the world's most prolific film industry for decades — Bollywood in Mumbai plus thriving Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and other film industries. For most of that time, cinema halls and television ruled. The 2010s brought a disruption: cheap mobile data and smartphones put screens in hundreds of millions of pockets.
Media, Cinema & OTT
Media, Cinema & OTT
India's Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector — film, TV, music, digital and streaming — grew 9% to Rs 2.78 lakh crore in 2025, according to the FICCI-EY report carried by PIB. The story of the decade is the shift to digital: digital media crossed Rs 1 lakh crore for the first time, driven by streaming, mobile viewing and regional-language content.
Rs 2.78 lakh cr
M&E sector (2025)
1 lakh+
WAVES 2025 participants · 100+ countries
71,963
Films certified, 2020–21 to 2024–25
Key milestones since 2014
2016
Film Facilitation Office set up
2019
National Museum of Indian Cinema opens
2021
Ethics code for OTT platforms
2022
Film media units merged into NFDC
2023
Cinematograph Act amended after 40 years
2024
Film certification rules overhauled
2024
Prasar Bharati launches WAVES OTT
2025
WAVES 2025 draws 1 lakh participants
2014
0milestones
20142025
Why it matters India is the world's largest film producer, with 71,963 films certified by the CBFC in the five years from 2020–21 to 2024–25, and an estimated 9.5–11.8 crore people now pay for streaming. Cheap data and over 106 crore broadband subscriptions put a cinema in every pocket. M&E is soft power, jobs and exports — Indian stories, music and games reaching a global audience.
- India's M&E sector grew 9% to Rs 2.78 lakh crore in 2025 (FICCI-EY report, via PIB).
- Digital media crossed Rs 1 lakh crore for the first time in 2025, the sector's biggest growth driver; digital advertising jumped 26%.
- CBFC certified 71,963 films in the five years from 2020–21 to 2024–25 (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, February 2026).
- India hosted WAVES 2025 in Mumbai (May 2025): over 1 lakh participants from 100+ countries, and MoUs worth Rs 8,000 crore.
History
Notable milestone
India hosted WAVES 2025 — the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit — in Mumbai in May 2025, inaugurated by the Prime Minister. It drew more than 1 lakh participants from over 100 countries, including over 10,000 delegates, 300+ companies and 350 startups. MoUs worth Rs 8,000 crore were signed, and the WAVES Bazaar hosted 3,000+ business meetings with transactions exceeding Rs 800 crore — India's bid to become a global content hub.
How it works
The engine is digital. OTT platforms — from global names to Indian players like JioHotstar — stream film, series, sport and music to phones, funded by subscriptions and advertising. An estimated 9.5–11.8 crore people now pay for streaming (an industry estimate cited by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting), and the public broadcaster's free platform, WAVES OTT, has over 84 lakh registered users, with content in many Indian languages.
Outlook
The FICCI-EY report carried by PIB forecasts the M&E sector reaching Rs 3.3 lakh crore by 2028, powered by digital media, live events, films and animation/VFX, with new media making up over half of revenues. Alongside OTT, live events, music and India's animation/VFX and gaming industries (your Creative Economy sector) are among the 'sunrise' segments.
By the numbers
Rs 2.78 lakh crore M&E sector (2025), up 9% in a year (FICCI-EY, via PIB). 71,963 films certified by CBFC in the five years 2020–21 to 2024–25 (February 2026). 106 crore+ broadband subscriptions (March 2026). WAVES 2025 — Mumbai, 1 lakh+ participants from 100+ countries, Rs 8,000 crore in MoUs. Sources: PIB, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, CBFC, TRAI.
Data current to: Calendar year 2025
Source: PIB, 24 March 2026 (linked), reporting the FICCI-EY Media & Entertainment report: India's M&E sector grew 9% to Rs 2.78 lakh crore in 2025. This is an industry estimate carried by the Government. No official year-by-year series exists, so no chart is shown. · link