If 2024 hinted at disruption, 2025 delivered it at industrial scale. This was the year when streaming platforms merged, sports became the ultimate growth engine, regulators tightened the rulebook, FAST channels went mainstream, and leadership churn hit historic highs. Consumption surged even as traditional metrics softened. Content diversified even as distribution consolidated. And behind every platform pivot or policy move, there were people ,exiting, entering, elevating, reinventing.
For India’s Media & Entertainment industry, 2025 wasn’t linear growth. It was controlled chaos ,and sometimes, creative combustion.
Here’s Marketing Mind’s crisp but comprehensive month-by-month chronicle of how the year unfolded.
JANUARY: Data, Disruption & Decisive Moves
The year began with contrasting signals.
TAM AdEx revealed that while celebrity endorsements powered over 25% of all TV ads, overall TV ad volumes declined by 4% YoY. Content, however, showed no signs of fatigue,Mirzapur S3 topped Hindi web-series charts, Bigg Boss OTT S3 dominated unscripted viewing, and Netflix added a record 19 million subscribers, crossing the 300-million global mark.
Streaming diversified sharply: Disney+ Hotstar announced a live stream of Coldplay’s Ahmedabad concert; devotional platform Hari Om offered free access at Maha Kumbh; and CloudTV expanded its content universe via partnerships with Aha, Mask TV, JOJO, KLiKK, NeoTV+, TravelXP and others.
Corporate action was intense. Zee filed an $8 million counterclaim against Star India, appointed Divya Karani as Independent Director, saw CTO Shiva Chinnasamy step down, yet reported a nearly threefold Q3 profit surge. Viacom18 officially became a direct subsidiary of Reliance Industries.
Public broadcasting also made news,Prasar Bharati launched Kumbhvani, a dedicated FM channel for Maha Kumbh.
The month carried loss too, with the passing of media veteran Dr. Bhaskar Das.
People Movement – January
- Ashish Naik joined FanCode as Head of Ad Sales
- Mandela Kiran elevated to VP – Strategy & Partnerships, FanCode
- Parinda Singh joined SPNI as Head of Marketing – Hindi Movies Cluster & Sony Marathi
- Sajith Sivanandan (ex-Disney+ Hotstar) joined Jio Mobile Digital Services as President
- Sameer Singh appointed Group CEO, HT Media
- Siddharth Dabhade joined Lemma as Chief Business Officer
- Mona Jain joined BrandPulse Global as CGO
- Sonia Huria joined Maddock Films as Head – Brand & Communications
- Rajaraman S appointed Head – Content Strategy, SPNI
- Dolly Jha stepped down from BARC India
FEBRUARY: Sports Scale & Structural Realignment
February firmly established sports as the industry’s growth engine.
JioStar secured sponsors across IPL and WPL, Campa partnered as co-powered sponsor, Sintex joined WPL, My11Circle came on board as co-presenting partner, and FanCode expanded rights,from MotoGP to UIM E1.
PVR INOX partnered JioStar to bring the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to cinemas. Sony Sports Network acquired PCB home series and PSL 2025 rights.
Broadcast consolidation gained momentum: JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar officially merged to launch JioHotstar.
Radio saw revival,TAM AdEx reported 80% growth in average ad volumes per station since 2020.
Regulation sharpened with MIB advisories for OTT platforms.
People Movement – February
- Gayatri Yadav joined Reliance Industries as Group CMO & EVP
- Dolly Jha joined NielsenIQ as Client Operations Leader – APAC
- Abhay Ojha appointed CEO – iTV Network
- Akshansh Yadav appointed CPTO – Digital, ITV Network
- Chandan Das joined JioStar as AD – Revenue (South)
- Swati Sapna elevated at Netflix India
- Sunil Sharma exited Network18
MARCH: Forecasts, Format Wars & Franchise Power
March delivered industry introspection.
FICCI-EY projected India to become the 3rd largest global M&E market by 2028, despite TV revenues falling 4.5% in 2024. Digital, sports and CTV emerged as the future drivers.
Times Network merged Mirror Now into Times Now. Sports18 channels rebranded as Star Sports. Tata Play partnered FanCode.
Cricket drove records,India vs Pakistan clash drew 20.6 crore TV viewers, IPL sponsorships surged, and JioStar onboarded 20 IPL sponsors.
Print advertising was led by the auto sector, per TAM AdEx.
People Movement – March
- Angad Bhatia appointed CEO – Firstpost & Creator18
- Vikas Purohit joined TOI as CEO – New Business Ventures
- Harshit Sahni elevated at Warner Bros. Discovery
- Zarrar Don joined Moneycontrol as CRO
- Bharat Gupta exited Jagran New Media after 25 years
APRIL: IPL Economics & Platform Innovation
April was IPL at full throttle.
TAM Sports reported a 12% rise in TV ad volumes, with 84 new advertisers entering the ecosystem. Parle Biscuits led advertiser charts.
