India’s entertainment & media sector is growing nearly 2x faster than the world, says PwC

India’s entertainment and media (E&M) sector is entering one of its most accelerated phases yet and the latest PwC Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2025–29 makes the scale of that shift explicit. According to the report, India’s E&M market will rise from USD 32.2 billion in 2024 to USD 47.2 billion by 2029, clocking a 7.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). That’s nearly twice the global average of 4.2%.

This growth isn’t arriving from one blockbuster segment but from a convergence of forces: an enormous youth base, deeper digital penetration, rapid broadband expansion, rising discretionary spending, and a creator economy now strong enough to influence entertainment, commerce, travel and lifestyle.

A young, digital-forward India is shaping the next media wave

PwC notes that India’s surge is tied directly to changing consumer behaviour. More people are coming online, spending more time on digital platforms, and expecting content that’s regional, personalised, immersive and on-demand. This shift is restructuring what platforms create, how businesses monetise, and how advertisers allocate budgets.

Rajesh Sethi, Partner & Leader – Media, Entertainment, and Sports at PwC India, summarises this momentum as the outcome of “deepening digital markets, rapid expansion of advertising-led formats, and a new generation of creators shaping demand.”

Internet advertising: the biggest engine of growth

Among all segments, internet advertising leads the pack, growing from USD 6.25 billion in 2024 to USD 13.06 billion in 2029 — a 15.9% CAGR, and the single fastest-growing E&M category for the period.

This is driven by India’s mobile-first behaviour, regional digital campaigns, improved subscription models, and more brands shifting from traditional to measurable, analytics-led digital spends.

OTT strengthens, powered by regional + subscription growth

OTT remains India’s second-fastest growing media segment. Revenues are projected to move from USD 2.27 billion in 2024 to USD 3.47 billion in 2029, propelled by:

the rise of regional storytelling

direct-to-consumer models

expanding subscriber bases

investments in platform upgrades and premium formats

The report’s subtext is clear: OTT is no longer a metro luxury; it’s now a mass-medium with regional content acting as its primary engine.

Gaming and e-sports continue their upward climb

India’s gaming story remains one of consistency. The combined mobile gaming, video gaming and e-sports market is projected to go from USD 2.79 billion in 2024 to USD 3.96 billion in 2029.

Fuel drivers include younger audiences, immersive formats, and improved in-app monetisation. Notably, gaming is now competing not just for screen time but for entertainment mindshare previously dominated by TV and streaming.

Traditional media is growing and regional markets are carrying the weight

Even with digital acceleration, India’s traditional media isn’t losing ground.

Television is set to rise from USD 13.97 billion to USD 18.11 billion by 2029, with regional language depth and live content keeping it relevant.

Print, often considered in decline globally, is projected to grow from USD 3.5 billion to USD 4.2 billion at a 3.3% CAGR, buoyed by regional readership and advertiser trust.

India remains one of the few global markets where regional print still commands both scale and influence.

Sports and live experiences are becoming institutional-grade assets

PwC estimates India’s sports sector generated USD 4.6–5.0 billion in 2024, and will expand into a USD 7.8 billion industry by 2029. Sports in India are no longer one-off events — they are evolving into structured, investable properties with large-scale commercial potential.

The creator economy and AI are redefining production, discovery and monetisation

One of the report’s standout insights: India’s creator economy is now a 4-million-strong ecosystem. With AI-enabled workflows, creators are influencing entertainment, commerce, travel and lifestyle.

Generative AI is accelerating:

scaled localisation

automated editing

content personalisation

new production formats

This, PwC notes, is not an incremental upgrade but a structural reset.

As Manpreet Singh Ahuja, Chief Clients and Alliances Officer, PwC India, puts it, the sector is undergoing “a business model rebirth,” where AI-led production, precision personalisation, and immersive formats fundamentally reshape how content is created, discovered and monetised.

He adds that the next era will belong to connected ecosystems — networks where cloud platforms, creators, tech innovators and media enterprises collaborate, reshaping cost structures and unlocking faster, leaner scale.

India’s next entertainment wave is interactive, creator-led and tech-forward

The report positions India as one of the most dynamic E&M markets globally not just because of its demographic advantage but because of how aggressively the country is adopting technology and new formats.

Digital participation, live entertainment, creator-led monetisation, and AI-enabled content pipelines are collectively pushing India into a new phase: where entertainment isn’t just consumed but personalised, localised and co-created at scale.

If the projections hold, India won’t just outpace global growth — it will help define the shape of global entertainment in the next decade.