The Indian media and entertainment industry, which was once driven largely by traditional formats such as TV serials, cinema releases and print, is now dominated by streaming, short-form video, gaming and interactive content. Technology is at the centre of this transformation. Streaming platforms are competing for screen time in a market where attention spans are short, regional demand is exploding and content margins are shrinking. To stay ahead, media companies are turning to tools once seen as experimental, such as artificial intelligence (AI) for writing scripts, blockchain for rights management, augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) for immersive experiences and cloud computing to run it all at scale.
Instead of just being add-ons, they are becoming core to how content is made, personalised, distributed and monetised. With India on its way to becoming one of the world’s largest digital-first media markets by 2028, the stakes are high, not just for big studios and over-the-top (OTT) giants, but also for regional players, tech start-ups and regulators trying to keep pace.
A look at how each of these technologies is shaping the industry from inside out, and where that leaves creators, platforms and audiences in the years ahead…
AI and ML
The Indian AI-in-media market was estimated at $175.9 million in 2023, and is forecast to grow to over $3.06 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 37.3 per cent. Industry experts also reported that AI can boost revenues by approximately 10 per cent and cut production costs by approximately 15 per cent for media firms.
AI/Machine learning (ML) is being applied across the media value chain. In content creation, AI assists with scripting, editing and visual effects (VFX). In distribution, platforms rely heavily on recommendation engines. In advertising and analytics, it powers targeted ads and campaign optimisation. OTT specifically uses dynamic ad insertion and personalisation to improve viewer engagement and monetisation. ZEE5, for instance, is piloting large language models to help writers develop scripts. Similarly, sports broadcasters such as Star Sports used AI voice translation during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024, enabling English commentary to be heard in Hindi, breaking language barriers with real-time dubbing. OTT platforms such as Netflix India also apply ML to automate video enhancement and subtitle generation. Last year, JioCinema’s partnership with ad-tech firm Moloco used ML to deliver personalised IPL ads to over 30 million viewers. News media houses such as the Times Group have started piloting AI-based summarisation tools and real-time transcription systems to speed up newsroom workflows. In animation and VFX, firms such as Prime Focus have recently begun testing AI-based tools for automating frame clean-ups and background generation, significantly cutting down post-production time.
Moreover, AI/ML enhances efficiency, scale and viewer engagement. By automating routine tasks (such as video editing and colour correction) and personalising content, companies can handle more content under tighter budgets. It also enables new revenue models, as data-driven insights can inform pricing and creative strategy, while engagement improves through hyper-targeted user experiences.
Blockchain and NFTs
Blockchain technology offers a diverse range of applications within the Indian media and entertainment sector. The key use cases include secure content registration and timestamping for IP protection against piracy, automated royalty payments via smart contracts, and disintermediated content distribution via non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and peer-to-peer networks. This extends to fan engagement through NFT-based tokens offering exclusive content, voting rights and access. Platforms such as IndiGG and FanTiger are exploring fan token ecosystems, potentially integrating with India’s Digital Rupee for seamless, regulated payments. ProducerBazaar is India’s first NFT-powered movie rights marketplace that tokenises film IP, allowing transparent buying/selling of theatrical, digital and music rights using blockchain. Similarly, Shemaroo Entertainment has partnered with PWR Chain, a Layer 0 blockchain infrastructure, to power ShemarooVerse, its next-gen immersive content platform using scalable, green blockchain infrastructure. It could reportedly process over 300,000 transactions per second using minimal power with this technology. Blockchain’s decentralised ledger system increases transparency in rights management and royalty tracking, as well as opens up newer forms of content monetisation and community-based funding models, especially crucial for India’s vast independent content creator base.
XR
India’s extended reality (XR) (AR/VR) market is rapidly expanding. As creators embrace XR tools for pre-visualisation, virtual production and real-time Computer-generated imagery (CGI) integration, Indian storytelling is entering new frontiers. According to an industry report, India’s immersive entertainment market (such as VR, AR and mixed reality) generated a revenue of $6.19 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $26.11 billion by 2030.
