The Indian media and entertainment sector's transformation began with a misfired American satellite - Hughes' Westar 6, which launched in February 1984 but misfired after takeoff. The stranded rocket was rescued, refurbished, and sold to Asian investors including Hong Kong-based billionaire Li Ka-shing. Relauched in April 1990 as AsiaSat 1, it became the first geostationary satellite covering 2.7 billion people across 38 Asian countries, including China and India. On this satellite, Richard Li created Star TV, which began broadcasting five 24-hour channels in August 1991, including Star Plus, Prime Sports, BBC News, and MTV across China, India, and other countries.
The media revolution coincided with India's economic liberalization in July 1991, which responded to a fiscal crisis and opened the door for foreign TV channels. According to reports from Business Standard, the entry of foreign TV channels was technically illegal under India's British-era regulations that hadn't anticipated satellite technology. Subhash Chandra, a serial entrepreneur who founded Esselworld and Essel Propack, recognized this opportunity and launched India's first private satellite channel Zee TV on October 2, 1992. The following year, Sun TV from Kalanithi Maran entered the market, marking the beginning of private broadcasting in India.
The media sector has evolved into a ₹2.8 trillion powerhouse generating livelihoods for over 12 million people across the country, as noted by Subhash Chandra, founder and chairman emeritus of Zee Entertainment Enterprises. When Star TV and Zee TV launched, there were approximately 35 million TV homes, reaching 175 million people with an average family size of five in a population of over 846 million. The industry has grown from one state-run channel, a handful of newspapers, and single-screen theaters to 960 TV channels, over 60 video streaming apps, 3,500 multiplex screens, 860 radio stations, and Emmy Award-winning shows. Major content successes include Santa Barbara, Saans, Chithi, Kaun Banega Crorepati, Bigg Boss, and Indian Premier League.
The digital revolution began in 2015 with Hotstar's launch, followed by Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in 2016, coinciding with Jio's launch and data price crash. According to Comscore data, digital reached 566 million unique visitors in April 2026, approaching TV's 650 million viewers. The streaming video business was worth approximately ₹43,500 crore in 2025 and reached 270 million subscribers, though no service except perhaps YouTube and SonyLIV made profits. Netflix leads with 325 million subscribers and $45 billion in revenues, while the entire streaming industry spent roughly half its revenue on content creation and film acquisitions.
India's media sector now reflects the global evolution where companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta operate as both tech and media firms. The industry's ₹2.8 trillion revenue is distributed with television contributing just over 20%, while digital platforms account for 40% and remain the fastest-growing segment. As reported by Business Standard, streaming services are moving toward linearization with ad-tiers, sports content, and more film offerings, similar to traditional broadcasting. Vivek Couto, executive director of Media Partners Asia, describes this as India's 'KBC moment' - the potential for Indian storytellers to reach global audiences through streaming platforms, with shows like Heeramandi and The Family Man being launched in over 200 countries simultaneously.
