MUMBAI: With the WAVES 2025 setting a new trend in the economic and entertainment Capital of the country, two reputed international agency – BCG and E&Y – have reported that India’s creator economy is rapidly transforming the digital landscape with a massive growth up to USD one trillion.
The report titled “From Content to Commerce: Mapping India’s Creator Economy” by BCG launched at WAVES 2025 states about India’s creators today influence more than $350 billion in consumer spending annually — a number that is expected to triple to over $1 trillion by 2030. Simultaneously, the creator ecosystem’s direct revenues are projected to expand from $20–25 billion today to $100–125 billion.
Simultaneously a report titled “A Studio called India” by E and Y released at waves 2025 highlights the position of the country as a leader in Global Content Creation and has highlighted India’s impressive growth and innovation in the M and E sector, positioning the country as a leader in global content creation. The BCG mentioned with 2 to 2.5 million active digital creators (defined as those with over 1,000 followers), India now ranks among the world’s fastest-growing creator ecosystems. Brands are expected to increase their creator marketing budgets 1.5–3 times over the next 2–3 years .
Some of the study by BCG highlights India’s creator economy could unlock $100–125 billion in direct ecosystem revenue by 2030.
Despite India having 2 to 2.5 Million active digital creators, only 8–10 per cent are currently able to monetise their content at scale, signaling a vast and largely untapped opportunity. Key findings of the BCG report are 2-2.5 Million creators in India influencing 30 per cent + of consumers and $350-400 Billion in consumer spend; projected to reach $1Trillion by 2030. It said Creator economy growth is scaling beyond GenZ and metros to diverse age groups and city tiers.
Short form video dominates content consumption with comedy, movies, daily soaps and fashion being the top genres and monetisation avenues are diversifying with new consumer funded revenue streams gaining ground e.g. virtual gifting, live commerce and subscription.
Key highlights of the Ernst and Young said in 2024, digital media overtook television to become the largest segment of India’s M and E sector, contributing over INR800 billion (US$9.4 billion) and accounting for 32 per cent of sector revenues.
India produced approximately 200,000 hours of original content last year, including 1,600 films, 2,600 hours of premium OTT content, and 20,000 original songs.
In terms of technological advancements E and Y said AI and new technologies are revolutionising the content industry in India.
In 2024 alone, India hosted over 30,000 live events, including concerts featuring global artists like Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. Ticketed events have quadrupled in the last five years, highlighting the growing appetite for live entertainment.
The M and E sector employs 2.8 million people directly, with an additional 10 million in indirect employment. India’s scalable talent advantage is bolstered by its diverse cultural and linguistic landscape, fostering a thriving content ecosystem.
With over 562 million active smartphones and 945 million broadband connections, India’s digital consumption is accelerating, creating new avenues for content distribution and monetisation, said the report.
The animation and VFX (AVP) industry in India is predominantly export-led, with 75 per cent to 80 per cent of revenues derived from international clients. The sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13 per cent to reach INR147 billion by 2027.
On terms of Studio and creative economy growth: the E and Y said India has over 3,900 studios involved in animation, VFX, and post-production, with around 2,900 registered companies and over 1,000 proprietorships.
“India’s creative economy is driven by its diverse cultural heritage, affordable production costs, and a growing pool of skilled talent. Government initiatives like the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics) Task Force and production-linked incentives further enhance India’s appeal as a content creation hub,” said the Report.
Source: The Pioneer
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