Why Media Financing Is India’s Most Promising Asset Class of This Decade By Pradeep VS, CEO

When I look at how India spends its time and money, one thing stands out to me: content is no longer entertainment; it’s a necessity.

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We often think of asset classes as real estate, equities, or fixed income. But if you zoom out and watch India the way I do, through the lens of investors, creators, and everyday households, you’ll notice a quiet revolution. The media has become the largest “asset class” of our era.

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India’s Content Consumption

Today, India is the second-largest video streaming market in the world, with more than 500 million OTT users. That’s not a side trend. That’s the backbone of our daily lives.

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And yet, financing has not caught up. In the last decade, real estate grew at 8–10% CAGR. Media & Entertainment is compounding faster, at 11–13%. But less than 1% of institutional credit flows into the sector. That mismatch is exactly why I started BetterInvest.

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Why Media Is a Big Asset Class

What makes this uniquely powerful is the pre-sold, contracted nature of revenues.

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• For a ₹50 Cr Tamil film, 70% of revenues are locked in before release through pre-sales (OTT, Satellite, Audio).
• For a Hindi web series, contracts with platforms like Netflix or Sony ensure receivables months in advance.
• Even regional YouTubers are securing fixed-fee brand deals.

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This is not speculation on “hits.” It is structured lending against contracted cash flows. I often explain it like infrastructure: banks rush to finance roads because toll collections are predictable. India produces 2,000+ films and 4,000+ hours of OTT originals every year, but financing remains fragmented. That’s the billion-dollar opportunity.

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Structural Tailwinds You Can’t Ignore

• Digital-first consumption: Post-COVID, even tier-3 India streams original series on launch day.
• Language explosion: From Malayalam to Marathi, content monetization has gone pan-India.
• Creator economy: A YouTube or Instagram star with 20M followers today is commanding brand contracts that rival mid-tier TV channels.

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This means the “long tail” of content creators is now bankable, but only if we can build risk models that make sense.

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At BetterInvest, we’ve already enabled over ₹600 Cr of transactions in media financing. And yet, I know we’ve only scratched the surface. In the US, media bonds are already a $20B+ annual market. India will get there, faster than people expect.

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My Belief as a CEO

For me, the media industry is not another asset class. It’s one of the growth engines that boosts our economy. 

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Unlike commodities or real estate, content doesn’t shrink with cycles. With digital distribution, its scalability is infinite.

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Jeff Bezos once said: “Build for what will not change in the next 10–20 years.” Indians consuming more content every year is one of those truths. The form of content will evolve,from cinema to OTT to shorts to creators, but the appetite will only grow.

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That’s why I believe media financing will be India’s most promising asset class of this decade. And I’m proud that BetterInvest is building the rails for it.

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