Media and entertainment industry to focus on original intellectual property

Chanchal Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, today called upon the media and entertainment industry to move beyond scale and focus on original intellectual property (IP), sustainable business models and global market expansion, with the objective of positioning India as a leading source of creative content, technology, talent and globally competitive media companies.

Addressing the inaugural session of the two day CII Big Picture Summit 2026, themed “The New Economics of Media and Entertainment: Building India’s Future Global Media Companies”, Chanchal Kumar said India has the opportunity to translate its rich storytelling traditions, cultural diversity and creative talent into lasting economic and cultural value.

Mr Gaurav Banerjee, Summit Chair and MD & CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India, called for a fundamental rethink of business models. “A large audience is, finally, just a starting point. It is not a business model.”He urged greater focus on audience value, measurable advertiser outcomes and sustainable investor returns.

Ms Gunjan Soni, Summit Co-Chair and Country MD, YouTube India, described creativity and culture as economic strengths supporting India’s “Viksit Bharat” ambition.

Rajan Navani, Summit Co-Chair and MD & CEO, JetSynthesys, said democratised access to technology and AI was essential to keeping pace with global change. AI, he said, was rapidly narrowing the gap between human imagination and the ability to realise ideas.(UPDATED ON 15TH OCTOBE 2026)