India’s New Role in Global Media: The Rise of Media Capability Centres

India is rapidly emerging as a global hub for Media Capability Centres (MCCs), driving creativity, technology, and innovation for major media companies. With over 100,000 skilled professionals and strong government support, India offers major cost efficiencies and advanced AI-driven media operations. Global giants like Netflix, WPP, and Warner Bros. are expanding their presence, cementing India’s leadership in creative technology.

India is fast becoming the go-to destination for global media companies building next-generation Media Capability Centres (MCCs). These centres are no longer just extensions of traditional outsourcing — they now form the creative, analytical, and technological core of the world’s leading entertainment networks.

From Support Hubs to Creative Powerhouses

What was once viewed as a low-cost back-office hub has transformed into a key player driving global innovation. MCCs in India today manage everything from production, post-production, localisation, and visual effects to advertising analytics and audience intelligence. According to EY’s report “A Studio Called India”, approximately 50 such specialised centres are already established in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Bengaluru.

The shift marks a deeper strategic evolution in the media landscape — one where India is not just executing work but leading creative and technological innovation for billion-dollar brands.

Talent, Technology, and Transformation

At the heart of this rise lies India’s unmatched talent pool. With over 100,000 skilled professionals in animation, gaming, VFX, immersive media, and localisation, India offers global media firms the perfect blend of creativity and technology. The country’s ability to produce content across multiple languages further enhances its edge in localisation and audience engagement.

Industry benchmarks show that companies operating MCCs in India achieve annual cost efficiencies ranging from 10% to 25%. Those adopting advanced automation and AI tools through specialised partnerships can see savings of up to 35%.

Recent examples underscore this growing momentum. Netflix has launched a 41,000 sq. ft creative technology centre in Hyderabad — its second major base after Mumbai. Sports streaming platform DAZN has invested ₹500 crore to set up a global operations hub, with plans to employ around 3,000 professionals.

Driving Global Media Innovation

Ashish Pherwani, EY India’s Media & Entertainment Leader, describes India’s MCCs as the “creative-tech engines” redefining how the global media ecosystem operates. “With more than 50 specialised centres and a talent base of 100,000 professionals, India is enabling AI-driven workflows that deliver up to 50% cost efficiencies,” he noted. The focus, he added, is shifting rapidly from cost to capability — with innovation, scalability, and intellectual property creation leading the way.

Rajesh Sethi, PwC India’s Partner for Media, Entertainment and Sports, echoed similar views. India, he said, is “transitioning from a service provider to a global creative-tech leader, where innovation in AI, metaverse development, and real-time production pipelines is the new frontier.”

A Convergence of Creativity, AI, and Scale

Industry experts believe that MCCs are evolving into deep-tech and innovation hubs where creativity meets artificial intelligence. Shilpa Malaiya Singhai of Alvarez & Marsal observed that while India currently powers over 1,700 global capability centres, only a small portion cater to media — a number she expects to grow rapidly.

“The confluence of digital infrastructure, creative talent, and AI expertise positions India as the prime destination for global media giants,” she said. With 30–40% total cost advantages across the content lifecycle, the value proposition is hard to ignore. States such as Maharashtra are strengthening the trend with policy support, exemplified by the newly announced AVGC-XR hub in Nagpur.

Global Leaders Betting on India

Major media and advertising giants are expanding their footprint. Warner Bros. Discovery’s Hyderabad technology hub focuses heavily on product engineering. WPP’s Centre of Excellence in Chennai is doubling its workforce, aiming for up to 3,000 roles in the near future. Meanwhile, IPG Mediabrands has opened its biggest global centre in Pune, projected to house another 3,000 employees.

Streaming and digital giants are also relying increasingly on India. YouTube manages regional monetisation and creator support from the country; Amazon Prime Video runs its dubbing, quality control, and post-production there; and Spotify leverages Indian teams for playlist curation and AI-driven music recommendations. Meta’s Indian teams focus on content safety, AI research, and video systems integrity.

Government Boost and Future Outlook

Government policy is adding further momentum. Supportive measures such as 100% FDI in media, production-linked incentives, co-production treaties, and single-window clearances are encouraging global studios to establish long-term bases in India. Initiatives like the National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR signal institutional commitment to sustain this growth.

Sethi believes the broader transformation lies in India’s unique combination of cultural storytelling and advanced digital infrastructure. “By blending creative depth with AI, cloud rendering, and interactive media, Indian MCCs are not just serving the world’s entertainment industry — they are shaping it,” he said.

India’s Media Future

India’s evolution from a support hub to a creator-led innovation engine signals a fundamental redefinition of global media operations. As technology and creativity converge, the country is poised to become one of the world’s top three media production and innovation hubs — a future scripted not just in cost efficiency, but in creativity, capability, and imagination.