India’s media and entertainment industry is one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic sectors in the world, valued at approximately Rs 2.3 trillion and expanding at a consistent pace driven by digital adoption, rising internet penetration, growing consumption of OTT content, and the sheer appetite of 1.4 billion consumers for entertainment, news, and information across every language and medium. Google, Meta, and JioStar have emerged as the three largest media and entertainment companies in India by revenue, together accounting for more than one-fourth of the total Indian media and entertainment business. JioStar alone has announced plans to invest Rs 33,000 crore in new content in FY26 to transform India’s media landscape. The sector spans television broadcasting, digital streaming, print media, film production, radio, and online advertising, with digital media now the dominant growth engine replacing traditional platforms. Let us have a look at the top 10 biggest media companies in India for the year 2026.
1. Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd. (Times Group)
Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd., more widely known as the Times Group, was founded in the year 1838 and is India’s largest and most diversified media conglomerate with a presence spanning print, television, radio, digital, and entertainment across virtually every media category. The group publishes The Times of India, which is the world’s largest English-language daily by circulation, along with The Economic Times, the Mumbai Mirror, Navbharat Times, and Maharashtra Times. Its television network includes Times Now, ET Now, Zoom, and Mirror Now. Radio operations run under Radio Mirchi and digital properties include Times of India online, Cricbuzz, and Times Internet which reaches over 600 million users monthly.
The Times Group serves advertisers, readers, viewers, and digital consumers across India and internationally with the most comprehensive cross-platform media reach of any Indian media company, making it the single most powerful advertising partner for brands seeking mass reach across English, Hindi, and regional language audiences simultaneously.
2. JioStar
JioStar, created in the year 2024 through the merger of Viacom18 and Star India under the combined ownership of Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Company, is India’s most powerful and content-rich broadcast and streaming media company by combined reach and content library. The entity brings together Star Plus, Star Sports, Hotstar, Colors, MTV, Nickelodeon, Star Vijay, and dozens of other channels under a single corporate structure, making it the dominant force in both mass entertainment broadcasting and premium sports streaming in India. JioStar’s investment of Rs 33,000 crore in new content for FY2026 signals an unprecedented commitment to widening its content leadership across every genre and language.
JioStar serves hundreds of millions of Indian viewers through its broadcast channels and its JioHotstar streaming platform, and is the exclusive home of the Indian Premier League, major cricket series, and a vast library of original films and series in multiple Indian languages, making it the most influential entertainment platform in the country.
3. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL)
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, established in the year 1992 and headquartered in Mumbai, is one of India’s largest and most globally distributed television entertainment companies with a content library of over 260,000 hours and rights to approximately 4,800 movie titles. The company operates a comprehensive bouquet of channels including Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Action, Zee Classic, Zee Anmol, Zee Café, Zee Studio, Zing, and regional language channels. Zee’s ZEE5 streaming platform extends its content reach to digital audiences across India and over 190 countries. Despite the collapse of its proposed merger with Sony, Zee has maintained its position as one of India’s most widely viewed entertainment networks.
Zee Entertainment serves Hindi-speaking and regional language audiences across India and the Indian diaspora worldwide with a comprehensive entertainment offering that spans general entertainment, movies, music, and children’s content through both its traditional broadcast network and its growing digital streaming operations.
4. Sun TV Network Limited
Sun TV Network Limited, founded in the year 1993 by Kalanithi Maran and headquartered in Chennai, is the dominant media company in southern India and one of the most profitable broadcasting businesses in the country, with an extraordinary regional content moat that has made it the undisputed king of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam language television. The company operates over 33 television channels, 5 FM radio stations, and its SUN NXT OTT platform, and produces some of the most-watched daily serials and films in southern India. Sun TV’s low debt, consistent profitability, and strong cash generation make it one of the most financially robust media companies in India.
Sun TV Network serves the massive and deeply loyal southern Indian viewership base with its dominant general entertainment, movies, music, and news channels, and is the primary advertising vehicle for brands seeking premium reach among Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam speaking consumers both in India and among southern Indian diaspora communities globally.
5. Sony Pictures Networks India (Sony LIV)
Sony Pictures Networks India, a subsidiary of the global Sony Group Corporation which established its Indian operations in the year 1995, is one of India’s most respected and premium entertainment broadcast companies with a strong portfolio of general entertainment, sports, and entertainment channels. The Sony network in India includes Sony Entertainment Television, Sony LIV, Sony MAX, Sony SAB, Sony Ten sports channels, and Sony BBC Earth. Sony LIV has grown into one of India’s most subscribed premium OTT platforms, known for its exclusive live sports content including ICC cricket and wrestling alongside original programming.
Sony Pictures Networks India serves urban and semi-urban Indian consumers with a premium entertainment and sports content offering across television and digital platforms, and is the preferred broadcast partner for premium international content, live sports, and quality original Indian productions that appeal to the aspirational and English-proficient consumer segment.
6. Network18 (Reliance Industries)
Network18, established in the year 1993 and now fully owned by Reliance Industries Limited following its acquisition by the Mukesh Ambani-led group, is one of India’s most comprehensive news and entertainment network companies operating channels and digital properties across news, entertainment, and e-commerce. The network includes CNN-News18, CNBC-TV18, News18 India, News18 regional channels across 16 states, Colors TV, MTV India, Nickelodeon, and digital properties including Moneycontrol, Firstpost, and News18.com. Reliance’s backing gives Network18 unmatched capital and distribution advantages through the Jio platform.
Network18 serves news consumers, financial market participants, entertainment viewers, and digital readers across India with its comprehensive multi-platform content ecosystem, and its integration with the broader Reliance Jio digital infrastructure gives it an unparalleled distribution advantage for reaching India’s massive mobile-first internet audience.
7. India Today Group
India Today Group, founded in the year 1975 and headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, is one of India’s most influential and trusted media houses with a strong multi-platform presence across print, television, digital, and events. The group’s flagship publication India Today magazine is one of the most read and respected English-language news magazines in India, while its television network includes Aaj Tak — one of India’s most-watched Hindi news channels — along with India Today TV, Tez, Good News Today, and Radio Aaj Tak. Digital properties include IndiaToday.in, BusinessToday.in, and the India Today OTT platform.
India Today Group serves news consumers, business readers, and general entertainment viewers across India with its trusted journalism and content brand, and is particularly valued by advertisers seeking association with quality news content that reaches India’s influential and decision-making urban audience across English and Hindi language platforms.
8. HT Media Limited (Hindustan Times Group)
HT Media Limited, established in the year 1924 and headquartered in New Delhi, is one of India’s oldest and most respected media organisations with a strong presence in English and Hindi print media, digital news, and radio. The company’s flagship English-language newspaper Hindustan Times is one of India’s largest circulated dailies, while Mint is the country’s second largest English business daily. The Hindi publication Hindustan reaches millions of readers in north India. HT Media’s digital properties including HindustanTimes.com and LiveHindustan.com have built significant online readership, and the Fever FM radio network extends the group’s reach into audio entertainment.
HT Media serves English and Hindi news readers, business professionals, and digital consumers across India with its multi-platform journalism offering, and is the preferred advertising platform for brands seeking to reach educated, affluent, and opinion-leading urban consumers primarily in northern and western India.
9. Jagran Prakashan Limited
Jagran Prakashan Limited, founded in the year 1942 and headquartered in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is India’s largest Hindi language media company by circulation and one of the most trusted news organisations in the Hindi heartland states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab. The group’s flagship publication Dainik Jagran is India’s highest circulated daily newspaper, with a readership reaching tens of millions across north India. The group also publishes the English daily Mid-Day, the youth-oriented daily I-Next, City Plus, and operates Jagran.com as its digital news portal.
Jagran Prakashan serves the massive Hindi-reading population of north India with its trusted journalism brand, and is the primary advertising vehicle for brands seeking deep penetration into tier-2 and tier-3 cities, small towns, and rural markets across India’s densely populated Hindi-speaking states where print media continues to command high readership and advertiser trust.
10. DB Corp Limited (Dainik Bhaskar Group)
DB Corp Limited, founded in the year 1958 and headquartered in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, is one of India’s largest print media companies and operates the most widely read Indian language newspaper in the world — Dainik Bhaskar, which reaches tens of millions of readers across 14 Indian states. The company also publishes Divya Bhaskar in Gujarati, Divya Marathi in Marathi, and DB Post in English, covering a broad regional print media footprint across central, western, and northern India. DB Corp has been actively expanding its digital operations through Bhaskar.com and its OTT and podcast offerings to serve the younger and digitally active segment of its vast readership base.
DB Corp serves the Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi language news and information market with its trusted print and digital journalism, and is an essential advertising platform for national and regional brands seeking to reach consumers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh where Dainik Bhaskar commands exceptional brand loyalty and readership depth.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Which is the largest media company in India in 2026?
A: Google, Meta, and JioStar are the three largest media and entertainment companies in India by combined revenue, together accounting for more than one-fourth of India’s Rs 2.3 trillion media and entertainment industry. Among purely Indian domestic media houses, the Times Group or Bennett Coleman and Company is the largest by diversification and reach, while JioStar is the largest by content investment and broadcast scale.
What is the size of India’s media and entertainment industry in 2026?
India’s media and entertainment industry is valued at approximately Rs 2.3 trillion and is one of the fastest-growing media markets in the world. The sector encompasses television broadcasting, digital streaming, print media, film production, radio, digital advertising, and online gaming. Digital media now represents the largest and fastest-growing segment, with OTT platforms, digital advertising, and online gaming driving the majority of incremental revenue growth.
Q: How has JioStar transformed India’s media landscape?
A: JioStar, created in 2024 through the merger of Viacom18 and Disney Star India, combined India’s two largest broadcast and streaming platforms into a single entity. The merger gave JioStar control of over 100 television channels, the JioHotstar streaming platform with hundreds of millions of users, and exclusive rights to the IPL and major cricket properties. Its announced Rs 33,000 crore content investment for FY2026 makes it the largest single investor in Indian media content by a considerable margin.
Q: Is print media still relevant in India in 2026?
A: Yes. Despite the rapid growth of digital media, print remains a significant medium in India, particularly in tier-2 and tier-3 cities and in regional language markets where newspapers like Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Malayala Manorama, and Eenadu continue to command massive readerships. The print advertising market has stabilised after COVID-era declines. Regional language newspapers in particular remain highly trusted and deeply read sources of local news and information for hundreds of millions of Indians.
Q: What is driving the growth of OTT platforms in India?
A: The growth of OTT platforms in India is driven by the proliferation of affordable smartphones, Jio’s disruption of data pricing that made internet access cheap for hundreds of millions, rising consumer willingness to pay for ad-free and exclusive content, the COVID-19 pandemic that accelerated digital content consumption habits, the production of high-quality original Indian content in multiple languages, and the exclusive rights to live sports particularly cricket that major platforms like JioHotstar and Sony LIV have secured to drive subscriptions.
