Government

As Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present Budget 2026-27 next week, India’s media and entertainment (M&E) sector is sharpening its expectations pitch. For FY27, the sector’s broad asks from the government include placing gaming and esports at the centre of India’s creative economy, along with enabling policy changes around taxation, content creation, and digital distribution.After two Union Budgets that offered limited sector-specific relief, industry leaders say the upcoming Budget represents a moment to move from regulatory consolidation to growth enablement, especially for fast-scaling digital and creative businesses.Gaming leads the chargeIndia’s gaming and esports ecosystem, now one of the world’s largest by user base—India had 500 million active gamers in 2025, per a report by Redseer and BITKRAFT Ventures—argues that while regulatory clarity has improved in recent years, fiscal policy has yet to reflect gaming’s role as a “skill-based, IP-driven export opportunity” rather than a narrow consumption category.At the top of its wishlist is formal recognition of esports as a sport, a move industry leaders believe would unlock sponsorships, institutional funding, and fairer tax treatment of prize winnings.“If esports is recognised on par with traditional sports, prize money should be treated similarly from a taxation standpoint,” according to Akshat…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed