iWorld
India’s entertainment giants plot $6 billion global gold rush by 2030 with fresh new strategy
MUMBAI: India’s entertainment scene has never lacked drama, but now it is scripting a blockbuster for the world stage. Content India’s latest report, ‘The Future Of The Indian Entertainment Business In Partnership With The World’, published today, sets a racy new agenda: a potential $6 billion boost to the industry by 2030 if India plays its cards right.
The findings, drawn from the one-day Content India Summit in Mumbai on 1 April and powered by data from Allied Global Marketing, outline how global partnerships, technology adoption, and a sharper content game could fuel India’s charge. The event, a DishTV and C21Media collaboration, has paved the way for a three-day Content India bash in March 2026.
“It is clear that the Indian entertainment business is a force to be reckoned with on the global stage. But it has the opportunity to make an even bigger impact globally by partnering with international players on its own terms,” said DishTV CEO & ED Manoj Dobhal.
Currently, India’s 551 million OTT users deliver just $2.1 billion in revenue. In contrast, South Korea’s entertainment exports dominate global charts. Without change, India’s OTT pie might touch $5 billion, or $9 billion with minor local fixes. But bold action could unlock a whopping $15 billion market, transforming India into a global soft power, argued Allied’s Jamie Crick at the summit.
The report flagged gaping gaps. Comedy tops audience preference (30 per cent), yet only 10 per cent of premium content serves laughs, while drama, crime, and thrillers hog 60 per cent of new releases. Authentic, local content—preferred by 86 per cent of OTT viewers—is a must.
Mobile may be India’s stereotype, but connected TVs are booming. YouTube’s connected TV usage quadrupled between 2022 and 2024. Ninety-two percent of online video minutes flow through YouTube, not premium OTT.
The report pushed for lighter, family-friendly formats and deeper collaboration with creator ecosystems.
On the global stage, India can draw lessons from South Korea’s Hallyu wave and Spain’s Money Heist effect. Local authenticity with universal themes wins hearts—domestically and internationally.
New growth drivers include positioning India as the world’s most cost-effective production partner, leveraging its premium series costs ($1 million-2 million per episode) compared to US ($5 million-15 million). AI-powered efficiencies can further sweeten the deal.
The Indian diaspora—35 million affluent consumers—remains an underplayed hand. Targeting them with broader genres, beyond nostalgia, offers a smart bridge to global glory.
C21Media founder and the report’s editor David Jenkinson summed it up, “The world is changing fast… India can be at the heart of that. Of course, there are many challenges. But they are all addressable and the upside is significant for all.”
The report stressed a tight checklist for future growth: urgent action, strategic alliances, tech savviness, emotionally rich storytelling, and strong institutional backing.
“The future of Indian entertainment will not be gifted. It must be built”, it concluded.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
