From reach to intent: India’s media firms rethink next growth phase

India’s media giants are entering a new phase of growth, moving beyond the old playbook of buying reach through sports rights, blockbuster films and mass-market programming. Their next bets are on artificial intelligence (AI), data, homegrown intellectual property (IP), regional-language content and—most importantly—turning audience attention into deeper engagement and new revenue streams.

The shift reflects a more fragmented media market where simply adding viewers is no longer enough. At Ficci Frames in Mumbai on Tuesday, senior executives from JioStar, Zee, Sony, Amazon Prime Video and NDTV outlined strategies that increasingly treat content, technology and consumer behaviour as one business rather than separate television, digital and streaming plays.