From Content to Commerce: Why industry leaders see Budget 2026-27 as a turning point for the 'orange economy'
Industry leaders across media, digital platforms and entertainment have welcomed Budget 2026's structural push for India’s orange economy.
- Feb 1, 2026,
- Updated Feb 1, 2026 6:53 PM IST
The Union Budget 2026–27 has delivered a strong signal of intent on India’s creative and cultural industries, with a clear push to scale the country’s “orange economy” across education, skills and employment. With Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s proposal for AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) content creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges, the government has positioned creativity as a structured economic engine aligned with India’s long-term growth story.
Industry leaders across media, digital platforms and entertainment have welcomed the move, viewing it as a decisive shift from informal creator culture to a more institutionalised creative economy, one which is capable of generating jobs, exports and global influence.
Ajay Kulkarni, Business Head at Ykone Barcode, viewed the announcement as a tonal shift in how India views creativity and branding. “A Sunday Budget doesn’t just change the calendar, it changes the tone. It gives brands the space to breathe, plan, and focus on storytelling that genuinely connects,” he said. Kulkarni highlighted the significance of creator labs and structured skills programmes being introduced at scale, calling it “a clear signal of India moving from a content culture to a content economy, creating long-term value for brands, creators, and consumers alike.”
This emphasis on storytelling and structure mirrors broader changes outlined in the latest Economic Survey, which describes India’s media and entertainment (M&E) sector as a fast-evolving pillar of the services economy. Valued at approximately Rs 2.5 trillion in 2024, the sector has undergone a decisive shift towards digital and platform-led delivery models, reshaping value chains, employment patterns and monetisation strategies. Digital media alone now contributes nearly one-third of total revenues, while driving demand for content production, post-production, VFX, dubbing and localisation integrated into global distribution networks.
For digital platforms operating at scale, the Budget’s focus on early-stage skill development is particularly consequential. Ankush Sachdeva, CEO and co-founder of ShareChat and Moj, described the proposal as “a timely move towards formalising India’s creator economy”. According to Sachdeva, the creator ecosystem today influences over 30 per cent of consumer purchase decisions and nearly $350–400 billion in consumer spending. “As the next billion users emerge from Tier 2 and 3 cities, ShareChat has seen how structured storytelling and culturally rooted formats are driving deeper engagement and influencing consumption at scale,” he said.
Sachdeva emphasised that formal training in animation, visual storytelling and short-form content creation could fundamentally alter career trajectories for young creators. “By enabling early, formal training, this initiative will help creators build sustainable careers, improve content quality, and unlock the next phase of creator-led commerce, as creator-influenced spend moves towards $1 trillion by 2030,” he noted.
The Economic Survey lends weight to this optimism. High-growth, export-oriented segments such as animation and VFX recorded revenues of around ₹103 billion in 2024, supported by India’s skilled talent base and cost competitiveness. Gaming, driven largely by mobile platforms and digital payments, reached an estimated ₹232 billion in revenues, while live entertainment rebounded strongly post-pandemic, crossing ₹100 billion and generating spillovers into tourism and urban services. Together, these showcase why the Survey identifies the orange economy as an emerging lever for growth across media, tourism and city economies.
Vikas Narula, Co-Founder of Depot48, highlighted the importance of ensuring that policy intent translates into on-ground impact for grassroots cultural infrastructure. “Having run a live-music venue like Depot48 for over a decade, we’ve seen firsthand how independent artists, niche genres and inclusive cultural spaces quietly power local economies. The Budget’s recognition of the Orange Economy matters because creativity isn’t abstract—it shows up as gigs, crews, food, footfall, artists and livelihoods,” he said. Narula added that the real opportunity now lies in ensuring institutional support reaches grassroots venues and emerging artists who sustain the cultural pipeline, reinforcing the concert economy’s role as a multiplier for urban services, tourism and local employment.
From a traditional media and content production perspective, the Budget’s focus on talent pipelines is equally critical. Sushilkumar Agrawal, CEO of Ultra Media & Entertainment Group, said the proposals reinforce the government’s long-term commitment to technology-led growth in the media and entertainment ecosystem. “By establishing AVGC content creator labs nationwide, the government will equip students with industry-relevant skills in animation, gaming and visual effects,” he said. Agrawal added that the initiative would foster creativity and innovation while addressing persistent talent shortages, creating “a strong pipeline for future professionals and boosting India’s creative economy,” with a potential to generate 2 million jobs by 2030.
The Budget announcements and the Economic Survey’s forward-looking assessment point to a deliberate strategy: embedding creativity into India’s economic planning rather than treating it as an ancillary sector. With digital adoption accelerating, experiential consumption rising and technologies such as AI, immersive media and virtual production gaining traction, the orange economy is increasingly positioned as both a domestic employment engine and a global export opportunity.
