A very warm welcome to Sir Paul J. Foster, KStJH, President & Chief Executive Officer, Global Esports Federation & Founder and Executive Chairman, World Technology Group, Mr. Ashish Kulkarni, Founding Director, IICT-FICCI & Founder, Punnaryug Artvision and Ashish Pherwani, Partner EY and all our distinguished guests who have joined us today, making this event meaningful. Any room that brings together creators, platforms, advertisers and a few strong opinions is always a good place to be.
It’s a pleasure to be here to unveil the FICCI–EY Media & Entertainment Report 2026. Over the years, this report has become a definitive guide that captures where the industry stands today and where it is headed next.
If I had to sum up 2025 in three words, it would be — scale, convergence and transformation. The industry grew to INR2.78 trillion, outpacing GDP per capita and even surpassing last year’s estimates. That tells us one thing clearly, this is an industry with strong momentum and even stronger fundamentals.
But the real story is not just how much we are growing. It’s how we are growing.
Digital has emerged as the largest segment. From advertising to subscriptions to commerce, it is reshaping how content is monetized and how audiences engage with it.
And yet, this is not a story of replacement. It’s a story of addition. It’s interesting to see how India is emerging as a multi-screen nation – an “AND” market. What is particularly interesting is the resurgence of large screens. Connected TV is seeing strong growth. At the same time, linear television, mobile, films and print continue to expand.
And importantly, AVGC is coming into its own as a powerful growth engine, unlocking new formats of storytelling and new global opportunities for India.
Together, they are not competing, they are reinforcing each other. This is a true multi format success story.
And nowhere is this more visible than in sports, which is deeply intertwined with the media and entertainment ecosystem in India.
In an on-demand world, India still shows up live. In a personalised world, India still celebrates together. Sports is one of the few things that can make millions of people feel like they are in the same room — even when they are not.
At JioStar, we like to say: Sports don’t fragment audiences. They unite them—just on different screens.
And the report captures this beautifully. Sports isn’t just content, it’s the heartbeat of shared experience in Indian media.
There is also a simple truth the industry smiles about. When sports is on, group chats explode, families renegotiate screen control and advertisers stop asking where audiences are and start asking how fast they can get in.
We saw this at scale during the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The energy was not limited to the stadium, it spilled into homes, phones, offices, restaurants and even the streets. During the final, JioHotstar delivered 72.5 million concurrent streams, a global record.
Which tells you one thing: when India shows up, it really shows up in global scale!
But this appetite for shared experiences goes far beyond sports.
Cinema had a landmark year, with over 1,900 releases and several films crossing the INR 1 billion mark. Films like Dhurandhar not only broke records but also showed how Indian audiences still turn up in numbers for compelling content.
Live experiences, too, are getting bigger, louder and far more immersive. And we have only just begun to tap into this opportunity.
And then, of course, there is the force quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, reshaping everything: Artificial Intelligence.
AI, is enabling greater personalization, efficiency and scale. But perhaps most importantly, it is pushing us to rethink creativity itself. We are already seeing this come to life in productions like Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh, the world’s first AI produced show, reimagining one of the world’s oldest epics through new technology. It shows how AI can amplify creativity, not replace it.
The AI and Copyright are a much-discussed topic these days across the world and I hope the Indian policy makers engage the creative industry and ensure that they are compensated in a fair manner.
In sports as well, from the IPL to global events like Wimbledon, fan engagement is becoming far more immersive through analytics, live streaming, and AI-driven highlights.
What this report makes clear is that India is no longer just one of the fastest-growing media markets in the world. We are becoming a global case study in how scale, diversity, and innovation can coexist. And with that comes responsibility.
To build platforms people trust.
To invest in stories that matter.
And to ensure that when the next big moment happens, on a field, on a screen, or on a stage, India is ready, connected and watching together.
Congratulations to FICCI and EY on yet another insightful report. Looking ahead, the industry is set to cross INR 3 trillion by 2027.Which means the opportunity ahead is massive. But so is the responsibility to shape what comes next. Because in this industry, we’re not just chasing growth. We’re shaping culture. We’re influencing conversations. And, on some days, we’re even deciding what the country talks about at dinner.
On that note, I look forward to the conversations today and to hearing your perspectives on how we take this industry into its next phase.
Thank you, and have a great day ahead.
