India’s media and entertainment industry must balance growth with responsibility, said Ministry of Information and Broadcasting secretary Sanjay Jaju at the 25th edition of Ficci Frames in Mumbai. While it is the “next golden age of Indian creativity”, Jaju highlighted the importance of regulatory reforms and accountability.

“This (entertainment) segment is not just about making money, it's about, you know, creating mind spaces, creating, forming opinions. It's important that this growth comes with great responsibility,” Jaju said. He also flagged misinformation, piracy, and money laundering as issues that affect the creative economy. He also emphasised the need for fair revenue distribution systems, so content creators “get their due.”

Jaju shed light on the importance of freedom of expression under Article 19(1) but requested the dissemination of authentic news. He talked about how people use clickbait and fake material to monetise their content, spreading misinformation and fake news, eroding public trust.

Jaju also talked about how piracy demotivates creators to make content. “Intellectual property lies at the core of any creative process. And it's important that the content creator is able to monetise the value that comes out. If that doesn't happen, you will never get the content coming out in an open economy. So piracy must deserve the kind of attention that is being given now.” He said that the government is working with the Motion Picture Association and Producers Guild to block pirated content, as such content raises concerns over national security and money laundering.

Reflecting similar sentiments, Kevin Vaz, CEO-Entertainment, JioStar, and Chairman, Media & Entertainment Committee, Ficci, too, highlighted the importance of reforms, especially in the broadcasting segment. He argued that linear broadcasting continues to operate under heavy regulatory burdens, which have created artificial price barriers and restricted innovation.

“Forbearance is something we have always advocated for,” Vaz said. “If we are to realise the ambitious growth we envisage for the M&E sector, a light-touch regulatory regime is the optimal approach—one that builds on industry best practices and self-regulation.”

Jaju also commented on how artificial intelligence is becoming a huge disruptor for the entertainment segment. “It's important that we minimise the damage it might cause and harness the gains that are going to come out of this technology.”

Jaju said that India should be converted into the world's country of production. India has co-production treaties with close to 17 countries, with incentives being offered. He also mentioned simplifying permission processes to provide seamless content production and conduct concerts through India CineClub—a digital single-window clearance system. The application’s beta version is set to go live by the end of October, so as not to miss the concert season, thereby providing a boost to the concert economy.

He expressed how the concert economy deserves immediate focus, as this sector employs more than 8 million people directly, and is looking to double the concert economy.

Jaju also gave a detailed progress report on the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT), with its campus coming up in Goregaon, Mumbai. IICT is owned by Ficci and CII 52%, while the Maharashtra and Central governments have the remaining 48%, and is expected to open its doors by 2028.

He also noted the rise of AVGC-XR (animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, extended reality) as a 30% growth segment, and emerging technologies like AI and 5G direct-to-mobile that could redefine how India produces and consumes content. “This is the next golden age of Indian creativity,” Jaju concluded. “Ideas are meeting opportunities, passion is becoming money, and craft is turning into commerce.”