For industry leaders, the message is clear. The government’s push is not merely about content creation, but about building institutions, skills and ecosystems that allow creativity to scale sustainably. If executed well, the convergence of policy intent, demographic advantage and digital infrastructure could make the orange economy one of India’s most distinctive growth drivers over the coming decade.
The Union Budget 2026–27 has delivered a strong signal of intent on India’s creative and cultural industries, with a clear push to scale the country’s “orange economy” across education, skills and employment. With Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s proposal for AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) content creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges, the government has positioned creativity as a structured economic engine aligned with India’s long-term growth story.
Industry leaders across media, digital platforms and entertainment have welcomed the move, viewing it as a decisive shift from informal creator culture to a more institutionalised creative economy, one which is capable of generating jobs, exports and global influence.
Ajay Kulkarni, Business Head at Ykone Barcode, viewed the announcement as a tonal shift in how India views creativity and branding. “A Sunday Budget doesn’t just change the calendar, it changes the tone. It gives brands the space to breathe, plan, and focus on storytelling that genuinely connects,” he said. Kulkarni highlighted the significance of creator labs and structured skills programmes being introduced at scale, calling it “a clear signal of India moving from a content culture to a content economy, creating long-term value for brands, creators, and consumers alike.”
This emphasis on storytelling and structure mirrors broader changes outlined in the latest Economic Survey, which describes India’s media and entertainment (M&E) sector as a fast-evolving pillar of the services economy. Valued at approximately Rs 2.5 trillion in 2024, the sector has undergone a decisive shift towards digital and platform-led delivery models, reshaping value chains, employment patterns and monetisation strategies. Digital media alone now contributes nearly one-third of total revenues, while driving demand for content production, post-production, VFX, dubbing and localisation integrated into global distribution networks.
For digital platforms operating at scale, the Budget’s focus on early-stage skill development is particularly consequential. Ankush Sachdeva, CEO and co-founder of ShareChat and Moj, described the proposal as “a timely move towards formalising India’s creator economy”. According to Sachdeva, the creator ecosystem today influences over 30 per cent of consumer purchase decisions and nearly $350–400 billion in consumer spending. “As the next billion users emerge from Tier 2 and 3 cities, ShareChat has seen how structured storytelling and culturally rooted formats are driving deeper engagement and influencing consumption at scale,” he said.
Sachdeva emphasised that formal training in animation, visual storytelling and short-form content creation could fundamentally alter career trajectories for young creators. “By enabling early, formal training, this initiative will help creators build sustainable careers, improve content quality, and unlock the next phase of creator-led commerce, as creator-influenced spend moves towards $1 trillion by 2030,” he noted.
The Economic Survey lends weight to this optimism. High-growth, export-oriented segments such as animation and VFX recorded revenues of around ₹103 billion in 2024, supported by India’s skilled talent base and cost competitiveness. Gaming, driven largely by mobile platforms and digital payments, reached an estimated ₹232 billion in revenues, while live entertainment rebounded strongly post-pandemic, crossing ₹100 billion and generating spillovers into tourism and urban services. Together, these showcase why the Survey identifies the orange economy as an emerging lever for growth across media, tourism and city economies.
Vikas Narula, Co-Founder of Depot48, highlighted the importance of ensuring that policy intent translates into on-ground impact for grassroots cultural infrastructure. “Having run a live-music venue like Depot48 for over a decade, we’ve seen firsthand how independent artists, niche genres and inclusive cultural spaces quietly power local economies. The Budget’s recognition of the Orange Economy matters because creativity isn’t abstract—it shows up as gigs, crews, food, footfall, artists and livelihoods,” he said. Narula added that the real opportunity now lies in ensuring institutional support reaches grassroots venues and emerging artists who sustain the cultural pipeline, reinforcing the concert economy’s role as a multiplier for urban services, tourism and local employment.
From a traditional media and content production perspective, the Budget’s focus on talent pipelines is equally critical. Sushilkumar Agrawal, CEO of Ultra Media & Entertainment Group, said the proposals reinforce the government’s long-term commitment to technology-led growth in the media and entertainment ecosystem. “By establishing AVGC content creator labs nationwide, the government will equip students with industry-relevant skills in animation, gaming and visual effects,” he said. Agrawal added that the initiative would foster creativity and innovation while addressing persistent talent shortages, creating “a strong pipeline for future professionals and boosting India’s creative economy,” with a potential to generate 2 million jobs by 2030.
The Budget announcements and the Economic Survey’s forward-looking assessment point to a deliberate strategy: embedding creativity into India’s economic planning rather than treating it as an ancillary sector. With digital adoption accelerating, experiential consumption rising and technologies such as AI, immersive media and virtual production gaining traction, the orange economy is increasingly positioned as both a domestic employment engine and a global export opportunity.
For industry leaders, the message is clear. The government’s push is not merely about content creation, but about building institutions, skills and ecosystems that allow creativity to scale sustainably. If executed well, the convergence of policy intent, demographic advantage and digital infrastructure could make the orange economy one of India’s most distinctive growth drivers over the coming decade.