XR helps make content immersive and participatory. For entertainment brands, this opens up premium pricing models, longer user sessions and branded interactive experiences. XR also blends well with educational media and children’s programming, turning passive viewers into active participants, such as during virtual field trips and history tours. For creators, it unlocks global exposure and new visual storytelling formats. In India, filmmakers and cinema chains have begun early adoption. The team behind Baahubali, a multi-language film, created VR experiences that allowed audiences to explore the film’s universe virtually. At PVR ECX, a VR lounge with four pods offers genre-based immersive experiences for ticketed moviegoers, ranging from sci-fi to horror. Additionally, composer A.R. Rahman’s VR musical thriller, Le Musk, has gained traction internationally and earned innovation awards in India.
Cloud computing
According to an industry report, India is set to become a key hub for media outsourcing, driven by the global shift towards cloud-powered and internet-first media applications. Within media and entertainment, cloud computing is already the backbone of production, post-production, distribution and real-time analytics. The most visible use case is OTT streaming infrastructure. Platforms such as JioHotstar, Netflix India and ZEE5 run video encoding, transcoding, storage and delivery networks on cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services and Azure. This allows them to scale rapidly during peak events such as IPL, when viewership spikes, without huge hardware investments. ZEE5, for example, uses robust cloud infrastructure to ensure seamless streaming, even in low-bandwidth areas. It also supports AI-driven personalisation. The platform also adopted the common media application format to standardise streaming and partnered with CloudTV OS to expand reach across 4 million smart devices. Post-production houses such as Red Chillies have begun migrating large-scale rendering workflows to cloud platforms. Cloud-enabled collaboration has become especially important for films with distributed production teams during pandemic-era workflows, and now continues as a default set-up.
Cloud is also transforming post-production workflows. VFX and animation studios are switching to cloud-based render farms, significantly cutting turnaround times. Collaboration benefits are significant, as filmmakers and editors across cities can access, edit and review content in real time using centralised cloud systems. Further, cloud powers voice recognition, translation and real-time analytics using AI applications programming interface from cloud providers.
Challenges
As technology tools become more accessible, a major bottleneck is the shortage of skilled professionals. As noted by an industry report, many companies struggle to find AI/ML experts, data scientists and cloud engineers. A study projects that by 2026, India will need 1 million AI professionals. Similarly, blockchain and XR require niche developers and creatives. Upskilling initiatives are needed for India’s workforce to leverage these tools. Meanwhile, from fake news clips to unauthorised use of AI-generated celebrity such asnesses, synthetic content risks eroding public trust. For example, in 2024, deepfake political videos circulated on Indian social media platforms during the state elections, raising alarm over election interference and the lack of enforceable takedown protocols. With no dedicated deepfake legislation yet, platforms are left to self-regulate, and creators face few legal consequences.
The OTT versus telco standoff has created further friction. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s push to bring OTTs under telecom-style regulation and telcos’ demand for network usage fees threaten net neutrality and raise access costs. This regulatory flux is making media-tech investments riskier and more fragmented.
AI and XR technologies struggle with this diversity. Most generative AI tools are trained on English or Hindi, limiting their use in regional scripting, dubbing or post-production. For example, AI voice cloning and dubbing in Tamil, Telugu or Marathi still produce robotic results, undermining viewer experience.
Future outlook
The Indian media and entertainment sector crossed Rs 2.5 trillion ($29.4 billion) in 2024, contributing 0.73 per cent to the country’s GDP. It is expected that the sector will see a 7.2 per cent CAGR in 2025, reaching Rs 2.68 trillion ($31.6 billion), and then grow at a CAGR of 7 per cent to reach Rs 3.07 trillion ($36.1 billion) by 2027. This shift is not cosmetic. India has the world’s largest millennial and Gen Z population (over 910 million), which contributes significantly to the demand in the media, technology and other emerging sectors. As viewer habits evolve and platforms compete for attention spans, media companies are being forced to rethink everything, from scaling content production without ballooning costs and reaching India’s linguistically diverse audience to staying relevant in a saturated digital economy. The answer increasingly lies in advanced technologies. An industry report highlighted that digital media, OTT, online gaming, animation and VFX, live events and music are high-growth areas, with average CAGRs exceeding 15 per cent.
The industry is also witnessing a growing demand for audiobooks and e-books, indicating a shift towards more accessible and diverse formats of content delivery. Ad-supported models and subscription-based models are expected to evolve further, with innovations in pricing, bundling and content monetisation. The future holds exciting possibilities, with ongoing trends shaping the industry’s landscape.
Harshita Kalra
