How technology changed India’s media and entertainment industry in 2025

In 2025, the Indian media and entertainment industry did not change because of one breakthrough. The shift happened through a series of practical decisions taken inside studios, newsrooms, production houses, agencies and platforms. By the end of the year, the business of making and distributing content looked noticeably different from what it had been just a year earlier.

One of the most visible changes came from how widely generative AI tools were adopted. What began as limited testing became everyday workflow. Writers used AI for early drafts and research. Editors relied on it to speed up cuts and clean-ups. Dubbing, subtitling and basic visual effects became faster and cheaper. Advertising teams and short form creators used it to generate multiple versions of the same asset. Production cycles shortened across film, OTT and digital content, particularly for regional and online-first projects.

AI also reshaped how content was marketed and localised. Platforms and studios increasingly generated different versions of trailers, promotions and ad creatives for different regions and audiences. Language adaptation that once took weeks could now be done in days. The same film or series could travel across geographies with far less friction.

Streaming continued to strengthen its position as the fastest growing segment of the industry. Digital consumption in 2025 moved well ahead of television and print, driven by direct to consumer platforms and short form video services. But the bigger shift was not only about scale. It was about capability.

Recommendation systems became more accurate. Real time translation, dubbing, captioning and accessibility features became standard. For regional language viewers and disabled audiences, especially in tier two and tier three cities, platforms became easier to navigate and more relevant. Discovery improved and engagement followed.

At the same time, India’s mobile first behaviour became impossible to ignore. With smartphones everywhere and data costs staying low, most entertainment time was now spent inside apps. This forced creators, broadcasters and advertisers to rethink content design. Short form, creator led video and social platforms were no longer side channels. They were competing directly with television and long form OTT. Content was increasingly built for vertical screens, quick consumption and constant circulation across social feeds, reels, shorts and full episodes.

The explosion of generative AI also brought new problems into view. By mid 2025, AI generated slop videos became a visible feature of YouTube in India. These were mass produced, low quality videos created with minimal human input, often built from templated slideshows, synthetic voiceovers and repetitive formats. Feeds became cluttered. Viewer trust began to erode. In response, YouTube introduced restrictions from 15 July on monetising mass produced and inauthentic AI content and began flagging channels that relied on fully automated production.

The impact on India’s creator economy was immediate. Many creators and small agencies that had leaned heavily on automated listicles, commentary clones and AI generated Shorts were forced to rethink their approach. The new rules pushed serious creators toward hybrid workflows, using AI for scripting, editing and translation, but keeping a clear human voice and originality at the centre since only transformative AI assisted content remained eligible for monetisation.

At the other end of the spectrum, 2025 also saw the rise of AI driven music acts and virtual artists in India. India Today Group introduced virtual musicians Aishan and Ruh as AI pop stars that released music and interacted with fans in real time. Collective Media Network launched Trilok, described as India’s first AI powered spiritual rock band, with AI generated vocals, lyrics, visuals and band personas.

These AI bands functioned as always on intellectual property. They could release songs, videos and social content without the limits of human schedules or performance fatigue. For labels and media companies, they became test cases for new business models built around synthetic yet culturally rooted entertainment brands.

Together, the spread of AI slop on platforms and the rise of high concept AI native entertainment revealed a clear split inside the industry. Low effort generative output began facing tighter platform controls, while premium AI driven properties tried to build long term fandom and storytelling.

Beyond content, gaming and interactive media moved further into the mainstream. Digital gaming and esports became among the fastest growing parts of India’s entertainment economy. The market shifted steadily away from real money gaming toward casual, skill based titles and organised esports ecosystems. New interactive formats including micro dramas, audio platforms and fandom driven creator communities expanded how audiences engaged with stories.

Early AR and VR experiences also gained traction as devices improved and 5G coverage expanded, creating more immersive forms of entertainment and hybrid online offline experiences.

Behind the scenes, advances in animation, visual effects, gaming and comics, supported by cloud based production pipelines, reshaped India’s role in the global content ecosystem. International projects increasingly relied on Indian studios for high quality work delivered at competitive costs. India was no longer seen only as an outsourcing destination but as a creative and technical partner.

Broadcasting and live events changed as well. Cloud workflows, remote production setups, AI assisted newsrooms and sports production systems became part of daily operations. Advertising became more data driven. Government and industry initiatives reinforced the ambition of positioning the country as a global content and technology hub, often described as building a studio called India.

By the end of 2025, the industry no longer operated in neat boxes of film, television, OTT, gaming and publishing. The lines between them had blurred. Content travelled across formats. Production became more flexible. Audiences moved fluidly between screens, platforms and experiences.