The Indian Media and Entertainment Sector: growth and potential in skills

By UK India Business Council (UKIBC)

The Indian media and entertainment sector is expected to grow rapidly to touch $31.2 billion by 2016. Initiatives such as the government’s ambitious push for TV digitization will further drive up digital cable subscriptions, which will in turn increase revenues and demand for content.

Aside from television, the M&E sector comprises other equally attractive segments, including film, radio, print media, animation, mobile applications, gaming and a whole range of supporting industries. Advertising revenues, which are proportionally small in India compared to the rest of the world, are projected to grow to over $12 billion by 2016 from just $6 billion at present.

Leading industry bodies FICCI and CII have for some time recognized M&E as one of India’s fast growing sectors with great potential. However, as I explain below, some challenges remain, including most critically the lack of a skilled workforce, which is effectively holding back the sector’s development.

To learn more about the Media and Entertainment sector, please refer to a recent UKIBC’s sector report prepared by my colleagues in the Digital Innovation sector.

India’s growth and trends in M&E are usefully summarized in the chart below:

Skills Initiative for the Sector

According to India’s National Skill Development Corporation, over the next decade the Indian media and entertainment industry will require an additional 3 million trained staff. Regrettably, many of India’s new graduates are unemployable largely because of the shortage of institutes and lack of quality programmes focussed specifically on media and entertainment.

The Media & Entertainment Skills Council (MESC) has been set up under the aegis of the National Skills Development Corporation, Government of India, and promoted by FICCI, with renowned film personality Dr Kamal Hassan as its chairman.

The sector is currently grappling with a huge supply-demand gap in terms of quality and quantity of workforce, which India’s vocational education and training infrastructure is currently not geared to meet. The MESC aims to turn this “lost opportunity” into a “golden opportunity” by connecting industry needs with training institutes, and via the following activities:

  • Designing competency standards
  • Creation of National Occupational Standards
  • Accreditation and certification
  • Manage skill inventory
  • Developing standard and quality assurance

The council’s consortium partners include: The Indian Film & TV Producer’s Guild, Animation, Gaming and VFX Forum, Indian Outdoor Advertisers Association, Film Federation of India and the Association of Radio Operators of India.

Below are some of India’s renowned institutes already offering programmes in the M&E space:

If you are interested in learning more about how the UKIBC can help you connect with opportunities in India in Media and Entertainment and skills partnerships, please contactNeeru.sood@ukibc.com.


Related Articles

More articles
Get a free consultation with one of our India Advisers

All personal data herein are processed in accordance with UK data protection legislation. All feasible security measures are in place. You may withdraw consent at any time in the future.