JioStar launched MegaBlast, Amagi unveiled an AI-powered Smart Scheduler, Prime Video added Apple TV+ as an add-on, and Netflix reported 12.5% revenue growth, targeting ad revenue expansion.
CCI penalised UFO Moviez and Qube Cinema, reinforcing regulatory scrutiny.
People Movement – April
- Rahul Kanwal announced as incoming NDTV CEO
- Varun Mohan elevated to CCO, MiQ India
- Nalin Mehta appointed Chief AI Officer – Editorial Ops, Network18
- Divij Sharma joined Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios
- Dhruv Dhawan exited Disney+ Hotstar
- Rahul Kanwal exited India Today Group
MAY: Rebrands, FAST & Regulatory Muscle
May was marked by identity shifts.
ZEE rebranded as ‘Z’, Warner Bros. Discovery announced HBO Max’s return, and Collective Artists launched Collective Media Network.
FAST channels expanded, influencer platforms scaled, and micro-dramas gained traction.
OTT platforms faced firm regulation,Pakistan-origin content was ordered to be removed; IPL was briefly suspended amid geopolitical tensions before resuming.
People Movement – May
- Jerome Bigio joined Warner Bros. Discovery as SVP – Marketing, APAC
- Pranav Bakshi promoted to CGO, Network18 Connect
- Partha Sinha exited BCCL
- Emma Whitmore joined Amagi
- Shaurya Sharma appointed Head of Marketing, Z TV
JUNE: One Billion Viewers & Structural Reality
IPL 2025 crossed 1 billion viewers, with CTV viewership rising 49%.
At the same time, pay-TV reach fell by 40 million homes, highlighting structural shifts.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced its corporate split, Zee promoters infused ₹2,237 crore, and Network18 sold Media18 Distribution.
People Movement – June
- Puneet Biyani joined TOI as VP & Head – OOH & Exhibitions
- Prabhvir Sahmey exited Samsung Ads
- Suyash L joined BCCL
- Creator18 rolled out
JULY: Content Peaks, Courts Intervene
Squid Game S3 shattered Netflix records.
Micro-drama app Bullet launched. FAST channels multiplied. CTV consumption surged.
Simultaneously, OTT bans, illegal streaming crackdowns, and personality rights cases dominated headlines.
People Movement – July
- Ajit Varghese exited JioStar
- Mahesh Shetty took over revenue, Entertainment
- Gaurav Rajput joined BCCL as CMO
- Sangeeta Chakraborty appointed CRO, Amagi
AUGUST: Festive Optimism & Policy Power
Festive confidence surged. JioStar reported 92% Indians plan to maintain or increase festive spending.
The Online Gaming Bill passed Parliament. FAST channels scaled further. ZEE5 clocked 105 billion watch minutes.
People Movement – August
- Sunil Kumaran elevated as CEO, BIG FM
- Abhijit Kishore appointed CEO, Vodafone Idea
- Ashish Sehgal exited ZEEL
- Abe Thomas returned as CEO, Radio Cit
SEPTEMBER: AI, Governance & Media Accountability
DPDP rules neared notification. TRAI issued multiple draft frameworks. Gaming bans expanded. AI governance entered mainstream debate.
People Movement – September
- Hersh Bhandari exited Republic TV
- Siju Prabhakaran elevated at ZEE5
- Kevin Vaz re-elected IBDF President
OCTOBER: Courts, Creators & Convergence
Courts actively protected celebrity personality rights against AI misuse. OTT accessibility draft rules were unveiled. YouTube strengthened creator tools. FAST and CTV scaled further.
People Movement – October
- Prasad Sanyal elevated at Times Internet
- Vivek Jaiswal appointed Country Manager – APAC, Comscore
- Gopalan joined ZEE board
NOVEMBER: AI Governance & Monetisation Models
AI governance guidelines were issued. Ad pricing in print rose. Platforms doubled down on ad-supported growth.
People Movement – November
- Vamsi Murthy appointed Head of Marketing, Netflix India
- David Zakkam joined JioStar
- Tushar Shah exited SPNI after 16 years
DECEMBER: Mega Deals & The Final Act
December closed with historic consolidation talks,Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery moved toward a mega merger, Paramount sweetened bids, and India’s E&M market was projected to reach USD 47.2 billion by 2029.
Leadership churn continued till year-end.
People Movement – December
- Ashit Kukian took charge as CEO, BIG FM
- Siddhartha Roy stepped down from Hungama
- Denise Dresser appointed CRO, OpenAI
- Multiple senior appointments across JioStar, Amazon MX Player, Mirchi, Meta and Republic Media
Closing: What 2025 Truly Changed
2025 proved that Indian Media & Entertainment is no longer about scale alone,it’s about structure, sustainability and accountability.
Streaming matured. Sports unified screens. Regulation reset boundaries. And leadership mobility became the industry’s defining constant.
As 2026 begins, the industry is bigger,but also far more deliberate.
And that may be 2025’s real legacy.
