iWorld
India’s OCC providers expected to generate $2.6 billion in revenue by 2025
Mumbai: The revenue generated by India’s online broadcast and video sector increased by 159 per cent between 2012 and 2019.to reach $483 million. This is expected to touch $2.6 billion by 2025, according to a new report.
A white paper by Frontier Economics in partnership with Creative First, FICCI, Producers Guild of India and Motion Pictures Association Asia Pacific found that online curated content (OCC) providers’ investment in content and production was not only a significant engine of growth within the media and entertainment industry but also the wider economy. According to it, 60 per cent of production costs are spent outside the specific M&E sector in the general economy to support media companies’ investments, for example on catering, hospitality, construction and legal services.
The proportion of the Indian population using the internet has almost tripled since the entry of OCC providers in 2012, mainly due to the government’s initiative, but in part due to demand for OCC services drawing people to increase their internet usage; 34 per cent of Indians now use the internet (compared to 12.5 per cent in 2012)
The research found that the geographic distribution of OCC investment in original titles is broadly proportional to each country’s number of global OCC subscribers, and as subscriber numbers continue to grow in India, so will investment in local and regional content.
Globally, OCC providers are expected to pump $61 billion into original and licensed content by 2024. They collectively invested $24.7 billion in content in 2020. In 2019, The Walt Disney Company, NBCU, WarnerMedia, and ViacomCBS collectively poured $45 billion into content spending and creation globally (excluding sports).
The study also showed that 56 per cent of hours watched on Indian OCC services was local content. It also found via a survey that 70 per cent of Indians consider it important that their OTT platforms provide local content.
Investments in content have a disproportionately large contribution to the GDP as it provides skilled, well-paid employment stimulates economic growth, and supports a country’s exports. Since producing top-quality content is costly and content creation is a risky investment, policies like tax rebates or subsidies mitigate the risk and have been found to significantly increase investments in content, according to Frontier Economics.
According to it, India’s existing policy framework has encouraged investments in the M&E sector and created a virtuous cycle of content creation and skill development. However, it pointed out that policies that discourage or constrain foreign investment and market entry can disrupt this virtuous cycle. “Protectionist policies intended to shield local companies from international competition could result in local industries that are inward-looking, less innovative and less able to produce high-quality content that is in demand internationally,” it said.
“A light touch regulation has been our intention, the government being an enabler, rather than bring any brakes to the system of decision making, investment and employment opportunities,” said the ministry of information and broadcasting joint secretary Vikram Sahay on Friday.
He added “Policy is always an evolving process with time, experience, and learnings. The government has always worked with the industry and other stakeholders, and we look forward to your suggestions and views. The industry has taken the Digital Media Ethics Code positively and has incorporated the spirit of the ethics code diligently in its decision-making process. The grievances received by the Government have drastically come down and it shows that the regulatory mechanism with the self-certification process is working well.”
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.
