The Indian media industry and its job prospects

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Media and entertainment industry is one of the most promising and fastest growing industries in the Indian market at present. The main driving forces taking the trade to such peak happens to be the privatisation and expansion of broadcasting channels, liberalisation plans of the government, digital arrangement for film making & distribution and several more. As a result, it is no surprise that the hike in media employment in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and other main metropolitans can be seen together with the expansion of the sector itself.

The Indian Media and Entertainment Industry (M&E) is one of the most vibrant and exciting industries in the world. As it entertains and informs the country, the M&E industry has been a catalyst for the growth of large parts of the Indian economy. In 2013, the Indian Media & Entertainment Industry (M&E) registered a growth of 11.8 per cent over 2012 and touched INR 918 billion (Source: FICCI-KPMG Report 2014). At the same time, the industry began to see some benefits from the digitisation of media products and services and growth in regional media. This drives demand for various products and services. Media plays a significant role in our lives today and is all pervasive with touch points ranging from television to newspaper to films to radio to outdoor properties. With the addition of new media such as social networking services, animation and VFX, online gaming and applications running on mobile devices, a new dimension has been added to the world of media that was dominated by traditional media. In addition to their implicit impact, all media platforms provide a great opportunity to carry explicit messages to create social impact.

A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers asserts that the media and entertainment sector outlines a Rs 35,000 crore trade in India and it is expected to grow over the next few years at the rate of about 19 per cent. It has also been stated that there has been a vast investment in the media sector in current times and it incorporated investment in the infrastructural services including broadband internet connectivity, home cable television, digital cinema as well as movie theater complexes. Indian media industry’s different sections – film, television, advertising, music and radio – have witnessed a remarkable growth in the last few years. From the era of black & white movies now it has reached a level of high definition movies and broadcasting.

Businesses are successful because their products, neatly designed and attractively packaged, are ably aided by effective communication. The communication may be through various means and media, and the packaging may be mind bogglingly complex at times, but all of these work hand- -in-hand to give the product an edge over its competition in the market.

Most MBA aspirants do not look beyond a traditional MBA programme. They do not know that there may be a better programme more suited to their creative bent of mind and better meeting industry requirements. All the institutes put together, providing Communication as specialisation, don’t even cater to 1% of the career opportunities in Media industry. As a result there is a huge demand-supply gap that needs to be fulfilled. Traditionally, a regular MBA programme focuses more on business related subjects and specialisations. However, with increasing competition, the Industry is also demanding domain specific specialisation.

There are innumerable job opportunities in these sectors that are opening up. Presently, media industry has reached a level where it has been creating jobs for many people. It is considered as one of the most glamorous and lucrative career options. This field offers challenges and opportunities to work in odd situations, which attracts those who do not want to make a career in conventional fields. The rise of the print media, the TV and broadcasting systems moreover led to the conception of online media platform. Thus, choices for media jobs got better enormously. This consecutively has created newer and superior job prospects for the young media professionals in the nation. According to another report by Naukri.com speak, in the month of April 2013, jobs in the Marketing & Advertising, showed a double growth reaching to 10,07,000 jobs as compared to 4,95,000 in the same month last year.

The phased progress in digitisation has been the stepping stone for the industry’s growth and success, thereby bringing about a paradigm shift in key indicators, particularly within the domains of TV and film sectors. In terms of print media, the rise in literacy rates, significant population growth, resilience in agrarian economy, the rise in incomes in smaller towns and the entry of big players in regional markets is likely to drive future expansion of regional circulation and readership across India.

One can expect to get into Branding, Corporate Communication, Marketing and Advertising, Radio Planning and Communication, Journalism and Mass Communication, Media Data Analytics, Event Management and Digital Media Marketing after pursuing Communication Management Programme.

Therefore, if you have a flair for writing, advertising, branding, events, reporting, journalism and media management, then communication management is the ideal option and will promise one of the most promising futures.

About the author:
Prof. Alan A. D'Souza is dean of Shanti Business School and Founding Member - MICA.
He is former executive director - Mudra Communication Ltd., former president - IIMA Alumni Association and former director - Goa Institute of Management.